rbpittman Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Yesterday was one of the worst days in the flock. Blue (sun conure) took it upon himself to sneak into Dixie's cage while no one was looking and got tangled up in the strings (paper) hanging from her pinata. Dixie wasn't in her cage of course, she was off with Daddy (Paul) but I had stepped out back to scrub a cage grate. I don't know how long he was tangled, but I was gone for about 10 minutes with the grate. When I found him, he was totally exhausted, he has some damage to his right foot/leg as he is favoring it. To be real honest, I thought he was a goner when I found him. Not totally limp, but just no energy at all. He wasn't holding his head up at all. I examined him from head to tail to make sure he hadn't broken his wing or leg. He lost a blood feather and had a spot of blood on his wing, but I didn't see any break in the skin. Not confident in my own exam we went to the vet today. X-rays don't show any breaks or dislocations so his vet feels it is "sprained/strained" from the thrashing around. Blue spent the night in our "hospital." It's the travel cage with all toys/perches/play things removed. I lined the bottom with a towel and placed small crocks of water and food inside. After I was able to get Blue to take some water from my finger, I set him inside the cage close to the crock of water. He did drink some water and then squealed loudly when I walked away to get something from the kitchen. An hour or so later he was eating. The hospital was moved to my bedroom near my bedside so I could check on him often. I partially covered the cage to block most of the light. Blue will be spending the next 3 days in the hospital unless he shows remarkable recovery, but we're not pushing it. If you haven't considered a hospital box/cage, please do so immediately. Having the things I needed in one place at the time I needed them was so important to the well being of Blue. I didn't need the first aid supplies that are stored with it, but I had them if I needed them. Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Thank you Robin for this reminder of how quickly our companions can get into mischief no matter how diligent we try to be. I have a "first aid basket" for my guys which contains all the stuff recommended necessary for our birds if an emergency arises. I like the idea of a "hospital cage" that you mentioned, excellent idea. I hope Blue is recuperating quickly and that all is right for him now. Your quick actions and thinking saved the day. Hallelujah!!! Thanks for sharing this reminder with us!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseaB Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Oh!! How scary, I know your heart must have dropped when you so poor Blue hanging there. Thank you so much for the reminder to be prepared, accidents can happen so quickly. Hope little Blue is back to himself real soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Wow, very scary!! It's amazing how much trouble these little guys can get into in a matter of minutes! Glad to hear this Blue is doing okay. Please keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 OMG Robin, what a scare that must have been, good thing you weren't gone for long or Blue would have been a goner, so glad to hear he is doing ok so far, poor little bugger, he must have been so frightened. Thanks for sharing this story with us as it is a reminder that we all should have something ready for such an emergency for it could happen to any one of our birds, I am going to do something similar to what you have so I can be ready, better to be prepared and not need it than to need it and not have it. Please keep us informed of Blue's progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Glad to hear all is well Robin! Thanks for the tips on being ready for just such an emergency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Good save they are such experts when it comes to finding trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Quick update on Blue - he flew today for the first time since his ordeal. I let him out of his "hospital" for a while - extremely supervised - this morning. He was more his usual self today than the past two. His "limp" is much less noticeable, but he still is not put full weight on his right leg, although he is using his talon to grasp the cage bars and hold on to his perch. I am happy to say he is climbing all over the travel cage. Bean (his cage companion) was very happy to get to spend time with Blue. They spent quite a bit of time preening each other and obviously happy to be together - not separated by a cage. I hate keeping the two of them separated, but I need to keep Blue from climbing up and possibly falling since his leg is injured. The vet's office called today to follow-up and said that if continues to make such good progress he should be back to normal in no time. Not sure I want normal - want not getting into trouble! Will settle for normal. Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 This is great news Robin!!!! I have been watching this thread for updates on Blue and have the biggest smile right now with this great news!!! Hooray! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 So happy to hear that Blue is getting better and is able to fly, I know that takes a heap off your shoulders for you were quite scared about him and we were all concerned but normal is what you will get if he continues to improve and why shouldn't he, you know you wouldn't want it any other way Robin, bless his little pea pickin heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 After watching Blue climb around the hospital cage this morning I am happy to report he is doing very well. He's using his right leg to maneuver around the cage, as opposed to move left leg, move right leg to same position, move left leg. Today he is using both legs/feet equally and screaming at the top of his lungs to get out. I let him spend an hour in his cage with Bean and he seemed to much happier and active. I put him back in his hospital cage while I was away to run errands and pick up LP, but have him back at "home" for dinner. He's playing and eating very well, doing his usual, grab a piece of food, climb up and over to dunk it into the water bowl. Believe it or not I had almost three full days of not having to change the water three times a day! Guess that's gone! Oh well, I'll see how they do when I turn out lights this evening, if he roosts in his usual place then I will leave him in there, if not - back to the hospital ward! Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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