new here/ accidental mommy

msdeb

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Joined
Dec 22, 2013
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Location
texas
Parrots
Charlie the birdie, yellow naped amazon and little bird, a monk parrot , and Polly -yellow crowned amazon
About two years ago I was at the workshop of a friend of a friend of a friend who had a bird in a cage close to the door as we walked in. There were no windows in the shop and the owner of the shop warned us to be careful of the bird "cause he bites like hell" I don't know why, because I have never owned a bird and never thought about owning a bird, but I went over to see it and found my true love. After being given permission and despite being warned against it I opened the cage and the bird stepped right up onto my hand. The owner of the shop was amazed as was everyone present. It seems this bird had sent a couple of people to the hospital for stitches and bitten anyone else who tried to handle him. The owner of the shop was not the owner of the bird, it seems the bird had been dumped there for "a short time" two or three years before. Long story short...I have had Charlie for two years now and after a few adjustments and a lot of learning on my part and establishing trust and security on Charlie's part we are living happily ever after.
I have since then acquired a monk parrot for my ten year old daughter because, although she loves Charlie and interacts with him quite a bit, he is a bit much for her to handle and a smaller bird for a smaller person seemed called for. So here we are a two bird household, trying to be a good home for our birds and learning a lot in the process. We still have a few issues and we are still working on "rehabilitating" Charlie so that he is a model citizen. My teenage daughters do not really care for Charlie and sometimes the feeling is mutual so I must be VERY careful with their interactions together. It is a work in progress and I enjoy being Charlie's accidental mommy. He amazes me!
 
Forgot to give info on the birds...
Charlie is a yellow naped amazon. He loves his baths (a water/spray mister) he is still afraid of the shower. He likes to roam the house on my arm and he spends most of his out of cage time on my chairback or on his cage door. I buy him baby toys because they are non-toxic, no small moving parts to hurt claw or beak, they are cheaper than made-for-bird toys and he likes the sounds (rattle, music, etc.). Charlie hadn't had a bath in who knows how long when I got him and he was fed cheap seeds. He is, I am told, about ten years old and was raised from a chick by the people who gave him to the mechanic when they had another child. Charlie talks if no one is looking and he makes quite a racket if I answer the phone! His wings are not clipped and he will let me trim his claws if I am patient and do one a day so it takes about a week. Charlie is missing one toe because "he had a fit and bit it off" according to the mechanic. Charlie is not a plucker(thank God) and he is generally healthy but it is difficult getting him switched to pellets. Charlie loves warm green tea from mom's cup and he feels completely entitled to mom's plate (the greedy thing thinks it is all his food) He rarely bites(except when the cats are too close or he is startled) and he likes to sit on the back of my chair outside in nice weather and feel the wind.
 
Welcome to the forum!!! It seems like it was meant to be. It's wonderful you have acquired Charlie and he's living in a better situation. Now demanding some pictures from you!!!! :)
 
Wow, what a story.
Yep, when they step up - it's a sign.... they want to claim you.
Sounds like you are happy together.
You are in the right place for a lot of good information about your Zon.
Welcome!
 
I'm so glad you and Charlie found each other! Welcome to our forum: I hope you enjoy the info and friendship to be had here. :)
 
I hope that pic loaded! This is Charlie the birdie!
 

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This is Charlie! Isn't he beautiful? Little bird is behind him on top of the cage. We must watch very closely when they are out together because of the size difference. But for the most part they get along pretty well. She likes to sit on top of Charlie's cage because it is higher and he acts just like a big brother to her...mostly annoyed that she is tagging along but tolerating it because mom wants us all to play nice! Can you tell I am in love?;)
 
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He's a very handsome boy!!!! :)
 
Welcome to the forum and thanks for giving Charlie a good home. Loads of good info in some of the older threads in this section. I'm sure we can help you get Charlie and your Quaker parrot on a better diet. Amazons are usually very food motivated,LOL.
 
Let me clarify a bit. Charlie eats good food, broccolli, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, sprouts, squash, carrots,celery, bread, bites of well cooked chicken, yummy herbal chamomile and spearmint tea, etc. He just doesn't like pellets. He has pellets in his cage ALL the time and he gets the other foods at my mealtimes. Since I got him I have been trying to s l o w l y decrease his seed mix for pellets. Charlie eats well but like any mom I worry that he might not be getting all his vitamins.
 
