auntphibian

My African Grey, Red (TAG) has been sick for a couple of months. First, they thought PDD, but since we did a barium study, it is believed there is a mass in his proventriculus. We live in Nashville, but will have to travel back to Univ of TN Vet Clinic in Knoxville for more diagnostic testing and possibly treatment. If the mass is cancerous, there may not be much we can do. If it is benign, it could be very risky to try to remove it, due to the location of the mass. In order to give Red the best chance of surviving the testing and treatment is to have blood donors available, while he is there, in case he starts to bleed out. I am hoping there are some healthy Greys in or around the Knoxville, TN area that would be willing to let their bird donate some blood to possible save Red's life. I'm waiting to discuss the details with the vet, but they said unless we have a donor parrot, it can't be done. If I can find a bird or two in the area, I can get more information on the procedure and risk to your bird, although I believe its not that risky. I so hope, as you know what it would be like to lose your friend, that someone will be willing to at least discuss this with me..or even the vet's at UT. My email address is rksphoto@comcast.net Thank you for any help!!!!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/788/690/465/stop-the-sale-of-dead-parrots-on-ebay/

Red Update: The vet decided to start Red on Metacam, since he has some symptoms of PDD, even though all three tests for abv came back negative. Tonight was his third night on the medication. Last night, his weight was up to 296, so he has gained back 60 grams. He seemed to be a different bird last night. He was chewing cardboard and even made some noises for me. I got to give him scritches and he kept bowing his head down for me to do it. He is not a friendly bird, so this is a huge step! He then started regurgitating food, in the mating kind of way. He wasn't vomiting, just bringing up formula from his crop. I'm not sure whether to be concerned about this. Today I gave him his bell and he regurgitated for it, as well. Since he's doing better on the medication and he's now bringing up food, I'm concerned we may have PDD after all, which he would have gotten from the careless vet I used to work for. I have 8 parrots in my house, if Red has PDD, I'll have to worry about everyone else. I ended up in the ER last night, I felt like I was having a heart attack. It was stress, thankfully. Vet should tell us if we have to make a run to Knoxville. Please pray for my whole flock!

Thank you! From your lips to God's ears!

Thank you! Me TOO!

We went back to the vet and got xrays. The vet is going to email them to UT in Knoxville for a consult. There are 2 things of concern. We got negative results for 3 PDD tests, but the proventriculus looks enlarged, which would mean PDD. And, there is some kind of mass in his abdomen, which he could easily feel on exam. Hoping to get an answer on Monday, but we may have to take a quick 3 hour drive to Knoxville so he can be scoped, which means we'll need some donations if anyone can help!

I will! I've got a lot of questions for the vet tomorrow, just in case he doesn't find anything in the x-ray. It's been a very rough couple of years. My 21 year old cat died, my health has not been good. In July, my service dog, Zeus, was diagnosed with Lymphoma. He died in August and now Red is sick. My pocketbook has moths in it! I used to work for an "avian vet" until I found out she did not know what she was doing and I turned her over to the vet board, who has let down every animal that walks through her door. She is the own that carelessly exposed my whole flock to PDD, so when Red got sick and had the symptoms, I was so worried about the whole flock! I hope at least whatever is wrong wtih Red is not contagious! Red eats only from the syringe and he really likes it. I thought for sure he'd take off my finger, but he's been easier to handle sick. At the vet he clung to me so hard, I had to pry his feet open. I thought for sure he would take a finger, but he never tried. He loves me...even though he has a hard time showing it. I do miss him talking, though!

My birds were all possible exposed by the careless vet I worked for to PDD and Chlamydia. Since my African Gray got sick and had some symptoms of Avian Bornavirus and PDD, we had him tested and they tested 3 different ways....all negative. I did start a PDD group on Facebook, should anyone need a place to go!

