My first 'too

[Birdy888]

Elvis is wild caught. This is what an import band look like.

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That is what Kyliegh's looks like exactly. Do they have a date stamp on them?

 

[Birdy888]

Welcome! Where are the budgie pictures?!

I'll try to get a picture of them later.

 

[Birdy888]

Here are few more pictures. I got a picture of the import band but I couldn't get the part of the band with the code. The last wild caught birds were imported in 1992. That would make an already irreplaceable bird that much more irreplaceable. Of course I'm glad we're not taking them out of the wild anymore but it is neat that she made it all the way from Indonesia to here.

Kyliegh has started flying to me and she spent a bunch of time perching on me today and tonight. She got some egg yolk from a hard boiled egg and took a nibble of egg shell. The egg whites were a no go however.

The cage she is in is not in the best shape although I might be able to clean it up and salvage it. I am getting her a much nicer and more spacious cage in the morning. If I can salvage the cage she's in I can let her sleep in or on it at night and use it to take her to the vet. I'll also use it for Kyliegh when I go to clean the big cage.

 

[faislaq]

I love the ones of her on your shoulder! Our girls ride our shoulders (or head, Luv Bug ) through the house all day when they're not off playing by themselves.

 

[macawpower58]

Same here, Sweden's favorite place to be, riding on me!
Nothing better than a shoulder Too! (Goffin Sized of course)

 

[macawpower58]

James, have you tried giving her a good soaking bath yet? If not, see if she likes/loves it.
My little Too loves a misting, and even better is a misting over a glass pie dish with water in it.
She 'swims' in the rain!
Garden misters are a goldmine when you have birds.
Kyleigh's feathers will be much improved after a good wetting and preening session.

 

[Birdy888]

I agree. I am going to try misting her and see what she thinks of it. In fact once she learns to step up I will bring her in the shower and let her stand on the shower curtain rod.

 

[sunnysmom]

That is what Kyliegh's looks like exactly. Do they have a date stamp on them?

They do not have a date on them unfortunately. The only thing they have that gives any info are the letters of the state of what import station they came through. For instance, Elvis's band has an "FL". So he came in through Florida. The U.S. banned the importation of wild caught parrots in 1992. So that makes all wild caughts at least 30. My vet seems to think Elvis is in his 40s but that's just a guess on her part.

Goffins are very, very smart and mechanical. They are much more attention orientated than food orientated. Typically with a new bird, you go through a honeymoon phase where they are really, really good. Then they become their true selves. LOL. One of the things I regret is not starting with training with Elvis much sooner. He was so "good" that I thought I had hit the cockatoo jackpot. (Well, I have because he's wonderful but he's a naughty monkey. ) Elvis requires a lot of mental stimulation. In the beginning he was very happy just hanging out on his cage or on us. Not anymore. He needs to fly and play and be busy. If not, he's naughty. As in chewing cupboards, throwing everything out of the cupboards, riding on the ceiling fan, etc. Now granted he' a boy, which I do think makes a difference in temperament. But I would start now with training, getting her to go back to her cage, etc.

Elvis could care less about food. Sometimes I think he lives on air. The only thing he gets somewhat excited about are cashews. He used to like almonds in the shell but I think he got bored with them. I feed him pellets, some nutriberries, a few seeds, and fresh and freeze dried vegetables but he really eats to live not lives to eat. (FYI, I am not a fan of feeding birds egg shells.)

Elvis has escaped his cage numerous times and it's always a new way. I help with a rescue too and the rescue fairly recently had to go in and get 5 birds who were living in horrible conditions (their owner had died). All the birds were in awful cages- except the goffin who had of course escaped his cage and was walking around free. LOL.

 

[Birdy888]

I bought a cuttlebone today for her but I have always read that eggshells were good for birds. Is it the type of calcium that makes them an issue?

