a beginner's user guide

hi everybody,

i have an alex called hagi. he is like 1,5 month. when i bought him he was unweaved baby and we are still hand feeding him. attachment is his photo. since i've never had an alex before i have some questions :

- since his feather turned completly green i've put some birdseed in his cage. i let him decide if he wanted to eat. do you have any advice what ingredients should be in the feeder? i bought a mixed bird food for parakeet but there are too many small stuuf in it. i don't think he can eat those small stuff. he was trying to eat others.

- should i put water for him to drink now?

- his nails are like razor, when i put him on my hand it cuts me. how can i file his nails without hurting him?

- oh my god he is pooping everywhere. can i teach him toilet education so he can only poop in his cage? so me and my wife won't get divorced when can i start and how can i do that?

- i gave him peach but he didn't eat, just tasted. which fruit can i give him and how should i serve them to him? (sliced, whole, mashed etc.)

- when do you think i should give him a bath? i was told to wait until he is fully grown. is there any specific time for it? at the beginning how should i wash him? i thought i can put him in sink and pour warm water on him and let him play with water.

- he can not fly yet ( or he is not flying i don't know). he is flapping his wings very fast like he is about to fly. i think he is testing his wings. and it scared the hell out of me because he may get hurt himself during his fly attemps. our living room is quite big and i will move aside everything which may hurt him if he hits but other than should i do anything? i don't want him to hurt but eventually he will fly and i must know if anything can be done to save him from hurting himself?

- from pictures do you think he is a boy or girl? i tought he is a boy thats why i called him hagi.

- is there any thing else i should give him or put in his cage to keep him healthy and happy? i am open to any suggestions.

i should say i didn't know the risks of getting unweaved baby before i bought him. if i knew i certainly wouldn't get it and wait for the right time. i read it from here after i bought it. so what's done is done.

so far we have very good relationship. he loves sleeping on my laps. he spends most of his time walking around the living room. every member of family loves him. what i am trying to do in here is learn as much as possible from experienced members so i can take care of him better.

thanks in advance...

Hello, I'll try and go through your questions where I can

I don't know about weaning, but in general if you can get a pellet do that and feed that as most of his diet, but still give lots of fresh vegetables and some pulses and some fruit. You might need to wet the pellets while he's starting to feed himself. If you can't get pellets while he's growing so much a parrot seed mix is probably OK, but you don't want to feed this for too long. Try and get one with fewer sunflower seeds if you can, but at the moment and while he's fledgling he will need lots of energy so don't worry. Seeds are very high in fat, and Alex's are quite greedy and can get fat, which affects their health, so seeds should not make up a large part if their diet. I wouldn't worry too much about the size of foods, he might just find bigger things easier to pick up, but he's still learning.

I would put water in his cage now, but put it in something safe where he won't be able to hurt himself or drown.

You could file his nails with a normal nail file, I personally wouldn't cut them, but some people do. See if he will let you hold his toes and file his nails. Just take the tips off. Ypu can keep them filed with rough perches or a sandpaper perch, bit you need to keep an eye on the condition of his feet as the can be rough. Different perches with different textures and sizes will help foot health.

It sounds exactly like he is starting to learn the fly. That's so lovely! You could try and encourage him to fly to you. Accidents do happen, he might bump into something. I think other than making sure things are as safe as they can be - nothing hot or sharp he could land on when you weren't around and nothing dangling from the ceiling he could get tangled in - you kind of just have to hope. I know some people take their birds around the room and get them to tap on windows and mirrors etc. as these are the most common places for crashes.

I have no idea on whether he's a boy or girl, but he is very very cute!

Start putting a toy or 2 in, he might not play with them, but also he might and he'll enjoy it.

Can't wait to see how he grows up

I'm glad you are reaching out for help, raising an unweaned baby is no easy task as you are discovering.

Hopefully you will find something in the following links that will help you...

http://www.parrotforums.com/alexandrines/33273-handfeeding-2-month-old-alex-baby.html#post281726

http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

You may also consider contacting your bird's breeder for assistance if you possibly can. The link below may assist you in finding a vet clinic should you need one...

https://www.aav.org/default.aspx

I wish you all the best.

