Radio Free Blue & Gold: All Gus, all the time.

[GaleriaGila]

I am in an excellent position to agree that the whole concept of parrots as pets can be a stretch. For every Alex or Salty, there is a Rickeybird. I sincerely believe that few other sane (give me the benefit of doubt!) person would have kept him and endured the noise and aggression and flighted activity level. I believe he would have been tossed into a basement or sold for 5 bucks at a flea market and so on and so on. I believe it is his nature, it's just who he is. The only significant regulation of his macho-ness was getting him on that natural light schedule, which cut His Sexiness' wild months to 2 or 3. I really wish that for you and Gus.

Well... it's a very touching pleasure to be a member of Team Gus. I really think that after all he's been through, his current situation must seem like HEAVEN to him.
I hope you feel really good about that.

 

[Scottj]

AYE!

It's still a struggle ... He did still take off a couple of down feathers, It is such a helpless feeling, looking at him and wondering to do to help him. He's at such a disadvantage .... Hunchbacked, weak, falls off the cage, doesn't talk, doesn't know how to play, honestly is probably not that smart ... Not what you dream of in a companion parrot, really. I love him anyway. This is why parrots should not be pets ... For every Alex, for every Salty, there must be multiple ordinary or dumb or ornery birds that disappoint their owners and get passed on or shunted aside.

I feel your pain K! I think we have taken away there natural way of living and then it becomes trying to manage their displaced behaviors which can be rough. One thing you can take to heart is that in the wild Gus wouldn't have made it this far so you truly are giving him life and doing a great job at that! Kudos. I see Diamond has pulled out down feathers recently but I think it's just that time of year. We both are seeing how tough it can be taking on a rescue bird. Diamond still calls out for "Harold" at least once everyday, a man he hasn't seen in years and that left him neglected out in the cold. I still have great hopes for him but have come to terms with the fact it will be on his terms, not mine.

I'm sure 50,000 years ago no one dared to hold out food in ones hand for a dog.

Hang in there your doing great!

 

[SilleIN]

I wrote the post below not long ago for someone, who had constant regurgitation issues. I guess this would apply in your case as well.

When my B&G wants to regurgitate food to me, I move his beak and say "No thanks". This stops the motion and he looks a little disappointed, but accepts it. I would stop her regurgitation already at the start at the motion instead of waiting for the food comes.

If she's really love sick, I would only pet her on her head, neck and upper back. Even under the wings when they are hormonal, can set them off.

Fortunately I have never had my bird masturbate on me and I believe that is because I have stopped his advances, when they were just advances and not actually love making.

I think when changing your way to handle your bird, you can expect some irritability from your bird, as she will probably not understand what's going on.

Good luck with de-sexing you from your bird

If Diamond is also molting, Gus could be molting as well. Look at the ends to see of they are snapped. The macaws in Denmark are almost all molting at the moment.

I must admit, the only thing that takes Sugar straight out of his sexy mood is a good flight. If he gets to fly for at good 10-15 minutes to the point where he is panting really hard, that takes all the lovemaking right out off him.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I wrote the post below not long ago for someone, who had constant regurgitation issues. I guess this would apply in your case as well.

I must admit, the only thing that takes Sugar straight out of his sexy mood is a good flight. If he gets to fly for at good 10-15 minutes to the point where he is panting really hard, that takes all the lovemaking right out off him.

Sille, you have such great ideas.
And that rang a bell with me. When the Rickeybird is in his sexy months, nothing chills him out faster than if I move back and forth from several rooms (like when cleaning). He gets worn out flying around after me. Thing is, I never thought to do that purposefully, but... I will now!!!!!

 

[BeatriceC]

I am in an excellent position to agree that the whole concept of parrots as pets can be a stretch. For every Alex or Salty, there is a Rickeybird. I sincerely believe that few other sane (give me the benefit of doubt!) person would have kept him and endured the noise and aggression and flighted activity level. I believe he would have been tossed into a basement or sold for 5 bucks at a flea market and so on and so on. I believe it is his nature, it's just who he is. The only significant regulation of his macho-ness was getting him on that natural light schedule, which cut His Sexiness' wild months to 2 or 3. I really wish that for you and Gus.

