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Post by Btroop on Jan 30, 2021 19:04:46 GMT -5
My mother passed away the week before Thanksgiving last year (2020). I brought her quaker parrot Gomez home with me when we began to go through her things. He is about 8 years old and a funny little thing. Of course I had been around him on and off through the years. He's always chattered and let me pet him or even just ignored me when he was out and about at Mom's. Unless I spoke to him. The day I moved him in he let me get him out of his cage and love on him and then I put him in a box.😱 I did this to transport him home because his cage is large and I drive a truck. It's an hour from my mom's house to mine and it was December. It was cold out there! My youngest son ( he's 16) held the box on the way home.
My question or problem is now he wants to bite me and my youngest. My husband and my oldest son and even my father-in-law (who he'd never met) can pet him and talk to him! Is it possible Gomez is mad at me and my youngest for moving him? He will talk to and chatter at me if I go by the cage. He won't let me get him out to roam though. He does let me clean his cage, toys, feed and water him ok. I try to sit and talk to him and offer treats/ snacks like veggies and fruits or some nuts. Unfortunately my mom had him on a seed diet it appears and I am trying to get him over to at least some pellets and fresh food. Unsuccessfully so far! I have and raised parakeets and cockatiels fine through the years but usually from a baby/ young stage.
Sometimes when I go the cage to just talk or check on Gomez he likes to pick up his foot and hold it in his mouth? Is that normal or mean something? How can I help Gomez feel like he is safe and home? Comfortable enough to allow me to touch him without him trying to bite me? Any special training ideas to discouraged this behavior?
Thank you anyone in advance!
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Post by cnyguy on Jan 30, 2021 21:38:57 GMT -5
Sorry for the loss of your mother. I'm sure she would be pleased that you've given Gomez a good home. Parrots can hold a grudge, and Gomez may be upset with you and your son because he disliked being transported in a box. My QP Ralph came home from the pet store in a small cardboard box. While he didn't hold that against me, he did harbor a hatred for cardboard boxes for quite a while afterward. Eventually, Gomez is likely to forgive you. You're really on the right track already. Just sitting calmly near Gomez' cage and talking to him is a good way to help him get used to being with you, and offering favorite treats is helpful too. You need to be extra patient with Gomez because his life has been disrupted and he'll need lots of time to adjust to all the changes. Lots of patience will be needed in getting Gomez used to a new diet too. For parrots unused to eating pellets, I always suggest softening some in water or unsweetened fruit juice and offering them softened. Many parrots will eat the softened pellets more readily than the hard ones until they're used to eating pellets. Reading a good book about QPs would be helpful for you too. One that I often recommend is Mattie Sue Athan's Guide to the Quaker Parrot. Reading through the posts here on the Forum is a good idea too; there are lots of good suggestions and helpful advice to be found here. All the best to you and Gomez.  |
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Post by btroop on Jan 30, 2021 22:24:01 GMT -5
Thank you so much for responding! My husband has laughed at me for weeks now. I catch myself falling through the proverbial "rabbit hole" for hours reading up on the QP breed and things they like and don't. What behaviors they may exhibit. What foods can they have or like. I have even gone down that hole this evening after finding this forum! No joke.
I know that he still has a long life ahead of him and I want to make that the happiest and healthiest I can for him. That's also why after the beginning of my reading about QP'S I decided to try and make the switch to pellets and fresh food for him. Thank you so much for your advice on softening the pellets, no where else had I read that suggestion even here on the forum yet. I will definitely be looking for a copy of that book as well.
Reading on here has given me some other ideas about sitting with him as well. I am an avid reader so I believe I will try to incorporate some of that into my routine for him.
He is actually a very talkative bird. My mother taught him some French words though and I often can't distinguish what they are. But a few habits I know she had like good morning, and goodnight,I love you I have tried to keep consistent for him. I don't know for sure but I'm hoping that he would take comfort from that. I guess this little fellow and I are just gonna keep plugging away at it.
Thank you again and I am sure to be around here a lot more.
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Post by cnyguy on Jan 31, 2021 21:00:40 GMT -5
You're welcome. I'm happy to help if I can. You're doing a great job by doing all your reading and research. Every parrot has his/her own personality and character, so you may find that Gomez in some ways isn't exactly like the way a "typical" QP is described. QPs don't have the clearest speaking voices but as you get used to how he sounds, you'll understand Gomez better, whether he speaks French or English.  My two parrots will eat dry pellets, but they both still enjoy some softened ones every day. Introducing unfamiliar foods requires lots of patience and persistence and accepting having to waste lots of food. It can take months-- sometimes even years-- of repeated attempts before a parrot decides that a particular food is actually good to eat. I'm not too sure about why Gomez holds his foot in his mouth. Is it just one foot, or both (separately, of course)? |
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Post by btroop on Feb 4, 2021 22:03:30 GMT -5
Hello there. Thanks for answering again cnyguy. It's only one foot at a time, alternating, and generally only when I talk to him by the side of the cage. Sometimes he'll stop after a bit and occasionally hell just chatter away at me. Luckily most of he's english words are actually pretty clear. Although he call one of my dogs Phoebe. I can only assume it's because my Ziggy looks like a larger version of my mother's dog Phone. My favorite though is when he hears people and can't see us or wants to talk he says "whatcha doing" too cute. We are still plugging away and I might give him a complex yet. Lol. I call him turkey child when he's being silly.
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Post by nikib5 on Feb 5, 2021 12:02:34 GMT -5
This is so great of you to give Gomez a new, loving home. Gomez is probably missing your mom a lot, so some moodiness on his part is normal, plus he's in a new home. I remember going on a two-week vacation when my Niki was around the same age and he was staying at my parents' house. He pulled all his tail feathers out the first night I was gone. I second the recommendation for Mattie Sue's book. It was like a light bulb for me and gave me some great tips for dealing with behavioral issues.
Niki also liked to do that with his foot. I don't know why. He also would rub his own head. As long as he's not hurting himself, there is no harm. Every bird has its quirks!
Enjoy your new friend!
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 5, 2021 21:10:57 GMT -5
I imagine that in Gomez' mind, Phoebe is synonymous with "dog," so to him, any dog is Phoebe. In the same way, to my old Amazon parrot George, any kind of food was "cracker." |
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My two parrots will eat dry pellets, but they both still enjoy some softened ones every day. Introducing unfamiliar foods requires lots of patience and persistence and accepting having to waste lots of food. It can take months-- sometimes even years-- of repeated attempts before a parrot decides that a particular food is actually good to eat. 
