IN NEED OF ADVICE - I think my parrot is not OK

Hi all,
I think my parrot is not in good shape, and I am to blame for it. Please bare with me, if the post is long.

So I had Nina, my African Grey parrot in 1999 (I was a kid/teen back then), and when I got her I was told what to feed her and what not to feed her... and that was it.

I used to spend time talking to her, listening to music with her, and occasionally dancing together! (Yes, she dances) and I feed her lots of fresh treats. Her staple is sunflower seed, and from time to time raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts... as well as fruits, carrot, banana and cucumber.

She has the largest cage available in the local market - it is a big size (I am sorry she is in a cage but I have no other option in my parents' house). I was not able to put toys and additional sticks for her to stand in the cage, because whenever I tried she would freak out!

Now, she has seasonal episodes when she picks out her feather but it comes and goes, I asked several vets and they said it is ok. But the problem is no vet I know agrees to come and see her at home (and even if i take her to them they refuse to handle her, "because she is not trained and she bites")

Now I have been living abroad for over 5 years - so I come and go, and when I am home I try to spend time with her... This time I am home for a bit longer, which allowed me to observe her more.... I think she is not doing well.

Her feather coat is all messed up, constantly losing small tiny ones and i see her insisting on biting off a feather from her wing until it is off.

Her tail is less and less red....

She does not look happy ... she is not as conversational as she used to be.

I blame myself because I have not done enough research as I could have and I have not found a vet that would handle her.... for example, her nails need to be trimmed!!!!!!!

I feel so guilty horrible, and I need advice and what are the MUST DOs for parrots,,,, I am here for another 2-3 months and I need to make sure I check her up completely before i leave again.

What am I missing?

She has never been vaccinated or anything.

I am such a bad care taker.... (I am much better at taking care of the cat at home because I have the right knowledge and there are plenty of cat vets around)

Please advise,

please don't be so hard on yourself.
changing her diet will be the most important thing you could do for her, and it will have great results....sunflower seeds are not the best as it can cause fatty liver disease, and really add no nutritional value.

every bird is the same, if they have a fairly good diet, they look and feel good, just like we do.

Veggies, leafy greens and grains are a great place to start.
there is plenty of good info on here in the AG section. lots of members on here as well who own one, can offer some very good advice.

If you are really concerned and think it may be more than just diet, with your time off, you could possibly take her to an Avian Vet(not a regular vet) and get a check up, blood work etc....
then you would have your answers and a plan where to improve on things.
good luck!! I hope your bird improves.

Welcome, as said above don't be too bad on yourself. Everyone makes their mistakes, the I portent thing is that you're commited to making things better.

As said above sun flower seeds cannot be a staple, but keep in mind changing a birds diet can take a long time. My galah used to eat a staple of sun flowers, it have her organ failure and she was pretty much emaciated. Parrots should ideally eat a diet that consist of 50% pellets and %50 fresh veggies, fruits, grains, and beans/lentils. Make sure that what your feeding is parrot safe before offering.

African Greys are very suspicious, introducing toys can take time. If Greys aren't socialized with different objects often throughout their life thy become fearful and phobic. You'll want to take the new perches and first try setting it down on a table in the same room, over the course if a week move the perch closer(not the talks itself, you can set the perch on the floor). Once your grey is used to that see if you can place it on the cage floor for a week. See how that goes, then attach the perch carefully of let it sit I too the cage for a while.

What country are you located in? If possible try to buy Harrison's pellets, they are excellent. African Greys should eat the high potency formula.

Don't forget to make sure shes getting regular bathes [very important].Let her have her "out of cage times consistent. Move her with a stick if you have to. Her mental well being is important as much as her diet is.

Just wanted to add that when Pinkbirdy said 'move her with a stick if you have to', that means getting her to step onto a stick rather than chasing her out with it. I know you already knew that, I just had to post it.

Also, it's often better to have a cage than not. A large clean(no rust, wiped down at least weekly) cage is excellent. Cages give our parrots a safe "bird proof" place to be when we cannot supervise them. My birdies love their large cages. A parrot without a cage may become gravely injured if they get into the wrong thing.

These are extremely intelligent animals, capable of learning up to the ability of at least a 4 year old and have about a two year old's emotional level. How long does this brilliant animal spend alone? They can, and will, go insane, and sometimes mutilate themselves to death. This is rare, but the mutilation behavior is going to increase risk of infections.
Someone, if not yourself, maybe someone else in the house, must spend time with her every day. Even if she won't come out of the cage. Put a chair nearby and read to her. Something, anything. Love and attention can bring almost any parrot back from this kind of misunderstanding. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I am very passionate about parrots.

Thank you all for your thoughts.
So, I started looking for an avian vet. I hope I find one. We are located in Lebanon.

. Nina is staying in our living room...so she has us around her almost all the time, and at night we turn the lights off and cover her so that she gets her alone rest time. But these days I ve been noticing she is sleeping during the day so I am worried.

. I had been told that everything that is citrus or that has leaves can KILL a parrot!!! ... I thought I had the information I needed ao I didnt really "google" what is the perfect diet for a parrot. This is a great place to start. And beans and lentils?! I had no idea....
So I will do my research.

. We get her out of the cage maybe once a year... prettt much when im here on break. But then last timw she was afraid so I had to out her back. Also, a few months ago she was out on her own...juat standing out there. Thank god the cat was asleep!!!! (In the same room)

. Ninas cage is cleaned on daily basis and her water and food as well.