I got her some fresh veggies today. I got carrots, a parsnip, and watercress. I am going to plant a few of those carrots for the tops which are quite nutritious. The parsnip will be planted for the greens as well. Eventually I will do radishes for her as well as beets. I want to grow millet for her too. This spring I'll plant hot peppers for Kyliegh (and me lol).

Tonight she started climbing on my hand and hopping off. She also would climb up my arm to my shoulder. Before today she wouldn't hop on my hands for anything. That is huge to me since I know that hands are the scariest thing about humans to birds.

I knew there was the possibility Kyliegh wouldn't take to the new cage immediately. Hopefully soon she will. I don't want to force her to go in but I will keep trying with her. I'll try placing a millet spray in there to entice her to check it out.

 

[sunnysmom]

I think others here use egg shells. Maybe they will chime in. I always worry about bacteria and also the possibility of the sharp shards cutting/scratching something internally.

It sounds like you are making really good progress with her.

 

[Birdy888]

She is still shy but she is trusting my hands more but doesn't like being on my hand if I move. I am working on that. Patience will be needed but it is more than worth it. Kyliegh is doing amazingly well considering it has only been 10 days or so since her previous owner died.

I do need to get her to trust her new cage. She won't go near it yet and the cage she's in is nicotine stained and grody. There are rust spots in places. It probably hasn't been cleaned in the 30 to 40 years she has lived in it. Once she trusts the new cage I'll totally clean the cage, replace all the corroded nuts, bolts, and possibly the food dish holders.

Kyliegh had what is the probably the first vegetable she has ever seen much less tasted. She got watercress and she nibbled on it a bit. I hung it from the top of the cage with jute twine. She went for the twine which she preened for about 30 seconds lol.

 

[faislaq]

Can you set the old cage on top of or near the new one while she's out to explore? Or have the new cage near where y'all sit so. She gets used to seeing it?

 

[Toy]

I don't have a Goffin's too', but I do have an Umbrella Cockatoo, African Grey & a B&G Macaw. I would suggest scrambling the egg. Using a fork mix the egg well until it's all yellow. Then fry it, so it's flat. So not let it brown too much. Cut in triangle or rectangle pieces, as they like to hold it in their feet to eat it. Left over can be kept for 3 days in the frig. To warm left over egg just let it set out for about 15 minutes before feeding. My birds love their egg this way. Veggies....try frozen mixed veggies. I do enough for all 3 of my birds to last a couple days. I nuke them 5 minutes & then cool down/rinse with cold water. I reheat enough by placing them in a dish of hot water & let them warm up to room temp. I feed a good heaping tablespoon full or more for each bird. Keep in mind parrots do not eat the skin off any veggie or fruit. They peel them. Sweet potatoes are a good veggie, as it offers Vitamin A. Any potato you fed should be cooked to kill enzymes. I roast them. Peel, cut into about 1 inch chunks & bake at 350 degrees for about 8-9 minutes on each side. They can be a pain to flip over (I use a fork & turn each piece), but must be flipped to prevent burning. Let cool to room temp. I feed 2 chunks per bird. You can also mash them. Any wet foods I feed my birds I place in a heavy dish on the floor grate. Remove after about 2 hours, as they begin to grow bacteria/spoil. I find it best to feed wet foods in the AM hours. When you feed wet foods depends on your schedule, but you should try to offer veggies daily. Limit fruits.

Egg shells can be baked. Rinse the shells well with water. Drain as much water off as possible. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Place the shell halves, open end down, on the sheet & bake for 20 minutes. Let cool. Then crush them into small 1/4 inch pieces. I put a few in double thick paper towels & crush with my hand. I have a Purple Martin colony & do this for the Purple Martins, as many Purple Martin landlords do. You can keep the crushed shells for years in a Ziploc baggie. The adult martins eat several pieces a day & they also feed them to their chicks once they reach a couple weeks of age.

Toys....until you can get some use junk mail. Weave it thru the cage bars. My birds love to rip up junk mail.

