Need Help and Suggestions for my Alex

Hi Guys,

5 days ago I got an Alexandrine parrot from side of highway to my city when I coming back to my home from my home town.
he/she is in cage and somebody thrown this precious bird. I found him/her when I stopped my car to smoke and I see he/she is crying in cage on side of road(backside of a some trees). I bring him with me.

I named him/her Golu . I don't know why Golu's previous owner thrown him/her like that. I adopt this little baby bird. Next day I took Golu to my friend, My friend have good knowledge about birds and he suggested me to adopt Golu and care of him/her and also my friend tell's me that Golu is 6-8 months baby Alex parrot.

Golu is not able to fly, due to wings are clipped very badly. also I founds mites on his/her feather and legs.

Guys this Alex baby Golu is not talking with any of my family member but we love him/her a lot. I tried to make friendship with him with the help of treats and caring. But still Golu is very aggressive and not trusting us. but from last three days he/she is start feeding from my hand and also bite me a lot.

Today I gave him/her a bath to remove lice and mites from his/her feathers and legs (as suggested by my friend) with salt mixed warm water and after bath I applied coconut oil with care on his/her body.

Guys I want to know few points :
1. Golu is Male or Female
2. why not trusting on us
3. Not talking. I didn't hear a single voice of him/her in last 5 days.

I don't want to lost my bird in mental depression and aggression.

Please help and suggest. :41:

My parrot was the same way when I brought her home to a new environment. She was aggressive and bit me a lot. It was very frustrating and made me feel sad. My parrot had been abused, but not as much as apparently your parrot has.This is why Golu can't trust you completely right now. If a parrot has been abandoned/abused by a person, they remember that and try to protect themselves by being aggressive. They need time to learn to trust.The only thing that you can do is stick it out and eventually the bird will trust you and let you do more and more with him/her. It is a big commitment to take the time to make them feel safe but am so glad that I didn't give up on my Romi, although it was very tough for awhile. Just show Golu patience, love, care and a routine that he/she can count on and Golu will come around when he/she feels more comfortable in the new environment. That worked for me anyway. I wish you all the best.

Welcome Imashish and THANK YOU for rescuing poor little Golu!

Firstly, s/he has been through a great deal recently and will still be very much afraid. Birds take a long time to settle down and gain trust in a new owner. If you can be very, very patient, Golu will eventually come round and be a good friend to you.

1. Golu is Male or Female
There are two ways to find out. Either you can pay to have DNA testing done by a skilled vet or you can wait for three years until Golu reaches adulthood. If Golu is a boy, he will change his feathers and get the black ring around his neck with the pink flash at the back. My own Barney is almost three years old and he has one tiny pink feather on the back of his neck and just today I found two tiny black ones on the front. I've been wondering for months whether he was really a boy and now I finally know! It doesn't really matter if Golu is a boy or a girl: both make great pets and both are pretty in their own way. My Madge is a slightly better talker than Barney is, but then Barney is a lot more friendly than Madge. Both are very clever and do tricks for me, but Golu is a long way from learning tricks. Just be patient.

2. why not trusting on us
Golu is just a baby, barely more than a chick. If a bird has been raised by people and fed by hand, they can be friendly from a chick. But if the bird was raised by its parents and then put in a cage and tossed by the side of the road, it will be very scared and untrusting. Birds learn to trust by having people always, always be kind to it. Remember, Golu doesn't speak in words, only in actions and sounds. Try to keep him in a place where there will be no sudden noises or loudness. He will grow used to you and your family and slowly learn to trust you. Offer him food through his cage, but never, never chase him around: he'll only get more scared.

3. Not talking. I didn't hear a single voice of him/her in last 5 days.
Golu is really too young to be talking in human words. He's probably still too scared to make much noise, but once he's relaxed a bit he'll make noise all right! Alexandrines are pretty loud (as you probably know). My pair squawks loudly in the morning and the evening. During the day, they call out to parrots that fly overhead and also speak to me saying 'Hello' and 'Wow'. Golu will learn to talk if you say the same thing to him often.

Most of us feed our birds specially made pellets. You may not be able to get them in your town, so just feed plenty of fruits and vegetables with some large bird seeds added in. Don't leave the fruit and veg in the cage for too long uneaten because it can rot and Golu could get sick. Give him an hour or two to eat and then remove what's left. Seed can be left in the cage all the time.

Try to have a large cage for Golu. Alexandrines love to fly and must be able to stretch their wings and flap a lot each day. My pair has the freedom to fly in my house as I don't clip them. Once Golu is tame, you can decide whether to clip him or not. Try to get a skilled person to do the clipping as you can really damage a bird by clipping to oharshly.

