15 Common Bird Owner Mistakes! 🦜 | Parrot Care | BirdNerdSophie

[@IfWeGoTo]

I'm so happy you left that comment on our video because we found your channel! Whenever we settle down I'm hoping to get a parrot. They're such sweethearts. Will definitely be tuning in to learn more! :)

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Ah that's awesome, it was meant to be, haha! 😁 I am happy that I found your Costa Rica videos - I am desperate to go back but it's not possible right now so I'll live vicariously though you instead! 😂💙

[@IfWeGoTo]

@@BirdNerdSophie Awww I hope you get to soon! It is a wonderful country! Nice to (virtually) meet you!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@IfWeGoTo Nice to meet you too! 😊 Stay safe and happy travels! 🦜

[@ornithologydude8649]

Nice video! One of my favourite topics, owner's mistakes!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you! Hope you’re okay! 😊

[@ornithologydude8649]

@@BirdNerdSophie I'm good enough thx!

[@becurious17]

Thanks for these helpful tips, Sophie! 💜 I hope you and your flock are having a good day today.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video! We are good thanks and hope you are too! 😊

[@RikiandMe]

this was very interesting and important to all owners.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching 😊💙🦜

[@EllisWaynforth]

Hey Sophie, great video as always! Just a thought, a cool video idea would be to ask people the best thing they’ve learnt or what they didn’t know before getting their bird that they think is interesting for new owners to know. It’d be interesting to see what people say and what you think about each one. Just a thought : )

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Great idea, thank you! I’ll add it to my list 😊

[@candicet5973]

Great vid! I have a sad story when I did all of these mistakes..... (Except the mistake with the automatic cleaner or something) When I was 7, I watched a cartoon and a character that I liked got an African grey but it was pink! And it seemed like the bird can understand what they were saying and was free flighted. So I wanted a bird. I got my dad to buy me 2 love birds but I thought they will just come out of the cage and they love me. But it didn't work and they bite really hard. The female's name is tweety and the male's name was raja. Since I had high expectations I didn't do a single research and gave them the most horrible life ever. They were stuck in a tiny cage, it's as big as a travel cage. They had 2 plastic perches, a plastic swing, plastic food bowls and ate only seeds mixed into a bit of olive oil or vegetable oil (I forgot which oil I used). Not only did I feed a terrible diet and had a terrible cage set up, I forgot all about them and the helper was the one to feed and clean them up all the years. 2 years later raja died. Then 2 and a half years later tweety flew away. That probably means she died. Then I wanted to replace tweety and raja by buying to budgies named Mango and Maya. I still didn't do research. They lived in the tiny cage that tweety and raja was in except we removed the plastic perches and used a dowel, a chopstick, and 2 diy natural wood perches. Still fed seeds and the only toys in there r beaded toys with basically beads hanging from a string. I also gave them 2 swings because they lived swings. 1 year later, I researched about birds and found that I need to make changes. My dad made the cage maya is in right now and I got my mom to buy some stuff. But only 2 days before I was going to move them Mango died! I was devastated and crying all night. I really wish he didn't die. He would absolutely love the cage. Maya would have a friend with her. If I can turn back time, I would research about birds so I can save my precious Mango's life, and maybe he will see the cage and keep maya company. That's all my terrible bird keeping past stories. Thanks for reading this looooong comment. Oh and Sophie, speaking of sleep, my family is sometimes rather noisy at night and maya normally sleeps at 10 to wake up at 6. But she normally naps every day she takes a short nap in the morning and a long nap in the afternoon so it's ok right? Uh... Fluffy is an unweaned cockatiel. I got him when he was 1 month and a week old and I had him for the last month so he is 2 months and a week. I have been syringe feeding him for breakfast and dinner (I hate getting up in the morning to feed him) but so far he is fine. It has been a lot easier to convert him to vegetables, but if I add corn to the chop, he will normally eat the corn first then leave the rest of the chop. Should I not include corn next time so he can eat it all?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

We all make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them and want to do better. Ideally you’d want your bird to be getting more sleep - is there another place in the house that she could sleep to get the full 12 hours? She can have corn but it’s not the most nutritious of fed every day!

[@lawstsoul]

Thank you for all of your videos. I took a bird away from a friend of my son who was living with us. The bird was horribly neglected, a passive abuse type situation. Vet is scheduled but they're backed up. Your videos are helping save 2 lives!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you so much for watching and for helping the bird 😊💙

[@lawstsoul]

@@BirdNerdSophie...The irony of the situation is I used to watch videos about parrot meltdowns to remind myself of why I didn't want one. Her situation was so bad it overrode all that. Turns out I absorbed a lot of information about about dealing with trauma and how to prevent meltdowns. Mostly I approach her as if she's autistic like me and respect her boundaries on most things.

