Muse

I am sorry I don't get here more than I do. My online time is short these days, caring for 64 birds. Here's a quick update. Jojo died the night before his vet appointment. He'd been very sweet and curious with me that day, and ate every bit of his breakfast and most of his dry food. At this time I was calling him a "she", and I hope he forgave me. The 'bump' was a hernia and it strangulated. He died while I was at work Tuesday night 3/3/15. We had a necropsy done because of risk to the other birds, and it was conclusive as to that being the cause of death. I bawled my eyes out. I hadn't known him long but we'd already started to make friends and he overcame his fear of me in just a couple days. We had him cremated and sent him back home to his momma. Honey, the Amazon is a sweetie. She has her moments, becoming violently vocal if she doesn't want to step up. She's hilarious. No bites yet. She does strike the cage bars when agitated but is much calmer when out. She was the first to come out of her cage. She loves the playroom and I get "cussed out" in Amazon upon trying to get her to go back. Molly is sweet and very skittish. She had some elevated BUN and creatnine on the first round of blood work but the recheck showed everything normalizing so I (and the vet) suspect dehydration and stress from the trip. She's doing very well. Casper is a little less skittish but still shy. Casper and Molly wouldn't touch toys at first but both are playing now, and both have finally come out of their cages in the playroom. And now - I found them in the playroom allopreening! I truly believe this is very good for them to have this kind of bond with each other! They are a REAL challenge to get back. Unlike Honey, they DO NOT step up at all so getting them back often involves lots of chasing around the room and eventual gentle toweling. I always make sure I mix being in the towel with some gentle touch and soothing words. They are beginning to calm down but last night it was over 2 hours getting them back. I won't give up, though. I went through this with Anya, and with Ariel the lovebird. Eventually they will learn to respond to a simple request to 'go back' and all will be well. Until then, I will be getting a little extra exercise. Molly had a great opportunity to bite last night and passed it up. I am very glad we made the decision to take them in. It means longer days and a lot more work but moments like this are the big payoff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3czxqSN9HcM

Inara is SUCH an exceptional girl. Can she see you outside with the dog through a window?

I am very sorry to hear of your loss. You were so good to care for him and give him a good life.

We are ordering one from here: http://www.estarbird.com/get-a-grip-exercising-foraging-net-cargo-canopy-net/ Megan has pretty much destroyed the old one which was a lucky Craigslist find. She took another corner off it tonight, as a matter of fact.

AWESOME flying! Thanks for sharing.

Oh, Nancy, I am so sorry to hear. Even when they are older and we know it is their time it doesn't make it any easier. Sending prayers for comfort.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. You are in my prayers.

We run a bird rescue. I currently have an egg-laying Clyde, an egg-laying Danny, and a male Vanessa. Mistaking gender in birds is more common than you think.

Was that Greycie or Toby doing the "play dead"? You are such a good dad.

UPDATE: All four birds are in quarantine in the guest bathroom. All are doing surprisingly well. Indeed, at least three have bands indicating they are wild caught, however these birds are not as 'wild' as previously thought. They actually have all been very good. The amazon was getting a bit cage possessive with me, but only after I'd changed several things (added new bowls, added a toy) AND got the goffin upset by hanging a toy outside her (his?) cage to acclimate her (him?) to it. I suspect the amazon is a female because there is a definite attraction to my husband, which seems to work on every single female bird here. But I was hand feeding her apple and she was taking them very nicely from my fingertips, and so far all ten fingers are intact. The cockatoos are all afraid, but no more than any other bird on their first day here. They've been very good about letting me swap out perches and put in toys with the exception of the goffin. Here are some updated pictures: This is Honey, the amazon, sleeping very contentedly, on a perch right at the front of the cage. I was in a chair directly in front of the cage. You can see she's fluffed, got one foot up, and eyes closed. She was also beak grinding. This is Molly. She's a Lesser Sulfur-crested Cockatoo. She's very shy and moved to the opposite side of the cage when I put a toy in, but a few minutes later went over to check it out and chew on it. I think she's going to warm up quickly. This is Casper, the goffin. She was found as a lost pet and brought to a wildlife refuge that could not keep her, so the lady who surrendered her took her in and cared for her. She likes music and loves to dance but wanted nothing to do with the toy I offered her tonight. This is Jojo. She's afraid, but was not aggressive. She did act aggressive when I added a bowl for water (we are putting the 'locking crocks' in all the cages) but it turned out she wasn't trying to bite, she was trying to drink. She loves food, especially the dried papaya and banana chips in the mix. She dove right in her breakfast bowl as soon as I moved my hand away and cleaned it out! I was expecting much worse. Jojo has a vet appointment on Wednesday. We will see how that goes. I am praying that the protrusion below her abdomen is nothing serious.