 

[PetFoster]

I do not have a 'too (man, most of them scare the living daylights out of me!), but the two Goffin's I worked with at our shelter were sweet as pie, and very silly! The one thing I would worry about personally is that open leg band getting caught on a toy or even a cage bar -- maybe other owners can weigh in on this? It might be worth saving, of course, but if you have a vet that could get it off, it might save some heartache later on down the line. She is lovely and looks like she is happy to be bonding with you!

 

[Birdy888]

I was putting the old cage next to the new one but I had the old one off the floor. I'll try keeping the old one on the nightstand and roll the new cage next to it.

I've tried baking egg shells years ago and they had burn marks on them. I don't remember what temperature I baked them at though. I'll try your suggestion.

As soon as I can I am taking Kyliegh for a checkup with an avian vet I trust and hope is still in business. It's been a while since I last saw him. If he isn't still practicing I'll find a real avian vet. I still believe this lovely bird is going to stick around for a decade or two but only with great care so as soon as I can she'll see the vet (or a vet I trust) and I'll ask about the import band. With the Lacey act bill amendment however I am as afraid to take it off as I am to leave it. Then again if they are dead set on taking our animals from us a leg band won't stop them. Honestly I would like to have it come off her leg though. I would want to keep the band though just in case.

 

[Birdy888]

Kyliegh has begun to scream more. To be fair my wife and I have been busy running errands the last couple of days and we have been rearranging furniture. Before it gets to the point of getting in trouble with the apartment manager Kyliegh is getting trained to not scream.

Since I will be home most of the day if not all day I'll be making some toys for her. I discovered she likes cheerios so I'll make her a toy with them. I also want to make her a swing. Hopefully I can find stainless steel eyelets for the dowel rod. Kyliegh will hopefully enjoy the new toys and be less bored. Considering she is still grieving I still think she is doing really well behavior wise. I just have to redirect her energy into playing, foraging, puzzles, and other safe mentally stimulating exercises.

I took a picture of Kyliegh's new cage and one of her cheezing out on top of her old cage.

 

[faislaq]

I think keeping her busy will do wonders for her. I quarter fold 3 heavy paper plates & put them on a skewer with beads and toy parts in between for our girls. Luv Bug goes through them every couple of days. And I fill her foraging toys with beads & confetti for her to ant since she's not food motivated.

I wouldn't use too many Cheerios, though. Maybe just a few as snacks. They're pretty high in iron and absorbing too much can be a problem for birds. I only learned about Iron Storage Disease from this site; I hadn't heard of it before. In fact, I hadn't known about fragrances, candles, teflon pans or avocados being dangerous to birds until I came here.

I like her new cage! And I'm sure she will too... eventually! lol I think it took several days for our goffins girls to accept their new cage. Is she watching the new cage from the old one? The way the pictures are arranged it seems so.

 

[Birdy888]

Yeah she can see it from her old one. I'll be careful with the cheerios then. She had some hard boiled egg (and ate the whites too) since I was eating them. She didn't get much though. She did get watercress though. I bought her cabbage Wednesday night but I didn't give it to her yet. She'll get some today though.

 

[sunnysmom]

Yeah she can see it from her old one. I'll be careful with the cheerios then. She had some hard boiled egg (and ate the whites too) since I was eating them. She didn't get much though. She did get watercress though. I bought her cabbage Wednesday night but I didn't give it to her yet. She'll get some today though.

As mentioned, cheerios are pretty high in iron but you can find organic cheerio-type cereal that is much lower in iron. I want to say Cheerios has something like 40% iron (rough guess from my memory) and these organic brands have about 4%. My first tiel loved anything cheerio like. My current birds don't care. Also, Texas Natural Freeze Dried products makes a bird friendly cheerio type product.

 

[Birdy888]

Thank you to everyone who has helped me so far. I can't believe it has been 6 days already with Kyliegh. She is an awesome bird.