Yes i do feed pellets... Roudybush.Very much appreciating you taking the time to provide me with advice.
Some pictures:
My beautiful, friendly quaker
Today's groceries.
Recipe in hand, mung beans already soaking, tomorrow i'm going to make chop.
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GCC body language
- Thread starter MattP
- Start date
Some pictures:
My beautiful, friendly quaker
Today's groceries.
Recipe in hand, mung beans already soaking, tomorrow i'm going to make chop.
Pixiebeak
Biking along the boulevard
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
TAILGATING
Cutest Bird Ever!!!
Beautiful quaker!!!
Fun to see your supplies!
I want to hear how chop goes.
Ok maybe I've gotten confused here! If you are feeding roudybush pellets that's a complete nutrition diet. Then your fresh stuff is still important but not critical in meeting needs.
I thought you had weaned him and he was just eating a few foods, and no pellets. Is he eating pellets?
Fun to see your supplies!
I want to hear how chop goes.
Ok maybe I've gotten confused here! If you are feeding roudybush pellets that's a complete nutrition diet. Then your fresh stuff is still important but not critical in meeting needs.
I thought you had weaned him and he was just eating a few foods, and no pellets. Is he eating pellets?
He is beautiful. Very gentle and friendly. Loves taking baths. My tiel doesnt so i need to mist him.
Yeah i got a bit confused too
... i was under the impression that a pellet diet was nutritionally complete but i have been trying fresh foods. My quaker (Donnie) and tiel (Charlie) were transitioned from seeds to pellets by grinding up the pellets and then (afterwards) adding some seeds... i did this after reading it on what appeared to be a reasonably authoritative source, and also because i noticed that they tended to just throw away unground (mini) pellets. My GCC boy is very new... a couple of days ago he was being force-fed (a rubber pipe on a syringe) formula and offered seeds. I offered him comfort feeding formula (my research on here pointed to force-feeding being frowned upon and dangerous for novices such as myself) and the same seeds but with both ground-up and unground pellets (he is a chewer so i thought he might enjoy them whole) as the start of transitioning him to a healthy diet. I was also trying some fresh items. I noticed he liked banana and hadnt previously found in my research it's inadvised to give too much. He likes receiving treats from me so i have been trying him with mini pellets... seems to be a winner. I started reading more seriously into chop after reading the replies on this thread and it seemed i needed to up my game. An unexpected work commitment also kept me in a stressed sleep-deprived whirlwind the last few days but it's settled now. I have installed a webcam so i can watch him if i need to go out, learn his food and play preferences, and just enjoy seeing my new beautiful buddy. A second webcam (maybe arriving today) will serve the same function with Charlie and Donnie. All my boys are new and I am new to all this. I thought buying care handbooks beforehand was the right thing to do research-wise and my early forays on the web yielded conflicting and frequently inaccurate information. I noticed this forum appeared in some of the search results and so i signed up. I've been reading for hours every day and feel terrible i didnt learn of more/all this before adoption. Doing my best to become a responsible parrot parent but i guess rather lot of stumbles at the start 
I will upload some photos when i have made my first attempt at chop I have needed to learn a lot of parrot-related Chinese... the breeders don't speak English and while i can read and write Chinese at a general-conversational level there has been a lot of parrot care specific vocabulary to learn. Most people here don't research at all and order their birds online (which seemed dangerous to me because the parcel-delivery companies are not careful with parcels and it's better for birds to choose us where possible).. there's only one offline place here and i chose this particular breeder because she seemed to be kinder to the birds... the only one that didnt fill cages to bursting point with ragged birds, didnt smoke in the shop and didnt have an a/c unit ie the least incompetent. But she was encouraging me to mix lovebirds with tiels and told me to feed seeds and it quickly became apparent her advice wasn't reliable either. Sigh. I'm actually debating writing a PDF in Chinese outlining crucial information and finding a way to distribute it as widely as i can.
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Pixiebeak
Biking along the boulevard
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
TAILGATING
Cutest Bird Ever!!!
