Hi from Diesel the 6 month old Alexandrine

Diesel_Hyland

New member
May 26, 2013
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Tuakau, New Zealand
Parrots
'Diesel' the Alexandrine
Hi There!

Two weeks ago we purchased a 6 month old hand reared Alexandrine we named him 'Diesel' from a bird store. We have never owned a bird before. He already has a very faint darker line around his neck so we are just assuming he is a male. He has had his wings clipped.

He has a large new cage which we have put in the lounge area after reading where we should put it in this forum, and I think we have him comfortable there with all his fresh goodies, seeds and water.

Luckily he seems to be very outgoing and pretty much from day one he has been coming out and sitting on top of his cage. He flutters down onto the couch when he gets the nerve, usually has been when my daughter has been eating an iceblock...he loves fruit ones!

We have been super conscious to leave his contact with us at this early stage up to him, even though my daughter is desperate to handle him. We have been lucky enough that he is inquisitive and has even been giving my husband little kisses on his lips when he comes down to play. He seems perfectly happy sitting with us on the back of the couch preening himself.

We had a couple of nips in the first few days, mainly we realise because we were putting our hands towards him without much warning and he definately does not like an flat palm coming towards him, even with food on it.

During the day we mix up his toys and give him new ones, and he listens to music when we have to go out to work / school and when we get home around 4-6pm he mutters and whistles to us when we are getting the dinner ready. When he does this we call him a good boy and give him a cashew as a treat. He seems to love those.

I am not sure about the nightime routine...we turn the lights down (leave a small one on) but where he is in the lounge he is passed by any of us going to the toilet in the middle of the night...We havent put a cover on him as he didnt have one in the bird shop...is this wrong / disrupting his sleep? Should we move his cage into a spare bedroom at night?

Also if anyone has thoughts whether we should buy a separate perch for the lounge area?

I hope we are doing ok...Anyway he is just a pleasure and a great time waster...not sure how we might introduce him to the patio / outside area and our two outside dogs...any suggestions?

Also when should we get his wings clipped again?

Any suggestions greatfully received

Thanks
The Hyland-Mills Family :green1:
 

antoinette

Supporting Member
Jul 6, 2009
13,114
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Sunny South Africa !!!
Parrots
African "Grey"
"Mishka"
Male
7 Years old
Welcome to our amazing forum

Congrats with Diesel he sounds so cute
Love the pic in your album, beautiful daughter, what is her name?

What fresh goodies are you offering Diesel?
Go easy on the seeds they have no nutritional value, rather offer them as treats when training him.
I reckon a perch in the lounge would be most beneficial as he would be interacting with his human flock at a much closer distance.
If the cage is situated in rather noisy area, I would rather suggest placing him in another room where he will sleep comfortably. Birds require between 10 to 12 hours of undisturbed sleep. If the room where he is sleeping is not too dark, try placing a cover over the cage, making sure there is enough ventilation for fresh air to go through.

Okay enough from me, I will leave other question or other knowledgeable members to assist you with.

Please keep us updated with his progress.
 

Kalidasa

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May 8, 2013
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I think it's awesome that you play music for him when you're gone, music stimulates their brains even when they're just sitting there. Congratulations on your new friend. :)
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
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Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
Welcome to the forum!

He already has a very faint darker line around his neck so we are just assuming he is a male.
That is just a shadow of a ring. Males don't get their rings in until they are around 2 years old, so it may not be a good idea to rely on that alone.

I am not sure about the nightime routine...we turn the lights down (leave a small one on) but where he is in the lounge he is passed by any of us going to the toilet in the middle of the night...We havent put a cover on him as he didnt have one in the bird shop...is this wrong / disrupting his sleep? Should we move his cage into a spare bedroom at night?
That's all entirely up to you. I don't use cage covers, and parrots don't have covers out in the wild! But if Diesil doesn't mind, you might want to try one.

Likewise, you could move his cage at night or get a 'night cage' for him - a small cage or carrier that is only used at night.

