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Post by wally on Mar 27, 2012 11:56:13 GMT 10
Hi all,
I have just purchased a 16 week old galah called Wally! I have an appointment on saturday with a bird vet to get a general check up and some advice, but in the mean time I was wondering if you all can help me out!
What's the best diet for a galah? Do I leave food for him all day and night? Or just a few feeds a day? I brought some pellets that were recommended but he doesn't seem to like them. I know sun flower seeds are bad but all parrot mixes contain them!
Also Wally has never been outside and has only ever been on a bird stand never in a cage! I keep Wally inside with us but take him outside in the day four a few hours is this the right thing to do? The man I brought him from breeds all different birds and the all free roam his house!
Any advice would be great as I've done a fair bit of research and they all seem so different! This is our first large bird as we have always had cockateils! Oh and can Wally play with basil my cockateils?
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Post by Robyn on Mar 28, 2012 6:11:19 GMT 10
Hi, congratulations. Galahs can be a lot of fun with some positive training. ;D All my parrots are used to living in a cage. It's a good idea to know your bird is all safe & sound when your not at home. Busy little beaks can cause a lot of damage to your home, not to mention the electrical cords.  Diet. galah.galahs.com.au/content/php/article008.phpI give a pair of medium size birds about 1/4 cup of small parrot seed & pellets every few days or until all is eaten. They get daily a combination of fresh fruit, veg & sprout mix. Only enough is given to be consumed in 1 hour. Raw almonds as treats. I will usually only feed morning & afternoon. It's up to you whether or not to leave the dry food dish in the cage but the fruit & veg bowl should be removed. Yes Wally can hang out with Basil. If they want to be friends but be careful. Are you sure Wally is in fact a male, has he got a DNA certificate. If not & Wally turns out to be a girl.  www.talkingbirds.com.au/galatiel-php/world-first-galah-breeds-with-cockatiel-2 |
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Post by wally on Mar 28, 2012 13:55:20 GMT 10
Hi Robyn Thank you so much for all of your advice! I've printed out the diet to read and keep as reference! This morning Wally and basil were walking around my house with no problems! I will not leave them unsupervised! So now I am thinking of buying a large cage that opens up at the top with a play gym! I don't have a DNA certificate for Wally, let's hope Wally is a boy if not never mind! I wanted a unisex name in case but my 2 year old son picked Wally! As I said we have a vet appointment to get the all clear on Wally! Can they do a DNA test for me? What does it involve? And is it really necessary? Looking forward to spending loads of time with Wally and enjoying his company! Wallys favorite treat is corn, I'm thinking of using it as training treat! Once again thanks for all your helpful info very much appreciated  Danni |
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Gerard
Bronze Member
Hototo
Posts: 165
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Post by Gerard on Mar 28, 2012 17:59:21 GMT 10
Hi Danni and hope you're enjoying Wally's company. Yes your vet can perform a DNA test to determine sex. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't cost very much. Somewhere in the order of $20-$30 depending on the vet.  I agree with Robyn on keeping your birds in a cage, especially when unsupervised. |
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Post by wally on Mar 28, 2012 20:23:59 GMT 10
Hi Gerard,
Thanks for the reply! Will ask my vet to do a DNA test on Wally!
I do have a large parrot cage that Wally uses! I was just curious as to what people thought on having him on a stand as well! as in the cage! He is not left out whilst I'm not home! I know birds can be very destructive!
Also I have two dobermanns so I would never leave them all together!
Wally seems to be really enjoying his or her new home we just love him to bits!
Once again thanks for the reply, looking forward to much more helping advice and tips from this forum!
