Gidget
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 5/3/17
- Messages
- 4
I rescued a beautiful, tiny parakeet from the Humane Society. I believe that she had been in the wild for some time. The vet said she is about 1 year old and had some minor health issues that a good diet would fix. I've had her for about a month and a half. She's been on a forage and pellet diet and is gaining some weight back. I can tell that she's had some training. I work with her on perch training and she is doing well. She doesn't completely trust me yet. Part of it is because she still identifies as a wild bird. She loves millet and is food oriented. We have several problems. 1.) She's very fearful, although it's getting better. 2.) She is very sedentary. It's as if she doesn't know how to play. She has enough toys. I have rotated them in and out to try to pique her interest. So far, nothing. This concerns me the most. 3.) She can be a squawker, which we are working on. Once she starts, she is hard to shut up. Generally, we have ignored the squawking and praised her when she uses her "indoor voice." I think this is a flock behavior, but I sure wish we could quiet her faster. Gidget is a sweet bird. She's never made any attempt to bite. We had the vet clip her wings, but even with only her flight feathers, she is a strong flier. I don't mind it. She steps up onto a perch with ease just like she's been taught. I would like some help with her fear/trust issue and how to get her to play, rather than just sit. She doesn't seem interested in toys at all and will even run from them. Sorry to ramble, but any help would be appreciated for this little sweetie.