[@stephaniemily688]

Hello my friend I like Parrot . Cute ❣️ Thanks for sharing 1 Hobby

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching!

[@dg.262]

Love it - -The beautiful singing birds vs. the reality of birds being birds - the screech, the scream ~ not the I love these scritches purr. I truly hope to hear my little Cockatiel to " sing" her heart out in the A.M. & P.M...and the, " don't you dare leave the room mommy, flock call . This had been annoying to some visitors to my home, but I love her loving to be close to me. 💕🍃🐦🍃💕

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you! They do love to make noise when I’m filming! They do have some adorable noises though, and the flock call can make you feel really good because you know that you’re part of their flock and they want you close!

[@ThatChickenAriana]

Your birds are adorable!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you! 😊

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Nice content!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks pal!

[@spicymilk5129]

Amazing video it made me comfortable with mine

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad to hear it! 💙😁

[@pirinerdogdu4171]

Thank you so much!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

You're welcome!

[@ellenstrycker1239]

I love that you have small birds. I have two cockatiels and a green cheek who runs the house so I can relate lol

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha yes all of our green cheeks are in charge - small birds with big personalities 😂💙

[@hannahs.481]

I love your shirt!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you! 😊💙🦜

[@miaalesia8973]

Hey sophie!! can you make a video about converting parrots from seeds to a healthy diet? My cockatiel won’t eat anything but seeds and I don’t want him to be hungry, but I don’t know how to go about changing his diet.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hi Mia! Thanks for watching! I have a video here on encouraging your birds to eat veggies! You can also offer fresh herbs such as mint and rosemary for your bird t shed as we find it often encourages them to try healthier foods! kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5O5q6x8qZ2Nj5Y

[@badif957]

Hi Sophie, I have two green cheek conures, a male and a female. I would like to add a sun conure to the flock, but I‘m not sure whether you can combine different sorts of birds. Do your cockatiels get along with the conures? Are they out of their cages at the same time? Thank you very much and happy Easter from Germany to good old Britain.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! I wouldn’t house them in the same cage, but they may get along with supervised out of cage time! Pickles tolerates our cockatiels if they don’t get too close, the other conures don’t want to be friends at the moment but that’s because they are rescues and we are working on bonding! They do come out of the cage at the same time but they don’t choose to interact with each other! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@badif957]

Thanks a lot for your fast and detailed reply, dear Sophie.

[@hibye5605]

Hi Sophie. Do you know if halogen ovens are safe to use around birds? Ever since we got our budgies we've gave up using our cooking gadgets like air fryers etc. Are there any safe alternatives? What do you use? Thanks

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! There's conflicting info on halogen ovens and air fryers - the best thing to do is contact them manufacture to make sure there's no Teflon, PTFE or PFOA, though these forum posts may be of use: theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/halogen-ovens.27303/ www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/77810-any-safe-air-fryers-instapots-out-there.html I'll be honest, I'm terrible at cooking so I haven't researched many kitchen gadgets, though I'd love an ait fryer if I could find a safe one. WE just use a gas oven and other standard kitchen top appliances!

[@vanessafarber3043]

Hi sophie, love your video's. Can i ask where you bought and what your stand is in the back ground please? Also wanted to tell you I'm training my Tiel to be weighed after your advice, Thank you! She's on a moult at mo, she's a bit nippy so I'm giving her some space but still letting her know I'm boss ha ha. I made a huge mistake of buying a Quaker from a pet shop, I'm now having to rehome the poor baby as cant get near him, tried so hard, nothing works, not evrn target through cage or food. Feel so bad for him, think he needs to be in an avery. Keep up with vids please xxxx

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey Vanessa - have you watched my trust video to help with your Quaker? We also offer behaviour consultations if you were ever interested :) The stand is called 'Rainforest T Bar Stand'

[@vanessafarber3043]

@@BirdNerdSophie Hi, thank you so much. I rehimed my Quaker, he's gone to a lovely home and they have a Quaker already. My Trudy (Tiel) grazed her face on her rope while in her cage, blood everywhere. After a vet visit, shes ok thankfully. Keep up with your fab videos. Love watching them xx

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@vanessafarber3043 glad to hear she is okay, and great that the Quaker has found a home!

