Preening

I thought I would share one of my findings with you all. With Hugo feeling sick and not himself for the last 4 months I only realised today how he has neglected preening and grooming himself. I havent been able to bath him because of the virus and he hasnt been doing much at all in the form of exercise.

I changed the pellets he was eating and the change in my bird in the last 18 hours has been miraculous. He is now preening himself non stop and bathed twice today. I never realised how preening could slip under my notice. My vet told me that with Hugo everything has escalated due to him being sick and he has got over the virus but now we have to get everything else right. Keep an eye on your parrots grooming habits as they are a sure sign that something is off. Hugo generally preens himself when he's sitting with me and doesn't really do it when he's by himself. Does anyone have any ideas on how to encourage preening and grooming? Is that the norm for them to only preen when on your shoulder?

Auggie neglected his preening for a while when I went away for a few days.

He had a sitter to take care of his needs, but she didn't spend a lot of time with him. He looked pretty ragged when I got back.

Whether it was the stress of it all, or whether he only preens when I'm around, I can't be sure.

I know he preens a lot while on my shoulder - but I don't know how much/little he does while I'm not home.

Ecc: I heard a parrot fancier say that if you use a clean feather duster and make a smaller one out of it and hang in the cage it will enc. bird to preen the duster/bird. Whether it is true or not I do not know. Oh my goodness just as I am answering this Rosie said Helllllllllllllloo!!

I never thought of how many times Hugo preens and it never bugged me....just so glad that Hugo is getting back to normal. SB - Thats great that RosieA said hellloooo - yippee, awesome, well done mom!! Im actually gonna try that idea of the feather duster and see what Hugo does - will give you feedback, got the giggles when I pictured him preening a mini feather duster - worth a try.

I just had a thought that maybe the reason Hugo's feathers are always in the wars is because he hasnt been preening properly and this could be going on for months...could be never know...would make sense...

Shame you can't rent a bird because Hugo would learn proper preening from another bird.

LOL - dont even go there!! I think if Hugo didnt get sick I would of found myself driving on automatic pilot to go and bring that poor timneh home - shame, I hope he/she found a good home. I will pop in there sometime to see if she/he got a good home. Im busy watching Hugo as I type - he's hanging upside down eating a pellet - hahaha, he's doing really well and even was bobbing his head to fav song Will update you on the feather duster idea.

I'm glad Hugo is doing better. Max is a very vain bird and preens often...in his cage, on his play perch, on my shoulder, etc. As soon as he's done cleaning his long tail feathers, he does his yoga (what we call the leg and wing stretch). I watched pretty closely when we first got him to make sure he wasn't plucking, but he's never pulled out anything but the occassional down. He actually preened Jade's head yesterday when he was on my shoulder and she was on my lap...I watch carefully to make sure he didn't pull too hard, but it was a sweet little check to make sure she was okay.

Glad to hear Hugo has improved so much. SUCH A RELIEF !!!!
Mishka is always preening herself, My guys say she is just like her mother LoL.
Whether inside her cage, or on her playpen, she cleans.
When she sees me with a broom or a mop she says mommy's cleaning.
A friend's bird, only preens when on her shoulder.
Take care

Ecclipse
"hanging upside down", just like his guardian
So happy for you Ecclipse, and Hugo..
You are sounding chirpy again, humerus and so so happy.

GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK :63:

Thanks so much guys for all your kind words - WE HAVE MADE A BREAKTHRU!!!! In the past, Hugo has recovered and floundered twice in the last 4 months but this time is different, he is showing signs of being the bird I new in the middle of last year, very active and he was running round the top of his cage. He was preening a little in his cage today - yippee. You will not believe how quickly he got better after changing the pellets, its a plumage enhancer as well so will help with his feathers. He was running, grabbing a pellet then dashing onto his gym and then munching away. I spoke to the vet today - poor vet, she must be sick of me - lol. They all know Hugo by name - VIP! She said I must spray him everyday to encourage his skin to moisten. She will do a final check next week. Should be granted shares in that place - wahahaha. God's been very gracious to me!

God's been very gracious to you! I agree with you Ecclipse
Keep up the good work my girl !!!!!
Sure he will pass the final check next week, holding thumbs for you both
Let us know the final outcome
Take care

The sun shines after the rains. Especially in SA.