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davewa
Addicted Member
Posts: 112
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Post by davewa on Apr 1, 2012 23:52:54 GMT 10
Hi Danni,
I hope you and Wally are having fun together, I have had Bob for 7 years now and Gallahs are very nice birds to have as friends. I have a large indoor cage and a bigger one for outside and Bob has still managed to get loose from some simple mistakes. If you take him outside be aware that something may startle him and then you are in for a treat. Bobs first adventure took 30 seconds to be taken by an Eagle, luckily I was on the trail before he took of to the skies with him or he would be Eagle poop. The second time it took 3 hours to get him in a position to get him into a carrier.
Galahs are pink chickens and as they get older they seem to dislike different things even more than before so don't change things around too often on him. I have also noticed that during the summer months his mood is rather surly and stand offish then he warms up again from now on, Wally may be different as I rescued Bob in a way and we think he was not treated well by his original owner and that can have consequences.
Galahs also tend to go through a biting phase, Bobs went for many years, again probably a problem before us but it can be painful. In saying that once Bob learnt to fly around more his biting disappeared I think it was his way of saying take me over there not here, now I can fly I'll go myself.
Bob has pellets all day and fruit and veg for lunch and dinner, if we eat he has to eat or he makes a scraping noise up and down the bars of the cage. Capsicums, beans, tomatoes, apple cores, sprouts, corn, carrots, chilli, all go well with him and he loves throwing it around.
Enjoy your new friend, oh also he will pick a favorite friend possibly female but if you are the only one to handle him and feed him you could be it.
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Post by wally on Apr 2, 2012 21:36:13 GMT 10
Hi Dave, Thanks for the reply! So we have a very large cage outside and have just purchased a large indoor cage as well! Wally seemed very impressed with his new cage and got in on his own and is quiet happy to sleep in there! So I will be very carefully when taking Wally outside! We took Wally out to Jim Gill last week for a check up and Wally is a boy! And very healthy! Thank goodness for that! Jim gave us some good pointers on training and putting Wally in his place so he does not dominate in the future! Jim also mentioned that Wally being a boy will bond closer to me than my husband! Finally a bird that will hopefully bond to me! All of my cockateils that I have had just love my husband! One more question if you don't mind Dave as you have Bob! What sort of toys should I place in his cage to keep him amused and entertained? Jim mentioned branches and leaves from wattle/bottle brush trees and gum trees, do you use them? Or can you recommend something else? I can't thank you all enough for all of your help! It's so nice to know that their are lovely people out there willing to share t tips and information to help me and Wally out! So now time to enjoy Wally and bond with him! Danni & Wally |
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davewa
Addicted Member
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Post by davewa on Apr 3, 2012 20:57:39 GMT 10
Hi Danni,
Nice to hear he is healthy and liking his big cage, I think it will be a little while before you have to much concern with him dominating. One thing to remember is if he does something you don't like ignore it and it will go away, if you tell him off or go over he will repeat it because that is what he wants, attention. I have found that the high perch dominating is a myth and makes no difference and alot of Parrot behaviour does not apply to Galahs. They are a quiet bird and easy to look after from what I have read about other breeds and will give you little trouble.
Once he gets over a year old he may change a little and his moods will vary as time goes on but you just adapt and keep going. I read so much about what to do but nothing refers to Galahs and luckily he will more than likely want to be your friend, he will fluff out if he does. Bob loves my wife but she does not handle him at all so he will interect with me but not as friendly as he is to Di.
Toy wise I have 2 rope toys in his cage one dangles and one is 2 large rings which he sits in and hangs on. The dangly one he goes up to and places one string over his shoulder while he sleeps so it cuddles him, very cute. Branches are great as per the vet and he will chew away and be happy, we moved once and did not have access to good branches so it was a while before we got him some, by then he decided to be afraid of branches we gave him and he won't go near them anymore, like I said pink chickens. When we first got Bob we had him in a seperate room from the family and found he made alot of noise. Soon after we moved him into the main family area and it improved greatly, he wanted to be part of a flock which we are now. He has to eat when we do and hear the TV and talk to all of us at some stage, when we did this chewing and other funny behaviors slowed, the more action he sees the happier he seems.
Dave
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