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Fledgling
 
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Last Login: 5/22/2009 8:08:19 AM
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Some of you may remember the Cockatiel I rescued last year that I named Bladwin (had no feathers on his head).. after months of vet visits and medications, Baldwins heart gave out and we lost him. He did die in a warm incubator and the vets did everything humanly possible to try to save him. He will be severely missed.
Another rescue has flown into our flock. "Fiona" is a 12 year old male Lutino Cockatiel (named Fiona b/c his previous family thought he was a girl when they got im 12 yrs ago). Fiona was with the same family for all 12 years of his life and is not taking this transition well at all. He is about 70% tame and will step up but isn't a huge fan quite yet. He is on a seed based diet as well. I really don't know too much about his past aside from what he eats, that his family loved him very much and that he was always allowed out of his cage.
I would love to move him into a bigger cage but have not done so because I cannot get him to eat. We got him Wednesday and all he has eaten is some millet. We have not changed his seeds but have offered some veggies. We also leave his cage door open like he had at home. I tried mixing some millet into his seed and it looks like he picked through it but only to munch on the millet. I also bought one of those treat sticks to perhaps stimulate his taste buds. We did call the vet and the vet said to interact with him as much as possible and allow him to watch us eat, which we are doing.
I almost feel like I should be feeding him with a syringe until he starts to eat. Any other suggestions as to how to get him to indulge a bit? Otherwise he is completely healthy and in perfect feather.
~*Kryssy*~
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Feather Fanatic
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Congratulations on opening your home and life to Fiona.
After 12 years with the same people in his life, this must be a huge change for him. Even knowing that millet is not the healthiest diet, if that’s the only thing he’ll eat right now then you may want to provide more of it to him.
Since I’m sure he’s nervous and anxious of all that has changed around him, you may want to cover a third of his cage (one end and part of the front and back) so that he has a place to “hide” if he feels the need for extra security.
Are you offering him his food in the same cage and bowls that he had been used to using? If not, move the food bowl to near where he is doing most of his perching.
If the treat stick is brand new to him, he may not know that it is food.
I would suggest that your interactions with him be passive, not direct and physical. Talk quietly and calmly to him, let him watch you do your daily activities, read to him, let him see you close your eyes and “nap”, and as your vet shared let him watch you eat.
As he shows interest in you, offer him treats through the cage bars and if he solicits a scritch, do it through the bars. In a week, try offering your hand to him inside of the cage, but if he backs away or shows any aggression, do not force the interaction. Give him time to realize that you are safe, trustworthy and deserving of his bond.
Good luck and please keep us updated with his behavior and eating. 
http://www.senegalparrot.net
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Feather Fanatic
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the only thing I would add is to keep an eye on the poop. If it is getting to be all or mostly all white, the bird really is NOT eating. But if it still looks somewhat normal, he is eating some and just not in front of you.
good luck.
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Big Talker
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Icky is correct, you need to watch the poop. Not so much the color of it but the amount (the dark part is the feces and this is what should be of a normal amount). As long as he is still eating something (it doesn't matter if it's only millet) and pooping normally, he is fine. You can add a bit of honey or fruit juice to his water and you can offer him a good quality multigrain bread (like HealthNut, for example), tiels love bread and would always go for it. And greens, all tiels adore greens (try romaine, he is most likely familiar with it, my tiels favorite is red Swiss chard but he might not eat it if he has never seen it before). And cooked carrots cut in small cubes, and the baby, tiny peas that are so expensive, and corn, they love corn! You could also cook some nice brown rice for him and add a bit of flax and sesame seeds to it. All these are things that tiels normally like but, the best thing you can do for him is to leave him alone and give him some time. Don't ask him to step up or interact with you in any way, just let him get used to his new home and humans at his own pace. Let him see you doing your thing, just talk to him and offer him a treat every now and then so he learns that you can be trusted and try not to worry too much. All my birds came second, third, fourth and Lord knows how many other hands to me, and some had also spent their entire life with the same people and they all adjusted and are very happy today.
Bea & Birds
beatriz@newyorkbirds.net
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Big Talker
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| Great advice I can think of a thing to add and I learned something new today, thanks guys. How is Fiona today? I hope better and sorry to hear about Baldwin.
 The difference between parrots and kids is that it's cute when a parrot talks back. www.macawsandmore.com
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Fledgling
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Last Login: 5/22/2009 8:08:19 AM
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Fiona seems to be munching. I had to move him into a new cage because his old one almost fell apart when I picked it up (the one he came in). Also, I went to go clean it and the tray doesn't come out. There were some ancient moldy seeds in there so I just decided to move him into a bigger cleaner cage. We put his old seed cups in there, his new ones and so many different food opportunities that he will want to eat just to stop looking at food! I will post pictures of his new cage set up. We sprinkled his food with millet and that seems to be helping. He also has bread and veggies which he is not interested in right now. He will step up without hesitation, too. Any other suggestions to make him more comfortable will be appreciated. Thanks a lot, guys!
~*Kryssy*~
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Big Talker
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Sounds like you have some improvement, woo Hoo a little eating is better than none! Thats great, keep up the good work!
The difference between parrots and kids is that it's cute when a parrot talks back. www.macawsandmore.com
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