Tips for Ned my new Galah

[kleej78]

Hello,
i have recently purchased Ned ( as in Ned Kelly, I have a hand reared cockatiel Banjo) Ned unfortunately was mistreated by his previous owner, they hacked his wing back instead of just clipping it back and they Apparently had teenage children that were a little rough with him so I completely understand him losing his trust. I purchased him from a bird pet shop not a breeder. Ned is apparently 9 mths old. He is very gentle and doesn't bite aggressively only mouths your fingers or hand when I try to pick him up from his cage or perch on top of cage. He is a little unsettled with trying to keep him on my hand or arm he just try's to jump of straight away, I have been quietly putting my hand up in front of his face for a moment until he calms a little, which most times calms him for about 30 seconds or so enough for me to give him a good pat. When he does jump down on the floor from my arm he likes to run off and then usually I have to walk after him trying not to make him feel cornered of course he is easy to pick up of the floor steps up not a worry. Ned chirps and squalks all the time and seems generally pretty happy. If I approach his cage he usually walks to the other side. He is better than when I first got him but I am hoping that I can get him to be more trusting of myself and my family. He responds well when I talk to him by chirping back or moving his head in acknowledgement. I also have him in the lounge room at night with us so we can constantly interact and we put him outside in his cage on nice days. He has a large cage with plenty of toys.

Any advice that anyone might have would be appreciated.

Cheers Kristy 

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[avinet]

Welcome to the Forum Kristy, hopefully we can give you the help you ask for.

Before giving a reply, can you tell us how long you have had Ned?  Also details of his diet please.

cheers,

Mike

[kleej78]

Hi Mike,

I have had Ned for approach 6 weeks. His diet is parrot mix which I put a little linseed in to help with the small amount of sunflower seeds as I was told that helps break down the fat from the sunflower, I also give him parrot pellets the little coloured ones and millet sprays as he loves those. I have tried fruits and nuts but doesn't seem interested.

Cheers Kristy

[avinet]

Jul 31, 2013 22:13:53 GMT 10 kleej78 said:

Hi Mike,

I have had Ned for approach 6 weeks. His diet is parrot mix which I put a little linseed in to help with the small amount of sunflower seeds as I was told that helps break down the fat from the sunflower, I also give him parrot pellets the little coloured ones and millet sprays as he loves those. I have tried fruits and nuts but doesn't seem interested.

Cheers Kristy

Hi Kristy,

Sounds like you are making good progress with a bird that had a hard time previous to coming to you - gaining the confidence of such birds can take quite a while.  Many years ago I hand raised a bunch of Corellas, and about 6 months one was returned to me a scared phobic mess after teasing from the flatmates of the owner.  It took me about 6 months to regain the confidence of that bird, and when it happened it was virtually an overnight transformation.

Galahs have one big problem  they can get fat and develop fatty tumours called lipomas.  I have elsewhere on the Forum given an example of the dangers this can result in - aussiebirds.proboards.com/thread/11364?page=1

I would certainly cut out the linseed - it is just another seed rich in fat, 27% fat.  Also I would suggest cutting out sunflower as part of his main diet.  Give budgie seed mix and pellets, millet spray occasionally is OK, and then sunflower can be used exclusively for a reward - training by positive reinforcement - he gets a sunflower seed for good behaviour such as stepping up onto a hand.  Initially just try to get him to come to your side of the cage and take a sunflower from your fingers through the bars.  Give a sunflower when he allows you to giv ehime a scratch, or when he steps up when on the ground.   Good books and DVD's about basic training are those by Barbars Heidenreich - available from Australian Birdkeeper and some good pet shops.

Keep trying vegetables and fruit - the fruit Galahs are most likely to eat is Granny Smith apples - cut it into centimetre sized cubes, and keep presenting him with some fruit and veggies daily - eventually he will experiment with them. Some suggestions of suitable vegies and fruit are in the diet section of  an article by me at scas.org.au/html/pet_parrot_care.html

cheers,

Mike