Feathers and Food

[Cndbirdy]

Hello all!

Well it happened very quickly... we went looking at a few rehomes and the little Orange Winged Girl it was!

She was really trying all of her best moves to get my husbands attention, we couldn't resist lol.

The previous owner was lovely, and I know Coco is molting... but her feathers are not in great condition and she is clearly .. er.. chubby.

I will obviously be taking her to the avian vet this week for a check up. But in the mean time, since everyone here has been wonderful... I am wondering when to begin switching her food?

My boy was on Harrison, she is on Zupreem, she also was getting a little seed mix a day and a piece of toast every morning, food scraps etc. I gave her fresh fruit yesterday, she threw everything but the apple.( Could be she wasn't in the mood after a 2 hour drive home lol.) I gave her 1/4 a piece of toast this morning as per her previous owner (and will be scaling back when she is comfortable with us). Should I be waiting until she is settled to introduce the Harrison? Should I be worried about switching at all?

She also cannot fly. They did clip her, but she said even without clipping, she never flew (and she is 9). My boy Gizmo could never fly either.. I believe his was a bad clip, not sure about her. I will ask the vet when I see them. I ordered a couple of big play structures for her so she can get moving and get some weight off.. but I do want to start making some diet changes as well.

On a similar, yet different note. Teflon, I know will kill them. The fumes from any non stick is a no no. As is my hair dryer. So I am looking for a few new pans. Does the ceramic coated pans pose the same risks? They are non stick.. but ceramic, not the same material.. I believe?

Happt Monday!

 

[SumitaSinh]

Welcome home Coco... She's such a cutie pie

 

[Ira]

I wouldn’t be giving her toast or food scraps. Get yourself a bag of Nutriberries (make sure you get the Amazon size) and see if she goes for those, along with hper current pellets. No seed mix. Vegetables only for awhile and see if she’s eating. Even if she eats lightly at first, I don’t think she’s going to whither away so quickly! The Nutriberries are great because you can just count them to judge how much she’s eating. And you’re 100% sure female, right?

I use a ceramic pan, but I know people who won’t. Safest is aluminum or cast iron.

Just because she hasn’t flown, doesn’t mean she can’t or won’t one day! I don’t see how a bad clip could permanently injure a bird unless you’re talking something really horrific. Maybe the vet will immediately see something off, like a broken wing that didn’t heal right.

Has she taken showers with the spray bottle? The proper diet and regular showers could get those feathers in shape in no time, and encourage her to become a better groomer.

OWAs in general are really mellow, cool birds. They’re so mellow that they can become perch potatoes, so it’s gonna be real important to set up a play area for her and pique her interest in hanging toys so she’s active, especially since she’s not flying. Does she ever flap in place?

OWAs aren’t generally great talkers, but they make up for it by not screaming their heads off and their gentle nature! I had one in the 70s that I took everywhere around town, upstate, downstate, perched on his T-stand in the front seat of my car.

Zeuss!

 

[Mizzely]

You can try to offer Harrison's right away

My bird was 19 and also "never flew" when I got him . He still doesn't do it often but he's getting there! So don't lose hope. Being overweight certainly doesn't help any!

 

[SumitaSinh]

I wouldn’t be giving her toast or food scraps. Get yourself a bag of Nutriberries (make sure you get the Amazon size) and see if she goes for those, along with hper current pellets. No seed mix. Vegetables only for awhile and see if she’s eating. Even if she eats lightly at first, I don’t think she’s going to whither away so quickly! The Nutriberries are great because you can just count them to judge how much she’s eating. And you’re 100% sure female, right?

I use a ceramic pan, but I know people who won’t. Safest is aluminum or cast iron.

Just because she hasn’t flown, doesn’t mean she can’t or won’t one day! I don’t see how a bad clip could permanently injure a bird unless you’re talking something really horrific. Maybe the vet will immediately see something off, like a broken wing that didn’t heal right.

Has she taken showers with the spray bottle? The proper diet and regular showers could get those feathers in shape in no time, and encourage her to become a better groomer.

OWAs in general are really mellow, cool birds. They’re so mellow that they can become perch potatoes, so it’s gonna be real important to set up a play area for her and pique her interest in hanging toys so she’s active, especially since she’s not flying. Does she ever flap in place?

