Tweedle Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 I thought I'd put a bit of Pippa's story here - not sure whether it's the right place for it, hopefully I'll find my way round soon enough. Pippa is a 14yo CAG, who I adopted in March 2008. She used to belong to an elderly gentleman who died, and was inherited by his grandaughter. They did not have any other pets, and would not have chosed to have a pet, but it is very hard to get rid of something that swears with your Grandad's voice. They did their best for her, but she developed medical issues that cost a lot of money to treat, and they realised they couldn't afford to treat her if she got sick again. They couldn't bear the thought of her being sold, of people making money from her, so asked if anyone at the clinic where I work would be prepared to take her on. I had come to be fascinated by parrots, but (and this is just my personal opinion here, and I realise that most folks on these forums are doing EVERYTHING they can to meet their birds needs) don't really like birds in cages, would never have bought one and not wanted to support the trade in them, but here she was needing some TLC, so agreed to take her on. She had been treated for Aspergillosis, (O2 therapy, F10 nebuliser, antibiotics) and seemed to recover reasonably well. She had been on a seed mix diet, living off the peanuts and sunflower seeds, though I don't know for how long. Both her legs were deformed and Xrays showed healed fractures. It would appear that poor nutrition led to metabolic disease and pathological fractures, though I can't rule out trauma. Unfortunately, her joints have pretty much completely fused now, and cannot be flexed even under anaesthetic. She can fly, but does so rarely, primarily I think because she has difficulties with landings as she cannot grip firmly and balancing is tricky She is unfortunately a feather plucker, and I have tried to eliminate most causes. It took me 3 months to get her onto Harrisons, but now she doesn't want to eat anything else, though she gets peanuts as training treats. It took months to get her into toys, but hopefully has decreased any boredom element of it. She is on daily Metacam for her legs, so hopefully it's eliminated pain. The two other possibilities are loneliness (I would love to be able to give up work!) or just habit. At the moment she HATES being sprayed, but it's something I'm hoping to work on soon, maybe Aloe might make things more comfortable... Her respiratory system is still very sensitive - ****ing Acrolein!! My husband nearly killed her several times by cooking a roast. She sometimes also gets spontaneous bouts of respiratory distress that appear to have no trigger. So three or four times a year she ends up in an oxygen tent with a nebuliser, and sometimes antibiotic treatment. At the moment her mandible is growing to one side, so every six to eight weeks I'm having to anaesthetise her to straighten it up again. It's a good job I get this at staff rates! Sometimes I want to cry when I see video and pictures of other peoples greys, or when I meet healthy ones at work. They all look so much taller than Pippa, and so beautiful and agile. She is quite determined, but most of the things she does are very slow and deliberate as she hobbles about. Her disabilities do however mean I can leave her out of her cage most of the time as she doesn't go anywhere! She has her cage, Java tree, table and a climbing frame made from a clothes horse. She potters around and does her thing there. She is so very sweet, and I realise how lucky I am when I talk to other bird owners - she doesn't scream, doesn't bite, doesn't destroy the house. And she's so funny. The first week I let her out, she flew into the window. As I picked her up, she exclaimed, with the perfect intonation of an old man, 'Cor, F***ing Hell!'. And she's never said it since. Just when the occassion warranted it. My main reason for being here is for inspiration to make her environment as satisfying as possible for her. I also want to work on training and handling, primarily for husbandry behaviours. I have difficulty in that I would like her to accept body handling rather than just head scratches, but don't want to lead her on!! Much physical interaction and she starts trying to feed me and gives me the whole 'mount me! mount me!' dance. My amorous, deformed legged, twisted beaked, respiratory distressed, feather plucking, non-biting, non-screaming, delightful Pippa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedle Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Testing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedle Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Pippa pics......I'd be very grateful for any comments/advice you might have re. her set up that I could incorporate into our imminent house move Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 (edited) What a story! Pippa is so lucky to have found you. Her health issues are certainly extensive, but from what I read manageable. I was worried she was in pain by the description of her legs being deformed from breaks and supposed pain could be an underlying cause for the plucking. But, as I read, it seems you have some pain management going for her, that hopefully is reducing it, if not eliminating it. From the photo's, it does not appear her plucking as nearly as severe as I have seen, but it is evident. Misting with aloe juice wil certainly not hurt, other than her attitude regarding misting or baths. It is good to see her perching there in the photo and not laying on her belly as some crippeld birds must. You have built a wonderful play area for her. Wonderful photos! Does she get in the tube in her cage? I have never seen one contructed like that. Sorry, but I laughed my butt off at the flying into the window incident. It certainly broke up the heavy heartedness of reading the sad story. With the great number or members we have here, I am positive you will receive tons of feedback on questions you have in providing further joy bringers into Pippa's life, as if you are not already doing a GreYt job from what I read and see in that cage. I am looking forward to hearing lots more from you. Edited July 14, 2010 by danmcq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki'sMinion Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 