Well... it's a very touching pleasure to be a member of Team Gus. I really think that after all he's been through, his current situation must seem like HEAVEN to him.
I hope you feel really good about that.

My birds aren't my pets. They're companions and I'm their human servant. Just ask them.

 

[Kentuckienne]

A big shout-out to Team Gus!

I was out today for errands and thought, Gus needs exercise. He's eating better, he has some papers to tear up, he has two humans to spoil his little blue butt, and energy must be building up. With his skeletal problems he will never be able to fly, but maybe i could get him to step up onto a perch and find a way to make him flap his wings.

If we make some ladders he might move around more on his cage. He's not graceful. Maybe he can get some climbing exercise.

The beak-grabbing trick sounds good. We really want to let him sit with us as and be a cuddle bug again. There must be a way to distract him...

I guess there's no way to know...but if he had been born in the wild and survived the hazards that face a young macaw, he wouldn't have been malnourished, his bones would be normal, and by now he would have a mate and offspring and be flying free and squawking as loud as he wanted. His regurgitating would be appreciated by mate and chicks. People broke him. Not out of malice - he was a spoiled rotten parrot - out of ignorance, but the reason doesn't change the fact that people gave him those deformities. And now here he is, millennia of DNA coded instincts, and nothing resembling what he's programmed to know. No jungle, no trees, no rain, no clay lick, no flock, no flying, no mate, no nest, no chicks. He's superbly tuned to do things that don't exist in our house. No wonder he's agitated and confused, poor guy. It's beyond tragic. Again, thanks to all of Team Gus for reaching out to him.

 

[Kentuckienne]

I am in an excellent position to agree that the whole concept of parrots as pets can be a stretch. For every Alex or Salty, there is a Rickeybird. I sincerely believe that few other sane (give me the benefit of doubt!) person would have kept him and endured the noise and aggression and flighted activity level. I believe he would have been tossed into a basement or sold for 5 bucks at a flea market and so on and so on. I believe it is his nature, it's just who he is. The only significant regulation of his macho-ness was getting him on that natural light schedule, which cut His Sexiness' wild months to 2 or 3. I really wish that for you and Gus.

I nominate you for sainthood. ALL HAIL SAINT GAIL!!!!!

 

[Kentuckienne]

AYE!

It's still a struggle ... He did still take off a couple of down feathers, It is such a helpless feeling, looking at him and wondering to do to help him. He's at such a disadvantage .... Hunchbacked, weak, falls off the cage, doesn't talk, doesn't know how to play, honestly is probably not that smart ... Not what you dream of in a companion parrot, really. I love him anyway. This is why parrots should not be pets ... For every Alex, for every Salty, there must be multiple ordinary or dumb or ornery birds that disappoint their owners and get passed on or shunted aside.

I feel your pain K! I think we have taken away there natural way of living and then it becomes trying to manage their displaced behaviors which can be rough. One thing you can take to heart is that in the wild Gus wouldn't have made it this far so you truly are giving him life and doing a great job at that! Kudos. I see Diamond has pulled out down feathers recently but I think it's just that time of year. We both are seeing how tough it can be taking on a rescue bird. Diamond still calls out for "Harold" at least once everyday, a man he hasn't seen in years and that left him neglected out in the cold. I still have great hopes for him but have come to terms with the fact it will be on his terms, not mine.

I'm sure 50,000 years ago no one dared to hold out food in ones hand for a dog.

Hang in there your doing great!

Maybe to Diamond, "Harold" isn't that guy's name. Maybe "Harold" means "OOO OOO there you are, you're still here!"

 

[SilleIN]

AYE!

It's still a struggle ... He did still take off a couple of down feathers, It is such a helpless feeling, looking at him and wondering to do to help him. He's at such a disadvantage .... Hunchbacked, weak, falls off the cage, doesn't talk, doesn't know how to play, honestly is probably not that smart ... Not what you dream of in a companion parrot, really. I love him anyway. This is why parrots should not be pets ... For every Alex, for every Salty, there must be multiple ordinary or dumb or ornery birds that disappoint their owners and get passed on or shunted aside.

