u/Firm-Age-5278

My vet said I should switch my bird from seed to pellets. I see conflicting info on this but have been trying to incorporate pellets as at least some diversity in diet. But my birds first personality trait is stubbornness! I’ve been trying to incorporate Harrison’s super fine pellets, with the seed he was on as well as nutriberries and avicakes. He sorts through them like he’s a micro surgeon. I have blended them into a dust, coated his seed, his millet, his favorite fruits and vegetables for weeks and he still won’t eat a pellet willingly. Is this a lost cause? I’m on the verge of giving up but I want him to be healthy. When I took him for a checkup the vet said he weighed 50g which is a lot, but he said he looked perfect, so maybe he’s just a bigger guy?

In may we found a bird outside at a neighborhood birthday party under a rainbow and after a downpour. After posting his picture on local groups trying to find the owner we decided we could hold onto him for a few days to wait until someone came forward. 2 months later no one has and he is now such an awesome family member. I haven’t had a parakeet since I was my son’s age (9) but I have been loving bonding with this guy. Considering his circumstances we named him Lucky and he’s come so far from the scared little bird we found. I was shocked no one came forward for him because he’s hand tame and so smart and sweet. We’ve been working on getting him comfortable and recently he’s been doing a great job of coming to me when I call (with millet) I’m hoping one day he will sit on my shoulder and chill!

Thanks to everyone in my last post who told me my parakeet Lucky looked happy!

We found him about a month ago loose in our neighborhood after a rainstorm and no one came forward for him so he’s become part of our family. He is very beautiful and chatty, not aggressive at all, but very skittish and stubborn. I have the hardest time coaxing him back into his cage. I have 2 kids with various activities in their schedule so we’re in and out half of the week. I want him to be able to freely roam/fly around but it takes me 15-20 mins to get him back in his cage, I try using a long perch, millet and other treats to convince him but he will fly off as soon as he feels elevation change or movement. I’ve been working with him on stepping up and recall and it feels like everyday I have to start again, like 50 first dates.

I want to get him a friend, but I can’t imagine trying to get 2 birds back in their cage with a time crunch to get my kids to activities.

Any advice on a sure fire way to get him home? Am I right to wait until he’s trained to add another bird? How long does this usually take? Like I said, I came into this by chance, not really by choice, though I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to have given him a safe loving home. I want him to be happy but I don’t want to drive everyone crazy with bird catching every day 🤣

I found this parakeet flying around my neighborhood approximately 3 weeks ago and looked for the owner but they never came forward. We named him Lucky because there was a double rainbow when we spotted him and we’re in NJ where the weather can be 90 degrees one day and 50 the next so he’s lucky we could keep him safe!

He’s very chill, doesn’t bite, but does seem hesitant to trust. I’ve been working with him on stepping up but he flys away pretty quickly and won’t hang out. He’s pretty chatty and I have formed an attachment to him 🤣! I haven’t had parakeets since I was a child so I’m wondering if more experienced parakeet parents can tell me whether this behavior is a sign of being content? Or is he stressed. I like to think we’re bonding and he is happy with my efforts to keep him enriched, but what do I know