Bingo

[texsize]

Bingo has an appointment with the local Avian vet this Friday afternoon.

I am going to have his blood drawn and checked out.

Couple of things bothering me but the most noticeable is an area on his chest close to his left leg. feathers appear dark as if wet but they aren't.

Changes.

I removed the huge log of a perch from his cage.
He never really used it and taking it out give him more room for playing with toys.
.
I bought a plexiglass wheel foraging toy.
He had one much like this and he played on it like it was a Ferris wheel swinging around.

I have always tried to keep a box in his cage for him to play in.
I never saw much harm in this cuz he wont have egg bind.
But will NOT having a box to play in make his OCD walking better or worse ?
He only spends time in the box when I am near him and my wife is NOT.
If my wife enters the room he comes out of his box and wont go back

 

[Scott]

Great idea for vet consult and blood draw. Don't know what to make of feather discoloration.

I'll bet he'll love the plexiglass foraging wheel/toy. Hard to say about the box, he obviously behaves differently depending on who is watching. Don't see harm coming from the box, you can always remove and return if needed.

 

[SailBoat]

Please provided the blood information as there is a bunch of nerds on this Forum that jut love to look at numbers! Me included!

The dark spot 'could be' an area that has gotten moist from an oil based product. The product could be near anything, from corn oil, petroleum oil, or grease from animal fat, topical medication, a moisturizer, etc. Especially if it looks wet, but is dry to the touch. Perfect timing as you are going to the Vet. Generally, if true, a couple of baths will begin lighting it and with time eliminates it. If it is petroleum based you may have to use something like Dawn Original Formula, dishwashing soap, 'diluted' and raise extensively.

Boxes, and Amazon seems to be an individual thing. Our DYHA believes they are storage containers and hides his 'stuff' in them. Our YWA believed them to be a nesting area and would get jacked-up with hormonal chemicals, and our YNA would consider them a challenge on how quickly she could make it into tiny bits.

 

[texsize]

Please provided the blood information as there is a bunch of nerds on this Forum that jut love to look at numbers! Me included!

The dark spot 'could be' an area that has gotten moist from an oil based product. The product could be near anything, from corn oil, petroleum oil, or grease from animal fat, topical medication, a moisturizer, etc. Especially if it looks wet, but is dry to the touch. Perfect timing as you are going to the Vet. Generally, if true, a couple of baths will begin lighting it and with time eliminates it. If it is petroleum based you may have to use something like Dawn Original Formula, dishwashing soap, 'diluted' and raise extensively.

Boxes, and Amazon seems to be an individual thing. Our DYHA believes they are storage containers and hides his 'stuff' in them. Our YWA believed them to be a nesting area and would get jacked-up with hormonal chemicals, and our YNA would consider them a challenge on how quickly she could make it into tiny bits.

Bingo had a good soaking on Monday. He took a shower with me.
Bingo trys his best to rip the bottom out of the bottom.
If I take the box out he sits on the floor of the cage where the box should be and makes sad whining noises.

The two birds that could not have a box was Pacho and Plumas.
When Pacho would go in the box Plumas did not want to let her come out.

 

[SailBoat]

Time to read the containers in the shower. Liquid soaps and hair cleaners have moisturizers. Double check what your's have. Not saying that this is 'the' source, only that you should double check, good friend.

Sounds like you have a chewer!

 

[texsize]

I have seen some very funny ads for ….."manly" soap on YouTube. all natural ingrediency don't remember what it was suppose to smell like.

Bingo stays on the shower door. He will let me hold him while I am in the stream of water (Bella wont) but I never have soap on any part of my body when I do this.
I have yet to find an unscented shampoo and I have to admit the one I am using now is very unpleasant smelling. My previous shampoo I think has been discontinued.

It is possible that when rinsing off shampoo some could splash off and get on Bingo but I don't start getting him seriously wet until after I washed.

In Ca. and always under "drought" restrictions I cant waste the water just getting wet I have to wash too. I always keep the window open a bit even in winter for some fresh air.

 

[saxguy64]

A widely available scent and dye free shampoo is called Free and Clear, by Vanicream. They also make conditioner and sun screens. No, I'm not pushing their products. I developed some big time skin sensitivities with my go around with melanoma, so there's a lot of products out there that I can't use without reactions. Bar soap- Dove has a sensitive skin version too that I can use.

Bonus, much lower risk for the birds too!

 

[texsize]

here is some quick pictures of the problem area.

 

[SailBoat]

Watch that Bingo is not over preening.

 

[Laurasea]

Yes that's looks like over preening.

 

[texsize]

Watch that Bingo is not over preening.

What can I do about it?

My wife said he was preening that area at 3:00 am.

Hopefully if there is something wrong internally the blood work will show it.

 

[Laurasea]

After vet visits to rule out issues with health.
The recommendations, are increase time out of the cage, aim for 6 hours. To move the cafe to a new location, and fill it with tons of shredderable stuff, and tons of toys , so many that it seems ridiculous. Teach foraging. Increase the ability of the parrot to make choices , choices of were to move, when to take a bath ect. There is a narrow window that can allow you to stop the progression to plucking.