The only other things Golu needs are fresh water and the chance to have a bath. I spray my Alexes with a mist bottlle because they have never learned to bathe in a tub of water. Other members have Alexes that will bathe in a tub. Plenty of our members take their birds in the shower with them, but that will have to wait until you have tamed Golu.

If you have any other questions, please ask them! We will all do our best to help you with your new friend. Sometimes you won't get an answer straight away because we all live in different parts of the world. But you will get an answer eventually, I promise!

Best of luck to you and Barney and Madge send happy squawks to Golu.

Forgot to add: a good way to avoid being bitten is to offer a little stick or piece of fruit so that Golu's beak is full. Also, when you offer your hand to him, offer the back of your tightly closed fist: he can't really bite that because he can't get a grip on it.

I totally agree with everything that Betrisher has said. Lots of time and patience for poor little Golu. S/he is very luck that you rescued them. . If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask, plenty of wonderful people on the forums that are only to willing to help.

Guys,

Thanks for helping me out. I'm trying my best to give Golu a better life.
Thanks Barney and Madge.

First 2 days he is not came out from his cage, but third day I open the cage and wait for it after an hour Golu came's out and Today he is happy to sit on top of the cage. but now he is not going inside and also I'm not forcing him.

If my Golu happy outside then I'm happy.

one more thing when I kiss on Golu beak he is not biting on my face, is there any specific reason to bite only on finger not on my face..

I purchased some good and healthy seeds for Golu but he is not showing interest in seed.
I tried some fruits and vegetables and find that he love's to eat Guava, orange and cauliflower stalks more then any other thing.

Please let me know what should I give him ! any diet chart.

Ashish, Golu will let you know what he likes best. All you have to do is make sure he eats plenty during this young growing period. I give my birds about cup of vegetables each and a good handful of large bird seeds. They don't always eat all of it, but I'd rather offer too much than too little. We Alex owners have found that our birds all have their very own preferences about food. Mine hate cauliflower and oranges, but will do anything to get grapes and plums and peas.

Lots of birds are very afraid of human hands, especially when they're young. Remember: someone used his hands to grab Golu and squish him into that cage. Then, he tossed him onto the highway. I'd say Golu really hates hands right now! If you quietly offer special treats every day from your hands, Golu will quickly get used to you. Changes like this can take a few days. I'd expect it will take Golu a week or two to make himself at home with you. It's good that you don't force him in and out of his cage. He'll put himself away when he gets hungry.

Here's a useful video that shows how to teach a bird to step happily onto your hand.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe0pW5v7vOs"]Parrot Training Clips from Parrot Care & Training Seminar - YouTube[/ame]

Try to find out Golu's favourite food and keep that for rewarding his good behaviour. By that, I mean don't feed it with his usual food but save it for a special treat. If you put five or six nice food items on the table, watch closely to find the one Golu goes for. That will be your special treat food. When he does what you want, give him a piece of treat. I use sunflower seeds and bits of peanut to train my birds.

One way I tamed my Beaks when they were young was by smearing nice things on my fingers and letting them lick it off. I used honey, jam and peanut butter. Once the bird learns the stuff on your hands tastes good, you can lead him to stand on your finger or arm by using the treat to draw him along.

We're all glad to help - hope you'll keep asking questions!

Thanks Betrisher, its helpful.

I am so glad that you found Golu and rescued him! Poor baby has been though a lot. It sounds like you are making some progress with him, and Trish has given you some excellent advice. My Alex loves peas and carrots, they are his favourite veggies Please keep us updated on Golu

Dear All,

I'm really thankful to you all for your help, suggestions and cooperation.:21:

I surprised today morning, I start paying with Golu when he awake, playing and feeding.
Guess what ! he sound his voice like mimic a word "Eee Uuu":41:. I'm shocked and surprised.

My cute bird is such a wonderful and precious for me. I love birds from my childhood, but never got a chance to adopt any bird. Time and God gave me the chance.

I need one more suggestion, should I adopt another bird like cocktail to make Golu friend and may be he feel relax more ?

If you adopt another bird as a companion for Golu, I'd adopt another Alex. Alexandrine beaks are huge and very powerful compared to a Cockatiel's. The Alex could easily kill a Cockatiel.

Whether you get another bird is up to you. Each of us has his own ideas. I believe in keeping male/female pairs. Others don't. Some believe in keeping just one bird. Some believe in keeping a variety of different species. Remember that if you do get another bird, you'll have twice as much food and entertainment to provide. Oh, and twice as much poo to clean up! LOL!

Hi Guys,

Somebody selling a pair of Alex male and female in $100. Male 2 yrs old and female 8 months old.
Could I bring them as Golu friend ?