Also if anyone has thoughts whether we should buy a separate perch for the lounge area?
If you have the space for a movable play-gym, then I say, by all means, get one! It's kind of a place away from the cage that he can enjoy hanging out on without being on you!

not sure how we might introduce him to the patio / outside area and our two outside dogs...any suggestions?
Take it slow and easy. If your patio/outside area isn't screened in, I would suggest getting a carrier and/or harness for him to take him outside. Even clipped birds can fly.

Also when should we get his wings clipped again?
This is a controversial subject, but have you ever considered not clipping? There are pros and cons to both sides, and 99% of parrots were designed to fly.


Should you clip your parrot
HolisticBird and HolisticBirds
http://www.flyingparrotsinside.com/
Wing Clipping and Trimming by Steve Hartman    The Parrot University
My Bird Gets Enough Exercise, Doesn't He?   by Steve Hartman    The Parrot University
Flighted Parrots - Thinking on the Wing by Steve Hartman    The Parrot University


You may want to do some research into training and seeing if you have the type of household that could permit a flighted parrot.


Many people clip for one of two reasons...

  1. Safety
    • Flying is a learned behavior. It is instinctual to fly, but birds still must learn how to fly up, fly down, turn/bank, slow down, speed up, land, etc. A parrot learning how to fly is like a toddler learning how to walk. Inexperienced flyers are going to fly into things! So will clipped parrots, because their ability to maneuver has been removed.
    • Clipping a parrot to keep them from flying away is done under false pretenses. A properly parrot can still fly away with the right wind and adrenaline! And now that they are clipped, they have less defences against predators, vehicles or anything else that may endanger them outside.
    • Clipped parrots can still fly into things (pots, pans, toilets, tubs, etc), and may have a higher difficulty getting out, if there was enough room to spread their wings to fly out.
  2. Behavior
    • "The Dominance Theory" - many people believe that if a parrot is higher than you, and it doesn't want to come down and/or bites you, it's trying to dominate you. Dominance doesn't exist in parrots, and often the reason parrots behave this way is because the reinforcement for coming down is often not as great as it is as to stay up. This just requires the appropriate kind of training through positive reinforcement.


Having a flighted parrot may not be right for you and your family, but please at least learn about the cons of clipping, too.
 

gemini84

Member
Oct 27, 2012
435
0
north qld, Australia
Parrots
alexandrines : Oxy, Bruno, prince (was princess)
welcome to you and diesel. this is a wonderful place to meet fellow bird lovers and get some great advice and information on caring for you fids.
you have made a wonderful choice in an alex, not that im biased at all... i have 3 of the little darlings.

i have an L shaped lounge room and my main cage is in the smaller part of lounge room. this is the cage they sleep and eat in/on. because i have the space, i also have a play gym in the corner near the lounges we sit on and another smaller cage that i call the "jungle cage" (its full of palm leaves that they love climbing and shredding).

my partner and i normally go to bed pretty late with the tv on. i put a light sheet over my guys at night, mainly to stop any cold drafts getting to them whilst sleeping. if i havent covered them by 7.30pm prince (my nearly 4yr old) will remind me.

flighted birds are not for every one, atm oxy (8month old) is clipped, i wanted him flughted but he escaped twice on me so on his second return i had him clipped so as to spend more time training and forming a bond with him. Bruno (20 months) and prince are fully flighted. its a delight to watch them fly around the house. they are so agile. a fully flighted bird is a lot of responsibility. you must make sure or windows and doors are securely closed. you can not rely on the insect screen to prevent them escaping as they are avid chewers and the screen is nothing for them to get thru.
if you do decide to keep him clipped, take him to your avian vet to have it done properly, you dont need to have all the feathers clipped just a few and the vet will know the best way to do it removing minimal feathers, but keep in mind clipped birds can still fly. when i first got oxy he coukd barely fly and the breeder had badly clipped him. oxy flew down from his cage (thought he was coming to me) out of the the bedroom that was his and thru 2 curtains and out a window that was slightly open. we found him the next day 100m down the street up the top of a gum tree. so if you wish to take him outside you will need a cage or a harness.

ill stop rambling now, once again welcome to the forum. if you have any questions please feel free to ask.
 

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