Puffing up can mean several things. One it could mean he is sleepy. Some birds will puff their feathers out when they are tired and before going to sleep. Two if he is staying puffed up it can be a sign of illness but not if he just does this off and on. Three it could be a begging behavior which can also go along with the wing fluttering. Very young birds, especially handfed ones will puff up, flap their wings and even make a squeaking or chirping noise to beg for food and attention. As far as supplements, as long as you feed him a healthy base diet and offer lots of fresh or cooked veggies, pasta, fruit etc he should not need any supplements. Depending on what type of food he was weaned to it may take him a while to try new foods, if he doesn't seem to like them at first keep trying and try offering them in new or different ways, try grated, cubed, hung on skewer, mixed in salads, hung by clips etc until he starts getting investigative and decides he likes them. As far as training the very first thing to work on would be step up. Every bird that is going to be handled should learn to step up on command. This helps during playtime, when going back to the cage, during vet visits or even in emergency situations. After step up is perfected you can try many different things. If you clip wings then try getting him to step to and off of your hand to many different places (to a perch, to his cage, to the back of a chair and back to your hand, etc) If his wings will not be clipped he MUST learn recall. Not all birds even well trained ones can be counted on to recall in extreme situations (fright, outside, etc) but if he has been taught recall then there is a much better chance of recovering him in case the unforseen happened and he ever got outside. Some fun things to try after the basics are down might be the wave, shake hands, dance, and many other games. When training be persistent and patient. Don't give up or get mad, always offer a reward whether it be praise, scritches or a treat and try to always end training on a good note. If your bird has been acting well and starts to seem bored or jumpy try to finish before he stops paying attention. Keep training short so he won't get bored, at first maybe five minutes at a time a couple times a day, extending later to maybe fifteen minutes three or more times a day. As you work with him you should probably see that he is more apt to pay attention and want to work with you at certain times of day, pay attention to these times and try to start any "new" training during those times.

Sorry it has been a little slow here. I check the boards every day and try to get back to everyone as soon as possible. Hopefully we will pick back up soon!

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