Toyless Enrichment?

[clarousel]

Hi guys,

Back from the third vet trip and I feel a bit lost and am questioning if I've been a good owner for Preeno.

He had his crop swabbed and there's some bacterial build up so he's back on antibiotics but a different one this time.

The vet has said to remove any chewables from the cage in case he has been ingesting anything which is causing irritation/abrasion in the crop. That means removing his favourite raffia and twine toys, some paper and hard items I use for foraging. How do I provide enrichment whilst he's in the cage most of the day?

I'm gonna do a survey of my room to check if there's any possible hazards lying around as well.

On the plus side, vet says Preeno looks well and nothing else stood out to her that I should be concerned with.

Not looking forward to the medicating seeing as I'll have to grab and towel him from his cage

 

[clarousel]

I also did the wrong thing of chasing him around extendedly as I let him out. I've probably lost all his trust trying to catch him and I'm not sure how to medicate now as it seems he'll stay in my toilet and avoid me.

Trying to stay calm and not panic. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mybluebird]

So sorry that you and Preeno have to go through this. My guys have a variety of toys - wood/paper, plastic and stainless steel. The wood/paper they can shred, the others they chew on. Do you have the cotton braided boing? If so, check it carefully to see if he's been shredding the cotton and swallowing the fibers.

What form is his medicine - drops that you put in his beak? You can always give him the drops first thing before you let him out to play and fly around. When I got Buddy, he had a respiratory infection. He went to the vet twice for shots and I had to grab him and put drops in his nostrils in between the vet visits. He did forgive me and has his trust in me back. He'll hop on my hand and once recently he was flying around and couldn't figure out where he was. He flew to me and perched on my shoulder until he saw where his cage was and flew back there. Preeno will learn to trust you again.

Hope he gets well soon.

 

[clarousel]

So sorry that you and Preeno have to go through this. My guys have a variety of toys - wood/paper, plastic and stainless steel. The wood/paper they can shred, the others they chew on. Do you have the cotton braided boing? If so, check it carefully to see if he's been shredding the cotton and swallowing the fibers.

What form is his medicine - drops that you put in his beak? You can always give him the drops first thing before you let him out to play and fly around. When I got Buddy, he had a respiratory infection. He went to the vet twice for shots and I had to grab him and put drops in his nostrils in between the vet visits. He did forgive me and has his trust in me back. He'll hop on my hand and once recently he was flying around and couldn't figure out where he was. He flew to me and perched on my shoulder until he saw where his cage was and flew back there. Preeno will learn to trust you again.

Hope he gets well soon.

Thanks for the reassurance! I panicked earlier on and after we both calmed down, Preeno came and perched on my arm to preen. We had a cute moment together and I gave him scritches and he talked.

I have a cotton perch but I haven't noticed any shredding. He usually cleans his beak on it. I haven't noticed any shredding/bites from the toys so it's really hard to say. Also the symptoms started before I had the toys at all. I asked the vet if it could be the dust that he ate when he first learnt to fly but she said it's unlikely. Preeno has bitten off some of my window sealant before so I don't know if it's that. I'm keeping an eye on that now though!

I guess I could just make as much foraging available in his cage? Preeno doesn't chew wood or take notice in plastic items so I could keep those in for hiding food/treats.

The antibiotics is in suspension form, the anti-inflammatory is also liquid so both using syringe. It's a smaller amount so hopefully it won't be too difficult. I managed to get the first dose in earlier on! Thankfully this is for 7 days only too.

 

[clarousel]

Oh I forgot to ask - is towelling him from inside the cage bad? I did it before and he started to show aggression towards my hand (not surprised). But I'm thinking we can always work on that aggression after the meds are done.

Do correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[Mybluebird]

I didn't towel Buddy - I caught him in my hand and held him to give him the drops. My vet did show me how to towel him and she did it while he was in the cage so I assume it is OK to do it in the cage. Maybe others with more experience with that will weigh in.

 

[sunnysmom]

I hope he feels better soon!

 

[clarousel]

I didn't towel Buddy - I caught him in my hand and held him to give him the drops. My vet did show me how to towel him and she did it while he was in the cage so I assume it is OK to do it in the cage. Maybe others with more experience with that will weigh in.

I'm catching him in the cage (proving to be traumatic yikes) then placing him in the towel. I would like to try the Duddle's method but I feel like he'd just squirm his way free.

If there is evidence that the raffia and twine I use have caused the symptoms, any suggestions for chew toys? So far he's not been interested in plastic and wood :s not sure if cardboard could be dangerous

 

[Mybluebird]

I had asked my vet about Buddy chewing on paper and paper twine that I use to tie together some herbs to hang in his cage. He likes to chew on that ribbon. She said it was so very rare that budgies would swallow paper that it was nothing to worry about. Your little Preeno may be the exception, only you and your vet can determine that. It took my guys a while before they chewed on their plastic toys. They started by grabbing the little stuff hanging off and shaking. They still do that but also chew some. Tweetie's eyes start pinning, he bobs his head and kisses them. I by no means am a budgie expert but am willing to share my experiences so far. Maybe "real" experts will have more/better advice.

