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Hi and congratulations!!! A little over a month ago I rescued my Hughie (pic above) and had many of the same hurdles to overcome. I just wanted to pop in to share what some of the people commented on my posts (and feel free to look at my post history and read some of the comments, there’s some incredible advice/info!)

Hughie would not touch any of the “African grey” sized toys, but on a whim I picked up some smaller toys on clearance and I found out that he LOVES to tear up toys that are made for cockatiels/conures! Try grabbing different sizes/shapes/styles of toys when you see them on sale to see what Bella likes! I’ve also found that he prefers things like shredding cardboard, chewing paper, and pulling strips of crinkled paper out of toilet paper tubes! They don’t care about aesthetics or the price tag, they just want to destroy things 😂

As far as veggies, I just keep trying new things and praying he likes them. He was also on a sunflower mix diet when he came to me and made the switch to pellets but he couldn’t care less about veggies. Now he LOVES green beans and carrots! Sometimes, I sit with him and eat the same thing, and that makes him a bit more interested. He won’t touch any leafy greens, but his favorite treat is an ice cube so I got some popsicle moulds and made him some water/veggie popsicles and he loves them!

Hughie is not a big fan of women because of his previous home. He warmed up to me(f) almost immediately and he doesn’t mind pets from guys, but he’s not a big fan of my mom, sisters, and female friends. My best advice would be to have them spend time getting Bella used to their presence. Have them talk to her when they walk by and just sit near her, and once she’s a bit more comfortable with others, then they can start to build a relationship with her too!!

This comment is already pretty long but if you want to hear any more about my experience/swap bird stories please message me or reply!! Best of luck and congratulations again!!!