I feel your pain K! I think we have taken away there natural way of living and then it becomes trying to manage their displaced behaviors which can be rough. One thing you can take to heart is that in the wild Gus wouldn't have made it this far so you truly are giving him life and doing a great job at that! Kudos. I see Diamond has pulled out down feathers recently but I think it's just that time of year. We both are seeing how tough it can be taking on a rescue bird. Diamond still calls out for "Harold" at least once everyday, a man he hasn't seen in years and that left him neglected out in the cold. I still have great hopes for him but have come to terms with the fact it will be on his terms, not mine.

I'm sure 50,000 years ago no one dared to hold out food in ones hand for a dog.

Hang in there your doing great!

Maybe to Diamond, "Harold" isn't that guy's name. Maybe "Harold" means "OOO OOO there you are, you're still here!"

Sugar shouted "DAAADDYYY" when i got him. As I am female, I thought that was a bad name for "My human", which basically was what he meant. When he would call "daddy" I would call back "Mommy". After a while he would go "daddy-mommy" and I would respond with "Yes sweetheart". After a while he realised he could skip the daddy part and he today only calls me "Mommy". And if you ask him, who's the best in the world he also responds with "Mommy"

If you want Diamond to call you something else, try to respond to "Harold" with the think you want him to call you Mind you, it will take som time

And sorry for giving Diamond advice in Gus' thread

 

[SilleIN]

A big shout-out to Team Gus!

I was out today for errands and thought, Gus needs exercise. He's eating better, he has some papers to tear up, he has two humans to spoil his little blue butt, and energy must be building up. With his skeletal problems he will never be able to fly, but maybe i could get him to step up onto a perch and find a way to make him flap his wings.

If we make some ladders he might move around more on his cage. He's not graceful. Maybe he can get some climbing exercise.

The beak-grabbing trick sounds good. We really want to let him sit with us as and be a cuddle bug again. There must be a way to distract him...

I guess there's no way to know...but if he had been born in the wild and survived the hazards that face a young macaw, he wouldn't have been malnourished, his bones would be normal, and by now he would have a mate and offspring and be flying free and squawking as loud as he wanted. His regurgitating would be appreciated by mate and chicks. People broke him. Not out of malice - he was a spoiled rotten parrot - out of ignorance, but the reason doesn't change the fact that people gave him those deformities. And now here he is, millennia of DNA coded instincts, and nothing resembling what he's programmed to know. No jungle, no trees, no rain, no clay lick, no flock, no flying, no mate, no nest, no chicks. He's superbly tuned to do things that don't exist in our house. No wonder he's agitated and confused, poor guy. It's beyond tragic. Again, thanks to all of Team Gus for reaching out to him.

Destino will never fly either. One of the joints in his left wing has an injury and he will never be able to extend his wing enough to fly. Add to that he has a severe muscle injury to his right chest muscle, so even if with training the left wing would be able to fly, the right chest muscle would never be strong enough to fly.

Eventhough Destino will never fly, I still do the same "flight" training with him. Again we do the stupidest things for our pets, I put him on my hand and run around with my arm raised, so he can feel the air under his wings. He extends his wings as far as he can and he looks soo happy to be "flying".

Other than the psychological aspect of it, it also gets him to move his wings. I have always been told that their lung capacity is very much reliant in their wing movement. It also gets his pulse up which can only be a good thing for his overall health. I DO know that I look absolutely ridiculous running around with my birds on my hand, but it really helps them.

When I got Sugar he could not fly at all. I was told by everybody, that I could not teach an adult macaw to fly. It has taken a LOT of work, but today he flies every day

Below a photo of Sugar taken by a proff photographer for the national railways monthly magazine.

 

[Kentuckienne]

I feel your pain K! I think we have taken away there natural way of living and then it becomes trying to manage their displaced behaviors which can be rough. One thing you can take to heart is that in the wild Gus wouldn't have made it this far so you truly are giving him life and doing a great job at that! Kudos. I see Diamond has pulled out down feathers recently but I think it's just that time of year. We both are seeing how tough it can be taking on a rescue bird. Diamond still calls out for "Harold" at least once everyday, a man he hasn't seen in years and that left him neglected out in the cold. I still have great hopes for him but have come to terms with the fact it will be on his terms, not mine.