We all are continually learning. Most especially when it comes to diet as even expert don't agree . Tho all agree a seed only diet is not complete, missing msny key and critical vitamins and minerals.
Looking forward to all you upcoming birdie eye candy pictures!
I think providing correct current information to the wider audience around you is a very noble endeavor!! I'm sure there are many people who like to know more and do better.
While I knew my quakers and green cheek conure needed lots of fresh veggies......I have to admit a few years ago when I took in some budgies I thought they just ate seeds. But I did my research the first day I took them in and realized how out dated my information was!
I put pictures of veggies enjoyment of my flock here , and everyone is encouraged to add their photos too
Looking forward to all you upcoming birdie eye candy pictures!
I think providing correct current information to the wider audience around you is a very noble endeavor!! I'm sure there are many people who like to know more and do better.
While I knew my quakers and green cheek conure needed lots of fresh veggies......I have to admit a few years ago when I took in some budgies I thought they just ate seeds. But I did my research the first day I took them in and realized how out dated my information was!
I put pictures of veggies enjoyment of my flock here , and everyone is encouraged to add their photos too
Quakers eating veggies- photo dump
Just some quakers enjoying their lettuce! I'm especially proud of Penny ! This was a 2 year journey to get her eating romaine lettuce! One of her favorites now! Pikachu enjoying her romaine, is Phoebe plotting something? Yep Little theif But I'm a proud momma that they take like its a...
forums.avianavenue.com
Sure I will take and upload some tomorrow. My GCC seems to really like his new boing. I made chop and he REALLY likes that too. He sat near me while i made it (not the kitchen parts) and enjoyed some assorted grated veg. It feels like he likes hanging out with me, and gets excited when he sees me. My goodness though he is FULL of mischief and naughty energy and really moody in the evenings. He's awesome and cute.
Here are the chop ingredients:
kale, yellow and red peppers (capsicum), carrot, zucchini, red cabbage, cooked sweetcorn, broccoli, peas (sugar-snap?), cooked sprouted mung beans, quinoa, cooked brown rice, rolled (whole) oats, Roudybush pellets, walnuts (not a huge amount), oregano.
I couldn't find any more herbs but i will look elsewhere. My GCC loves the chop. I don't have a blender so it took a while grating and chopping. I bought a stainless steel pan because i am not confident our other pan is sans teflon. I cooked eggs and mixed some pulped banana into the chop too. I gave him more later but minus the banana and he still gobbled it up enthusiastically. Charlie Tiel and Donnie Quaker are not sold on it yet but i can try again, and try some variations as well. I just took a pic of Sunny GCC on his new boing. The others have bigger ones. They all have two other toys but I need to spend some time trimming long twine, removing toe hazards etc. This boings had cheap bells and long strings so i had to do the same with them. Carefully monitoring their play, in person or by the new webcams.
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Pixiebeak
Biking along the boulevard
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
TAILGATING
Cutest Bird Ever!!!
Look at that chop!! Looks amazing @
I would eat a big bowl!"
Boing!
How are all the little birdies today?
I would eat a big bowl!"
Boing!
How are all the little birdies today?
All doing well thanks. Everybody is totally off seed (as a staple) and i saw Donnie Q (quaker) sampling his chop. I made a lot of chop and felt it was too much even for freezing, so i took some to the breeder. I walked around the market for a while, noting the unhappy conditions of birds in other shops. It is very hot and most had only a dribble of brown water, or none at all. I pointed out some sick budgies to a store owner, suggested a prospective owner to quit flapping her hands at the cages, and just felt rotten about all the ragged, panting birds in dirty, overcrowded cages. I was looking around a cage store and spotted a tiny baby bird running across the floor. No more than 3cm in length. I picked him/her up and told the owner of the store. She shrugged her shoulders and said (and i am translating here) "Eh just keep it". I said i have no ability to lool after such a tiny bird". Fortunately i found the owner and could return the bird to it's parents. It was so tiny, definitely would have been stepped on.
