Canary Winged Parakeet

[cornybabies2005]

The place where I got her told me to use Avian Grit. They told me to put it in its own dish but I just read online that it can be harmful to her because she already shells her food!! Does anyone know if I should be using it or not?


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[wrench13]

No Grit, no sh#t. Never gave any to my Maxie, and I,ve read it can cause hard. Ergo, we are gritless.

 

[cornybabies2005]

She loves to hang upside down lol
We have this game we play where I try to give her a treat, she grabs it and throws it!! I’ve tried banana chips, pine nuts, every vegetable I can think of and she throws everything instead of eating it!!


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[cornybabies2005]

I’m probably just being impatient but Is it normal for my girl to still be VERY scared of me? I’ve been doing everything that everyone has said (thank you by the way) I’ve been talking to her constant, trying to give her treats but she won’t take them from me!! I’m just wondering if there’s a point when I need to realize that she just isn’t going to be the type of bird to let me hold her or put her on my shoulder etc!! How long does it usually take round about to get a bird to trust you enough to start a relationship?


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[cornybabies2005]

My beautiful girl


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[wrench13]

Patience. Your bird as likely bred under mass production, so she is essentially ild and a fearful of humans. Do the techniques we suggest every night for 15-20 min, do it consistantly !!! read to her, close to the cage, with one hand by the opening with the treat on it. Come back in a month.

 

[cornybabies2005]

Ok thank you I have been reading to her every day and have seen some progress but she is very afraid of my hands!!


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[GaleriaGila]

I just ran across your thread.
You are doing it right!
Reaching out, listening, trying hard, keeping an open mind...
Oh, and... that little bird is BEAUTIFUL.
I'm glad you two are here.

 

[wrench13]

You'll see. One day she will just decide your OK. Patience .

 

[zelliegirl]

You are doing really well, she already came out on her own and she is taking treats from you. Keep going, it may take a long time or it may take a short time. Truthfully, all of my birds were (2 lovebirds, 2 white wing parakeets) were very shy and not very affectionate when I got them. One lovebird was found wild, one was a 12 yo rescue, and my two white wings were 1 yo rescues. I would say it took easily a year for real trust and absolutely no biting to occur. None of them like to be handled, but one lovebird would eventually lean against my hand and preen it. The white wings are only finally letting me scratch their heads after TWO years. They will sit on me for hours but until recently, no handling....I waited until they were comfortable then started to move my hands closer and closer until I could touch their head, then kept trying a gentle tap until they let me keep my finger near their head longer. This was more difficult that a single bird bc they are bonded and have each other.

You have to enjoy the relationship AS IT IS and don't insist on more. But work with your bird as if you always expect more and eventually you will have the relationship you want. I found other ways to "play" with my birds, ways they like but not necessarily what I thought they should do...like teaching tricks and sounds instead of handling. Bath time is great....that took over two years, trying once a week, to get them to go under faucet. Now they sit on my hands under the faucet and LOVE it. Continue to pay attention to your bird, go slow, don't get angry, and keep trying gently and a little more each time the bird seems to accept you. Like I said before you have decades to establish a relationship, there is no rush. Enjoy the little victories.

 

[cornybabies2005]

This might be a dumb question but Sweet Pea is a Canary Winged Parakeet so is she classified as a Parakeet? Also I’m wondering if you bird experts could give me some suggestions on what I should use to clean her cage while she is in it? I was going to use diluted bleach and water but where she won’t leave her cage much yet I’m worried that it may harm her!! I also have simple green which says it’s pet safe but I would rather not take the chance without asking you guys!!


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[wrench13]

No bleach and no SimpleGreen, beach is fine , diluted and when you can wash it off. SimpleGreen may be OK for mammal type pets, but its NOT good for birds. Especially if he has to be in the cage while you are cleaning it. Try spraying with plain water, let it soak in for awhile, and use a Scotch pad to scrub. If you clean the cage every day, it will not tend to be a big project.

Canary or yellow wing Parrot is the name for them, they are like mini amazons, from South America. Parakeets are just small parrots, like a Budgie.

