Ivan_416

My parrotlet did this too! Turned out it was because of boredom from lack of enrichment and mental stimulation. Once I addressed that, everything went back to normal.

Oh man, this brings back memories. When we were dealing with this with Sky, I thought we'd never get through it. Now it's just a funny memory. It gets better, I promise.

I showed this post to my bird and they looked at me with zero remorse. They know what they're doing.

Revisiting this thread because I have more info now. After talking to my vet, they confirmed exactly what people here said. This community knows their stuff.

Don't worry, this is super common with Pionus. You're doing great!

What does their diet look like? Sometimes these things are diet-related.

BST in Mississauga took such good care of my bird. Best bird sitting service in the GTA by far.

Just joined! I have a beautiful Indian Ringneck named Biscuit and we live in Oakville. I spend way too much time talking to my bird and taking photos of them. Looking to learn more about bird care, nutrition, and training from people who actually know what they're talking about. Nice to meet you all!

Been thinking about adopting a rescue instead of buying from a breeder. Any experiences with rescue birds in Ontario? What should I expect in terms of behavioral challenges? Which rescue organizations do you recommend?

Great question! So in my experience with canary, this usually comes down to a few things. First, using a shower perch so they can bathe with warm mist. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to stress from loud noises like construction because that was a huge factor for my Kiwi. Hope that helps!

Hey welcome! You'll love this community. Feel free to ask anything, everyone here is super helpful!

What worked for me was putting treats inside paper cups, folded paper, or tissue for foraging. Took about a week but my parrotlet responded really well to it.

Hang in there! It gets better. My parrotlet went through this too.

What water do you give your birds? I've been using Toronto tap water (which is generally good) but now I'm second-guessing myself. Is filtered necessary? Distilled? Spring water? Am I overthinking this?

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

I joined a bird owners meetup group in the GTA — great way to get in-person advice and let the birds socialize. Check Facebook groups!

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

I've done a ton of research on this because my cockatiel had the same issue. Here's what I learned: the most common cause is a change in routine or schedule. What worked for us was switching to stainless steel water bowls and changing water twice daily. I also started giving warm food (like a warmed mash) on cold Toronto mornings and noticed improvement within a week. It's a process but it gets better.

Planning a deep clean of the bird room this weekend. What's your spring cleaning routine? I'm thinking new cage liner, scrubbing all perches, sanitizing toys, washing cage cover. What bird-safe disinfectant do you use? My umbrella cockatoo is going to be SO annoyed.

It took me a while to figure this out with my bird too. Don't be too hard on yourself — you're learning!