My GCC is a moody, high energy little bugger but i am doing my level best to make his cage a fun place. He has more toys and i have some others to rotate as needed. He goes nuts when he sees me and just loves hanging out with me. He snoozed next to me as i wrote up my lessons (I am a teacher). He is like a monkey with wings. Love having his company and he is becoming less bitey.
I put the remaining chop in the freezer... about 15 days worth. Woke up this morning and the freezer had given up the ghost. Wasted chop
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Pixiebeak
Biking along the boulevard
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
TAILGATING
Cutest Bird Ever!!!
Such a doll baby! Do he and your quaker get along? My quaker Neptune and my green cheek Ta-dah were very close buddies.
I'm so sorry for the lost chop ! Unfair! Is freezer replaced? What a nightmare!
Poor birdies in shops....I just can't stand to hear that. Thanks fir rescuing the wee one...I'd probably have been ok and taken it home if I had baby bird formula...but yeah it can be real tough to raise them
I'm so sorry for the lost chop ! Unfair! Is freezer replaced? What a nightmare!
Poor birdies in shops....I just can't stand to hear that. Thanks fir rescuing the wee one...I'd probably have been ok and taken it home if I had baby bird formula...but yeah it can be real tough to raise them
Sunny is still in quarantine but will be introduced to Donnie Q ... I really hope they like each other. I love my little GCC but he is a bit of a nutter... he becomes very very cranky when he is sleepy... it may put Donnie off. Last night he couldnt keep his eyes open, he was that tired, and if i moved or touched him he'd fly into a rage, but didnt want to leave my lap. My floofy bath-loving quaker is much more chill and reasonable. At present Donnie is living with Charlie Tiel in the big cage/aviary. I have a big air purifier but it's still not a good long-term arrangement because of the dander and also because I don't think they understand each other. They co-exist peacefully but don't allow each other closer than about 15 cm. I'd like to adopt a tiel to be Charlie's buddy and re-locate him to one of the smaller cages (eventually) in another room. Donnie loves flying around the aviary so i don't want to take him out. Charlie could have fly-time in the spare room after it has been made bird-safe. It remains to be seen if Sunny GCC can join Donnie in the aviary. I call him Sunny because the word for conure in Chinese (小太阳) means "little sun".
I have to go to summer school classes a few hours a day and i don't have the necessary skills or equipment to raise a little bird. The water here is not too clean and little birdy immune systems are too fragile. He was so tiny I'd be too nervous of harm coming to him.
My apartment is frequently a cacophany of bird noises! Charlie's loud singing (it's beautiful but loud), a response to Sunny's demands/strops sets off Donnie's quacks, frog noises and gwaaks. The last few days Donnie has been mimicking tiel sounds which are a bit more melodious. My wife is amazingly tolerant off the noise. She seems to have a soft spot for Charlie. She is hands-off and i do all the bird wrangling/cleaning but i have been encouraging her to spend more time chatting to him. Anyway it's 5.30am, i'd better get some more sleep. A question though: i have noticed people using the word "fids". What does it mean (other than "birds")?
"Feathered kids"
haha cute, thanks"Feathered kids"
I have to say, I have been following - and invested in your journey (as we both joined the forum around the same time). Your babies are all gorgeous, and I have to agree that your wife is a SAINT!!!! Lol we have 2 tiny little budgies and - my biggest complaint is TWICE the poop!!!! You have THRICE the poop from bigger babes!!! My husband (who didn't want ONE bird - with such conviction that he slept on the couch for 2 nights, was the true instigator of our 2nd, AND he broke my quarantine law - NOW he wants a green cheeked conure as well!!!! However, as the resident cage cleaner/poop wiper, chop maker, appointment booker - and appointment taker extraordinaire 2 is my LIMIT I will not budge. Anyhow, your wife is an angel. Make sure you put your dirty clothes in the hamper, hang your wet towels, and bring her flowers just because!!
