questions

hi,
my african grey congo is quite plucked and i think she has done it so much that is has became a habit and doesnt really now how to preen anymore.I am gone at school all day and no one else is home while im gone. Is there anyway to entertain her while im at school? I put the T.V on but she doesnt really care. She is also agressive towards me and everybody else except my dad,who she is attached to and he doesnt spend anytime with her at all but yet she doesnt bite him and lets him pat her on the back without freaking out. she also follows him around the house while she is out.is there anyway for her to atleast want to spend time with my dad?




Thanks

sorry at the end i meant to put me instead of dad

Try buying 5 different parrot puzzles and put a different one in the cage each day as you go off to school.
He is unhappy about something, or his diet is wrong.
If he plucks, maybe its gone on for too long?
You can buy a shirt for him to wear that will stop him plucking and give new feathers time to grow.
Can you put him outside safe where there are different things to see every few minutes? Even chatting to people walking past will stop him thinking about plucking.
That is the key I think,....Stopping him from thinking about plucking. if there are cars going past or people walking by, that may distract him. Is there any where he can go during the day that will keep him amused? Would he sit on a perch in the Nurses office while your at school? I know that sounds dumb, but is there a nieghbour he could sit with during the day? So when you go to school, he goes off to something interesting also.

If it doesn't improve, would you consider passing him on to someone who is home all day?

Bored birds die young.
Its up to you to fix the problem. Good on ya for trying to fix it.

( I am not an expert.You would be well advised to wait for more posts before you act on mine. I may be way off)

Here is the perch that keeps my boy amused.
This perch has knots to untie, string perch to bite to bits a bird kong ball to chew.baby toys to ignore,natural wooden perches to destroy. a cuttle fish, a metal jack Daniels key rings that makes everyone jump when you can get it to fall of the perch, plus water and seed. I now have to make one for the Professor.


Does your birds cage have different things to do each day while your out?
Do you have other animals? can you let him out of the cage and onto a perch when you are home? If he is out of the cage when your home, and you put different things in the cage each day, then when you go to school for 8 hours, he can play with the new stuff in his cage, and when he sees you walk in, he knows he is coming back out of the cage. With all these things to think about, he wont have time to pluck.
If you can do a few of these suggestions at different times, he wont have a predicable life where he feels the need to pluck himself.

I'm with Red.

Need more info.

How old is she?
What size of cage do you have her in?
How long are you gone?
Do you have seperate playstands for her?
What diet is she on?
Do you have toys for her?
What kind of toys?
Do you give her showers?

HAS SHE BEEN TO AN AVAIAN VET?

How old is she?
when i got her i was told she was 6 and if that is true then she is now 9
What size of cage do you have her in?
2 feet wide,3feet long,3 feet tall
How long are you gone?
I am gone probably for 7 hours on school days, when we got her my mom was home but now she has found something to do as a hpbbyu and isnt home anymore
Do you have seperate playstands for her?
no, i have something that is just a perch that is easire to take around the house the with me when shes out sometimes
What diet is she on?
we give her alot of different brands of seeds but i must admit she hasnt had much fruit lately but she plucked before that too.
Do you have toys for her?
yes she has quite a few toys that she doesnt seem to play with(she plays with a few and swings on one)
What kind of toys?
chewing toys,a swing,bells,a baby toy that makes sounds when you push it.
Do you give her showers?
I mist her but she hates it alot.

she has not been to an avian vet.

i am gonna make some new toys and try mix things up see what she thinks.

that is kinda a small cage to be left alone in that long -Christmas is coming up you could look on ebay they have lots of awsome ones for really cheap.

Don't take offense to this but I think you need to research parrots more.

An all seed diet is very unhealthy for parrots. Parrots need VEGGIES like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collared greens, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, etc. FRUIT like grapes, kiwi, mango, apples (no seed as these are toxic) bananas etc. LEGUMES such as pinto beans, lentils, chickpeas, aduzki, blackeyed peas etc. Pasta and brown rice are also good for parrots and they usually like it. Pellets such as ZuPreem, Harrisons, Roudybush are good for parrots and a few seeds are ok but not as their main diet. NUTS like almonds (calcium), pine nutes, walnuts, pistachios, etc are good for parrots as well.

Greys need extra calcium in their diets which can easily be obtained with foods like almonds and dark leafy veggies. Occasionally you can offer him cheese but it needs to be HARD CHEESE because birds are lactose intolerant and the hard cheese do contain very much lactose, also Yogurt can be offered as well.

Diet websites.
http://www.holisticbirds.com/pages/phytonutrition0202.htm
SAFE AND TOXIC FOODS.
http://www.itsagreysworld.com/diet/food.htm
THE HEALTHY BIRD COOKBOOK by Robin Deutsch - is a really good book with lots of recipes and she also gives the vitamin content of different veggies and fruits.