[@karmy]

do you have any specific carrier recommendations?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

We have the Parrot Backpack Carrier from Northern Parrots 😊

[@EllisWaynforth]

I thought my bird didn’t like going to the bottom of the cage. Recently started using the whole cage and substrate at the bottom and now he loves going down there!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s awesome, I’m glad he likes it 😊

[@R0zuky]

I have two budgies and I'm planning on getting a green cheek conure. Unfortunately, I didn't find any avian vet in my area (Somerset) and I'm probably going to move out as soon as possible.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Castle Veterinary Practice and Great Western Exotic Vets are in/near Somerset and treat birds!

[@candicet5973]

Hi Sophie I have a new carrier for Fluffy but it wasn't a bag carrier like yours it is a small cage carrier. (I removed the bars on this one since this wasn't made by my dad I could remove the bars.) Fluffy hates going back in the cage so he is frightened of this one. Can u do a video on how to train your bird to be alright with a cage carrier? Or can u reply some tips for me? Thanks

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! Yes either I or David will definitely make this video!

[@candicet5973]

@@BirdNerdSophie yay thanks

[@mjcrouse]

Do you have any recommended links like Northern Parrot for supplies in the US?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey Michael! Some of the best US parrot supplies stores are Planet Pleasures, My Safe Bird Store, Greywood Manor teas and China Prairie Products! :)

[@mjcrouse]

@@BirdNerdSophie Thank you for the quick response

[@mjcrouse]

What was the app you mentioned in your video?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It’s called BirdTricks 😊

[@mjcrouse]

@@BirdNerdSophie thanks

[@candicet5973]

Sophie!!! Fluffy got in the carrier (only if there was sesame in the bowls) and we went downstairs and outside!! Fluffy actually went outside!!! In the carrier (he didn't care as long as he had sesame) and we went to my cousins next door (I didn't go in bc their dog is out and she hates me) so I just waved through the window but *FLUFFY WENT OUTSIDE IN THE CARRIER FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!* 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃 Also, I made them a brand new tree stand and used substrate in the base!! Fluffy loves throwing the substrate out tho 😑 but this tree stand is a lot better than my old one! I'll email a picture!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s awesome! Nice work! 😊💙🦜

[@Clover_knows_pets]

First like first view first comment!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching!

[@d1rklvr]

So, my tiel has recently started being really tired, staying still, not making noise,etc. she’s still eating and there’s no other signs of illness. Is this a normal thing or should I go to the vet?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I would say it’s worth a check up as signs like this can sometimes indicate that they aren’t feeling great!

[@d1rklvr]

@@BirdNerdSophie ok! Thanks!

[@13Ruby]

Hey Sophie! 💙 As you know, I had birds quite a while ago and I know I didn’t make everything right. For example I didn’t go with them to an Avian Vet, I just did go to a normal vet for all animals. I didn’t know any better, but know that I do, I would want for my future birds that they get the best care possible. Then I researched.. and found out, that there isn’t any Avian Vet nearby... the next is 40 minutes away. What would you do? Go to the normal vet, that is 5 minutes away or would you take the 40 minutes? I don’t know what to do and if I‘m being honest, that’s a reason for me to not get birds, even if it’s just the only reason.. Ahhh, I‘m so sad. :/

[@BirdNerdSophie]

At least you to then to a vet! Some people think they can just treat everything at home! As for the vet, I’d go to the one 40 minutes away as at least then you’d know you would see someone who knows about birds! It’s possible the closer one would send you there anyway and you’d have wasted time and money! It’s not that far in the grand scheme of things! 💙🦜😊

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

Doesn't hurt to talk to your local vet. All vets are trained in basic bird care, usually some basic emergency bird care as well, like setting broken bones, blood feathers, beak issues, and blood work, they will also be able to prescribe treatments, or recommend you to an avian vet if it is out of their realm of ability. The avian vet is always a better option, they will know 100% everything on bird maintenance and care. I'd say if it isn't major, your local vet should be able to handle it. All you can really do is ask how much experience they do have, and what injuries or checkups they are able to preform. If they tell you they didn't do the bird training course, or do not want to deal with birds, then yea, avian vet all the way!

[@judygadsby522]

Sorry hope it's OK to ask here, my cockateil is constantly preening lately more and more bigger feathers coming out. Is this normal?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

No that’s just a moult 😊

[@judygadsby522]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank u

[@starriq9083]

I'm going to eat I'll watch later 😄 Could you do a video on non-toxic diy bird toys that can work hanging on cages because I can't go to the store rn and my birds destroyed there toys already

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s cool! I have DIY toys video up, have you seen it?