Circling
Walking the driveway
Bananas? We got nowhere with those. Some of her favorites are bell peppers in red, or orange color, and gala/ jazz or other crisp red apple's. Pellets are the best! We love Harrison brand, delivered in the mail.
She was hand trained before I met her (about 8 weeks). The weaning was finished about two weeks after that first meeting, and she made it home, then.
She was hand trained before I met her (about 8 weeks). The weaning was finished about two weeks after that first meeting, and she made it home, then.
Sorry for the delay in responding... busy few weeks. Yes she does well to tolerate the noise and clutter. My GCC and tiel now both have a buddy and my apartment is remarkably quieter. Sunny GCC has changed a lot since i wrote the original post.. he rarely bites and never hard, and no more angry body language EXCEPT when it approaches his bed time. He and his buddy are inseparable and cuddle up to each other - and get cranky at bed time together. They go to bed early... i wheel their cage into a quiet room and turn off the light (though they have a night light). His buddy doesnt seem to like me much and bites HARD but my recent experience with Sunny points to the new guy (Mako Deathbeak) just reacting fearfully to a new environment. I talk to him and give him treats and I can already see some changes. Donnie Quaker doesnt have a buddy but I can't really afford another quaker right now (and all the future expenses)... he loves dad time and is out of his cage hanging out with me when i am home. The conures also have out-of-cage time, carefully supervised because they don't get on with Donnie. They can't fly so Donnie has the upper part of the room and the conures have the lower part. Donnie gets jealous if i spend time with the conures: he flies onto my shoulder. Both conures love chop, and everyone's staple is pellets. Right now everyone appears happy and healthy. How are your fids?
That is amazing!!!! They are well! My lady is doing her best to ice me out of the family, but we are preservering and i live for her spirit. Lol
Sorry but I didn't really understand your message
Making some progress here in bird relations...Mako doesn't show fearful anger to me since yesterday, and accepts strokes. He has started self-bathing too. Donnie Quaker is more affectionate by the day. I bought a perch stand for him (thrown away the chain/ring that came with it). Even nervous Pippin Lovie is responding much less fearfully if i keep my hands out of sight and speak in a very upbeat tone. Charlie Tiel still doesnt want to accept treats but neither does he freak out when i change his water/food bowls. Baby steps
That is amazing progress!!!! So many dynamics in your feather family!!! Sorry, I guess I shouldve provided context. Bartok (our original budgie) is female, and our new budgie Mordecai is male. When Mordecai arrived, I learned that female budgies are INDEED more...assertive and a LITTLE BIT (a lot) controlling. So, she went from being extremely socia and attached to me - to not liking me at all. She still loves my partner, and my sons but the only time she comes near me is to intercept and prevent Mordecai from coming near me. Its so funny!!! She doesn't bite me or anything she just swoops him away or makes herself a physical barrier between herself and I and makes chipmunk noises in both of our faces like shes scolding us. Lol I hope your progress continues!!! Your fids are all lovely!!Sorry but I didn't really understand your message
Making some progress here in bird relations...Mako doesn't show fearful anger to me since yesterday, and accepts strokes. He has started self-bathing too. Donnie Quaker is more affectionate by the day. I bought a perch stand for him (thrown away the chain/ring that came with it). Even nervous Pippin Lovie is responding much less fearfully if i keep my hands out of sight and speak in a very upbeat tone. Charlie Tiel still doesnt want to accept treats but neither does he freak out when i change his water/food bowls. Baby steps
That's amusing but also sad that she is jealous while not being affectionate. Complex little animals aren't they! Donnie Quaker becomes jealous if i interact with the conures. He has one big advantage though: he can fly and they cannot. The conures step up onto my hand and then Donnie, previously content to sit above Charlie Tiel on top of Charlie's cage, will fly over to me to shoo off the conures or at least grumble about their proximity. His landing skills are a bit hit and miss so sometimes i have to catch him. All my fids have very different personalities, each delightful in their own way. It's a joy and a privilege to have them in my home.
