From a sorry looking parrot to a cat that loves to bite – your pet queries answered

HE is on a mission to help our pets  . . . and is here to answer YOUR questions.

Sean, who is the head vet at tailored pet food firm tails.com, has helped with owners’ queries for ten years.

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He says: “If your pet is acting funny or is under the weather, or you want to know about nutrition or exercise, just ask. I can help keep pets happy and healthy.”

Q: I HAVE taken in a parrot from someone who hasn’t been well, to give him a new home, but Peter’s feathers are looking really sorry for themselves.

He hasn’t had the right diet for a while.

I want to help him recover as quickly as possible.

Can you give me any tips to help that happen, please?

Sarah Sanderson, Edinburgh

Sean says: Feather problems develop over long periods and take quite some time to improve — it often takes several moult cycles for them to be replaced with shiny new ones.

Much also depends on the cause of the problem.

If it’s dietary or nutritional you’re in luck as they will eventually improve, but it can be hard to move a parrot to a healthier diet than they are used to.

I recommend looking at the Harrison’s parrot-food website for tips.

If it’s psychological issues such as boredom or anxiety and Peter is damaging his feathers himself, that is a harder nut to crack.

Parrots can have the intellect of a three or four-year-old child, so need lots of stimulation — both environmental and behavioural enrichment.

Depending on species, they may also need parrot company.

Sadly, we’ve normalised keeping parrots alone in cages in our homes, when that is often not good for them.

Q: PEANUT, my one-year-old cat, bites a lot.

I want to deter him. What’s the best way to do it?

Pete Matthews, Whitley Bay, North Tyneside

Sean says: I’m guessing this may stem from how you played with him as a kitten.

Lots of people make the mistake of playing hunting and pouncing games with their kittens, using their hands as lures.

Unfortunately, this is a really bad idea because it encourages the behaviour in later life.

Puppies and kittens interact with their own species by play-fighting, using their mouths and paws.

But we need to teach them bite-inhibition — by redirecting that type of play on to appropriate toys or other objects — when playing with us.

Q: I HAVE inherited a tortoise, George, and he has a long beak.

Can I get it trimmed?

Helen Maitland, Bexley, Kent

Sean says: You can, but it’s important this is done by an experienced vet and preferably with an electronic dental burr which rasps down the excess growth evenly and safely.

Make sure you are feeding him an appropriate diet — this depends on species, but the Tortoise Trust website is a great source of information.

And many tortoise owners provide a cuttlefish bone or calcium block for their tortoise to chew on, which may help keep the beak trim.

Q: MY five-year-old dog, Wolfie, barks at people who walk past our front window.

He does this while standing on the back of the sofa, and it is driving me crazy.

Other than have the curtains drawn all day, what can I do?

Chloe Bright, Manchester

Sean says: I saw a clever solution to this recently — which completely stopped the problem and resulted in a much calmer household.

The issue was addressed by applying an opaque sticky film to the lower half of the window so the dog wasn’t constantly triggered by people walking outside.

Cheap and easy, it didn’t block out any light, and may work for you and Wolfie too.

If he’s still going for it, you could just try to limit his access to that spot in the house.

Help for dogs to zone out at festivals

CHILL-out zones for dogs are popping up at festivals this summer.

Research in Finland, at the University of Helsinki, has found 75 per cent of pooches have some kind of anxiety-related behavioural issue.

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Now Sarah Jones, founder of My Anxious Dog, has set up Yellow Space Zones where anxious pups at canine-friendly festivals can sit quietly in relaxing tents and enjoy snacks and calming activities.

Sarah, 56, of Binfield, Berks, whose anxious Cocker Spaniel Bella, 12, inspired her, said: “Being around so many dogs and people, and new smells, can be stressful for dogs.

“So I had the idea to create dedicated zones where dogs and their owners can get support from pet professionals.”

Niki French, author of Stop Walking Your Dog, said: “It’s great to be able to chat to people with anxious dogs and answer questions.

“Some dogs can relax by finding treats in snuffle mats or licking or eating an enrichment toy.

“The humans also get a chance to take a breath, knowing their dog is in a relaxing environment.”

For festivals with Yellow Space Zones check out my anxiousdog.co.uk.

Star of the week

POPPY the mini-Shetland pony visits care homes, schools and hospitals, bringing joy wherever she goes.

Owner Sarah Woodland, 42, from Oxford, has even taught her to travel in an elevator so she can visit more people who are bedbound, and her big heart has made her a social media star.

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Sarah said: “Poppy is a very special pony. She has such a caring and quiet manner and is super-patient.

“She has intuition and often knows when someone needs a little more help or support. She travels in lifts to visit people who cannot leave bed to enjoy everyday activities.”

See her online @dinkyponies.