Harrison's Pet Product has product made from Red Palm Oil that are really good for not only birds, but any animal. I use it often and I think it has helped a few of my animals out of sicknesses. Try their Booster or SunShine Factor. Some Red Palm Oil is actually bad for birds, Harrison's explains how theirs differs from that. So be careful when using it.

My 9 year old African Grey, Red, has recently gotten ill. It started when I noticed he stopped talking. Then, the other day, I got to pick him up off the floor (he usually won't let me touch him). I noticed his keel bone was very prominent. His weight was 236g, which is much less than his normal weight. He was eating all the time, and acted perfectly normal, which I know they mask, but he is perfectly normal in every other way. Today, he stopped eating, but I started syringe feeding him a couple days ago to get his weight up and getting the proper nutrients. He loves to be syringe fed! I'm amazed by that! I took him immediately to the avian vet and he was tested for PDD (due to a possible exposure and his symptoms). That came back today, as negative and they did the test 3 different ways. They also did a full blood panel. The only things in his blood were a slightly elevated white count of 19.000 (which could be stress related of giving blood) and a low Albumen and low Cholesterol. The vet believes this is gastrointestinal due to the symptoms, but so far we cannot find a cause. Tomorrow, Red will get an x-ray to see if he has a tumor or something causing him to be sick. His weight is now holding steady at 276g and there have been no other changes, other than he doesn't eat anymore. We're baffled and I'm wondering if anyone else has dealt with this? He doesn't have symptoms for aspergillus, so I think that is out.

Thought I'd update you all on Red. The birds all went to Florida with me for Christmas. We set a baby monitor up in the room he was in, so everyone could hear his large vocabulary. We would sit for hours and listen to him. He won't speak in front of anyone. He's like the singing frog in the cartoon. Anyway, I was napping one afternoon and thought the starling had gotten out of his cage and landed on my shoulder. I looked over and it was Red, just standing there looking at me. He stayed there for a long time. Then, he saw my ear sticking out of my hair and gave it a good pinch. He started talking more when I was in the room with him. On Christmas Day, there were 18 people at my mom's. $ of the boys under the age of 4. I think, even though Red was in the bedroom, he was nervous and anxious of all the noise in the house. I started hearing him from the front room yelling, SHHHHit!!! over and over and over. He did that for 2 days!. He did it in the car on the way home. Since we've gotten home, he's back to not talking in front of me, but he spends most of his day in Mr T's cage, playing with his toys and taking naps. He's such a funny bird and my whole family enjoyed him.

Had I known the cage was infested, I would've let them keep it. I didn't find out until the cage was here and I took it apart to clean it. It's a $600 cage, so I hated to get rid of it. You wouldn't believe what all I did to rid the cage of the roaches. I've seen about 5 in the house, but went out of town over christmas and put bait out and haven't seen any since we got back. I'm crossing my fingers that we won't become infested! She is the nicest bird I've ever met and instantly bonded with me. She's even gotten Red to come out of his shell, somewhat. Thanks for all the input!

If Buddy indeed swallowed, if, he could just regurg it up. that's usually what happens to stuff that can't be digested. If you are sure he swallowed it, you don't need to take any risks....get him to a vet for an x-ray.

If you live in Nashville, TN or surrounding areas, Volunteer Vet does a great job with birds. Dr Heather Robertson is a bird person and she specializes in them. She diagnosed and treated my cockatiel the other day when he almost died. She is also one of the vets for the Nashville Zoo and takes care of the Lorikeets.

I but Kaytee honey seed treats for my birds. My cockatiel got so sick after eating one that he almost died. Diagnosis was bad bacteria in his belly, causing weight loss and sickness. While I don't know for sure if it was a bad seed stick, I'd like to find out, so noone else's bird gets sick. Petsmart said they want to send it to corporate for testing, but questions whether they really will do that. Anyone know how to get this tested? Does the CDC do this? I just don't want anyone else's bird getting sick or dieing because of a seed stick! Help! Skylar, my cockatiel is doing much better!