He us definitely showing you he needs more out if cage time.

 

[texsize]

Back from the Vet.

Bingo is in the back of his cage sulking.

I won't know blood test results until Monday morning.

They did a good job on his nails and I think they worked over his beak cuz he is shaking his head and wiping his beak more than usual.

I have been letting him out more often but …

If he sits with me before too long he gets upset for reasons I am unaware of. He will start with the hissing and then start pinning his eyes. This can happen when he is on me or behind me on the back of the chair. It can get a bit ticklish.

If I let him out onto the top of his cage.
He may play around for a little bit but inevitably he heads to the floor and wants to walk under the cages.
I cant let him go there. Power cords and other stuff he should not get into.

Bingo is most happy sitting in the window but he has to be in the mood for it. He can sit there for 45 min. easy.

I can't have Bingo on his cage when my wife is in the Livingroom. She would be too close and in range for an attack.

So far he has played very little with the foraging toy.

As for shredding stuff he does a good job on the bottom of his box.

 

[Laurasea]

increase variety, increae mental stimulation. I think veggies are great fir them to destroy , and leads to eating more veggies.

There are tons of ideas you can try to engage him with . You can take a hunk of broccoli snd push seeds into it. You can get an artichoke, and out dime safe peanut butter or other nut spread down in it,, you can float bottle caps in shallow water and put a seed in each cap, I put plain popcorn in those balls with holes fir them to pick out.. a bunch of Popsicles sticks and make a porcupine ball. Give him a pomegranate cut in half, let him pick out tge juicy yummy seeds
There are so many ideas.

I give mine hunks of veggies in the morning tgey rush out to see abd spend a good hour or more with the veggies

https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/toys-foraging

 

[texsize]

increase variety, increae mental stimulation. I think veggies are great fir them to destroy , and leads to eating more veggies.

There are tons of ideas you can try to engage him with . You can take a hunk of broccoli snd push seeds into it. You can get an artichoke, and out dime safe peanut butter or other nut spread down in it,, you can float bottle caps in shallow water and put a seed in each cap, I put plain popcorn in those balls with holes fir them to pick out.. a bunch of Popsicles sticks and make a porcupine ball. Give him a pomegranate cut in half, let him pick out tge juicy yummy seeds
There are so many ideas.

I give mine hunks of veggies in the morning tgey rush out to see abd spend a good hour or more with the veggies

https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/toys-foraging

He is just not a very active bird. Most of the time he is a perch potato.
He has times where he goes full on with his toys. Hanging from them, growling and biting but it’s only for a short time.
He is as near as I can figure 37 years old.
Merlin is SO active..... if I could bottle it I would never have another electric bill. But he is young and just going through puberty.

In the end he will only do what he WANTS to do. I can shove new toys in his face but can’t get him to play ball.

I going to do as much as I can for Bingo. I know I have not been spending the time I should .

 

[Laurasea]

Just trying to help. With stereotypical behavior and over preening, he is showing you he needs more stimulation. A perch potato is also a way of shutting down.

For me its never to late to get them engaged in life.

I tried to temp you with ideas, I will stop pestering you. Its all from the heart.

 

[texsize]

Just trying to help. With stereotypical behavior and over preening, he is showing you he needs more stimulation. A perch potato is also a way of shutting down.

For me its never to late to get them engaged in life.

I tried to temp you with ideas, I will stop pestering you. Its all from the heart.

It's no bother I take your suggestions are all put forth in good faith.

I know I have been neglecting him in favor of a quiet (quieter anyway) house. Because the twins scream so much when I take Bingo out and that will cause my wife to scream at me.

There is one other issue going on that has not been mentioned and that is sleep.

I can "put to bed" the twins and they will sleep even though we are still active.

Bingo (and Bella) stay awake as long as there is activity. covering them up only makes them peak at the bottom or through cracks.
Unfortunately my wife has trouble sleeping is often times up till 3:00am and that means those two birds aren't getting the sleep they need.

and no there is no place for a sleeping/nighttime cage. If there was I think Bingo would not want to be left out. anyway

I am peddling as fast as I can.

 

[Laurasea]

I hear you. I could not handle all my birds if they couldn't be out together, I don't hsve thst much energy.

Sleep can have a huge impact on behavior, for sure.
Hope vet stuff comes back great!
And thst you experiment with foods. Even if its just for him to destroy and not eat

 

[SailBoat]

There is no question that the Posts above have clearly shown the interest that members here, in helping each other. And, along those lines, I would like to add the following:

Re-Starting a Shutdown Amazon!
By: Steven (SailBoat), November 2016

Getting older Amazons to be more active is not an easy task. The group that is even more difficult are those who have spent the majority of their life (if not all) in tiny cages on a single, dowel perch. The combination of moderate-to-serious foot problems, a stalled metabolic rate, excessive or at a starvation weight, all of which presents real physical and medical challenges. In addition, this group has commonly been starved of any mental stimulation. Then add extremely poor diet and the likelihood of fatty liver disease and/or other diseases of the neglected and it’s a tough place to start from.

