Everything about Peach

[ctwo]

I mostly want to know if she is healthy.

Peach is paired with an indian ringneck, and they mostly seem to get along (had them about a month).

I'm a little worried that Peach is not that healthy, or maybe she is just very old. She seems to be more active when with the IR as he nudges her around to where he wants her. She will climb on the bars and hang upside-down and flap/stretch wings, but usually sits puffed up. She makes very little noise. If I remove the IR for a while, she does not move around much at all and typically just sits on her food dish.

She will only eat seed so I want to get her diet in better shape. I'm not really sure the best way to ween her off of seed if that is what shes been eating for a long time. She seems to eat regularly and with gusto at times. Her poops look fine to me and I only saw her sneeze a few times, but not the past couple of weeks.

When she was flapping and stretching out her wings, I noticed one is missing the outer feathers and there appeared a darker spot under the feathers at the wingtip. I don't know if that is an old injury or something more recent. She seems to fly just fine.

Maybe she just needs more time to get comfortable with me and maybe I should separate her from the IR. He gets upset if I get near here and will fly back to the room to be with her, especially if he sees me go in there.

 

[itzjbean]

I follow a cockatiel and IRN pair on instagram they are so sweet together. I can't remember the name of them though. The hen is the cockatiel so sort of similar to yours.

Whenever acquiring new birds its always best to bring them to the vet (preferably a certified avian vet) to ensure they are healthy and give them a physical. With a general physical (touching and feeling of body) they can usually guess age, seeing if there is arthritis or inactivity can mean she is older. They can also run tests, xrays, blood tests to see if she is healthy too. The vet can also determine if she is sick as you think she may be, or just old. Some birds are perch potatoes and don't move much, but its always best to get them checked out just to be sure nothing is wrong here. The vet will also be able to look at her wing tip to see if ther eis a past injury she may be suffering from.

Her diet may contribute to her inactivity, as seeds are like Mcdonalds for birds, but luckily the pair found you so things will be turning around. You can offer all kinds of shredded/chopped veggies to them as well as sprouts (quality seed mix allowed to germinate) as well as quionea, brown rice, etc. They can also enjoy fruit but try to limit that as it has a lot of sugar and should be given more sparingly.

The best way to earn trust is with lots of patience, understanding and bribes! My female cockatiel was very fearful of hands and people when she got to me but over time as I respected her boundaries, talk to her sweetly and made sure only positive things happened when I was around (by offering her spray millet and lots of tasty treats) she has come around and now comes near me when I approach the cage. Definitely takes work but its possible!

 

[LaManuka]

I once had a mature age cockatiel who point blank REFUSED to even recognise pellets as food. I tried every recommendation from my (most excellent) vet, online and by the pellet manufacturer and she pretty much would have preferred to starve to death rather than eat them! Her fellow cockatiel would happily munch away on his pellets but she was having none of it. Finally what worked for me was grinding pellets into powder in a mortar and pestle and sprinkling it over her seeds to get her accustomed to the taste. Et voila! Virtually overnight she converted over and ate them like she had been doing so all her life!

 

[ctwo]

Thanks All. I posted a short video in this thread:

http://www.parrotforums.com/indian-ringnecks/80646-all-about-mango.html#post811897

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rArCspHKpY"]Mango and Peach - YouTube[/ame]

I've been trying to get a picture of when she spreads her wings. She will roll forward and hang upside-down on the cage door ledge as you see her standing there in the video. I've been thinking of adding a split tube there to make it easier for her to stand on the wire.

 

[Ellie777Australia]

She will only eat seed so I want to get her diet in better shape. I'm not really sure the best way to ween her off of seed if that is what shes been eating for a long time.

Hi again ctwo, thanks for the video and pics... mango and peach are lovely.

Here's a link from our section 'Parrot Food, Recipes....' to get you started in the dietary improvement: Converting Parrots to a Healthier Diet - Tips


Cheers,
Debbie

 

[ctwo]

While I was traveling, my bird's caregiver sent me this. I've not been able to get a pic - she does this almost every time I open the cage.

 

[texsize]

Most of my Tiels do this at one time or another.
Completely normal. Just another way of stretching.

 

[ctwo]

Peach has, since I've had her now for 4+ months (she is probably 6 years old), only made a single, soft whistle with a rising inflection (high-rising terminal). I noticed the young male budgie has learned to mimic this sound and I can no longer tell them apart. Yesterday, Peach broke out in a new melody, not as chatty as the budgie, but a welcome variety to the household sounds.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

I have seen pictures and video's of Cockatiels hanging and flapping. My BB is now a little over three years old ( he came home with me when he was 4.5 months old from the breeder) and I WISH he'd do something like that! I try to get him to hang upside down from my fingers but he will have none of that nonsense!


Jim

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome.
I'm glad you're reaching out.
In case you decide you'd like a veterinary opinion, here are a couple of links.
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.

 

[ctwo]

An update is in order here. With the shelter in place going on now for weeks, I've had great progress with my birds. My IRN started to fly to my shoulder and is content to stay there for long times, get scritches, and "chew his cud"... If this was not fantastic enough, the draw got the best of Peach and she too fly's to my shoulder on occasion and will hang out a bit (of course with the IRN). She still prefers her bounds and will shy from hands, but this is fantabulous!

Now, we all need to find a way to get our exercise!