Malikah

LOL! Brutus, what a card!

What a handsome boy that cute baby turned into!

Oh for cute! I suppose with all those new feathers trying to come in he's feeling awfully itchy. Walmart has gallons of aloe vera juice in the pharmacy area by the antacids for about $7. That's the cheapest I've found it. When I had a permanently naked fid I even put some in her drinking water to try to keep her skin from getting so dry.

Getting any bird from a rescue there is always a risk that they will be a screamer. I am happy to say that Scarlet is not. Her loud voice is more of a chirp and she only does it as a greeting now. She and Kito are both chatty in the morning and evening and those are my favorite times of the day.

Thanks for putting Scarlet and I on the list.

Congratulations on your progress! It's just a matter of time before trying to bite won't even be worth the effort.

When my grey Kito had aspergillosis the antifungal medication really decreased her appetite. She would still eat handfeeding formula out of a syringe so that's how I dosed her and then she would eat a tablespoon or two of the formula. I think that helped save her life because she was not eating very much of anything else. Maybe he would eat some nice warm formula or oatmeal with chopped fruits and veggies like a mash. Or maybe even sprinkle formula on his veggies while they are damp if he likes the taste of it. I'm looking forward to more pictures.

I love seeing that full crop. He looks like he is feeling so much better already. I'm keeping my fingers crossed there wasn't permanent folicle damage, but he's still beautiful even if only some of his feathers come back.

I'm so glad that Anya is feeling better! It sounds like you are making great progress with Spencer too, congratulations!!

Thanks everyone. Getting her out of her cage did not go well, she ended up falling onto the floor and I felt terrible. On the positive side, she did step up onto my arm from the floor. She was so anxious to get back into her cage I obliged. I did manage to clean off the perches with a little brush and she didn't mind that too much. She was kind of ticked off at me today, biting the perch when I got too close as a first response but then forgiving me when I put my face close and talked to her. I do not know Amazon body language, what is she trying to convey when she cowers down and drops her tail way down? Is that flirty or fearful? She chirps real loud when she does it, and seems to be trying to call my husband or son into the room. She is very smart. Tonight Lee was playing his guitar and when he stopped at the end of a song Scarlet said so sweetly "quiet be quiet" LOL!! Miss Kito had a bad feather chewing day even with all the extra attention I have been giving her. I figured her not chewing wouldn't last. It's almost spring, maybe she will stop again soon. :::fingers crossed:::

I bought another of the thickest rope perches today to try to fill in the gaps better so she doesn't fall again. The little stinker is chewing on them even though she has toys to chew. Argh. They are starting to get a little dirty so I'm going to have to force the issue of coming out of her cage tonight so I can clean good and rearrange. I have a feeling once she's out she'll be ok with being out. Wish us luck! Oh and this bird who never said real words for the last year perfectly immitated my husband's very sweet "quiet quiet hon" last night.

OMG! Wishing you all the best with both of them. Please keep us updated.

Thanks Marcus. Scarlet has been to the vet soo many times in the last year for her feet if she had any other issues I'm sure they would have been detected. She has had to cope with changing households so many times, I think she was almost expecting it. I am glad to see she seems to be settling in so easily, but it makes me sad at the same time. She seems to be expecting or at least hoping for kind treatment, so that makes me feel happy for her. Time will tell what level of trust she is still willing to give. She obviously prefers men, and is such an adorable flirt with Neil. She hasn't decided to come out of her cage yet though. Today she got startled and fell through her perch "grid". She was having a hard time trying to crawl back up so I had to help her. Gulp! Scaredy cat that I am I pulled my sleeve down over my hand in case she really laid into me. She yelled at me but stepped up and did not try to bite. Whew! When it's just her and I she is perfectly fine with me as long as I don't put my hand too close. When Neil is with her she growls and bites the perch when I come in the room. Then she's fine again with us both being in there together. I can see that being a problem in the future, but right now we are just ignoring it.

