Chapuās mom
New member
Background: Hi folks, Iāve got a green cheeked conure I adopted from a rescue shelter last May 2021. They didnāt know his age or previous conditions except that at one point he was found outside and in the shelter he proved to be an escape artist and was there for about a year. We have bonded wonderfully and Iāve done and continue to do lots of research on conure and parrot care. We live in a studio apartment and he gets plenty of fully flighted outside the cage time, but have learned that when he gets agitated itās best to put him inside with plenty of things for him to engage with. Iāve learned the hard way not to give him toys and things that resemble nesting. Heās constantly on a search for dark covered nesting spot like under the fridge. Recently I was away for longer than anticipated due to flight cancellations and he was in a hospital setting and then picked up by my local avian boarder once his tests came in clear (he had some mild respiratory symptoms). I imagine being isolated in the hospital setting and then picked up by a stranger and then being in an overstimulating avian boarding place may have cause caused a lot of stress. When I finally picked him up after being gone two weeks, he was clearly stressed. Lots of trembling, shaking sometimes, very on edge flying and squeaking away from the slightest disturbance, and ever more adamant about getting to the back/underbelly of the fridge (which I deep cleaned because of all this and tried to block off). I thought he was just stressed from the experience. But I noticed he had plucked two patches of chest feathers out. Something he did at the shelter too because when I got him he had only gray down feathers on his chest. He had finally grown all his beautiful chest feathers in by this fall and has been molting ever since I got him. His behavior seemed to get better after a week or so; he was more calm in some ways (less shaky, less on edge), but hormonal behaviors have gotten worse. Recently I was probably touching him too much to try to comfort him by cupping him in my hand to stop the quaking. But I wonder if all the stress also contributed to a hormonal flare. His bites have been harder and with a lot less warning. And heās been regurgitating on all kinds of things, something he had never done before. Heās regurgitating on a plant he loves to chew, on a pair of earrings, on a shell, on a piece of paper on the floor, cardboard, randomness. A few times a day. Iāve been able to reduce the intense bites by simply recognizing heās hormonal and recognizing more behaviors as agitated and putting him away as soon as he shows signs. But the regurgitating and insistence on finding a ānestā have not dwindled at all.
Has anyone gotten their parrot the shots that calm hormones? I worry about adding another trauma to the situation. Just curious what folks thoughts are and if the shots are worth it. And curious what folks thoughts are about birds being stressed by boarding. So far Iāve been using avian calm daily on his food, and heās taking a multivitamin recommended by his vet and flax seed oil recommended by his vet (he showed signs of long term stress and malnourishment when I first got him). I even infused the flaxseed oil with chamomile (Iām an herbalist) and itās his favorite ātreatā. I just donāt have any friends or folks to discuss parrot things with, which is why Iām writing my saga here.
Has anyone gotten their parrot the shots that calm hormones? I worry about adding another trauma to the situation. Just curious what folks thoughts are and if the shots are worth it. And curious what folks thoughts are about birds being stressed by boarding. So far Iāve been using avian calm daily on his food, and heās taking a multivitamin recommended by his vet and flax seed oil recommended by his vet (he showed signs of long term stress and malnourishment when I first got him). I even infused the flaxseed oil with chamomile (Iām an herbalist) and itās his favorite ātreatā. I just donāt have any friends or folks to discuss parrot things with, which is why Iām writing my saga here.