Need help with rescued Alexandrine.

I rescued an Alexandrine from a person who had kept it in a shabby cage along with a dominant older parrot and fed it only rice. My assumption is it must be around 6 months old. The previous owner said that the other parrot had been pecking it before I took it and now my Alexandrine looks bald.
I trained it to climb on to my hand and finger (it does avoid getting into the palm though). But even when standing on my finger or hand it still looks scared and always tries to jump. The previous owner had clipped it wings. So when it tries to fly away it crashes to the floor. Of late it has started growling when I pick it from the floor. It doesn't bite and so I am able to lift it but it doesnt stop growling. I have never heard it making any other sound at all. it doesn't eat nuts or seeds. It likes banana and apple though. And lastly, it looks like it is molting and looks very clumsy. Somebody please let me know how I can get it to socialize with me. How long will molting last?

Hello,

Sounds like its going ok but i would try and take thinks more slowly. It sounds like you have a bird that has learnt to be helpless, Alex's don't do well with clipped wings and being bullied by another bird won't have helped.

Although it might not feel like it the growling could be a good thing, he or she is starting to tell you what he or she wants or in this case doesn't want. I would go back to basics and spend time with your bird without asking anything, so just give treats. Sit by his cage and talk to him and feed him bits of a treat. As your bond grows he or she will follow you around the cage to be near you. If he won't take treats from you hand yet start with that!

Molting can last a few months if it's a heavy one and can make Alex's grumpy. If he crashes to the floor, but doesn't want to be picked up could you make it safe for him to climb back to his cage on his own?

I'd be concerned about the clumsiness if he is losing balance and get him to a vet just for a check up.

Thank you so much! Appreciate it.

Hey. I have another question. My Alex hates going near water. I tried spraying. But it doesn't seem to enjoy that as well. How do I get it to be more water friendly?

Hi there. You have the same worries i had when i got my first Parrot but sounds like everything is gonna be ok. Keep getting your little guy used to being on your fingers, offer treats so its a positive experience and praise everytime he steps up and talk to the little guy. It can take time believe me but you will see progress i promise. My Quaker is at the end of his first malt, it lasted a few month with the pin feathers too. He will bath in a steel water bowl and now he is comfy with me he lets me bath him in the sink but stood on his bowl. Everythings gonna be fine, takes real patience and love with them x

Dunno if this helps but try a bowl for baths, splash your fingers in the water and make it seem fun, thats how i taught mine to bath x

With bathing you might have to experiment and try different things. Amy my Amazon loves to shower with me! I let him stand on his perch stick and take him into the shower with me. He'll spread his arms and wave them frantically,while tossing his head back and forth and yelling out all sorts of Amazon stuff! He gets VERY excited!
Also,in the summer,when I take him outside with me ( his sleeves are ALWAYS short then!) I'll put him on a low tree limb and use a misting bottle with the same reaction to the shower.

BB,(cockatiel) on the other hand,HATED water,until he finally figured out it was a good thing! He'd run from the misting bottle,wouldn't think of jumping in his water bowl. One day I was finishing washing dishes in the kitchen sink. I cleaned up,and BB JUMPED into the sink. I then turned the water on real slow and made sure it was just luke warm. He ran around in the sink trying to get out...then all of a sudden...he face-planted himself to the basin,started waving his arms madly,ROLLING AROUND like he was having a seizure! He now LOVES taking a bath in the sink!

You'll have to experiment with your Alex..I'm sure you'll find something that works for him


Jim

I've had to let my Alex go because of multiple issues. He's been inflicting injuries to his tail right from the first day I got him - plucking it out and biting until the blood starts to come. And I feel the pain of the plucking prevents him from interacting with us. I got him to a vet and got him attended to (just for the wound). I've handed him over to another owner who has promised to let him go once his wings grow back. He also has a few other IRN and Alex parrots with him and hopefully Tinku will find a way to keep himself busy and not think of his tail.