Oh yes, I'm sure she does. I imagine they are very sad, with some happier times waay back in her past and more recently. I get the feeling she spent a few years in the bottom of a tiny cage in bad neighborhoods. She made an older type car alarm sound when she got a little overwhelmed by too much attention. Her personality is so bright and sunny though. After all she's been through, she still wants to trust. :*) Today I am going to get even more rope perches and some pvc and vet wrap and devise a way to make a rope bridge to a short little stand to see if she will decide to come out of her cage. Kito will be out of the room then of course. I'm still maintaining a 3 ft distance for whatever good that does. Scarlet really really seems to like our son and was trying to get close to him last night. He is soo thrilled to be chosen as her favorite. I know everyone thinks I am reckless and foolish for not putting her through a separate room quaranteen period. Please understand that I did not make the decision lightly. If any of my fids become ill because of it I will not look for sympathy. I know you don't approve, but I need your help and support anyway. I had a nightmare last night that I took Kito to some sort of bird show at a fairgrounds and was called away on an emergency and when I got back they were judging geese and there were people sitting all around Kito's travel cage and they tried to keep me from taking her back. I woke up crying. You know what, I haven't found any pieces of chewed Kito feathers in the last couple of days, just a single fluff of down here and there. Probably just coincidence. She's my baby and I love her furiously, but I love Scarlet just as much. I just can't explain how that can be. I wanted her to know that she is HOME and this is her flock now and forever from the moment she arrived.

Oh good, I'm glad there were no bad surprises with Spencer! That would be a tiny tiny crumb of sweet bread to soak up .1 ml of meds. Scarlet's doses are excatly 5 times Anya's .1 and .4!

Pictures! These aren't the greatest as mostly I was trying to get pictures of her feet.

Best wishes on finding your perfect match Eshana!

I am so lucky Scarlet takes her twice daily pain meds on a little piece of sweet bread. Maybe something like that would work for Anya once she's out of the woods.

I enjoyed reading all your threads. Wishing you the best!

Holy mackerel that is quite the vet bill, but that picture is worth every penny isn't it.

Thanks JeffNOK, and yes she is a lilac crowned.

By the time we got back from dinner she stopped doing that really loud chirp (maybe it sounds more like a cockatiel?) and started making more pleasant and comfortable noises. It sounds to me like she is saying "hi there," "good girl," "good good good," and she says "oooh" a lot in a really cute way. The way she said good girl was so enthusiastic. She only giggled once so far and that was when she met our 16 year old son. Her eyes pinned quite a bit at him. She hasn't moved around much but I'm sure she is a bit sore from the stress of coming home. She did do a fluff and tail wiggle before settling down for the night. I know it's against recommended protocol, but after speaking to my vet further, the people at CARE, and much soul searching on what is best for everyone I decided to put Scarlet's cage back in the bird room Wednesday morning. Trying to keep the stress levels for everyone as low as possible is my highest priority. Her only health issue in the last year has been her feet. Kito seems warily interested in her, did her happy dance and played with her toys as if she was showing off. I think she likes her. Charlie came and hung out on the side of his cage closest to Scarlets and told her pretty pretty parrot, pretty pretty pretty bird about 20 times. Scarlet may be a bit thin, but she is over 40 after all and God only knows what her diet was like the other 39 years of her life. I would not want her to be too fat considering how sedentary she is. It took 3 months for her to learn/relearn how to perch and develop the dexterity to do so. All 4 of her back toes the last knuckle is bent backwards. I'll try to take pictures tomorrow. I cried when they told me she had been passed through many many households, usually only staying one place for about a year. The whole way home I told her I'm going to be her forever Mommy and I'm so sorry it took so long for us to find eachother.

She's home! I'll get some pics tomorrow. She's eating her dinner right now and I don't want to disturb her. She makes a really loud parakeet call and I've also heard a car alarm. So far she seems to prefer my menfolk. More later, going to go get some dinner.

Ha ha Oblivion, wait until you meet Holly. 20 minutes to Thursday! Darn it I should go to bed. I've got everything ready except the inside of her cage. I'm going to buy perches and toys and more food from them to give them some more of my $ instead of Petco.

Thanks Janet, you and Louie are such an inspiration! I do remember he was quite the wild man when you first got him and look at him now. I'm sorry you won't get to meet her Oblivion, but I'm so glad you are going to visit! Maybe you will find a new fid too. It's hard to know what to expect from a 40 year old, I'm pretty sure hormones won't be too much of an issue though. I know she will be set in her ways, but I'm looking forward to learning what those "ways" are! I just want to make her golden years her happiest. Hopefully happiness does not equal biting the crap out of me. LOL! I'm most worried about her ability to get around comfortably. I've got to buy enough rope perches to make a "grid" so she can get from place to place in her cage easily without falling. At the rescue she prefers to stay in her cage. Hopefully that will change once she's home and settled in, but that will be up to her. Being arthritic, wouldn't it be good for her to move around more? Once I get an idea of what she is capable of I will devise ways to encourage that. I love the fact that she will "talk" right to you even if you can't understand her. The only noise Kito will make in front of me is a kiss. Scarlet sure sounds like she's trying to say something, and her laugh is adorable.