I'm sure 50,000 years ago no one dared to hold out food in ones hand for a dog.

Hang in there your doing great!

Maybe to Diamond, "Harold" isn't that guy's name. Maybe "Harold" means "OOO OOO there you are, you're still here!"

Sugar shouted "DAAADDYYY" when i got him. As I am female, I thought that was a bad name for "My human", which basically was what he meant. When he would call "daddy" I would call back "Mommy". After a while he would go "daddy-mommy" and I would respond with "Yes sweetheart". After a while he realised he could skip the daddy part and he today only calls me "Mommy". And if you ask him, who's the best in the world he also responds with "Mommy"

If you want Diamond to call you something else, try to respond to "Harold" with the think you want him to call you Mind you, it will take som time

And sorry for giving Diamond advice in Gus' thread

Gus and Diamond are Water Brothers. I think we regularly poach one another's threads for advice!

 

[Scottj]

Below a photo of Sugar taken by a proff photographer for the national railways monthly magazine.

Hmmmm, WAY off topic...(sorry K)I wonder if thats the same magazine I was in as a boy (in like 1972)? My Grandpa was a lifetime RR man for Santa Fe.

 

[Scottj]

LMAO! Your post wasn't there when I started my reply. You are welcome to hijack Diamonds thread anytime.

 

[Kentuckienne]

So...I noticed a pattern. When Gus is sitting with his human in the morning, it's puke-o-rama. The first thing he does when he wakes up is regurgite in his cage. He does it at night, sitting with the human. But I haven't seen him doing it much during the day. Just now - it's about 6 pm here and nearly dark - his person was having to put him back on the nearby perch because he wouldn't stop ralphing. I've been thinking that maybe this behavior is connected to the light levels...so I turned up the room lights as far as they go, and gave Gus back to fellow. Bingo ... Petting, head scratching, lounging on knee, and zero regurgitating. Is this a thing? Is the darker room making him think of nest holes? Has anyone else noticed their parrot being more amorous when the lights are low? Or is it just another coincidence?

 

[SilleIN]

Below a photo of Sugar taken by a proff photographer for the national railways monthly magazine.

Hmmmm, WAY off topic...(sorry K)I wonder if thats the same magazine I was in as a boy (in like 1972)? My Grandpa was a lifetime RR man for Santa Fe.

Unless you lived in Denmark in 1972, it's not the same magazine

 

[SilleIN]

So...I noticed a pattern. When Gus is sitting with his human in the morning, it's puke-o-rama. The first thing he does when he wakes up is regurgite in his cage. He does it at night, sitting with the human. But I haven't seen him doing it much during the day. Just now - it's about 6 pm here and nearly dark - his person was having to put him back on the nearby perch because he wouldn't stop ralphing. I've been thinking that maybe this behavior is connected to the light levels...so I turned up the room lights as far as they go, and gave Gus back to fellow. Bingo ... Petting, head scratching, lounging on knee, and zero regurgitating. Is this a thing? Is the darker room making him think of nest holes? Has anyone else noticed their parrot being more amorous when the lights are low? Or is it just another coincidence?

I must admit I have not noticed a link, but will try to see if this is the case. I am trying to think back, but can't really make that link based on memory. Will get back to you if I notice a link between dim lighting and amorous behavior.

 

[Kentuckienne]

We've been following the good advice and I think it's helping. Go to bed earlier, check. Distract/move his beak and say no when he begins regurgitating. Keeping the living room lights brighter. Putting more toys in the cage and taking the orange thing away. He still does it a little ... He still gets really goofy rolling around in Hub's lap at night and trying to fluff up a nest for himself, but he's much less obsessed. And not nearly as many down feathers on the floor. He still bites a couple off when he's getting a scratch, it sets him preening.

He sat on my knee today and let me rub the bare side of his face. I thought, he must be happy. If he wasn't comfortable he wouldn't be rolling his eyes back in his head like that. So maybe on an emotional level, he's on the path to recovery.

