Post by Davey B on Mar 14, 2018 13:17:41 GMT -5
Hi
I emigrated from the UK to Bulgaria five years ago and in November my father sadly passed away and so I decided to buy a companion bird for my mother who still lives in the UK.
I purchased a hand reared tame bird, but my mother has informed me that Albie as he is called (although we do not know if he is a she as it has not been DNA sexed), arrived with feathers missing from his neck. I contacted the person I bought him from and he told me that another bird had been pulling the feathers. Initially I thought this was a fair explanation as I felt if Albie was pulling his feathers out it would have been round his chest/wings, but my mother has said that she has seen him put his foot round his neck and he pulls the feathers out.
I now understand that there is a thing called Quaker Mutilation Syndrome (on this site) and am concerned that although not to the extreme that Albie is chewing/tearing the skin around his neck that he may be suffering the early stages of it.
Albie loves being out his cage and sits on my mother whilst she vacuums and does housework and interacts with her, but as soon as he goes on the top of his cage he starts th aforemntioned behaviour.
Having works in zoos for many years I have some understanding of animal behaviour and have advised my mother to provide him with plenty of toys (which he does not seem interested in) and provide him fruit/veg kababs etc. I have also advised to provide him plenty of twigs branches for him to chew on namely willow, apple, pear etc although I have read not oak.
It is early days as my mother has only had the bird for two days and wonder if the behaviour he is showing may be down to the stress of being moved , although he seems at home with my mother d settled in very quickly letting her know as soon as she gets up that he wants to be out of his cgae and happily saunters around the top of his cage on the floor and around the furniture.
Basically I have advised my mother interact with him, provide plenty of things for him to play interact with to try and keep him occupied, but any advice would be much appreciated.
Davey B
I emigrated from the UK to Bulgaria five years ago and in November my father sadly passed away and so I decided to buy a companion bird for my mother who still lives in the UK.
I purchased a hand reared tame bird, but my mother has informed me that Albie as he is called (although we do not know if he is a she as it has not been DNA sexed), arrived with feathers missing from his neck. I contacted the person I bought him from and he told me that another bird had been pulling the feathers. Initially I thought this was a fair explanation as I felt if Albie was pulling his feathers out it would have been round his chest/wings, but my mother has said that she has seen him put his foot round his neck and he pulls the feathers out.
I now understand that there is a thing called Quaker Mutilation Syndrome (on this site) and am concerned that although not to the extreme that Albie is chewing/tearing the skin around his neck that he may be suffering the early stages of it.
Albie loves being out his cage and sits on my mother whilst she vacuums and does housework and interacts with her, but as soon as he goes on the top of his cage he starts th aforemntioned behaviour.
Having works in zoos for many years I have some understanding of animal behaviour and have advised my mother to provide him with plenty of toys (which he does not seem interested in) and provide him fruit/veg kababs etc. I have also advised to provide him plenty of twigs branches for him to chew on namely willow, apple, pear etc although I have read not oak.
It is early days as my mother has only had the bird for two days and wonder if the behaviour he is showing may be down to the stress of being moved , although he seems at home with my mother d settled in very quickly letting her know as soon as she gets up that he wants to be out of his cgae and happily saunters around the top of his cage on the floor and around the furniture.
Basically I have advised my mother interact with him, provide plenty of things for him to play interact with to try and keep him occupied, but any advice would be much appreciated.
Davey B