[@candicet5973]

@@BirdNerdSophie I saw it and it was great, but maybe another video of it so we have more ideas?

[@starriq9083]

Ya I was wondering if there's any ideas on what to make to hang in the cage

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

Spent 6 months weeding out bad information online, went to the library to check out books. Then decided budgies were the right parrot for me. Bought everything they could need. Then looked for the birds themselves. Been looking for a travel carrier still. Right now I just use one of my rescue budgies cages, which isn't all that big for every day use, but not bad for temporary travel use. Avian vets are over an hour away from me, really hope I never need one for an emergency. I had 0 expectations when I got the budgies, I just wanted something that is known to be very vocal, and would keep me company. Which they do. I think people don't know just how loud birds can be, in my area, pet stores keep birds behind sound proof glass now. Talk about falsely advertising something lol. Wish I could free flight my birds outside. We have giant predator birds that constantly hover around my home. Inside they all fly laps around the room several times of the day. With the 4 different foraging areas spread around the room they need to. My gym foraging area requires climbing around. I got the wrong toys right off the bat. The sad thing is it seems like almost everything on Amazon is plastic crap or full of bells, or rock hard wood. I fixed that asap. Really wish BirdTricks would sell a full box of their own brand of toys, I would love to buy one. Instead 50% of the box is planetpleasures toys with tags removed so you cannot tell (unless you shop from them all the time and can spot their products lol). After I let my birds out, they have 0 interest in going back in, So I kinda find the idea of substrate for the bottom of the cage a waste of money. If I was keeping them in their cage I would consider it though. All my birds are insane, therefor all birds are insane :P clipped bird wing RAGE! I mean seriously, that would be like buying a fish and chopping off their fins cause you don't want them to swim away >< With depression I also need 12+ hours of dark sleep. One of the reasons I decided to go with a bird instead of a neeeeeedy dog. lol I agree on the weight thing, easiest way to tell if your bird is getting sick of a large shift in their weight. I am guessing Holly was constantly chased around her old home. Anything not a bird approaches her she runs off. :( Bird first aid is defiantly part of research. Was interesting to learn how to use corn starch and cayenne powder for bird injuries. On a parrot discord I am part of, to many people who buy un weened birds, and die. Broke my heart every single time. I kept telling people to never do it, but everyone always knows better than anyone else. Also yes, BAD BREEDER who sells un weened. Always check references and reviews on a breeder before you buy from one! Sunny chirping his little feathery butt off while on my shoulder, while I try to listen to this video lol! Hope all is well with everyone!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Our local avian vet is 25 minutes away which is great but they only work two days a week! Yes I've seen most of their toys are PP branded! I think they make their own with parts from My Safe Bird Store - you guys get so many cool toy parts over in the US! We have lots of alternate time in and out for the birds to make being out unpredictable which helps with the problem of not wanting to go home! We find it a lot with our clients who have their birds out for hours and hours! Its really sad with unweaned birds. They are so delicate and some people get them just to 'give hand feeding a go' when it's a bird's life at stake! We are all good thanks, hope you guys are too!

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

@@BirdNerdSophie My Safe Bird Store, good to know, thanks! I'd love to just make my own. Why not cut out the extra costs of BT. Love the channel, but sheesh on prices (gotta love capitalism? I guess lol. Doing better, getting outside, playing Pokemon Go. Good incentive for myself to get out!

[@francescadonnelly9619]

Do you have any tips for keeping the room dark now it is getting lighter, without covering the cage. The birds are up at 6 and even when we leave the room on a night they are still awake because it’s lighter.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

You can get cheap blackout blinds on Amazon 😊

[@RCBirds]

Great👏👏👏

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you 😊

[@candicet5973]

Hi Sophie! Fluffy lost 3 grams today. I didn't recall him today. Normally he would either gain 1 gram (3/5 of the time he would gain grams) or gain 2 grams, or sometimes if I exercised him he would lose 1 gram or 2 grams. He never lost 3 grams before! But I don't think he is sick. Maybe he has been exercising in his cage while I'm studying. If he gets below 100 grams tho I'm gonna take him to the vet. He is 103 rn so if he loses 4 more grams (probably won't tho) I'll take him to the vet. I'm trying to make the least amount of mistakes 😄 not like before where I had no clue about birds 😔

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Weights can fluctuate! I'd be concerned if he was losing 10% of his body weight, or it was continuously going down.