We feed natural, avoiding pellets as a regular diet as most contain menadione, a toxic synthetic "vitamin." It's a cheap form of vitamin K "activity" and is in all kinds of pet foods from dog and cat to exotics such as monkeys and bird pellets. It's hepatotoxic - damaging to the liver and has been linked in studies to liver tumors. Harrison's does not contain menadione, but does contain peanuts so we use it very rarely. We also feed Goldenfeast Goldn'obles which do not contain menadione. I suspect the theory of making them aggressive may stem from the fact that many have a high soy content and soy is linked to hormonal behaviors. Since we do not feed pellets as a regular diet I have no information on this. Seeds are not a good diet, per se, but certain nuts and seeds can be a healthy part of a diet that includes fruits and vegetables. A totally seed diet often has only a handful of ingredients and thus does not cover the broad spectrum of nutrients needed for good health (for parrots or humans). Good luck with your Grey!

Thanks for posting this! I just told hubby we are ditching sponges!

Nancy - you are such a kind-hearted person! Let me know where you are (via PM if you prefer) and I will let you know if we need any transport help near where you are. Thank you!

Are you a microbiologist? Edit - And yes, I want to see those pics!

What an amazing story, and God bless you for not giving up!

I can't tell you how much I enjoy hearing about miss Sophie! She's a gem.

Thanks for the hugs. I really need those sometimes. It hurts my heart because I see situations all the time where ex-owners are attacked because they aren't living up to "standards" that we impose. Not that I don't have standards of care, here. It is hard, but I try not to judge people who are trying to improve their birds lives, even if it means giving them up. I realize not everyone can or will provide the level of care many of us do for our own birds. We have no fosters yet because my standards are ridiculously high but I put the welfare of these birds as the top priority here. I don't want to take them from one bad situation and send them into another where we have no idea of what happens next (a good example being the whole "Bring Mealy Home" fiasco). It's very hard to make that decision, because you know you can "do more" if you utilize adoption and foster, however is that really saving them if you are just shuffling them around like a deck of cards? I don't want to bring them here, then send them to a foster or adopter only to have them eaten by an unsupervised cat, killed by Teflon fumes, sat on by a child, fly into a ceiling fan, or be let escape by a careless roommate. I truly feel for the woman who gave up these birds. I have spoken to her several times on the phone and can feel the pain and sincerity in her voice. They did the best they knew how, and could afford. They didn't "craigslist" or auction the birds when they stopped breeding. They kept them and supported them. Granted, not in the manner we have come to accept but they did what they thought was the right thing at the time. I try to remind myself that the improvements in pet care are a recent movement in our collective conscience and that some folks may not have changed how they view pets and pet care - either because they won't or haven't reached that point in awareness, yet. She told me yesterday that she was the one who realized what they were doing was wrong and started to worry about the fate of the babies she was helping to raise. Her husband said "We can't think about that. Just don't think about it." She told me "There was no way I could NOT think about it!" It's the same way farmer's have been raised, for centuries. They did what they had to do to feed their families and tried not to think about the animals they were raising. Enlightenment comes differently for each of us. And with it, often pain -- when we realize there is often no way we can *REALLY* do justice to the animals we hold prisoner. Why do birds escape? Why do cats and dogs run away from home? Because they were meant to roam. We take that from them. Under the pretense of providing them comfort and safety. But I put myself in the same position and ask myself to answer honestly if that's what I'd choose for myself if I were in their shoes. The answer breaks my heart. That's really where it all started. When Mar and Meg were babies, I'd go to YouTube and show them what wild African Greys looked and sounded like. But watching those videos to connect them to their roots was a double edged sword. It made me cry that I could not give them that flock and freedom to fly. I knew then what I'd stolen from them and vowed to move heaven and earth to give them a safe place to fly. The search for the biggest aviary we could provide led me to Project Perry. Sadly, Marden did not live to see the results, but as they say, the rest is history. Now we want to help as many as we can realize the blessing of flight and flock. Not an easy road, but the one I feel compelled to travel.

The cockatoos should be picked up possibly next Friday. Hubby has been working in the DC area and he plans to drive up Friday night after getting off work (it's only another 4 hours north), stay at a hotel, pick up the birds on Saturday morning, and drive back home. They will go in the guest bathroom, which will be VERY crowded for a while. We have the four cockatiels picked up by Matt and Kirah (Project Perry). They went to the vet today. Besides being in poor health due to diet the vet said they should recover once they get the proper diet and some probiotics. Gram stains were not concerning enough to warrant antibiotics, though I do have one whose poop appearance concerns me and I am keeping a close eye on. They are in quarantine in the master bathroom. Here's some pictures: This is the little pearl female. We think the male has plucked her head. This is the male. He wasn't holding still for a picture so it's blurry, but you can see his wings. He's plucked them and chewed it slightly raw in places. This is a VERY sweet little female. She had some fecal matter stuck around her vent so she got a warm bath last night. She settled right into it and let me give her head rubs and a nice massage. The other female. She's a bit less trusting but still sweet and gentle. Their temporary quarantine cage. Full of millet, bowls of good food (Goldenfeast mixed with hulled millet saturated with Booster), a nice bath bowl, water with an echinacea supplement to boost their immune systems, cuttlebone and toys. Dr. Dan also told me ACV in the water every other day and I am going to offer them some kefir and see if they like that (the big birds do). It is a milk product but it's 99% lactose free. I also got some Harrison's Birdie Bread mixes. They all have a great appetite, so that's a plus!