Not a great pic. It was taken late with my cell phone by me, so it's not the best photo ever! This is my boy Red on my shoulder!

Photos of my flock are now posted!

I was going to post about this subject, but since you have a bird fairly close by, I'll let you know. Some of you know I am a regular volunteer with the lorikeets at the zoo. Quite often, we get calls from people needing to find a good home for a bird. We have started a list of birds needing homes (at no fee, we just want to find experienced bird people who will love them). We also have a list of people wanting birds, who are experienced with them. we have 3 people waiting for a bird..one wants a cockatiel, one wants something the size of a grey, and one will take any med/large bird. If you still have her, I can put you in touch with the guy who wants a large bird. He actually wanted the U2 that I have, but she's such a darling, I kept her! We are in Nashville, by the way. He works at Aquatic Critter and is experienced with larger birds. Let me know, and anyone else who wants a bird or needs to home a bird and is close to Nashville, we might be able to help!

As you know, Red has not been handled much in the 4 years of his life. I can now easily get him out of his cage, as long as I don't do it through the cage door. I lift off the top and can either transfer him to a stand, or reach in and have him step up. From there, he transfers easily to wherever I want him to go. He lays on my chest and gets scritches, which he loves. I hear him talking up a storm when I've been out of the room for awhile. I walk back in and he stops likes he doesn't know how to speak. Every once in awhile he'll ask me what I'm doing. Last week I rescued an Umbrella Cockatoo from another smoking home. I just brought her cage in last night, as it was infested with cockroaches in the hollow metal frame and I didn't want that in my house. It took three days to clean out and kill all the roaches and eggs, but the cage is in, so she's happy now. Today, Gabby, the cockatoo was singing and Red decided to join in. They may end up being good friends, which would be great. Maybe she can teach him that I'm okay! It's a slow process with Red, but we make progress every day!

This is not for my gray, but for my newly acquired Umbrella cockatoo. the previous owners house was infest with german cockroaches and they've used bug spray on the cage. I also had to take the cage apart and hose out inside the screw hole, then spray inside them with RAID, as it was so infested. It's not coming in this house until they are all dead and the cage is safe to use. Anybody know how to clean pesticide off a cage? I've written the company, but hoped someone may have that answer...or how long before she can live in it again. It was totally disgusting...not to mention the fact that she, like Red, came from a smoker's home and she smells of cigarettes. yuck! What is wrong with people? Thanks for any advice you have!

This is not for my gray, but for my newly acquired Umbrella cockatoo. the previous owners house was infest with german cockroaches and they've used bug spray on the cage. I also had to take the cage apart and hose out inside the screw hole, then spray inside them with RAID, as it was so infested. It's not coming in this house until they are all dead and the cage is safe to use. Anybody know how to clean pesticide off a cage? I've written the company, but hoped someone may have that answer...or how long before she can live in it again. It was totally disgusting...not to mention the fact that she, like Red, came from a smoker's home and she smells of cigarettes. yuck! What is wrong with people? Thanks for any advice you have!

I've seen our zoo using keys as toys for the birds. I asked if they weren't concerned about the birds chewing on them, as I thought they were toxic, but I couldn't remember. I know I've seen it somewhere, but can't find it now..... Can anyone tell me if house/car keys are toxic to birds and why, so I can pass it on to them. Thanks

Red has now been here almost 2 weeks. He comes out of his cage, willingly, several times a day. His new free-standing perch came in, but I have to towel him to get him out of the cage. He sits just fine on the perch for hours and loves it. He steps up on my hand, but then tries to fly to his cage (which he can't do because he lost feathers on one wing). I've gotten a couple of good bites from him, mostly when he tries to fly and ends up on the floor and I have to pick him up. He takes any treat from my hand, very gently. Sometimes, when he steps up, he tries to get on my shoulder and I swear today he was cuddling with my neck and shoulder and not just trying to sit on my shoulder...I'm not sure about that, but he's done that behavior twice. I have found that he loves tortilla chips. I can pull one out and he starts dancing back and forth until I give it to him. He knows I only bring him good treats. This is a time-consuming, patient process. I'm trying really hard not to jump the gun, I just want to love on him!