Hi Hagi,
I'll try and answer most of your questions.
It's been years though since I had a weaning baby!

- since his feather turned completly green i've put some birdseed in his cage. i let him decide if he wanted to eat. do you have any advice what ingredients should be in the feeder? i bought a mixed bird food for parakeet but there are too many small stuuf in it. i don't think he can eat those small stuff. he was trying to eat others.
Please do not feed him parakeet food. You can offer a pellet sized for medium birds.
You can also offer fresh fruits and vegetables.
Cooked grains, veggie pasta, cooked beans, leafy greens, nuts, etc... All of these are good additions for a healthy diet.

- should i put water for him to drink now?
Yes, you can start to offer water.

- his nails are like razor, when i put him on my hand it cuts me. how can i file his nails without hurting him?
Take a nail file (one of your wife's should work) and GENTLY file. Do it slowly and softly. If he's frightened go more slowly. You want to build trust, not fear. Just a few swipes on his nails daily will get him used to it and make it easier once he's grown.

- oh my god he is pooping everywhere. can i teach him toilet education so he can only poop in his cage? so me and my wife won't get divorced when can i start and how can i do that?
No, do not teach him to potty in one place. Birds need to evacuate on a regular basis, and learning to hold it can cause health problems. I love those 'pick a size' paper towels, and always have a roll within easy reach. Once the hand feeding is done, you may also notice poops less often and less watery.

- i gave him peach but he didn't eat, just tasted. which fruit can i give him and how should i serve them to him? (sliced, whole, mashed etc.)
Almost all fruits are fine. Keep offering a wide variety, and you can offer them in different ways. Some birds like larger pieces, some like dainty nibbles. What he won't eat today, he may love tomorrow. Parrot = waste. Expect lots of food waste!

- when do you think i should give him a bath? i was told to wait until he is fully grown. is there any specific time for it? at the beginning how should i wash him? i thought i can put him in sink and pour warm water on him and let him play with water.
He will mostly likely panic if put in a sink full of water. Buy a small spray bottle (I use a garden mister), and he'll learn to like the soft gentle mist as you spray it over his head. You could spray him slightly now, but be careful not to drench him, you don't want him chilled, just a soft mist falling over him, like a gentle rain shower.

- he can not fly yet ( or he is not flying i don't know). he is flapping his wings very fast like he is about to fly. i think he is testing his wings. and it scared the hell out of me because he may get hurt himself during his fly attemps. our living room is quite big and i will move aside everything which may hurt him if he hits but other than should i do anything? i don't want him to hurt but eventually he will fly and i must know if anything can be done to save him from hurting himself?
Yep, he's going to fly very soon. If you have large picture windows or mirrors, it's a good thing to draw the curtains so he doesn't crash into them. Many place sticky decals on their windows so the bird knows they are there. You can also carry him to the windows and let him feel the glass with his beak. Some think it helps them to remember once they start flying. Expect some crashes, do what you can to keep him safe.

- from pictures do you think he is a boy or girl? i tought he is a boy thats why i called him hagi.
I have no idea!

- is there any thing else i should give him or put in his cage to keep him healthy and happy? i am open to any suggestions.
I'm not sure what is in there now, but safe toys for him to chew and shred are necessary for his health and happiness. Make sure he has some natural branches (not dowel perches) for his feet, rope perches are loved by most birds. Swings and climbing toys are also something you can consider.

I'm sure others will also offer you great advice. Take what fits your life and makes sense. I'm no expert, and many others aren't also. Take all advice after thinking about it carefully.
Have fun with your baby.

thank you all for the answers. so far we are doing great. i love watching him putting his head on my laps or ground and sleep. our biggest problems are so far poops and small feathers/dust/scall. i hope these will decrease by the time he grows. and he is growing really fast. i mean he is hungry all the time. if we don't feed him he might even eat us i am afraid

i will update this thread all the time. by doing so, i hope every beginner or someone who is thinking to get alex would learn a lot of thing from this thread.