OWAs aren’t generally great talkers, but they make up for it by not screaming their heads off and their gentle nature! I had one in the 70s that I took everywhere around town, upstate, downstate, perched on his T-stand in the front seat of my car.

Zeuss!

Yes, OWAs are superb... Mine is a great whistler, also speaks few words... But,that's secondary, main thing is they have amazing personality. Do you have any photographs of Zeuss?

 

[Ira]

Yes, OWAs are superb... Mine is a great whistler, also speaks few words... But,that's secondary, main thing is they have amazing personality. Do you have any photographs of Zeuss?

I have a few 2 1/4” SLIDES of him (I used to do medium format film photography), but don’t know how to get it into digital form.

Let me try something later.

 

[redindiaink]

I've brought home birds where we didn't know what they'd eat so was offering them anything and everything hoping they'd like something ... anything. The most recent addition was fed only nuts, seeds and people food in his last home. We were told "he doesn't like pellets" but within a few days of being here he was eating pellets and chop. I think anytime is a good time plus it's a great opportunity to socialize and see what else they'll eat that's much healthier.

I don't know what you know about amazon health, but I'd ditch the seed (all the seed) and the junk food fast, amazons should be on a low fat diet because of their increased risk for fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis. It'll also help with the weight loss.

 

[Clueless]

About skillets, they should say no PTFE and no PFOA.

I'm currently looking for another good skillet.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Congrats!
Thanks for adopting her.
I use stainless steel pots and pans that do not have any non-stick coating.


Nothing wrong with adding some Harrison's now.

 

[Rain Bow]

I have Steel, Cast Iron & Ceramic pans. All of mine are safe & my ceramic said no pfoa, pfte on the box (IF) I remember correctly (back in 2017).

I'd try to change as many of the junk food items (like toast) unless it was being used to deliver medications. The more bad things you can remove now the better. My vet recommended Harrisons & that's what I've been giving Buddy. I'm not sure he's actually consuming it & I personally hate that it has peanuts in it, but he gets some foraging & mixed into his sprouts in the morning (I'm pretty sure a little gets into that beak).

I recommend getting your Anazon birds on lots of fresh veggies that are high in Vitamin A .

Carrots
Sweet potato
Squash
Sweet Peppers; Red, Orange & Yellow (in that order)
Broccoli
Pumpkin

Amazon parrots are more likely to be deficient in this vitamin & it can cause a whole host of health issues for them when deficient. I try to think of those sweet peppers & more specific their colors when grocery shopping. I try to buy one item from this color group. Or get I get Buddy broccoli, it's the only green veggie he seems to like high in Vitamin A.

Many of us state that the best pellet is one your bird will eat, & many have tried all of them over time.

Seeds are ok as long as you sprout them. They are actually vitamin & mineral powerhouses when sprouted.

Please keep us updated to your progress!

 

[Cndbirdy]

Hello All!

I stopped the toast, and gave her 1 cheerio instead.. she was happy with that . I have tried just about every fruit.. bananas, melons, nectarines, pears, mangos and various berries (all fresh) and the only thing she ate was an apple. I haven't found one veggie that she will even look at yet. I will keep trying. She is reminding me of my 6 year old lol.

I also spent most of yesterday buying a cage, and perches. It is hard with everything being closed here. I ordered lots of toys and a play stand as well. Hopefully they will come soon. (She came with a tiny cage and 2 toys).

Regarding bathes.. well.. my guy loved the sink and hated the spray bottle. She hated the sink but LOVES the spray bottle. The smell of cigarettes when she is wet is overwhelming. I soaked her yesterday and today. Its weird that when she is dry you don't smell it as much.. when she is wet it absolutely smells like a pool hall. Its beautiful in Toronto these days and she seems to love it, so I will continue to soak her.

My LIlac Crowned Amazon wasn't a talker. 5 words max. And lots of whistles and beeps. It was never a concern

She does make all kinds of beeps and makes noises a lot. She does call and IS loud... but it doesn't bothered me. I actually don't mind the squawks of an amazon. I actually missed my boys, so this is nice. She did start to scream when my boys started fighting. It got them to stop, so it wasn't really a bad thing lol.