 

[Mybluebird]

Forgot to add, the way my vet showed me how to towel Buddy is to use a face wash cloth or tea towel. Open it and put it in your hand. Go in the cage and grab him like you normally would. Close your hand with the cloth around him being careful not to compress his chest.

 

[faislaq]

I think @Danita has a similar challenge with Coco eating thing she shouldn't. She might have some helpful tips on alternative toys.

 

[clarousel]

I had asked my vet about Buddy chewing on paper and paper twine that I use to tie together some herbs to hang in his cage. He likes to chew on that ribbon. She said it was so very rare that budgies would swallow paper that it was nothing to worry about. Your little Preeno may be the exception, only you and your vet can determine that. It took my guys a while before they chewed on their plastic toys. They started by grabbing the little stuff hanging off and shaking. They still do that but also chew some. Tweetie's eyes start pinning, he bobs his head and kisses them. I by no means am a budgie expert but am willing to share my experiences so far. Maybe "real" experts will have more/better advice.

Yes I did ask about paper and my vet said she highly doubts it. Preeno does enjoy chewing shredded paper but I'm not surd if he actually swallows it.

Maybe Preeno just needs more time with the toys. I'll look for plastic/acrylic ones for future use too. His eyes don't pin - is this am age thing? He's only just past 3 months so his irises haven't turned white.

 

[Mybluebird]

Yes @clarousel it is an age "thing". Once he matures to around 6 months old, that's when Tweetie started kissing things in his cage.

 

[clarousel]

Yes @clarousel it is an age "thing". Once he matures to around 6 months old, that's when Tweetie started kissing things in his cage.

Aww! Preeno does bob, raise feathers and chatter very excitedly at things. If he's super excited he prances around and sometimes on tip toes

 

[dollfish]

Try stainless steel toys, they can be a good source of amusement. Bells are an all time favourite of mine. I don't remember from the previous threads if the vet said anything about fresh food but give Preeno loads of leaves to shred. I think you can germinate some seeds and make grass for Preeno to forage in, but definitely look into it more to properly follow safety instructions if you haven't done it before.

 

[Zara]

Have you made a marble tray?
I use a plastic ikea picnic plate, and fill it with marbles. Then sprinkle seeds/dry food over so they fall in the gaps. Hours of food finding


You could also make a foraging basket filled with small toys (non shreddables) and treats.

Foraging cups are good too;

Super Bird Creations Mug Forager

Happy Cups

A personal favorite of our caique. They click and clack and you can hide treats in them! 9" long.Great for: parrotlets, linnies, parakeets, cockatiels, conur...

bemorebirds.com

 

[clarousel]

Try stainless steel toys, they can be a good source of amusement. Bells are an all time favourite of mine. I don't remember from the previous threads if the vet said anything about fresh food but give Preeno loads of leaves to shred. I think you can germinate some seeds and make grass for Preeno to forage in, but definitely look into it more to properly follow safety instructions if you haven't done it before.

Yes I've been using pandan and getting m dad to get me some banana leaves.

Thing about bells is that they're not stainless steel here. I've ordered some plastic balls with bells inside, just waiting for them to arrive!

Have you made a marble tray?
I use a plastic ikea picnic plate, and fill it with marbles. Then sprinkle seeds/dry food over so they fall in the gaps. Hours of food finding
View attachment 345288

You could also make a foraging basket filled with small toys (non shreddables) and treats.

Foraging cups are good too;

Super Bird Creations Mug Forager

Happy Cups

A personal favorite of our caique. They click and clack and you can hide treats in them! 9" long.Great for: parrotlets, linnies, parakeets, cockatiels, conur...

bemorebirds.com

Yes! I've made trays and currently have two foraging stations in the cage.

I haven't seen those cups here though I've folded litttle paper envelopes to stuff seeds and pellets in so that's sort of similar, but the cups look much easier! Currently using ribbon instead of twine to tie stuff.

 

[Zara]

I haven't seen those cups here though

We don´t have stuff like this in Spain either. I bought a couple of the mugs from Kazoo bird and company.
I have a DIY too...

My DIY upcycle-then-recycle foraging toy

So easy to make and costs just cents. Made using upcycled parts and can be recycled when you are bored of the colours or too lazy to clean it. Perfect for little birds, not suitable for larger birds. If you notice the plastic being chewed, dispose of the toy. Once the treats have been taken...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[clarousel]

We don´t have stuff like this in Spain either. I bought a couple of the mugs from Kazoo bird and company.
I have a DIY too...

My DIY upcycle-then-recycle foraging toy

So easy to make and costs just cents. Made using upcycled parts and can be recycled when you are bored of the colours or too lazy to clean it. Perfect for little birds, not suitable for larger birds. If you notice the plastic being chewed, dispose of the toy. Once the treats have been taken...

forums.avianavenue.com

Sweet! Thanks for sharing! I'm gonna try that out... gotta first drink some bottled drinks
Oh yeah I think I saw someone post a photo of something similar using cupcake liners.

 

[clarousel]

Just when I said Preeno doesn't chew wood, he's taken a liking to biting his wooden platform

Guess that's going out of the cage too now.