I agree with what Dave said, except I advise not using talcum around birds. It's not good for lungs if the dust gets breathed in. Cornstarch is safer and works every bit as well.

Thank you so much!

Thank you very much. It really means a lot to mean to hear this from someone with so much experience. I've done ad hoc rescue of dogs and cats for years. My worst problem is failing to let them go. I had a few 'adoption gone bad' experiences and have gotten rabid about not trusting potential adopters. Then I saw the whole "Bring Mealy Home" fiasco explode all over Facebook and thought to myself, I'd have beat that woman to within an inch of her life for grabbing that bird around the neck and pulling on her head. I'd be sitting in jail. I go all kinds of mama-bear crazy over two things - animal abuse and child abuse. Rational thought takes flight and protective mode goes full auto. I've been told over and over that sanctuary is not viable, but with God's help, I am going to make it viable. I don't want to 'save' birds from one bad situation simply to recycle them to another. I want to know they are safe, and loved. I honestly LOVE every bird here. From the tiniest budgie to the big green Amazon. I just keep praying for God to send me volunteers, and to please STOP sending me dogs! LOL (We have a temp foster coming in tomorrow - last minute death row pull with NO one else to take him, has transport out of state but needed a 10 day out of shelter quarantine to be accepted by the transport program. Yes, I am crazy. This big, bleeding heart of mine is going to be the death of me, but you know, I wouldn't want to go any other way.)

What an excellent point, Ray! In working with wild animals, I learned many times over that they can feel fear. From an animal's point of view - if they come upon another strange animal, and it fears them, it's more likely to attack them to try to get the upper hand first. So an animal that senses fear from another creature is anticipating an attack - we, of course know for certain we would never attack them but they are certain we WILL. A calm or self confident demeanor, on the other hand, sends a signal of respect.

UPDATE: I spoke to the woman who has the birds today. Marden's Ark has committed to picking them up. It's really a very sad story. Grab a tissue.... The man, her husband, bred Congo African Grey parrots. He did this for many years. Several years ago, they both had an attack of conscience and decided that they were no longer going to breed the birds, and haven't for some time. They also did the right thing by not selling them off to other breeders, but instead kept them - unfortunately in the only way they knew how. Her exact words were "They took care of us, and we felt we had to take care of them." These other birds were not breeders. She stated the Amazon was given up by a couple who wanted to "get rid of" the bird, because they were expecting a baby (this makes sense after having heard the bird became aggressive when sexually mature as many people 'fear' aggressive birds and having a baby makes a great excuse to look like a cautious, protective parent rather than an irresponsible pet owner). The Goffin was brought to her by a wildlife refuge who received it as a "lost bird" but could not keep it themselves. I am not sure how she got the other two, but both are sulfur-crested, one a medium and the other a lesser (the plucker). About a year ago, the husband fell seriously ill, and in December, he died. She has been the sole caretaker of the birds during this past year, and tried to do her best despite having said she really knows very little about birds. Now that her husband has died, she's being forced to part with everything and leave her home. That includes the birds. This is why she had mentioned euthanizing them. Not because she wanted to. But because the only other option appeared to be moving out and leaving them there and she said she could never do that. She said every day she cried, after her husband died, wondering what she was going to do with the birds. She said "I prayed to God for a miracle, someone to save them. Matt Smith was my first miracle. You (Marden's Ark) are my second." I was just very glad we were able to assure her we could take care of the birds. I think it lifted a very heavy weight off her mind. I don't think they meant to neglect the birds. She said her husband, before he fell ill, spent lots of time with them and had them out of the cages. However she could not do that. She's living on only social security yet still managed to keep the birds, and care for them, maybe not to the best of standards but she did what she could do. I had tears in my eyes when I hung up the phone.

We will be monitoring them very very closely. All are going to be seen by our team of avian vets and assessed both there and here for any mobility/strength issues. I thought the same exact thing.

I believe she'd already contacted the rescue in NJ. She said she contacted several before someone gave her Matt Smith's contact information. I am currently going through the GFAS "Caring for Exotic Birds in the Shelter" webinar series. I am very happy to say a good portion of what I have heard so far validates current practice and the parts that don't are just going to have to be points of disagreement. Did a search and Project Perry is the only GFAS anywhere near me that isn't related to horses! WOW, I did not realize there were so many horse sanctuaries.