by Pajarita » Sat Oct 25, 2014 9:40 am
Grains: I use wheat kernels, oat groats, hulled barley, black japonica/red Himalayan/wild rices (all available in Whole Foods) and no, they are not cooked to softness, they are cooked 'al dente' so the outside is a bit soft but the inside is still a bit hard and they keep their shape not sticking to one another (the idea is for them to think that these are seeds). I make large batches, split them into individual baggies that hold a daily portion each and freeze them - every day, I take out one and let thaw naturally (but, in a pinch, you can use the microwave) and serve it in the morning for all day eating, taking the plate (I use white paper plates on the bottom of the cage to encourage ground foraging) out and replacing it with another one with the seed dinner (about one tablespoon or so).
Gonads shrinking: it depends on how screw up their endocrine system is (very irregular and long days for years and years take longer than semi-regular days for a short term) and when you start it -if it's spring, it takes longer because the days are becoming longer and longer naturally but, if you start it this time of the year, it takes less time (he should be OK in a month or two).
Vocalizations: people think that birds 'sing' because they are happy but it's not true, all vocalizations mean something to them, it's a form of communication and, in most cases, it's because they need or want something (in your bird's case, a mate), sometimes, it's sheer aggression (as in a canary singing which is done to mark their territory and warn other males off) and, in others, is a form of cooing (like when senegals purr or amazons softly grunt). Parrots, been so very smart, learn that human speech (or whistles) is our form of communication and often use it to 'talk' to us.
Best thing to speed up the dissipation of sexual hormones from the bloodstream is flying but, even when he is no longer hormonal, he will still call for a mate only not so very peremptory-like or as often.
If you are convinced he will do better somewhere else, please make sure he goes to a home where he will be well taken care of (ask about light quality and schedule, housing, clipped or flighted, diet, whether there is an available female for him, etc).