Hotpockets
Strolling the yard
- Joined
- 2/13/18
- Messages
- 111
I posted a while back about Roy (my second hand 6-7 y/o conure) becoming an over preener. He actually stopped about a year after he started. I don't know the catalyst for him stopping but we went through some major changes in that time.
First, he went back on seed for a little while because I thought it might be the transition to pellets. He is an extremely picky eater and still won't have most fresh food (he likes apples, grapes, some citrus and recently carrots but hates almost everything else.) Then I just started mixing the pellets back in whether he liked it or not. He used to starve himself trying to live off seed but eventually he accepted the pellets. He gets 95% pellet 5% seed.
I moved his cage. He used to be away from the window and so I put him near the window. I also got him several perches around the house. One by the window and another tucked high up on a bookshelf in a corner. He likes to chill in the corner because I think even though he's attracted to other birds they also stress him out. He gets a little agitated on his window stand if there are a lot of birds outside. He'll stare and startle and make alarm calls.
We moved. So now his cage is upstairs and he spends almost no time in it. Literally just sleeps in it. His bird stand is still in a window, and is other stand is still on the bookshelf high up in the corner. He wakes up and is let out right away and spends all day on whatever stand he likes.
I also became a lot more hands off with him. I noticed that he preens a lot when getting handled. He would preen constantly when he was on my shoulder. He still preens when I give him scritches. It was stressing me out and maybe stressing him out. I don't know. He is somewhat standoffish to this day but he gained a lot of independence and chooses where he wants to be most of the time.
I do still give him treats everyday. Mostly, I tempt him with peanuts, plain yogurt, and millet. I'm still trying to get him to eat vegetables. Sometimes he will eat a soybean, but only if I steam it. I got him to eat carrots, but only if I shred them. Bird is a nightmare foodie apparently!
I feel kind of guilty about the hands off thing but it worked. I think that and the different bird stands made the biggest difference that I could see. Before the bird stands, he would hang out on the screen door or window and just preen and preen and preen. And like I said, he still preens to this day when getting scritches. I used to think it was a contentment sign, but now I don't know. I kinda gave up training, too, but I want to try again. Maybe just target training so he's not so stressed out by handling?
First, he went back on seed for a little while because I thought it might be the transition to pellets. He is an extremely picky eater and still won't have most fresh food (he likes apples, grapes, some citrus and recently carrots but hates almost everything else.) Then I just started mixing the pellets back in whether he liked it or not. He used to starve himself trying to live off seed but eventually he accepted the pellets. He gets 95% pellet 5% seed.
I moved his cage. He used to be away from the window and so I put him near the window. I also got him several perches around the house. One by the window and another tucked high up on a bookshelf in a corner. He likes to chill in the corner because I think even though he's attracted to other birds they also stress him out. He gets a little agitated on his window stand if there are a lot of birds outside. He'll stare and startle and make alarm calls.
We moved. So now his cage is upstairs and he spends almost no time in it. Literally just sleeps in it. His bird stand is still in a window, and is other stand is still on the bookshelf high up in the corner. He wakes up and is let out right away and spends all day on whatever stand he likes.
I also became a lot more hands off with him. I noticed that he preens a lot when getting handled. He would preen constantly when he was on my shoulder. He still preens when I give him scritches. It was stressing me out and maybe stressing him out. I don't know. He is somewhat standoffish to this day but he gained a lot of independence and chooses where he wants to be most of the time.
I do still give him treats everyday. Mostly, I tempt him with peanuts, plain yogurt, and millet. I'm still trying to get him to eat vegetables. Sometimes he will eat a soybean, but only if I steam it. I got him to eat carrots, but only if I shred them. Bird is a nightmare foodie apparently!
I feel kind of guilty about the hands off thing but it worked. I think that and the different bird stands made the biggest difference that I could see. Before the bird stands, he would hang out on the screen door or window and just preen and preen and preen. And like I said, he still preens to this day when getting scritches. I used to think it was a contentment sign, but now I don't know. I kinda gave up training, too, but I want to try again. Maybe just target training so he's not so stressed out by handling?