She loves my eldest son (7 year old), which is nice. He had a hard year and we are moving schools because we found out he was being badly bullied.. he is so incredibly happy that she likes him. It is very sweet.

She does bite, like when she didn't want to come in from outside or go into her carrier.. but it is just light pressure. I let her do it and she went on after. She is a sweetheart and just wants to be with us... but I guess it's also the honeymoon stage, but I'm hoping it sticks!

Pics of her bath today and her new digs that took forever to put together.

 

[Ira]

That bird is severely clipped! Of course she can’t fly!

And that cage—very nice digs!!!

 

[Cndbirdy]

That bird is severely clipped! Of course she can’t fly!

And that cage—very nice digs!!!

I know, right ? . Not a great job at all.

The owner said "she never even attempts to fly". Even with her wings like that she has 3 or 4 times in the 2 days we had her.. and couldn't even glide down. 2 times she was scared of our dog (and supposedly she was raised with them) and the other 2 times she wanted to get to my husband. She absolutely tries, but just hits the ground

 

[tka]

That's truly one of the worst clips I've seen. Poor girl.

Sounds like she's settling in very nicely!

 

[Ira]

Have you tried fresh corn on the cob yet?

I don’t think it’s the greatest thing for her because it doesn’t have a ton of nutritional value, but it’s certainly better than the seed and toast she had before.

Also, what’s happening with the peppers, and when do you expect the results from the vet?

 

[BirdView]

Be careful when she is outside of the cage in your back yard. My Amazon was attacked by a hawk while he was in his cage. The hawk swooped down at lightning speed and knocked him off his perch. I had 3 cage with 5 birds in my backyard that day and non of them saw the hawk coming until he passed through.

 

[Gen120]

So I will reply a big reply to this tomorrow or this weekend but I did want to say before I forgot. That is exactly what my Amazon's wings looked like when I first rescued him. He couldn't fly and didn't know how. His wings took 2 years to grow in and then I taught him how to fly and built his confidence. He's been fully flighted ever since. Love to see a big huge nice cage for her, awesome job!!!

 

[Ira]

Be careful when she is outside of the cage in your back yard. My Amazon was attacked by a hawk while he was in his cage. The hawk swooped down at lightning speed and knocked him off his perch. I had 3 cage with 5 birds in my backyard that day and non of them saw the hawk coming until he passed through.

Oh, no doubt at all. I was going to say something too, but thought that maybe there was a screen I couldn’t see.

I would never leave a bird exposed to birds of prey.

 

[Rain Bow]

What a happy looking bathed beauty. My guy didn't fly either initially... Then a vet I saw clipped the wings w/out asking (needless to say) I now have a new vet & Buddy went thru the Rain Bow version of physical therapy. After his legs got strong enough, we started to get him climbing around on our hands & then, & only then started him flying. 25 years of atrophy & bad diet had messed him up for a long time. Along w/ permanent damage to his vascular system & constant wing pain. Even w/ all that he has flown. It's not his favorite thing but we've made it work. Finally now, after almost 5 years, he's started to fly on his own IF he really wants to get to something or someone.

Once your floofs flight feathers grow back, he'll be more able to be trained to fly again. Until then, he'll be very unstable from the bad clipping.

As for fruits I'd minimize them & focus on pushing sprouts & veggies. It can take different cuts for veggies to happen. Buddy only likes to eat veggies when others are eating w/ him. Likes carrots & celery in sticks, likes small broccoli florets. Sometimes will only eat chop.... only will eat iceberg lettuce & NO other lettuce's. Keep in mind as I write this, celery & iceberg lettuce are pretty much water & a waste of a feeding. But the lettuce & celery help get him to eat things like carrots. With Amazon's being @ such a high risk for vitamin A deficiency, I'll use anything to get things like broccoli & carrots into him. He also gets green & sweet peppers, peas, beans etc... All took a million feedings & trust.

Honeymoon phases are difficult for us all but, with time your little one will come along. Always feed veggies & eventually your guy will eat them. IF he doesn't have the opportunity, you'll never get him to eat them. Persistence is key in this situation. I also suggest sprouts for the high vitamin & mineral affects. It is also the easiest way to convert a parrot to a great diet. If you pop over to the food court on AA there are tips & tricks plus all of us to ensure your sprout transition go smoothly.