We chose a boy chick (the difference is visible with African Greys, the girls are slightly lighter in color around their shoulders), because we thought he might be more friendly. But from what we’ve learned, the friendliness also comes from how they are treated at an early age.
We had already said we wanted a boy chick, so when we arrived, Ludvig was waiting for us. The breeder showed us how to feed him and explained how to start training him so he was part of the pack, rather than us part of his flock.
The breeder also suggested that on the way home, we have the box open that he was being carried in. This seemed counter-intuitive to me, as I would have thought keeping him in a dark safe environment was less scary, but we did what he said and were treated to a little parroty head sticking out of the box watching carefully what was going on. The breeder said it would help him to bond to us as he would feel he was going somewhere with us, and not being somewhere dark until he got to his new home and everything was a suprise.
Emilio, the breeder, had been feeding him on pellets, rather than mixed seeds, which is good and is what the vet had suggested for Larry, but we could never get Larry to eat pellets. Emilio suggested uncoloured pellets and gave us a bag to take home and we’ll continue with that. We’ll then supplement the pellets with fresh food, which should mean he has a good balanced diet.
Here’s a picture of Ludvig ‘kissing’ Ian. He gives little kisses, which is a sort of lick. It’s very sweet, particularly when he squeaks while he’s doing it.