 

[LeaKP]

Fumes are dangerous to birds. I clean Nigel’s cage every day with fresh lemon juice and water. Does the trick.

 

[cornybabies2005]

Wow I’m glad I didn’t just do what the pet store told me to do then!!! They told me to use the bleach and water!! I’ll try the lemon juice and water then, it will smell nice too!!!


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[zelliegirl]

I think all parakeets are actually parrots with long tail feathers. I use white vinegar to clean the cage when the birds are in it. I put it into a spray bottle and spray it onto several paper towels I've wet with water and wrung out. I use the spray away from the cage. On particularly crusty spots, I wet a paper towel with water only and let it sit on the spot, scrub it some, then wipe it off with a vinegar paper towel. If you keep up with it, it doesn't become a big job. Of course I take the slide out tray out and wash it with diluted bleach or vinegar on a fairly regular basis. Diluted bleach is safe when you can rinse it well and then let it dry. When it dries, it is no longer caustic. Also, when you can, remove things for cleaning as to reduce stress on your bird. It is a good idea to have extra perches. I usually wipe them off but when they get too dirty, I just replace with cleaned one. That way you aren't freaking the bird out by scrubbing a perch and you can clean it well outside the cage. Talk to you bird and try feeding treats before and even during cleaning if she will take them. Make it pleasant and part of playtime if you can.

 

[LordTriggs]

Zelliegirl

Parakeets, are just small parrots think about them big macaws, they have long tails too. ultimately they all come down to the same thing. Sensitive respiratory system, sensitive digestive tract, stubborn as can be!

 

[zelliegirl]

I should have been more specific. "Parakeet" is a non-scientific term for any small parrot with a long tail. All parakeets are parrots, but large parrots like macaws aren't called "parakeets." Because it is not a scientific term with a set definition, different ornithologists or bird breeders disagree somewhat on which species are small enough to count as parakeets, which can be confusing.

Sometimes in America, the word "parakeet" refers to a single species, Melopsittacus undulatus, a small parrot native to Australia and frequently kept as a pet. This species is called a "budgerigar" or "budgie" in most of the rest of the English-speaking world."

 

[cornybabies2005]

Ok what about the toys themselves? I have an abundance of toys so I’ve kind of kept one set that is in her cage now and another set that I will switch out so she doesn’t get bored! How often do you guys clean toys and do you use the same stuff that you clean the cage with?


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[zelliegirl]

That's funny, I was going to mention what I do with toys but didn't. Anyway, my guys toys don't get very dirty so I end up cleaning them monthly or so. Most are natural materials and they get pretty beat up/chewed up and thrown out before they need to be really cleaned. I am pretty careful about positioning them higher so the birds don't crap on them too. Rotating them is great! Scrub them in a dilute bleach (1 part bleach to 10 parts water with a couple of drops organic unscented dishwashing detergent) or vinegar solution (25% water with 75% white vinegar with a couple drops unscented organic dishwashing detergent), let them dry completely then replace the dirty ones. Great to dry anything in the sun. I do this with the rope perches too. I wash the few plastic toys/non absorbent toys in dishwasher. Not sure if I can write here but there is a web site/ catalog by Doctors f&s that has good articles on cleaning and caring for birds.

I use the same cleaning solutions for when I take the cage outside every 3 months and really scrub and rinse it. BTW I've also seen use a more diluted water: bleach at 1:32 parts mixture and vinegar/water at 50%/50% or even more dilute. I think you can use stronger mixtures as long as the birds are away from the cleaning area and you rinse incredibly well and let every thing dry completely. Don't ever mix the bleach and vinegar though, will make a dangerous mixture. Like I said before when cleaning with birds in cage, I use almost 50%/50% water vinegar.

 

[cornybabies2005]

Thank you so much I’ve learned so many things from you all!! I tell you what I am sooooooo glad I found this forum because some of the things the pet store told me to do literally would have killed my Sweet Pea!! The Grit, the bleach, they never told me about the tephlon thing and they even had me feeding her the wrong food!! Kinda scary to think a pet store honestly had no idea what they were talking about!!!!


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