When it comes to switching food you must be consistent and persistent. The best way I find doing it after different methods is I would feed fresh food in the morning in one bowl and have a bowl of pellets there all day every day. Then in the evening time I would give a tablespoon full of seeds. Then start the process all over again the next day. No treats during this period!!!! Once you see him eating Pellets, stop feeding seeds during evening time. Still no nuts or treats for several months once he's eating the pellets. Then you can start the treats and nuts in several months.
 
Welcome to the world of amazons!!!

My Bosley is much the same way. Tricks I use......
Birdie Bread, can ground pellets into the mix. I also ground pellets into fine powder and add to fresh foods that he likes.

Adding red palm oil or a little bit of margarine (both high in Vitamin A)will usually get bosley to eat veggies he has rejected in the past.

Chops and mashes with favorite foods mixed in like a small amount of cheese, egg, mashed potato will get him eating it, I ground pellets into these as well.

Nutriberries, Birds seem to like them and they have the vitamins and minerals you need. Would not be my first choice but it is Bosley's and he eats them reliably. They are still considered a pellet.

The main thins is keep trying and don't give up, I've had Bosley for over a year now and have managed to expand his diet through trial and error.
Good example of this is Bos wouldn't eat any fruit, in the last month he has started eating apples, but only whole apples so he can attack and shred it. funny to watch!!!
 
There are a few things that I am going to need help and advice on. I have researched enough to have the basics but the closest avian vet is an hour and a half away. So in the event of an emergency it is my local dog/cat large animal vet ( he is great but not a bird guy) and me. I have an emergency kit that I am putting together and I am doing quite a bit of study on avian systems. I have cats so I watch carefully and have wound treatment and antibiotics(just in case). Anything else that anyone would recommend?
 
Are fruits as good for Charlie as vegatabels? Seeds are very fatty, do fruits contribute to weight gain? I have allowed plenty of access to fruit; bananas, oranges, apples, peaches(no pits or seeds from any fruit) whatever is in season and dried fruit when we have munchies. Is this okay? I know birds eat all day in the wild so I leave pellets all day but the rest comes from me whenever I am snacking.
 
Fruits are Ok in moderation but since high in sugar can contribute to weight gain. Best fruits are highly packed with nutrients for example most of the berry family. Vegetables are better.
Making sure there diet is high in Vitamin A, carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, kale etc is of utmost importance. VitA deficiency is very nasty and sometimes untreatable.

I leave 2 different types of pellets and some seed in Bosley's cage, he also gets a breakfast chop or mash and has dinner with us. I use a high quality seed mix with no sunflower seeds and little pellets in it. I'm in Canada so I use a Canadian supplier but it is not a mix you can get from a store here.
 
There's that "Amazon Crush" thing again...

It's totally real with these birds. Love at first sight.
 
It is love at first sight. I do not know if Charlie is male or female but I assume he is male because he sticks his head in my cleavage whenever he can. We had a little trouble with the mom/girl birdie/ boy thing in the beginning. Charlie would sit on my arm and make happy chicken/ clucking sounds. Further research revealed Charlie was having sex with my arm. So we put a stop to THAT but he does like to climb into my sleeve or the front of my shirt and "motorboat" I believe is the term. He gives me sweet birdie kisses but we watch our light exposure and keep an eye out for hormonal changes. Bad behaviors are not too difficult to fix with Charlie so far. Except with my older daughters and that is due to their unwillingness to engage Charlie and not his problem. So far territorial respect from the girls and firm guidelines from mom to Charlie help in that respect. I have been to this forum to research many times but finally joined last night and you all seem to have all or most of the answers I need. Thank you so much, Charlie and I would not have made it this far without your experiences and willingness to share/help with info.
 
LOL I'm laughing at the whole Charlie motor boating thing hahahaha typical boy :rolleyes: ;)

Thank you for taking in Charlie...but you didn't have much choice since you fell for his good looks and charming personality, right? ;) lol
 
Mutual love. That's Charlie and me! Since my divorce three years ago Charlie is "the man" in my life. He has given me so much more than I have given him! What a comfort to me he has become. I think God knew how much Charlie and I needed each other so He arranged a meeting.
 

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