Cardi Bird’s Progress Thread

[CardiBird]

So I figured I’d make a progress thread for Cardi Bird to help any amazon owners that are in the same boat as me.

Background
Cardi Bird is a 15 year old Yellow Crowned Amazon that I acquired from my veterinary hospitals’s sister hospital. She lived with an older couple until the husband was put into hospice care and they no longer felt that they could care for her. She stayed for 2 weeks at the other hospital before I decided I would take her home.

Diet
She is currently eating Harrison’s life time coarse food as well as nutriberries and I am introducing her to vegetables (she’s not to happy about them yet). Her previous owners just had her on a seed based diet and she is addicted to fattening foods such as crackers and peanuts.

Behavior
She is not too scared of new people but is weary. She will back away from me if I don’t have a treat. She actually made good progress today while exploring the living room. She came up to me and nibbles on my pants. The old owners said she is cage aggressive so that is something we will have to work on. She has stepped up for me twice when she knew she had to when I was taking her out of her carrier and when she fluttered to the ground once. I’m talking to her and giving her some space while she acclimates. She likes to watch the real housewives of Atlanta.

Hopefuly this thread will be a learning tool for me as well as others.

 

[CardiBird]

Cardi Bird’s favorite place is on top of her cage.

 

[SailBoat]

Great progress!!!

She is going to open-up fairly rapidly!!! Any interest in Step-up and completion of such is a positive that can be built upon!

Look forward to you Progress and Cardi's Training of You!

 

[LeaKP]

I love Cardi bird!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CardiBird]

Great progress!!!

She is going to open-up fairly rapidly!!! Any interest in Step-up and completion of such is a positive that can be built upon!

Look forward to you Progress and Cardi's Training of You!

That’s great to hear! She is pretty relaxed already as you can see in the photo.

 

[wrench13]

Great progress. If you haven't started already, go to the Amazon sub forum., and read, aloud, to your 'zon all the stickies at the top. Amazons love to be read to, it's vital info there, and it will help you build the bond. Good idea with the thread, it helps to uncluttered the forum, and let's members catch up on each parrot. Progress! Forward !

 

[CardiBird]

Great progress. If you haven't started already, go to the Amazon sub forum., and read, aloud, to your 'zon all the stickies at the top. Amazons love to be read to, it's vital info there, and it will help you build the bond. Good idea with the thread, it helps to uncluttered the forum, and let's members catch up on each parrot. Progress! Forward !

Yea we have been reading those! It’s educational for both of us.

 

[CardiBird]

So Cardi does not like cherrios. She just throws them on the ground. I think it entertains her. Vegetables are going to be a pain as well. She doe not recognize them as food.

 

[CardiBird]

Do most bird cages have the wire on the bottom? Mine doesn’t. I think I might get some chicken wire. I used to use pine pellets on the bottom of my cockatoos cage bc they absorb better I don’t think I could use them without the wire and she tears up newspaper.

 

[wrench13]

Chicken wire is a big no no. It's zinc coated steel wire. If chewed on, the zinc flakes can be ingested and cause heavy metal poisoning. A better choice would be a bar b que grill of the right size. They are usually chrome plated, much harder then zinc and thus harder to chip off. It's what I use for Salty's daytime being (check my pics in my gallery to see). Of course the best would be the grille that should have come with your cage as a part of it. Wood chips, corn cob pellets or anything the parrot can chew on can lead to them ingesting poops, good old newspaper laid flat is cheap, easily obtainable, for the most part non toxic and hard to get to if you have the grille.

 

[CardiBird]

Chicken wire is a big no no. It's zinc coated steel wire. If chewed on, the zinc flakes can be ingested and cause heavy metal poisoning. A better choice would be a bar b que grill of the right size. They are usually chrome plated, much harder then zinc and thus harder to chip off. It's what I use for Salty's daytime being (check my pics in my gallery to see). Of course the best would be the grille that should have come with your cage as a part of it. Wood chips, corn cob pellets or anything the parrot can chew on can lead to them ingesting poops, good old newspaper laid flat is cheap, easily obtainable, for the most part non toxic and hard to get to if you have the grille.

I am glad I asked that. Yea I wouldn’t use the pellets without the grille. Right now I don’t have anything. Are there any options? Idk if I’m gonna find a bar b que grill that fits.

 

[SailBoat]

Chicken wire is a big no no. It's zinc coated steel wire. If chewed on, the zinc flakes can be ingested and cause heavy metal poisoning. A better choice would be a bar b que grill of the right size. They are usually chrome plated, much harder then zinc and thus harder to chip off. It's what I use for Salty's daytime being (check my pics in my gallery to see). Of course the best would be the grille that should have come with your cage as a part of it. Wood chips, corn cob pellets or anything the parrot can chew on can lead to them ingesting poops, good old newspaper laid flat is cheap, easily obtainable, for the most part non toxic and hard to get to if you have the grille.

