Hi from Kitchener — proud budgie parent!

Hello! Been lurking on this forum for a bit and finally decided to make an account and participate. I've had my Senegal parrot Zazu for about 3 years now. Always nice to connect with other bird people in the GTA — most people I know think I'm crazy for having a bird lol. Excited to be here!

Welcome!! Looking forward to hearing more about your feathered friend. Don't be shy about asking questions!

Welcome!! Looking forward to hearing more about your feathered friend. Don't be shy about asking questions!

For this I'd highly recommend Harrison's pellets. My cockatiel loves it and my vet approved it too.

I've had birds for 15 years and I've seen this many times. In my experience it usually comes down to not enough quality sleep — they need 10-12 hours uninterrupted.

Absolutely love hearing success stories! This gives me so much hope for me and Tiki. Thank you for sharing!

Dealt with this for months. What finally worked was changing the lighting schedule and just being really patient. They come around eventually.

Okay but counterpoint — what about birds that are the complete opposite? My cockatiel breaks every rule lol.

I know how stressful this can be. Just know you're not alone and most of us have been through something similar.

How old is your bird? That might explain it — my African Grey went through something similar around 10 years.

Oh my bird did this for about almost six weeks and I tried everything. Honestly, time was the biggest factor. They just grew out of it.

Great question! So in my experience with green cheek conure, this usually comes down to a few things. First, getting natural java wood perches from a specialty bird store. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to the cage being in a high-traffic or drafty location because that was a huge factor for my Oliver. Hope that helps!

Hmm, I'm on the fence about this one. Part of me agrees but then I think about my experience with Coco and it doesn't quite line up.