[@WittleIndianGirl]

Ma’am? What is the name of the app you use again? You and your husband are absolute angels. I’m so glad I found Mr. David and he sent me to you.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Aw thank you so much 💙 The app is called BirdTricks

[@WittleIndianGirl]

@@BirdNerdSophie thank you so much! I’ve subscribed to both of you! 💛🧡🤍

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you 🥰

[@Zakiazak27]

😂 😂 😂 😂 I recognize mine in reality they scream so muuuuuch!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha they love to be vocal!

[@amym.4823]

A common household danger for birds is an air purifier with an ionizer setting. The ionizer imparts an electric charge to dust particles which is really bad for bird lungs.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Absolutely!

[@cassandrareinhart1712]

Is pickles a cinnamon greencheek?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

She’s a pineapple turquoise! 😊

[@dorkusamericanus]

Great video. I do have to disagree a bit about the biting thing tho, regarding parrotlets. They like to give love bites and to groom the people they love. It’s not a sign of anything wrong to be nibbled on by a parrotlet. It’s very widely known by parrotlet guardians that this is what they do. They chew on us

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching! I believe I mentioned in the video that there is a difference between nibbles and biting - my conures all nibble which is normal for their species too, but they shouldn’t be lashing out and biting hard!

[@dorkusamericanus]

@@BirdNerdSophie I see. Sorry if I misunderstood (it can hurt a lot when they give love bites, so when I first got my boy, it thought he was angry at me, didn’t realize he considered me part of his flock and was trying to get rid of my freckles and moles)

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@dorkusamericanus Sounds just like my Scampi and Pickles! I wish there was a way of telling them they can express their love without pinching 😂

[@kurapikakurta1997]

This is what my friends cockatoo does! Jet likes to give little friendly nibbles all the time.

[@tomferrier6143]

Every time i watch one of these videos, i change a few things for our birds. One day, I'll not be guilty of one of these. Let's see, is today the day?!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha, I don't think we should ever be too rigid in our approach to bird care - it's always evolving and there is always something to improve!

[@tomferrier6143]

@@BirdNerdSophie one of my birds is much, much more anxious and really afraid of hands (and the world in general). He's made a ton of progress, but it's much slower than the other one, who has no issues with hands or pretty much anything else, unless it's red lol. Despite a year of offering treats, quite often the anxious boy will still refuse a hand (when I see he wants to bite or steps away, i back off and don't force it). Training seems to be fairly straightforward with a 'normal' disposition bird and quite difficult with an anxious bird. Is there any way to really encourage him to trust hands, or is it entirely possible that he will stay sort of wary and cautious of them for his whole life? I've tried to examine what triggers may be for him but he just seems skittish in general, whether things are quiet or not.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@tomferrier6143 it’s highly likely that you can increase his confidence- we have a lot of clients with our parrot behaviour consultancy who come to use with anxious birds so we have a lot of experience with these situations but as you can imagine, there’s loads to cover. If you were ever interested in a consultation, drop me an email and I can let you know the details as it’s much easier to give personalised advice! But no pressure obviously, was just a thought! When do you try and train? We usually recommend in the morning before breakfast so they’re more likely to be hungry and motivated. You can also provide chamomile as a tea or in his food as it’s great for anxious birds. Do you do many passive interactions next to the cage? Watch KZbin, scroll social media etc with out directly interacting with them? That can help them get used to you without feeling like you’re in their face so to speak! What’s the background like for the anxious bird, where was he from? Sometimes past experiences really stick and it can take some time to break!

[@tomferrier6143]

@@BirdNerdSophie thanks! I probably will send an email, just will take some time to gather some thoughts. Much easier to watch youtube videos while at work than it is to communicate meaningful information lol

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@tomferrier6143 haha of course, no woriies!

[@OfficialBirdBro]

Number 3

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching!

[@OfficialBirdBro]

Welcome

[@87.l9]

Lol I have the same t shirt as you expect it has budgies on it

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha nice one! I'll get that one at some point too!

[@moos5737]

You dont have any cages on your Amazon, is that just because you dont buy your from there?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! Most of the cages we recommend are always out of stock on Amazon which is annoying! If you need any recommendations, let me know 😊

[@moos5737]

I want a bird, but am not able to get one so I dont need any recommendations just yet 😁. When I'm ready I'm sure I'll ask for some though ❤.

[@ichibansspirits2727]

I love your channel. I just got a female white faced cockatiel 2 months ago. Suscribe❤️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks so much for watching! 💙 That’s awesome, what’s her name?

[@ichibansspirits2727]

@@BirdNerdSophie haven’t really picked the perfect name for her. For now I name her kipo. I sent yon a email ❤️