Lisa Shea Forums Parakeets General Parakeet Chat Parakeet rescue! Help! Help!

It can be any kind of lettuce. It is just that head lettuce has very little nutritional value. My guys like kale and parsely clipped on the side of the cage. They also love brocolli. You can cut the tops off and put it in a food dish or just clip one of the little trees to the side of the cage.

It is true that if you put a mirror in the cage they will be
VERY interested in the "other bird." I have one keet among four that is in love with his mirror. The other birds ignore it but it is Tweedy's best friend. So it is not a good idea to put a mirror in the cage. Also about the little fake birds, if you have a male you may not want to put one in your cage unless you are ready to explain to your daughter what he is doing to the fake bird.

About the vegies, my guys also love the tops of celery. They also love the celery but it is mostly water and no nutrition, and it can give them a very wet poo because of so much water.

I have never heard that head lettuce has arsenic in it.

Sparky really starty talking almost "quacking like a duck" really loud! I think he just noticed I took the mirror away!

Hello again!
Some of my other neighbors have birds, and they are very knowlegable. I had him come in and look at Sparky. He said he looks healthy and looks to be happy. He said it was very good that I have lots of toys.
I found out the "jerks" family got another bird, for the Green one, and they just put him in the cage! Arn't you suppose to quaratine it first? then slowly introduce them? like diff. cages side by side? I feel sooooo bad for the lil' green one! I''m sure they fought, I shutter to think of this. People can be so ignorant!
My friend said, feeding a bird just seed, is like us eating candy all day! Is that true? I have tried to introduce pellets, he does not want it. Also vegies & fruit, I've clipped it on the side of the cage, put it aside the seed, NOTHING! What has worked for others? I'd like to hear how you adjusted your bird to pellets! Please!
Also, how can you tell if they have mies? He does lots of preening, and scratches his head on the bottom of a ladder, seems like he itches?
I appreciate your thoughts!
Thank You!
Dawn

It is a long road to get some birds to accept pellets, veggies and fruits. Grains are a good thing too...mine go nuts for toast, boiled egg with shell, cooked pasta.

Usually the first veg many will eat is the very crown of broccoli, the part that is seed sized. Another fav is peas and corn. Peas and corn are more of a treat but it gets them considering other things can be food.

I also order Harrison's bird bread mix from their website and make them in the shape of mini muffins. The bird bread mix is made from their pellets.

Harrison's also has a good video and some info to read about switching your keets to pellets.

Keep trying...I think all of us who have gone down this road have thrown away many bags of pellets and veggies before our keets would eat it.

Kathy

Wow. What a wonderful rescue story. It sounds like you are doing things right. I have cats and birds also. I use the spray bottle and they aren't even allowed to LOOK at the birds and they know it well! But they ARE cats, and it's in their nature to kill and eat birds! so I do not let my guard down when the cats are in the house. Also I keep every opening, doors, food dish doors, etc, locked with twist ties. some birds find out that they can open the door themselves, and I do not want a tragedy! And I figure that if for some reason the cats got the cage knocked over, they might survive the fall if the doors are locked, but not if the doors came open. And cats are very clever about getting into a place where there's something they want in there! I also like the thing about the tape around the perimeter of the table or whatever.

I have 4 budgies, and only 2 of them will eat pellets. Also the same ones will eat veggies, but not the other 2.

Good luck with this and try not to worry too much about the next door birds! We can't save them all, even though we wish we could. Anyway there's nothing you can do about that.

This little creature is a lucky birdie! Welcome to the forum. I have learned so much on here. You will too!

Dawn,\

One other thought about the mites. Do you seen pin feathers? Those itch like mad and maybe why your keet is preening and rubbing his head so much. Sounds more like he's moulting.

TM is right. You can only control what goes on with your bird. Don't worry about next door.

Kathy

Hi,
What are Pin Feathers? He really seems like he is itchy!
Also, I looked up Harrison Bird baking stuff, I want to order it. Which one did U get? There are 3 kinds, orignal. millet & flax, and 1 more I cannot remember? I would like to order this!
Also, I ordered Parrot Party Bird Music! On the web site they had a couple songs to check out, Sparky went NUTS! Anybody play Bird Music? I'd like more ideas on some CD's I can get.
Thankyou!

Pin feathers (someone correct me if I'm wrong plz)are the shafts that enclose the new feathers coming in.

I ordered the millet bread mix. My keets love it. I make them as mini muffins and freeze them. I split one between them every now and them. I also feed my keets Harrison pellets.

Kathy

Kathy I'm not that sure about that. I think the pin feathers are black. There is something called the "sheath" that encloses the feather when it first comes out, but I'm not sure if that's the same thing. Sorry. I've tried to red up on this and it seems confusing to me!! Getting old, I guess! LOL

If he's molting, you will see feathers all over the place, he will probably be in a bad mood, and you will think he's about to die in front of your very eyes!! LOL. They start to look really bad during a molt. The new feathers coming in hurt and itch, and it takes a month or so to complete the molt. (others correct me if I'm wrong on that) I give mine the Katee Fortified molting and Conditioning food every day. The directions say do not give more that 1/4 teas per day per bird. I feel it helps it not to be such a hard molt.

I'm sure your right. I just always notice these pointy feathers, encased in a sheath on my keets head during molting. And you're so right, they are itching and grumpy. Poor babies

Perhaps the diff. in color is because my girls are albinos?

Kathy