I am glad I asked that. Yea I wouldn’t use the pellets without the grille. Right now I don’t have anything. Are there any options? Idk if I’m gonna find a bar b que grill that fits.

Check the size that the grill should be and check the new cage sellers like Bird Cages 4 Less. They commonly have parts.

 

[CardiBird]

Ok I’ll try that. Me and Cardi just took a big step back. She was talking up a storm and we were interacting and everything and I think she got overstimulated bc she started screaming (they said she never screamed at the vet) and I went to give her a treat bc stopped and she bit the heck out of my hand and when I pulled away I pulled her with me and she fell to the ground.

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

I guess the Honeymoon is over and the poor birdie is adjusting to the shock of all of the change that has happened.

it is wonderful that Cardi B. found a home with you so quickly, "hmmmnnnhaaawyeah." now the hard and fun part will be forming a true bond.

You obviously have a headstart over someone, like me, who had no interest or contact with parrots until one was thrust upon em.

No matter what the birds situation was like before, I try to make them feel that they have arrived in paradise of fun, activity, songs, and dance, food and trust.

getting over that hump where they want and need physical contact is the hardest and depends so much on the individual birds psychology.

Good luck you are doing fabulous work.


ps "hmmmnnnhaaawyeah" is my Cardi B impersonation.
(the best jokes are the ones that have to be explained.)

 

[Scott]

Ok I’ll try that. Me and Cardi just took a big step back. She was talking up a storm and we were interacting and everything and I think she got overstimulated bc she started screaming (they said she never screamed at the vet) and I went to give her a treat bc stopped and she bit the heck out of my hand and when I pulled away I pulled her with me and she fell to the ground.

Two steps forward, one step back is a very common reality, especially in the early days. She is still learning to trust and has learned the human backs off with biting. Bite Pressure Training may help, a great technique to teach moderation of the bite. http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

 

[CardiBird]

I guess the Honeymoon is over and the poor birdie is adjusting to the shock of all of the change that has happened.

it is wonderful that Cardi B. found a home with you so quickly, "hmmmnnnhaaawyeah." now the hard and fun part will be forming a true bond.

You obviously have a headstart over someone, like me, who had no interest or contact with parrots until one was thrust upon em.

No matter what the birds situation was like before, I try to make them feel that they have arrived in paradise of fun, activity, songs, and dance, food and trust.

getting over that hump where they want and need physical contact is the hardest and depends so much on the individual birds psychology.

Good luck you are doing fabulous work.


ps "hmmmnnnhaaawyeah" is my Cardi B impersonation.
(the best jokes are the ones that have to be explained.)

Yea I’m glad that I have had some experience with Bird’s and am introduced to new birds everyday. It definitely helps me understand some of the body language and helps me stay patient.

Lol I’m glad you realized where the name came from. I have an Iggy (dog) and a Furgie (rabbit) so Cardi B totally fit and since she’s a bird Cardi Bird made sense.

 

[CardiBird]

Ok I’ll try that. Me and Cardi just took a big step back. She was talking up a storm and we were interacting and everything and I think she got overstimulated bc she started screaming (they said she never screamed at the vet) and I went to give her a treat bc stopped and she bit the heck out of my hand and when I pulled away I pulled her with me and she fell to the ground.

Two steps forward, one step back is a very common reality, especially in the early days. She is still learning to trust and has learned the human backs off with biting. Bite Pressure Training may help, a great technique to teach moderation of the bite. http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

Thanks for the tip! I definitely put her in time out after so I will keep doing that.

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

Lol I’m glad you realized where the name came from. I have an Iggy (dog) and a Furgie (rabbit) so Cardi B totally fit and since she’s a bird Cardi Bird made sense.

I teach in an urban college so I am up on the teen beat.
lol.

the name is perfect they are both Charming.

here is clip of Cardi B on Jimmy fallon and I love the dress she obviously wore in honor of Cardi Bird.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LPVjHxXvJM"]Jimmy Interviews Cardi B - YouTube[/ame]

 

[CardiBird]

Lol I’m glad you realized where the name came from. I have an Iggy (dog) and a Furgie (rabbit) so Cardi B totally fit and since she’s a bird Cardi Bird made sense.

I teach in an urban college so I am up on the teen beat.
lol.

the name is perfect they are both Charming.

here is clip of Cardi B on Jimmy fallon and I love the dress she obviously wore in honor of Cardi Bird.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LPVjHxXvJM"]Jimmy Interviews Cardi B - YouTube[/ame]

I have actually seen that interview! She’s so wild lol. She reminds me of a parrot honestly. And yes she is totally wearing that in honor of cardi Bird.

 

[CardiBird]

Is the rubbing the beak on the cage a sharpening thing?