FYI Refinishing Cages / Removing Rust Refinishing an Old Cage: Wear and tear on pet cages is usually pretty high, as parrots often chew, scratch or wear the paint. They can ingest flakes of paint which can be harmful to their health. Pet birds can also be sensitive to fumes from new paint. The following are tips for refinishing your pet's cage: * Clean the cage: Scrub the wire / bars thoroughly with a wire brush to clean the cage and remove any rust and loose zinc flakes, and then sand smooth by hand. If your cage is rusty, please refer to the below for tips on how to remove rust. * Spray with some fish oil and wait for it to dry. Expect it to be tacky. The fish oil will stop the cage from rusting again. (Rustoleum makes products for this job) * Select the paint: Look for paints that do not contain lead, zinc or chromate, are "high adhesion", formulated to bond with the metal surface, are hard-wearing, and are fast drying. Another suggestion is to look on the back of the paint can and see if it is safe for a human infant. There usually is a picture of a mom holding a child's hand somewhere on the can. o Avianweb Visitor Sara Fischer (6/2009) contacted a couple of manufacturers of commonly available paints (Krylon and RustOleum) and got the following responses: o RustOleum: "Let me first assure you that our products are lead free and are completely non-toxic when fully dry. We do have a few zinc-rich products, but these are boldly stated on the can that they are a zinc compound. I’m certain that our products would be safe for use with birds, as people frequently will paint birdcages with our enamels. Just two concerns with the application: + First, in order to ensure that the paint has fully cured, I would wait at least a 7-10 days, in good drying conditions, before exposing the animal(s) to the paint. Washing down the surface after a week is also a good idea, just to ensure that all the solvents are off the surface. + Second, I would recommend that you do not use the metallic products. While they will be non-toxic as well, many of them have a leafing pigment in them, which can result in a metallic ruboff, even after the paint is dry. Thank you again for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate your confidence in Rust-Oleum products. If you need further assistance, please feel free to contact our Product Support Department at 1-800-782-3369 or through our web site, www.rustoleum.com. " o Krylon (DO NOT USE) responded as follows: " We do not recommend the application of our Krylon paint to anything but "decorative" birdcages that will not be occupied. After speaking with several veterinarians and other bird experts, we were advised that birds are extremely sensitive to low levels of materials for a very long time. Since we do not have any data to determine when the cage would be safe to occupy after off-gassing is complete, and we do not know which paint is considered "safe," we do not recommend our paints for application to birdcages after purchase." Eric, Krylon Product Support o Also refer to this website for non-toxic, environmentally safe paints for use in bird rooms (not necessarily cages). o To be on the safe side, it's best to contact the manufacturer of any paint you want to work with and ask for bird safety. * While painting, be sure to move bird to a separate room and work in a well-ventilated area. It's best if you paint the cage outside, if possible. * Apply paint in a thin coat. If you're using a spray paint, be sure to hold a large piece of paper or cardboard behind the cage, moving it as you go, to act as a backdrop which catches the excess paint. * After painting the cage, wait a week or longer before using it. Solvent-based paints take time after initial drying to release the solvent vapors. NEVER cover a bird in a freshly painted cage. This tip to help minimize paint chewing by birds: Birds love to climb, and paint damage often occurs from birds' gripping the cage with their beak to assist them in climbing up the cage. Aviculturist Eb Cravens also once reported that, by wiring perches or appropriately-sized tree branches onto the inner sides of the wire enclosures, the birds will be encouraged to climb from place to place by gripping these with their beaks, so that they do not even touch the wire when climbing. A recommendation from Palace Cages: "Much of the cage industry today uses a "Powder Coat" system. They advertise it is easy to clean and super hard. It may