.she gets cuddles every day as well, and her favourite at home is dad. Eventhough she seea him inly 2 days a week.

. How do I know how much food she needs? Or how old she is...

I am very thankful for your thoughts and apreciate any further info

Ok so I called a regular vet I deal with to ask him about an avian vet. He said he doesn't know any and he said that she might be depressed. He asked to go to a bird shop and gwt her a spray so that she stops "itching". Even though I don't think she is itching.

And I am goimg to buy the other type of bird food...the the multicoloured one. He said said sunflower seed ka enough!!! But you guys are experts I go with your advice. I just gave her a a carrot and I will increase her food and veg intake. I informes my mother already that in my absence this has to to continue.

I have a question. Online I read that it js ok to feed parrots parsley and lettuce and leaves...and here every one I knoq says no, it will kill them they cant digest it! I am too scared to experiment!
So what is it really?
What are the NO GO amongst fresh vegiea and feuits (beaidea some fruit seeds)

Thank you!

Sorry for typos im usimg my phone

I can't really give advice on this matter but I just want to tell you to not be so hard on yourself because we all have made mistakes with our parrots.

Forgive me if I sound blunt- I'm just trying to figure this out because I'm confused.... So, the bird has no toys or perches in the cage? How often does the bird come out of its cage- Once a year???? And his owner is gone most of the time??

I'm trying to put the pieces together from the various replies, but it sounds like this bird is seriously bored and depressed...hence the feather picking. African greys need more interaction than just being in the same room with other family members. These guys are crazy smart and if not cared for or have the proper mental stimulation can essentially go crazy. That's like telling Einstein he's not allowed to think about math. Lol

Here's a very helpful safe food thread from elsewhere on the forum:

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

I've had some funny looks scrolling through it on my phone whilst stood in the supermarket!

I personally don't feed parsley, but lettuce won't kill them. The bad thing about lettuce is that there's very few nutrients. A better alternative is chard, spinach, broccoli, and kale. Dark leafy greans are much healthier, but shouldn't be fed daily.

Squash, especially orange or yellow, is amazing for parrots. You can also feed sweet potatoe but it must be cooked. White potatoe cannot be fed. Never feed avacado, it can be lethal to our birdies.

That vet isn't up to date at all with bird info, I wouldn't immediately trust anything bird related that he tells you until further research is done.

I also use my phone lol constantly fixing my typos and the phones auto correct mistakes lol

Here is a list of safe and toxic parrot food items :

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

I hope this helps to clarify what you can and cannot feed your Grey.

Thanks for the link.
And getwozzy, I didn't come here to be criticised; I knew well Nina is not in her ideal environment - otherwise I wouldn't be on this thread. And I guess the point here is to give advice/support.

Anyway thank you all for the ideas and advice. I ve got enough "food for thought" to google and go around with and do my best to improve her environment.

I'm sorry you feel like I was criticizing you, but I wasn't. I wasn't trying to be rude either. That's the downfall of reading comments by text, is it can be interpreted wrong.

I was just trying to gather information about the situation because it was/is unclear. I probably could've worded it a bit better, but I assure you my intentions are good.

I don't believe getwozzy's intention was to critisize you. She is correct in stating that Grey's are very intelligent and nned lots of mental stimulation, which I am sure you have figured out and that is why you have come here for help. Perhaps you can try playing with one toy at a time in front of your bird several times before placing it into the cage. some times that shows the bird that the toy is fun and not harmful, esspecially if the bird is bonded to you. You could also try to begin target training to curb some of the behavior issues.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqtptXFyb2c]How to Target Train Your Parrot | Parrot Training - YouTube[/ame]

Clicker Training 101 | Peggy's Parrot Place

We are really all here to help and support you, and have no mean intentions. Sometimes written text can come across harsh without that being the true intention of the writer.
Would someone who resides with the bird full time be willing to start the bonding/ training process also ? It would really help the bird when you are away. The plucking most likely comes from boredom and seperation anxiety. When you are away your bird becomes upset and so it plucks to display its anxiety.

Maybe you can get him some toys that will help deter his plucking, like this one:
http://m.mysafebirdstore.com/product.cgi?group=446&product=16871

Like others have said, you'll want to slowly introduce new toys and perches since he's become afraid of them.

Perches should be at least 0.75-1" in diameter; a good way to measure is by making sure their talons don't touch while standing on it. I'd get a variety of perches over time (wood, rope, concrete, etc)- and introduce them one by one. Dowel perches aren't very good for their feet. Maybe start with a pedi-perch or concrete perch to help with his long nails.

I like boysmom's idea of enlisting the help of someone else who lives with the bird, that way there's someone else who can work with him and help with training...and hopefully lessen his separation anxiety when you're away.

Hey there Djoe, it sounds like you are doing the best you can for your bird now. As far as food, birds love beans and lentils, though they can be sensitive to onion and garlic, small quantities of those, if mixed in with dinner, are fine.
Leafy greens are great for birds! The only things, of the top of my head, that are TOXIC are avocado, fruit pits (apple sees, peach pits, etc)and chocolate.
In the freezer section of the grocery store, you might find bags of diced, mixed veggies, and my bird loves them. Inexpensive, healthy, and easy. Just rinse to thaw and serve. Of course fresh is better, but frozen is good too. Pellet food available all day, fresh food in small amounts, and need to be removed when wilted.
It sounds like her living space is perfect. I hope you can find a vet!
Good luck with your feathered friend, I hope she perks up for you soon.