All I can say is WOW! She probably thinks she is in heaven being with you. She is so lucky to have you and you have come up with some great ideas for things to keep her busy and entertained. It takes someone special to take on a Grey with the medical problems yours has and I Thank you for that! You have a huge heart! Welcome to the forum and I hope we get to hear more about Pippa and her life with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki'sMinion Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Does she she in the tube in her cage? I have never seen one contructed like that. Looks like a Chinchilla tube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Hello Tweedle and welcome to our family, so glad to hear you could give this grey a good home for it seems she needed you and I bet you needed her too, what a wonderful thing. She is a beautiful grey and she doesn't know she is handicapped so she goes about her business as if she was perfect in every sense and she is, just because she doesn't move around like other greys doesn't mean she is not as happy as she could be. Do not feel sad because she doesn't move around like other greys you see, she is not to be pitied for she is full of life, you have provided her with the necessary tools to live a long and happy life maybe not in the same way as other greys but she is determined to live to the fullest and she does. I really commend you for taking on this task for it couldn't be easy with her health problems but you two were meant for each other, she might move a little slow and with difficulty but her heart is full of love for you, thats evident in how you speak of her and I bet she is the sweetest grey you have ever met. You two are truly blessed to have found one another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedle Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Looks like a Chinchilla tube Indeed, it is a chinchilla tube threaded over a rope perch. She's destroyed it now! She didn't go in it, but used to sit on it a lot. I was trying to give her lots of variation in surface for her poorly feet, and she seemed to quite like the flatter curve of the surface. I used to fill it with small items and peanuts hidden in shredded paper, for her to unpack and munch at her leisure. And she enjoyed munching the tube too, one enoooooormous birdie bagel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedle Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Thankyou everyone for the kind and welcoming words. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your chaps and learning as much as I can. @Judygram - I'm off work sick today, so perhaps I can blame it on feeling a little delicate, but your words have set me off blubbing! This is the first opportunity I've really had to talk about her with people who really know Greys. It's a funny little relationship, very different to that which I have with my dogs. From them, I can have instant cuddles, whenever I want. But Pippa is much more independant and knows what she wants, or doesn't want, at any time. So it's less about what *I* want, and more about giving her the opportunities, the time and space, to do the things that SHE likes doing, to be as 'free' as is possible for her, I suppose. I've have learned to be polite, to ask if she would like a tickle for example. She understands the word and the gesture, and makes it immediately clear if she would like, and to try and force yourself upon her otherwise would be very rude and quite deserving of a nip. She loves head tickles, but much prefers them on her platform. If I move her to the sofa with me, she will fly back to her cage. Sometimes I worry that I'm not giving her enough time, that I haven't done enough work with her. It's been reassuring to read that they are not necessarily the cuddliest of creatures, so I have not 'failed her' by not being in that following me round the house, or climbing under my duvet dynamic. But I guess, considering all her little issues, maybe this is just how we are meant to be together. Enjoying each others company, but letting each other be? Wow, there are some big life lessons in there..... There are some more things I'd like to try with her, and I think the set up at my new flat will bring us closer together - literally - it's a smaller living room and the cage will be closer to the sofa. But even as things are now, I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to live and watch and play with this extraordinary creature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bezzina Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Hi I realy like all the toy's you have for Tweedle Could you tell me where you buy them from I have tryed making them I bought what they called make your oun toys that's ok but you end up buying more so it ends up to be a dear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki'sMinion Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Indeed, it is a chinchilla tube threaded over a rope perch. She's destroyed it now! She didn't go in it, but used to sit on it a lot. I was trying to give her lots of variation in surface for her poorly feet, and she seemed to quite like the flatter curve of the surface. I used to fill it with small items and peanuts hidden in shredded paper, for her to unpack and munch at her leisure. And she enjoyed munching the tube too, one enoooooormous birdie bagel. And it sounds like an excellent idea! Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedle Posted July 14, 2010 Author Share Posted July 14, 2010 Hi Bezzina, I got a lot of ideas for making toys from http://www.cheepparrottoysntips.com Pippa didn't play with toys at all when I first got her. We sort of taught her to by hiding her beloved peanuts in progressively trickier places so she had to work for them by destroying a paper bag or something. She eventually discovered that if she whacks a dangly toy, she can get it to scratch her head for her! I bought the wooden clothes horse for about £10 from a local Ye Olde Hardware store and rotate the toys on it using cable ties and clips. I got all sorts of plastic beads, being careful for size, from haberdashery shops, or childrens jewellery kits. She likes stripping apple tree branches, and loved picking the seeds off the bottlebrush bush. I often use pet shop toys designed for small furries, the basket was a rat house or something. She likes paper bags stuffed with paper shreddings, peanuts, blocks of wood. She is such a contrary little bugger though. She will love one particular thing, then suddenly go off it, never to show interest again! She does consistantly like the acrylic toys though, so consider them a very good buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 You will find more toy making ideas in the Homemade toys and playstands room, some of them are made from common household items and of course you can always browse thru the baby department of stores for other cheaper toys for grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdnut Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Dammit! I turn on the computer all cheery, and then I read one of these heart-wrenching stories and start blubbering, and then my husband comes home and wants to know why my eyes are all red, and he must think I've got some wicked case of hormonal problems or something!!! Seriously, Tweedle, yours is an inspiring story. How lucky Pippa is that she found someone like you who was ready and able to give her the care she needed. It sounds like both you and Pippa's lives have been enriched by each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 What a kind and loving parront you are for Pippa. Pippa is very lucky to have have found such a loving home. I look forward to getting to know you and Pippa! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyric Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Welcome here. Seems like you've really given Pippa a wonderful enriched life. I think you two are lucky to have found each other. She's a really beautiful grey even with the challenges that life has given her. I hope you'll keep us informed on how she's doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdnut Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Is that the Beatles on your wall? Is Pippa a fan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted July 14, 2010 Share Posted July 14, 2010 You have not failed, you've excelled, you've given asking only for the happiness and health of Pippa in return. Our hearts and prayers are with you...Jayd and Maggie, Spock and the flock.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedle Posted July 15, 2010 Author Share Posted July 15, 2010 Is that the Beatles on your wall? Is Pippa a fan? Yes, the picture is of the Beatles on Plymouth Hoe (stop sniggering, Americans!), which is the seafront where I live. I even have the picture oriented so George is pointing in the correct direction I'm not sure whether Pippa is a fan, but I am - my father grew up in Liverpool and used to sneak in to the Cavern to watch them. Pippa's favourite is Nickel Creek, she sings along, often in key, with mandolin music, and listens quite attentively when I play the violin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedle Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 Ey up chaps, I am back off my holiday and have had a lovely day with Pippa. I was worried she might be a bit miffed at my absence, but was clearly pleased to see me, and immediately happy to have her head scratched. She has learnt three new sounds from my house sitter (wolf whistle in a different pitch, kissy kissy noise, and 'come on pippa' in her voice). I read somewhere that they more quickly pick up sounds that they like (any evidence, anyone?), so I hope it indicates they got on well. And today, our Adventure Pack arrived! We had some time in the sun in the garden with Pippa watching me do the weeding, and then went to visit some friends in the evening. I wasn't sure how she would take going away from home, but she seemed to rather enjoy it. There were lots of her happy peeps when we went outside in the field surrounded by trees. She watched the dog playing fetch, and was delighted to discover that when she whistled it made Charlie dog come over to her. Great game! And as we sat inside drinking tea, eating cake and knitting, she went through a good portion of her repertoire, whereas she normally goes very quiet if she is stressed. So it looks like it might be a success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessdecutie18 Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 It's lovely to hear about your Pippa I'm glad she found such a caring person to be happy with! The pictures are great, looks like you have got a little bit of everything for her to play with and sounds like she is doing well! Perhaps the plucking will stop with time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambert58 Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Pippa is gorgeous! You've obviously been a great parront. I love the pics.. and will just say that the #1 ingredient to caring for a fid is love and it appears that you've applied it liberally Good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedle Posted July 29, 2010 Author Share Posted July 29, 2010 Thankyou so much - I hadn't realised quite how much I had invested in Pippa emotionally, but reading kind words like that gets me completely choked... Tomorrow I'm off on a quest for Aloe Vera Juice and plant, more experiments with spray/misting, making a wooden perch for her Adventure Pack, and maybe a little Adventure too ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Your Grey't.................................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambert58 Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 Tomorrow I'm off on a quest for Aloe Vera Juice and plant, more experiments with spray/misting, making a wooden perch for her Adventure Pack, and maybe a little Adventure too ) I hope that works out... Our greys think that a spray bottle is the Devil Incarnate. We've never done anything that would make them scared of it, but, lo and behold: they see the red nozzle and trigger and flee like it's a zombie hawk coming to get them. I actually had the nerve once to try and show them that it's harmless, and sprayed it in an un-offending direction...they F R E A K E D. So now, we place the spray bottle in places we don't want them to go (stove, top of the fridge, etc). So I guess it's useful after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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