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Hi, All. It's been a very long time since I visited or posted, but I've been very busy with many projects. This is one of them! Einstein is doing much better (diet change and less cuddling). I am hoping she will be flying in January.

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Susan, Einstein looks wonderful, I have been reading on the other thread how he has been doing. Photo's are wonderful . Keep up the good work. Peggy (parrotsmama1940)

Thanks, Peggy. and when we let her out of the cage to be with the family, we put her in a smaller one on the kitchen table so she hasn't fallen in weeks and has a chance to heal and grow new feathers.

I'm also sprouting grains and both birds love it!

Hugs!
Susan, Puppy & Einstein

Excellent job, Susan!!!!

She's looking fantastic.

What other changes did you implement?


Bev

Wow! She is looking so much better!

One of my Greys is also a plucker. When she first started, she quit playing and chewing on her toys. It's been a struggle to find ones that she will chew on, whereas my other Grey practically jumps on the new toy as I am trying to hang it in his cage. I have tried some toys designed for feather pickers. Since I work full time, I think it's important for her to have toys to keep her occupied while I'm at work. Did you come across any toys that Einstein particularly liked?

I remember all the problem that you had. She looks wonderful now. I sure hope that she will fly soon and be a happy bird.

WOW!!!!

She looks just great! I'm so glad she's better, not just for her sake but for yours -- recall how distressed you were. Glad to see she'd back in feather and you're both feeling better!!

Cheers,
Pat

ZazuSally wrote:Excellent job, Susan!!!!

She's looking fantastic.

What other changes did you implement?


Bev

Thanks everyone!

I've been cutting and pasting this reply below cause many people are asking on other groups as well. Someone here suggested the featherpicking yahoo group - big help! From there, they recommended the featherfeeding yahoo group - another big help. So I belong to both.

Here are just some changes:

- I took away the daily pellets that contain soy. She only gets them once a week.
- I added sprouted grains and legumes to her diet. There were times they weren't available, but I try to have them regularly.
- I stopped letting Einstein play and dig in the bed and I stopped playing cuddily "hair-twirl" games with her. These caused her to pant which I didn't realize was a sexual reaction from her. I think this was the most important change I made. There's a really good article in one of the yahoo groups about parrots' reproduction behavior that helped. They're not like cats and dogs....

... and I'm still learning.... Einstein still plucks her chest a little.

petdiva wrote:Wow! She is looking so much better!

One of my Greys is also a plucker. When she first started, she quit playing and chewing on her toys. It's been a struggle to find ones that she will chew on, whereas my other Grey practically jumps on the new toy as I am trying to hang it in his cage. I have tried some toys designed for feather pickers. Since I work full time, I think it's important for her to have toys to keep her occupied while I'm at work. Did you come across any toys that Einstein particularly liked?

Boy! Toys are difficult with Einstein. Puppy, the green wing macaw seems much more entertained by the toys I present to her. She even grooms the "grooming ones" (preening ones?) as the toy is intended for. Einstein doesn't like to. She'll groom (and PLUCK!) herself and she'll let the greenwing preen her, but she won't touch the greenwing. (perhaps that's good so they won't bond too much).

But as for the toys, she likes the real tight sticks of paper. I got them in the Dr. Fosters website and catalogue. She also loves "Neville Forget" in Dr. Fosters.

She likes the foraging toys ... because they contain her snacks, but I'm not crazy about them because the only snacks I can fit in them are seeds (which I try to limit only for the morning) and Nutriberries (that contain soy). The healthier things are kind of wet and moist (like the sprouted grains) and they will get stuck in the foraging toys or ... if I forget, will go bad quickly. (Anyone have any recommendations for healthy snacks to put inside a foraging toy? - one is a tight puzzle toy - perfect to put seed size snacks. The other is a 3X2X3 box which seeds would fall out. Good for nuts and Nutriberries, but both birds are addicted.)

... but toys have become a real challenge with me and Einstein....

Nala was so good about playing and chewing on her toys before she started plucking. After she started plucking though, she pretty much stopped. For a while, the only thing she would chew on was Shredders. I've tried tying them on her other toys to get her interested. In the last few months, she has chewed a little bit on a couple of her wooden toys, but nothing significant. She likes the hanging peanut foraging toy (for peanuts of course), but I don't like to give them a lot of peanuts. I bought her a preening toy specifically for African Greys, but I don't think she's even touched it. I'll check out the toys that Einstein likes.

She likes the yellow box foraging toy from Dr. Fosters, but what to put in there that's big enough and healthy???

BTW, please be careful. It has dangling ropes on it and one got looped and I found it around Einstein's neck! She was struggling to get out!

I'll post a separate warning. This was just last week.

Yes, again, toys are a challenge for these intellegent birds.

What a change!!! Great job!