be easier to clean but I don't use powder coat on my cages. The chip problem gets much worse with a very hard material. Powder coat is not paint. It is a thermoplastic. Chips will not break up and be more likely to cause intestinal blockages. It is also difficult to repair. It is melted on to the cage at appromately 300 degrees. Powder Coat can be less of a threat with some birds, but I don't recommend it for hook bills." Rust Prevention: Prevent indoor metal items from rusting by keeping their surfaces dry, dusting regularly and wiping down occasionally with a damp cloth. Dry immediately after wiping down. Tips for Removing Rust: * Thoroughly clean the cage. * Rust needs to be removed as it is toxic to birds. To remove rust stains, choose one of the following instructions, per your preference and applicability: o Tea Bags: To remove rust from steel parts (whether it be cages or toy parts, the secret are ordinary tea bags. Boil about 1/2 liter of water and add about 4 or 5 tea bags. It should be a strong mix of tea. Stir well and let this brew for about 5 minutes and remove the bags. If you used tea leaves, strain the liquid. Let it cool down and then add the rusty steel parts fully submerging them in the liquid. The rust should come off after about 1 to 8 hours - depending on the amount of rust. Keep an eye on them and remove once the rust has dissolved. You will find that the steel parts have taken on a blue-greyish color after the soaking. It is easily rubbed off with very fine wire wool and oil. After this procedure, clean using your usual procedure. You will find that this procedure will not harm the item in any way; it doesn't affect brass and it actually delays further rusting. o Hairspray (pump style, not aerosol) will also remove rust. Spray - let soak for a moment, wipe off. Repeat if necessary. Do remove any birds from the cage and, in fact, the room while spraying and wash off any traces of hairspray before placing your bird back into the cage. o Wire Brillo Pad: Scrubbing the rust lightly with a wire brush or a wire brillo pad. Scrub hard enough to remove any rust flakes, but be careful not to scratch the paint (unless the rust is so bad that you'll have to repaint the cage). (Please use non-toxic paint!) Dipping the pad or brush in white vinegar might make this process easier. o Rusted Joints: If rust has developed in the cage joints, you may find it easier to disassemble the cage and work with smaller pieces. o Toxic Method that Work: The following tips work well, but care should be taken around birds! This is toxic stuff. It should be applied away from any pets or even family members and cleaned off carefully afterwards, before allowing yours pets anywhere near it: + Lysol toilet bowl cleaner removes rust oftentimes on contact. All you need to do is wipe it off with a wet rag. + Kerosene: If you see rust stains but no flakes, dip a very fine steel-wool pad into kerosene, and brush out the stains. Wear safety glasses and rubber gloves when handling kerosene, and work well away from open flames. (I would NOT use kerosene you plan to use for a bird, same with Lysol) + Severe rust problems can be treated with naval jelly, which dissolves rust. Some products convert the rust into a primer so the metal can be painted later. (Please use non-toxic paint!) o To remove rust from carpets or other like material, use rubbing alcohol and a clean paper towel. Mix 1 part alcohol with 3 parts water. Put in a spray bottle. Spray the area and blot with paper towels. Repeat until the rust is gone. If no rubbing alcohol is available, you can saturate the spot with lemon juice, using a spray bottle, allow to remain for 5 minutes. To remove the lemon juice, mix one-third cup of white household vinegar with two-thirds cup of water and apply to stain. Blot with white towels. If this does not work, and it may not, call a professional. Most rust removers contain a very strong acid and are, therefore, not recommended for use by homeowners. Thought I'd pass this along, as I saw it was a topic that comes up often.

That's what I thought.....just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing and shouldn't be doing something else. Thank you for confirming this for me. He's getting there. The fact that he's getting more vocal and dancing, he's getting more comfortable. I just leave his cage door open so he knows it's okay if he want to come out for a visit...which he'll do it I'm not around.... thanks!