The first place to start is at the Avian Veterinarian’s office with an ‘extensive’ evaluation of the Amazon’s health. Since most of this group is sourced from re-homing, drop-offs, devastating rescues, and the leftovers from breeding farms; an extensive stool, blood, DNA testing and physical examination can easily run 400 to 600+ USD. Knowing the Amazon’s medical condition will at least provide a foundation to work from. Sadly, many from this group will have limited opportunities to expand their activity level documented by their medical evaluation; The Parrot is just too ill for much more than a sedimentary remainder of its life. That does not mean that we give-up on them, only that we adjust our expectations.

The next step is diet. The results found in the medical evaluation will provide guidelines as to what must be added and what must be seriously reduced, if not eliminated from the Parrot’s diet. Once established, the new diet is then built around a solid healthy base. As part of prior articles, I have provided the foundation for a solid healthy base diet. As part of any weight reduction or addition program, a gram scale is a central component and early morning daily recordings are critical. Since food has a high interest factor for Amazons, it presents is an effective tool for increasing the activity level of most Amazon. Being creative regarding the placement and effort required to find and extract it will re-activate the foraging instinct and its resulting activities. Note, use multiple locations, but leaving the original bowl in place until you are certain that the parrot has found and is using two or more of the new locations. At first, placement of food will need to be overtly obvious, based on the medical condition or general lack of activity of your Amazon.

Stimulating mental activity is the foundation to stimulating physical activity. An Amazon who has sat for days, upon weeks, upon months, upon years, shutdown mentally is not going to all-of-a-sudden ‘Pop-Up’ and become active one day just because the door was left open or weird stuff (toys) showed up in the cage. It takes one-on-one, direct interaction to re-start mental activities. The same intensive one-on-one activity that we will bestow on Human babies and baby Amazons in their first eighteen months of life is the same tool for opening this group of Amazons to the abundance of the World around them. At the same time, it is also the key for re-developing and enhancing the ‘trust bonds’ that have been just as seriously neglected. I continue to be surprised and refreshed by the deep want for simple social interaction and attention shown by these Throw Away Parrots.

Physical activities, like mental activities require that one-on-one involvement. Those who really care will get in there and be active with their Amazons. Depending on everyone’s physical health, a little more activity is added every couple of weeks targeting the capabilities of all parties. In general, most physical activities are pretty boring, which is why it is so important for mental interaction to be part of the activity. When you can turn physical activities into fun, being boring simply goes away!

On going, vocal and physical displays of proud excitement during and upon completion of ‘any’ activities plays to the ‘Reaction Junky’ roots of Amazons. So, Get Up and Get In There, and Have Fun Doing It! It will be healthily for everyone!

What happens, if nothing happens after the first week or month? Adjust your time frame! It is very possible that the Parrot has been waiting for years and may have seen short-term efforts in the past that all too soon returned to (if luckily) a daily change of the water and food bowls. By keeping your Amazon in the action (busy) areas of your home and a part of your life will support your efforts. Modern cages, designed for larger Parrots like Amazons, have wheels, take advantage of them and roll your Amazon along with you.

The point; by keeping interactions elevated, increased mental activity is far more likely. Gains measured in multiple months are far more realistic. Once activity begins, new or enhanced interacts become more common, as do the rewards.

Savor the small victories; each tiny step is growth toward a much better life for both of you!

 

[SailBoat]

House hold sleeping problems are more common than one would believe!

Readjust or setting sleep patterns are a common realities and something that I fight with and have for decades. The biggest thing is lighting follow by sound /activity levels in the house and for the individual that is 'suffer' the sleep disorder.

Reduce the lighting with the setting Sun! Whether one uses dimmers or reduced wattage bulbs its a personal thing. We have both and use both. Long story short, Zero main lights with just a couple of 'night' lights to help reduce removing toes couple of hours after Sunset.

Continue to back down the volume of the TV. By reducing volume, everyone will be happier.

Medications! Depending on what you are taking, there is specific times in which you should take the medication for its effectiveness. At the same time, a slight adjustment will help greatly in helping the body rest! Point being, some medications will in fact act to wake you up, while other medications work to slow you down. Know what group each medication sits and and adjust to help allow one's body to slowdown and be more comfortable to sleep.

The over-active mind! Work a placing your worrying in the morning and accepting live as it is in the evening. May sound stupid until you try it!

Know your sleep position! It is different with most everyone.

Be comfortable! Some people like to be cool, others warm and of course there are those in the center area. Find you comfort zone.

Naps are best in the mid-late morning as mid-late afternoon will steal your ability to sleep.

Remember that we are by design, nighttime sleeps, work you schedule so that becomes your sleep zone.

Find you zone and you will be surprised that sleep will come to you.

I find that I can for any number of reason, fall-out of my zone and that I need to work it back to it.

When you or a member of your family find their sleep zone, it vastly effects everyone else!