Pet Forum / Birds / Parrots / March 2004

Oddly enough I find some comfort in knowing that there are other tiels who
do this, and Henry is not just really stupid - LOL

TV

I'm positive she's eating it.  I saw saw her break off a piece and crunch on
it like she does with her seed and cuttlebone.  *gag*

I'm so with you on the vacuum cleaner idea.  Henry loves to toss sunflower
seeds out of her cage and watch/listen to them hit the hardwood floor.  I
often walk up to her after she has done this to ask her who she thinks is
going to clean up her mess...I'm still waiting for an answer - LOL

Cheers,
TV

Hi Laurie,

Thank you for the google suggestions.  I will see what I can find.  Henry is
on a seed diet, her choice, not mine.  I have tried NUMEROUS different types
of veggies, etc, presentation/serving methods and it's really hit and miss
with her.  She'll TRY just about anything she sees you eating, but very
rarely will she indulge beyond the first nibble.  Because of this, I have
added a vitamin/mineral/amino acid enriched greens mixture to her diet to
ensure she is getting sufficient nutritional support.  I looked to the
nutritional chart on the back of the can and Choline is one of the vitamins
included in this mix.  :o)

She doesn't go looking for poop to eat, thank goodness!  It's more if she
finds a dried up piece stuck to a perch or something.  I am hoping it's an
attention seeking device, b/c she has learned that doing such a thing causes
me to fuss over her (more than I already do).

Cheers,
TV

LOL!!  Well I must say that I am somewhat relieved that this behaviour is
not exclusive to Henry.

Thanks again everyone!  I really appreciate your help.

Cheers,
TV

Cockatiels are relatively smart birds.

--
Stephen Oakes

Actually she does this inside her cage.  If she poops outside her cage it
doesn't sit there long enough to get dry and crusty *yuck*.  :o)

TV

Well...I have had Henry for 14 years this spring.  I can't say WHY exactly,
but we just assumed that Henry was male (he's Lutino and so more difficult
to determine by colour, ie. bars under the tail).  Last fall, at 13 years of
age, Henry laid her very first clutch of eggs...which was well documented
here as I was freaking out.  LOL  So to our surprise Henry was really a Hen.

time, especially consider she responds to her name.

Looking back, I'm not sure why we assumed she was a *he* especially
considering her inability (or want) to talk or pick up on simple whistling
tune....but I'm sure she doesn't know that Henry is a *boys* name :o)

Another interesting tidbit unique to her which should have tipped me off -
whenever she hears a baby cry, either in real life or television she goes
CRAZY screaming and pacing back and forth until the baby stops.   It's
really quite something!  I should have known all along :o)

Cheers,
TV