Goffins playgul behavior??

Question
thx soooo much! I named my baby Lakota as im not sure male or female. the breeder i got him from..i am less than thrilled with. i make all sorts of fresh foods & he wants nothing to due w/ them, she was cutting his formula w/baby food and giving him mac n cheese! thats it.. any tips on how to make the other foods intersting? my tiels jumped in and converted my older stubborn tiel. i try and let him watch the tiels eathing on their playstand..but...
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Followup To

Question -
Hi there,
I am very familiar with the antics of tiels, as i have pets that ive handfed from 3 1/2 weeks old. having a bigger parrot, (a goffins) is new to me. ive read everything i can find.. he is a little over 9 weeks old. im handfeeding him. he has just dicovered in the last 4 days he can fly, and that he loves it. :>) my quesitons is this..i cant find anything on "playful" body language, only crest position. he does this thing that i think is playing. while on my lap he raises his crest, rubs his head on me, spreads his wings out and wiggles and sqwacks. hahah funny sounding i know. but im so interested in playful body language (if thats what it is) and cant find anything. what are your thoughts?
Amanda

Answer -
Hi Amanda and congratulations on your new parrot. It does sound like the behaviour is playful and that he is trying to get your attention in a good way, it sounds like he is trying to be affectionate. This is good as some parrots can show playful behaviour in forms that are not so good, like biting your finger! Parrots can be quite naughty as they will find it funny if you scream or make a noise when they bite you and will keep on doing it to get a reaction. At this young age you can train your parrot not to bite. If he tries to bite you then do not make any noise, he will soon get bored. Instead give him lots of praise when he shows affection and plays with his toys, he can attack his toys as violently as he wants! Some parrots will also dance like a human by bobbing their head up and down, they will even dance to music if they see you dancing! Some birds are tame enough to lie on their backs and have their belly tickled. One of my parrots will not lie on his back but does enjoy having his belly tickled and repeats the phrase "tickle tickle" when he wants to be tickled. There are lots of games that you can play with your bird such as getting your bird to place a little toy in a cup and the rewarding him for doing it right or hiding a treat and then letting him find it. These games are just for fun and don't have to be taken too seriously. At this young age, one important thing that can affect behaviour is nutrition. Try to ensure that you bird is getting a balanced diet that consists of pellets, lots of vegetables, grains, fruits and small amounts of nuts and seeds. That way your bird hopefully will remain happy and healthy. Thanks for your question, if you have any more just ask and I would be glad to help!

Answer
Your welcome, glad I could help. I understand your frustration at the bad eating habits that the breeder has already given him. This can be hard to rectify as I found with my rescued parrot who had been fed a seed only diet combined with junk food, you can imagine his feathers were in an awful state. However you are doing the right thing by making him fresh food, the problem is that he does not recongnise them as food. As parrots are so interested in what we eat, maybe you could eat some while you have your parrot beside you and then he may want to eat some off your plate. My parrot was very shy of all new foods but did eventually try most things when they were left in the bowl with his pellets, he got used to the strange looking foods and decided to try them while he was eating his pellets. Try tasty things like rice, cooked carrots and fresh chopped fruit. There are also parrot recipes that can be found online and parrots really enjoy some of these. Try making a "bird bread" there are many different types, if you try some parrot website you should find some. Some of the recipes can be followed and then the food can be put in little bags and then frozen to use each day. Vegetables are fine to feed every day but I wouldn't give fruit every day as these are high in sugar. Also green veg like broccoli is very good for birds and they seem to enjoy it, just make sure that all vegetables are washed well before use. Hopefully you will be able to get him eating a much better diet! Good luck and feel free to ask any more questions if you have any