Hello!

[NellieGirl]

Hi! I'm brand new to this forum. To any forum for that matter! I have had the pleasure of living with my Bourke's parakeet for 2 1/2 years and just purchased my B&G six weeks ago. I have had softbills (canaries and finches) through the years and loved them, but I have always adored the "big" birds. I am looking forward to learning more to make life for my feathered friends the best possible. My B&G "Nell" came with issues and I have a few questions. She gets angry when I ask her to "step up" whether it is on my arm or on a stick. I've tried to make it a pleasant thing for her, but we don't seem to be getting anywhere. So far I haven't been bitten, but I'm sure it is only a matter of time. Am I pushing her too soon? I want her to want to step up. It would be so much more pleasant for both of us.

Our first trip to the vet is tomorrow. I wanted to give her a little time to adjust to my husband and I and our household with 2 cats and 2 dogs. She has been pulling feathers and seems to scratch and itch and preen ALOT. Just the past few days, every time she shakes, down feather fly EVERYWHERE! She didn't do this when she first came.

The person I bought her from had her in an extremely small cage (2' tall by 18" deep x 18" wide). She was VERY angry when I got her, but is now in a 5' tall x 3' deep x 40" wide cage with a cage top perch. She is out of her cage any time one of us is home (my husband is retired and I work out of our home) so she is getting lots of attention and she seems to be adjusting well.

My question is.... Is the feather pulling and down feather issue normal?

 

[weco]

Have you seen her pull feathers out or is it that there are getting to be a lot of feathers in the cage? The reason I ask is because she could be starting a molt.

Since you're going to the vet tomorrow, be sure to discuss it with him/her.....they will be able to give you much better advice than we can at this juncture.....

Welcome to the forum.....there's a lot of experience around here, but you may have to wait for some of it as there seems to be a bit of forgetfulness in some corner lately.....

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Welcome to the forum Do you have pics of your buddies?

I agree with weco, have you actually seen your macaw pulling out feathers? When Rosie, my galah, molted she lost 30 feathers in one day. I'm glad your taking her to the vet, a certified avian vet has a lot of knowledge, and can do testing.

 

[antoinette]

Welcome

 

[NellieGirl]

I've only actually seen her pull a couple out. She does have a couple of baldish spots and has lost 15-20 large feathers. I've collected about a 3/4 of a quart canning jar full of smaller feathers and no way of knowing how many down feathers. I am really anxious to hear what the vet has to say. I'll report back on that after our appointment.

 

[NellieGirl]

Thanks for the warm welcomes! This seems like a nice place to learn!

 

[wenz2712]

and welcome

 

[Jtbirds]

Welcome to the forums, as stated have you seen feather pulling as a lot of my macaws are in a molt at this time of the year.

 

[NellieGirl]

Well, the visit to the vet went well. She feels like Nell is in heavy molt due to the previous conditions she experienced and all of the changes she has experienced in the past 6 weeks since coming to our home. She does feel that Nell has alot of potential to be a great companion bird. I was excited to hear that! As stressed as she was at the vet's office, she didn't bite anyone!! I think that is a major accomplishment! I have to take several stool samples back for a gram stain and she checked her for mites, but didn't see any from the samples she took and looked at under the microscope. Heart and lungs sound good, but she is a little heavy, probably due to her previous diet.

I think we are on the right track with Nell. The doctor advised to start her on a good avian vitamin and continue switching her slowly to all pellets and fresh food. (She was a seed junkie, but is adjusting well to the pellets!) I'll be taking her back in a couple of weeks for a beak and nail trim.

Nell was pretty mad at me when we finally got home, but she calmed down pretty quickly and enjoyed some favorite snacks and even started speaking to me again! I'm falling in love with her more every day!

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and welcomes!

 

[Turquoise]

Welcome to the forum. Glad the vet visit went well & all seems to be in good working order for NelliGirl. Give her some time to adjust to her big new cage & new parronts. It is a big change in her life & even tho it was not an ideal situation in her previous home, it was all she knew & will have to learn there is a wonderful life ahead with you.

Nellie sounds like she has a very good temperament. If she still does not accept the 'step up' command after she gets adjusted to you, it could be that she was never taught it or she has bad memories about it. You may have to start her with stick training to reinforce the step up command. It sounds like she will come around when she feels secure with you tho.

How old is Nellie? That can have a lot to do with her mood if she is mature at this time of the year. Good luck & I look forward to hearing more about Nellie's progress.

 

[NellieGirl]

Thanks! She really has come far in the 6 weeks I have had her. I have to keep thinking about how much better she is from the first day I met her! I so badly do not want to do anything to cause a setback with her. She is 6 years old.