He is still very light. At the vet this June or July he weighed 960 grams or so, I assume later in the day. First thing after pooping/before breakfast he weighs about 900 grams, and it fluctuates slightly. He's a small bird, but it's hard to get him to eat. He likes pellets, and won't eat any veggies. I try little bits..he likes raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, ripe soft cantaloupe, ripe mango. Won't eat crunchy cantaloupe even though it's sweet. He ate some sweet potato but not enough. I read birds like pumpkin, and the stores are full of canned pumpkin for some reason. That's ok, right? It doesn't have added sugar. He goes insane for corn chips, but they have salt...if I want him to eat something new, I have to get a plate of it and eat with him. Don't know if I can stand canned pumpkin, but anything for the cause.

 

[SilleIN]

We've been following the good advice and I think it's helping. Go to bed earlier, check. Distract/move his beak and say no when he begins regurgitating. Keeping the living room lights brighter. Putting more toys in the cage and taking the orange thing away. He still does it a little ... He still gets really goofy rolling around in Hub's lap at night and trying to fluff up a nest for himself, but he's much less obsessed. And not nearly as many down feathers on the floor. He still bites a couple off when he's getting a scratch, it sets him preening.

He sat on my knee today and let me rub the bare side of his face. I thought, he must be happy. If he wasn't comfortable he wouldn't be rolling his eyes back in his head like that. So maybe on an emotional level, he's on the path to recovery.

He is still very light. At the vet this June or July he weighed 960 grams or so, I assume later in the day. First thing after pooping/before breakfast he weighs about 900 grams, and it fluctuates slightly. He's a small bird, but it's hard to get him to eat. He likes pellets, and won't eat any veggies. I try little bits..he likes raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, ripe soft cantaloupe, ripe mango. Won't eat crunchy cantaloupe even though it's sweet. He ate some sweet potato but not enough. I read birds like pumpkin, and the stores are full of canned pumpkin for some reason. That's ok, right? It doesn't have added sugar. He goes insane for corn chips, but they have salt...if I want him to eat something new, I have to get a plate of it and eat with him. Don't know if I can stand canned pumpkin, but anything for the cause.

I am very happy Gus is improving

If you want him to pu on weight, you should get him to eat nuts. Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds pinenuts etc. They are part of their natural diet and they are full of the good fats. At this point all of my birds are on a diet of about 30 % nuts.

Both Trudi and Tino need to take on weight and nuts are really good for that. Tino has taken on about 50 grams in 1½ week and his chest looks fuller. Trudi is a baby right after her fledgeling phase, so she also needs to take on weight. Sugar had lost a lot of weight when he learned to fly (natural for them to loose all their fat to be lighter for flying) and also is putting on weight. He's just above 1 kg at this point (1050g). I don't think he will get back to his old weight (1200g) as he was a little fat and since he is flying every day, he probably won't get fat again. If he reaches 1100g I am satisfied. He's not a big eater eigher. He really likes almonds, so he gets a lot of those

 

[SilleIN]

I was just scratching Sugar and I just thought of something. It is natural for them to preen, when scratched and not harmful. If Gus is molting, when he starts to preen, down will fall off. As long as he isn't snapping the down, it's actually just a good thing he preens when he is being scratched. This strengthens the bond between you

 

[Kentuckienne]

I was just scratching Sugar and I just thought of something. It is natural for them to preen, when scratched and not harmful. If Gus is molting, when he starts to preen, down will fall off. As long as he isn't snapping the down, it's actually just a good thing he preens when he is being scratched. This strengthens the bond between you

Thank you!

30% nuts, he doesn't eat nearly so much. He likes the salted cashews SOMEBODY has been giving him...will try him on a bunch of plain nuts to see where to start. Hopefully he won't stop eating the pellets...

The preening...he starts with a normal amount of preening during head scratches, then gets more intense about it...I can hear/feel the feather coming off, and it seems he is biting them off, not pulling them out. It's difficult for him to preen his whole body because his flexibility isn't great. I'll collect all the feathers today to inspect.