Adopted a Galah- seeking advice

[Noora]

Hi everyone,

I recently welcomed a Galah cockatoo into my home, and I’m still learning the ropes when it comes to his care. The previous owner mentioned he tends to pluck feathers from his back, which is why he was wearing a collar. I’ve had him for three days now, and I was told to leave the collar on for the time being.

He’s incredibly sweet—he always lowers his head to be petted, which is just adorable.

Right now, he’s only eating seeds. I’ve tried offering fruit, but he hasn’t shown any interest yet. I’ve attached a photo of his feathers and would really appreciate your thoughts.

A few things I’d love help with:

• Do his feathers look normal?
• Is there anything I can do to manage or reduce the feather-plucking?
• How can I gently encourage him to try healthier foods?
• Based on appearance or behavior, can anyone guess his age?


Thanks so much in advance.

 

[nkrbkr]

He’s adorable. I love Galahs! Wishlist bird for sure. I just got an Amazon a month ago, & have almost fully converted her to a healthy diet of chop & pellets. She was eating mostly junk foods when I got her. I can tell you what I did, if you’d like?

 

[Noora]

He’s adorable. I love Galahs! Wishlist bird for sure. I just got an Amazon a month ago, & have almost fully converted her to a healthy diet of chop & pellets. She was eating mostly junk foods when I got her. I can tell you what I did, if you’d like?

Thanks! My Galah won’t even open his beak when I offer food. What you’ve done with your Amazon is amazing. I’d really love to know how you made the switch!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Is he under the care of an avian vet for the collar? How long has he been wearing it? How long has he been plucking? How old is he?
There are a lot of PF members with birds that pluck or have plucked in the past with some excellent threads on the topic, such as "Salty is in trouble with plucking"by one of our longtime respected members.
Best of luck with your new sweetie!

 

[nkrbkr]

For chop: I’d recommend a mix of veggies/greens that have been chopped very fine in a food processor, with whatever cooked grains, cooked legumes, etc. that you’d like mixed in. With my Amazon, I tried hand feeding her some cooled steamed sweet potato to see if she liked it. She did, so I started by mixing some chop into sweet potato, & slowly decreased the sweet potato/increased the chop until she was only eating chop. Since your bird is on a seed diet, you could try mixing seeds into some chop. Gradually reduce the seeds & increase the chop. The reason you want the chop to be so finely processed is so that it will stick to the foods he eats, so he’ll start to taste it, & eventually like it. Really the key is to find a food that your bird likes, & introduce chop along with it.

For pellets: I made bird bread that has the pellets I wanted to feed my bird baked in, & serve it crumbled in her dish. Again, I handfed her a small chunk of the bread to show her it tastes good. Over a few days, I started adding more crushed/crumbled pellets, & mixed it in. She’s still working on this conversion, but she’s starting to eat more and more pellets on their own. Eventually, there will be no bread, & only pellets. Again, for your bird, you could start by mixing some seed into the pellet bread to get him tasting it.

 

[Noora]

Is he under the care of an avian vet for the collar? How long has he been wearing it? How long has he been plucking? How old is he?
There are a lot of PF members with birds that pluck or have plucked in the past with some excellent threads on the topic, such as "Salty is in trouble with plucking"by one of our longtime respected members.
Best of luck with your new sweetie!

Thanks for asking. According to his previous owner, he had been checked by a vet who found no underlying medical issues, so it might be stress-related, or something else we haven't pinpointed yet. The day I got him, the owner removed his collar, and he immediately began itching and plucking the same area on his back—almost as if it was a reflex or something triggered by the absence of the collar, so he kept it back. I'm going to check out the thread now—hoping to find some helpful tips from others who’ve dealt with this.

 

[Noora]

For chop: I’d recommend a mix of veggies/greens that have been chopped very fine in a food processor, with whatever cooked grains, cooked legumes, etc. that you’d like mixed in. With my Amazon, I tried hand feeding her some cooled steamed sweet potato to see if she liked it. She did, so I started by mixing some chop into sweet potato, & slowly decreased the sweet potato/increased the chop until she was only eating chop. Since your bird is on a seed diet, you could try mixing seeds into some chop. Gradually reduce the seeds & increase the chop. The reason you want the chop to be so finely processed is so that it will stick to the foods he eats, so he’ll start to taste it, & eventually like it. Really the key is to find a food that your bird likes, & introduce chop along with it.

For pellets: I made bird bread that has the pellets I wanted to feed my bird baked in, & serve it crumbled in her dish. Again, I handfed her a small chunk of the bread to show her it tastes good. Over a few days, I started adding more crushed/crumbled pellets, & mixed it in. She’s still working on this conversion, but she’s starting to eat more and more pellets on their own. Eventually, there will be no bread, & only pellets. Again, for your bird, you could start by mixing some seed into the pellet bread to get him tasting it.

Thank you, this is so helpful. I’m definitely going to give it a try and see how he responds. Fingers crossed that we’ll get some progress soon.

 

[nkrbkr]

Thank you, this is so helpful. I’m definitely going to give it a try and see how he responds. Fingers crossed that we’ll get some progress soon.

Best of luck! I also want to add that it’s important to weigh your bird daily while doing a diet conversion. You want to be sure he’s eating enough, & not losing a bunch of weight. If you’re able to consult with an Avian vet, they’ll be able to help guide you through it as well.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

That's a great plan from nkrbkr! To make thing easier at least initially, Bird Street Bistro makes several pre mixed blends of dried grains, legumes and dried vegetables that you add water to and cook for about 20 minutes that make great bases for chop. When you prepare a bag of it, you chop up the fresh veggies of choice and freeze three day portions in small freezer bags.

 

[kme3388]

I have a parrot I have had to collar due to self mutilation issues. He basically would rip out primary feathers, it would bleed, and then he’d continue to pick at the area bleeding. I was informed by a vet to collar him, but to not leave a collar on 24 hours a day/7 days a week. He needs to be able to move around his head, and stretch out. From my understanding leaving a collar on especially like the one you have can cause medical issues in itself as it makes the muscles weak. If I were you I’d consult an avian vet, and see what they suggest. Just so you get updated information, and have a plan specifically for your parrot. Pluckers, and the severity varies from parrot to parrot.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The goffins cockstoo I had that I rehomed with a friend many years ago, Casper, began plucking soon after. My friend takes great care of her. Casper has been wearing a vest that she makes for her made out of some Terry cloth type fabric that I assume she puts over her head and ties somewhere and Casper chews on it instead. She had her on Haldol for a while and may still be on it. She has worn it for 30 years on and off, mostly on and has done fine. Here's a couple recent pictures but it's kinda hard to tell. Casper is about 30 now and was 4 months when I got her and i had her for 5 years. Caspie is a really cutie!