ARTICLES ABOUT GREYS.
http://www.africangreys.com/articles/nutrition/pellets.htm
http://www.upatsix.com/faq/greyfaq.htm
http://www.africancongogrey.com/
PARROT SAFETY WEBSITE
http://www.chopperstoys.com/CatalogArticlesBirdWise.html

Parrots need lots of toys to keep them from becoming bored. Be creative use wood, acrylic, plastic boats, letters, ducks, rings, shoelaces, baby music toys etc.
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u145/rockinseattle/Alfie-6.jpg
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u145/rockinseattle/Alfie-5.jpg

I think that birds need sepaerate playstands with lots of toys on them because they get bored if they are in the same room, in the same cage day in and day out. They want new experiences and sights to see just like we do. I suggest making or buying a seperate stand that you can role to whatever room you want it in.
They make metal stands like this
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u145/rockinseattle/LiLy.jpg
They also make wood stands like this
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u145/rockinseattle/IMG_0158.jpg

Greys and water,well some like showers and some don't but they still need them anyway. Play around with the water temperature, maybe your grey wants the water cooler or warmer. I put mine in the shower and use a handheld shower head that has different settings on it. Sometimes he really digs his shower and other times he doesn't.

I STRONGLY ADVISE that you find an AVIAN vet (not a dog and cat vet because they really can't do squat for birds) because birds hide illness very well. You need to have blood and poop work done and an overall look at by an AVIAN VET. I am saying this a lot but I can't stress enough how important it is.

CAUSES FOR FEATHER PLUCKING ARE.
poor health
poor diet
lack of showers
boredom
to small of cage
lack of stimulation (puzzles, foraging toys etc)
I don't reccomend young people getting birds because the cost and the commitment is usually to high for young people.

BUT you already have this bird so I hope that maybe some of this information is helpful and that you will find an AVIAN vet ASAP.

Good Luck:-]

no offence taken at all and thanks for the info,i will read later tonight.i'll let you know how she is doing.

Nice one Roxy-rain.
I got some good info out of that also.
I off shopping for some birdy food treats.

Nice one Roxy-rain.
I got some good info out of that also.
I off shopping for some birdy food treats.
In regard to cages.
I saw this on ebay and thought is may give you some idea on cages
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320162187116&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=011

I know someone who has a grey who was plucking and she stopped it and then one day she cut her hair and Geoffrey started to pluck all over again ... there are so many reasons that greys can pluck ...

totally agree with you rockinseattle and it was awesome of you to provide so much info. i would just like to add this website:
http://www.parrots.org/pdfs/all_about_parrots/reference_library/behaviour_and_environmental_enrichment/Parrot_Enrichment_Activity_Book.pdf

it is all about making toys and playstands. sometimes certain birds will only play with a few types of toys or need them to be a certain way for them to be interested in them and we have to keep trying different ones until we find out what it is they need, we can't just leave in their old ones and say that they don't play with toys because they may just not be the right kind of toys.

but toys are only half the battle, i think this bird really is craving some personal love and attention, one on one. i would definately recommend a playgym with toys that they can sit on and be with you while you can't handle them (doing you hair in the morning, making dinner, doing your homework)

birds need to be involved!!!

Hi everyone,

I'm new to forums so work with me. I am the proud owner of Domino, he is my 5 1/2 year old CAG. I have had him since he was a baby and he is my love. Domino has been plucking his feathers out around his neck and working down his chest. Just when I think it is getting better, I wake up to find everything plucked. This is stressing me out more then him, which probably isn't helping. We have taken him to an avian vet, we have run every test that we could and everything has come back normal. We have changed his diet to an organic pellet, he was always a good fruit and veggie eater, and have added tofu (he doesn't like), more egg etc. He does get bathed but hates it so it is a constant battle. Forget using a spray he won't tolerate any kind of spray or a bowl of water. He is out of his cage all day and home with me so he gets plenty of attention. We haven't moved his cage or added any additions of pets to the house. We have changed/rotated his toys so as not to be bored and constantly give him puzzles or bottles to throw around. Since the summer when it seemed like (he was) depressed and not talking, all of that has changed and he is back to talking and screaming and calling me. However he is still plucking his feathers. Does anyone have any suggestions for me.

Thanks
Domino & Christine

Im going to say something totally off the wall here.

DONT rotate all the toys out of his/her cage. Each of my birds has a favorite toy and throws a fit when that toy is removed. One of my birds has had the same toy for 5 years (that of course is a smaller bird that has not managed to totally destruct the toy).
Of course- figure out what YOUR bird prefers. If he obviously likes a toy and is playing with it regularly- dont take it out.


My Grey has a leather belt tied to the top of his cage...so the belt hangs down. He absolutely LOVES that thing. He hangs from it, climbs up and down it. That keeps him busy forever.

I rotate my birds toys sometimes because when you rotate it makes them play iwth them more.