Parrot Chat

[Pyxis]

Harrison's has a mix that you can use to make "bird bread". If your cockatiel loves to get toast as a treat, you could try it. Make it with some millet & some pellets mixed in the batter, cook it in cupcake paper. Give it as a treat, just a little at a time. (Freeze the cupcakes so you only use 1 a week). You eat a little of it, too, in front of him -- so he will think he is getting your food! They like taking the bread apart to get to the seeds, and get used to the taste of Harrison's, which is really pretty good. Dylan the Grey went from all Wally's seed to Harrison's pretty fast, about 2 months. (For an African Grey, any change is suspect)! She still gets 1 tsp of Safflower seeds in the morning for a treat. She was addicted to peanuts when we got her. Now, no peanuts. For a special training treat, 1/4 of a spray of millet.

Since Cricket is pretty new to me and I don't have much history, I'm not sure what he really likes as far as treats. Seems like his last owner was only giving him seeds, millet, and those honey seed sticks. I do have some Harrison's bread mix and did see that conversion method on their website and I do want to give it a shot if the other methods don't work.

Might not be able to until after I get him hand tame though. Right now I'm trying to make it so I'm the only source of millet.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

Gorgeous birds. What are the little crested parrots and the pretty rainbow bird that is not a parrot?

Thankyou!

The crested birds are Guinea Turacos and Red Crested Turacos (which are softbills) and the rainbow bird is an Eastern Rosella

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

We also had an Eastern Bluebonnet called Hugo. When we got him he had noticeable neurological issues and would always walk with a wobble and couldn't fly.

Despite that, he enjoyed life in the aviary and we adapted it for him at ground level. Eventually his issues took his life but he was definitely a very pretty little bird!

Very rarely seen as being pets (at least where I live).

 

[Parront]

Since Cricket is pretty new to me and I don't have much history, I'm not sure what he really likes as far as treats. Seems like his last owner was only giving him seeds, millet, and those honey seed sticks. I do have some Harrison's bread mix and did see that conversion method on their website and I do want to give it a shot if the other methods don't work.

Might not be able to until after I get him hand tame though. Right now I'm trying to make it so I'm the only source of millet.

'Tiels love millet! Every single one I've had, and I bred and raised them for over 20 years. (At one time the flock numbered 11). A single sunflower seed works as a special treat for most. They are terrible seed-a-holics, and some never take to pellets if they are older. Best to start them young. One I had lived to be 23, never ate the pellets, only seed. So, they are pretty adapted to seed diets. Harrison's is better, and younger birds take to it best. The little muffins with millet and sunflower seed, along with little pellets, worked for my young birds, they like tearing things up. Millet is less fattening than sunflower seed, so good if that is his favorite!

 

[Pyxis]

'Tiels love millet! Every single one I've had, and I bred and raised them for over 20 years. (At one time the flock numbered 11). A single sunflower seed works as a special treat for most. They are terrible seed-a-holics, and some never take to pellets if they are older. Best to start them young. One I had lived to be 23, never ate the pellets, only seed. So, they are pretty adapted to seed diets. Harrison's is better, and younger birds take to it best. The little muffins with millet and sunflower seed, along with little pellets, worked for my young birds, they like tearing things up. Millet is less fattening than sunflower seed, so good if that is his favorite!

Yep, millet has always, without fail, worked for taming 'tiels for me too. My first cockatiel was an abused and neglected 12 year old, though he was probably older than that, even. His previous owner told me he was 'mean' and that he bit.

I won him over with millet, respected what he was 'telling' me, and never once did he bite me. He was a total one-person bird though. I was good enough and he had no use for anyone else, haha. I also managed to get him converted to pellets, though I used Zupreem. I might try Zupreem with Cricket too and see if he likes it.

 

[Pyxis]

Pretty sure Cricket has a hand phobia. I decided to try the millet with the door open and he was terrified to come near it with my hand holding even the very end. He wanted to come get it; he kept taking a couple steps towards it, then getting scared and backing off. He started to get frustrated and I didn't want to end on a bad note so I moved my hand away and he came down to eat it. It wasn't me standing next to the open door, it was my hand being there.

So we're going to take baby steps here. I've moved back to feeding him through the bars so he can regain some confidence, and then I'll just crack the door and slide the millet in, and very slowly open it more and more as we go. We'll see if that will work.

It makes me sad because obviously he has had a very bad experience with hands. My first cockatiel never got over whatever happened to him and would only step up onto my arm; hands always scared him. I hope it won't be the same for Cricket.

 

[backyard pigeons]

Pretty sure Cricket has a hand phobia. I decided to try the millet with the door open and he was terrified to come near it with my hand holding even the very end. He wanted to come get it; he kept taking a couple steps towards it, then getting scared and backing off. He started to get frustrated and I didn't want to end on a bad note so I moved my hand away and he came down to eat it. It wasn't me standing next to the open door, it was my hand being there.

So we're going to take baby steps here. I've moved back to feeding him through the bars so he can regain some confidence, and then I'll just crack the door and slide the millet in, and very slowly open it more and more as we go. We'll see if that will work.

It makes me sad because obviously he has had a very bad experience with hands. My first cockatiel never got over whatever happened to him and would only step up onto my arm; hands always scared him. I hope it won't be the same for Cricket.

Aww, how sad. I wonder if previous owner/s grabbed him ever. if anyone can get him past his fear, its you!

 

[backyard pigeons]

we do need some pics!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Pretty sure Cricket has a hand phobia. I decided to try the millet with the door open and he was terrified to come near it with my hand holding even the very end. He wanted to come get it; he kept taking a couple steps towards it, then getting scared and backing off. He started to get frustrated and I didn't want to end on a bad note so I moved my hand away and he came down to eat it. It wasn't me standing next to the open door, it was my hand being there.

So we're going to take baby steps here. I've moved back to feeding him through the bars so he can regain some confidence, and then I'll just crack the door and slide the millet in, and very slowly open it more and more as we go. We'll see if that will work.

It makes me sad because obviously he has had a very bad experience with hands. My first cockatiel never got over whatever happened to him and would only step up onto my arm; hands always scared him. I hope it won't be the same for Cricket.

That's pretty much how my male was. I could never put my hand in the cage . . I had to just open the door and let him come out on his own and climb to the top of the cage before I could go get him.

 

[Parront]

That's pretty much how my male was. I could never put my hand in the cage . . I had to just open the door and let him come out on his own and climb to the top of the cage before I could go get him.

One of the first things I teach new birds is "Come here" to get them to come out of their cage and come to me. Sometimes it is just defending territory and not actual fear of hands, and once out of the cage the bird will step up on a hand just fine. Maybe a closed fist at first, or even a short perch. Fingers might look like big talons of predator birds!