Looking for Possible Help/Advice

[mojo]

Hi

Just found you guys so wondering if you can offer some advice. Mojo my baby is a baby. I've had him a month now and he came straight from a private aviary nest via pet shop. He's a sweet and very tame and trusting baby and we have a really strong bond together and I do not confine him beyond closing his door at night. My concerns are two fold - but it may be that he's still too young and therefore they are not concerns and that's why I am asking.



1. Mojo doesn't seem to like fruit or veg. I've tried him with peashoots, cucumber, watercress (the only thing he has nibbled), water melon, grape, spinach as well as organic weeds - groundsell and chickweed - all to no avail. He just is not interested though I have bought him a very good seed mix which he loves, I know he needs more. He also doesn't drink. I have only seem him take a sip on one occasion.

2. Mojo doesn't play or chew. I have tried to make him toys of paper in balls with a little sprig of millet inside as a treat to tempt him to chew the paper to get to the treat but no. I have also bought him toys and a swing perch and no to them all. He also doesn't so far like getting wet. I have bought him a special cat drinking bowl which is USB powered so its a gentle trickle but he won't have it nor did wetting watercress pique his interest either.



I've had loads of birds all my life, usually rescues, but he's the first budgie and the first non-rescue so I'm no expert with budgies. Although every other bird I owned has also been tamed by me quickly and relatively easily they all used to chew, play and liked to bathe. They also loved watercress in particular both to bath in and eat and also I had no problems feeding a little fruit and greens.



So I am wondering if I am expecting too much of him too soon. He's I'm guessing a May hatching (the only one that survived otherwise I would have had 2) has not really started moulting yet beyond a few odd downy feathers, has baby head bars and he's blue and white.



Would love to know and hear other input.

Thanks

Mojo's Mum

[ladybird]

I will not be the best person to give you advice so I will leave that to someone more experienced. But I will say that yes I think you are expecting too much of him too soon. He will be drinking but just when you are not watching. He is very young and playing with toys and trying new foods will come so don’t worry. Lovely that he is so tame, he sounds lovely…..can we have some pictures please? You will get plenty of advice , in the meantime just enjoy him.

[Loz]

I will second everything Ladybird said!

[rozenda]

I thought it was better to give salad cress and not water cress ?

[Hezz]

One of the most vulnerable times for a bird is when they are drinking so a new bird will often not be seen to drink until it feels perfectly safe with you - drinking in front of you should be applauded, quietly of course - we don’t want to scare him. I should add that this applies to budgies even more so as they are a desert bird and therefore drink very little anyway, and can go for periods of time before needing to drink.

The other issue of getting him to eat his greens is harder with an only bird as he doesn’t have anyone to show him that they really are food. A flock teach the youngsters what to eat and what not to eat and he hasn’t got that. As he bonds with you more you may be able to teach him yourself - eating good healthy food in front of him and watch him try to eat everything you do. Munch a piece off a carrot stick for example and then offer it to him when he is showing interest in what you have. Also some budgies like little pieces of a mix of veg and others prefer larger chunks on a skewer that they can chew off and fling around. Mine have all been “chunk-sters” rather than ‘chop-sters” but that’s just them. While you are waiting for him to want to eat what you are eating, prepare a plate/bowl of chop and sprinkle a little of his seed over it to entice him to try. He’ll want to eat the seed and gradually will try the other stuff as well. You will generally have the most luck with food most like their natural native food which is seeding grasses. If you have access to any that haven’t been exposed to herbicides or pesticides, or even fertiliser, pick some, rinse off and hang in the cage still wet. Since he is having a moult at the moment he may appreciate the wet foliage for a shimmy - budgies’ way of washing in the desert. You may even see him drink the droplets of water off the foliage.

[mojo]

[mojo]

Hello
Thank you all for your invaluable assistance with Mojo.  I've put you up a picture of him.  That was taken 2 weeks ago he doesn't have black bars on his head just blue and white feathers now.  He's still not keen on greens or fruit, nor taking a bath or getting wet.  I've moved his drinking bowl to a place that is higher (his cage is not a budgie cage its a temporary one until I can get him a Montana) and its big and he only likes the penthouse area of it so I shall see if that makes him more inclined to drink and whether he becomes more curious with toys and chewing things (I've bought him lots) as he gets bigger.
Once again enormous thanks to you all
Elle (Mojo's mum)

[Hezz]

Hope it is not a problem, but he is actually a she. You have a hen.

[Marianne Marlow]

A very pretty hen reminiscent of my dearly departed Polly

Aug 19, 2023 0:44:28 GMT Hezz said:

Hope it is not a problem, but he is actually a she. You have a hen.