We're new and soooo confused

[birdmom]

Hello,

I'm Joanne, I have Buddi and Charlie, CAGs. I'm so confused because a couple days ago I put up a posting here, under the Welcome new members thread. I can't find the reply I posted. Where is it?

 

We are in northern california. My female grey Buddi is 6, and on fluconazole for a yeast infection, we're trying to figure out why she is plucking her neck feathers and the vet did a gram test on her neck and found some kind of yeast. He gave me a spray antibiotic, but she hated that and was trying to eat it and pull out all the feathers that the spray got on. So, after one day of that I had to bathe it all off her, and we went to the oral fluconazole. She didn't like that at all and neither did I.

 

He also gave her a shot of Lupron, in case her plucking started due to hormones. She is now getting a syringe of fluconazole 2x a day for 18 days. Fortunately, she is taking it but not liking it.

I have to give her a nut afterwards so she feels rewarded and that is working.

 

I also have a male CAG, Charlie who is 4. I think he is the reason she is plucking. Although she started it before I got him it was very minor. Then after I got him in April, she really starting plucking more. I think she is jealous. The infection may have started 18 mos ago when I moved and she got stressed afterward, and a gram stain showed high negative gram bacteria in her fecal. So, she went on antibiotics, and afterward I should have put her on a Probiotic, but I didn't know it and the vet didn't tell me. So I think she got the yeast from the antibiotics, and it is slow growing, so until some real big stress factors occurred, it was in check. When I got bird number two, she got stressed and I also got her a new cage that month. I'm spending more time with her now, making sure she is feeling verrrry special!

 

I hope I can learn to use this forum. I don't understand what happened to my other posting. This seems like a great place to meet others with CAGs .

[danmcq]

HI BirdMom,

 

Your original Post when you first introduced yourself is in the room at the Top, in the Topic "Attention all new Members. :-)

 

It does take a while to find you way around here and also to keep track of what Topic you started and in which room. You'll get the hang of it soon :-)

 

Not only can you learn from other owners on this forum, but with your obvious experience and background with Grey's, we can learn from you too!!

 

The information you posted regarding the vet visits for other illnesses and now a yeast infection which probably resulted from the antibiotics is great information for others here with female Greys that may someday encounter the same thing.

 

Thanks for posting this and we look forward to hearing more from you!! :-)

[nevjoe]

 

 

It will take a while to get areund the forum. Dan said it best

 

Don't let it get you down.

 

 

Joe

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Joanne & ot a great forum, i'm sure you will find it a very informative site.

[fourtrap]

Hello Birdmom and welcome to the family, glad you joined us:)

 

Benny

[birdmom]

Thanks Pussycat!

[birdmom]

Hi Benny nice to meet you. Joanna

[Guest]

Joanne, welcome here I am happy you joined.

[birdmom]

sAdgfjhl,lmkllk<br><br>Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/31 03:49

[Tari]

[danmcq]

Thats great news birdmom :-)

 

They are very attentive to details such as your nail polish and glasses, as you say.

 

Thanks for the update and sharing the advice your vet gave.

[Kibibi]

Great news and thanks for the update. I hope everything works out

[MazyAK]

Hey birdmom: A big Alaskan welcome. Just a couple of thoughts here. I have a 13 yr.old CAG and last year got a med. sulpher crested cockatoo. My grey thought it was a great novelty for a while then after being in side by side cages for a year she has been getting jealous. I have found that just like kids I have to pay equal attention to both of them. One on one and when I have them together. It seems to be working great.

I assume your birds are in separate cages? If not, that is probably a big part of the jealousy.

If you have an old pair of glasses you don't need , give them to your bird to have. She might accept yours if she has her own. Mine did.

Good luck and glad you've joined us.

Bruce & Mazy

[ziggy]

Hello Birdmom,

Welcome to the FAMILY!!!!!!!!!

[KatB]

I found this article about the benefits of EFAs on feather-picking. What do you think?

 

http://community.livejournal.com/featherpicking/33122.html

[birdmom]

Hi Kat. Yes I subscribe to the Omega 3 fatty acids theory, which is why I added ground up flax seed to the Oatmeal that I started about two mos ago. I also got the red palm oil, and I am also feeding sweet potatoes now for the vitamin A and betacarotenoids.

 

But I've read that too much Omega 6, are not so good.

 

So, I don't know about that Sea Buckhorn stuff but just about everything else I agree on. I give them chopped walnuts in the Oatmeal,and they only get the Oatmeal about 4-5 times a week. When I eat salmon about once a week, I give them some and they love it. I also eat catfish and Orange roughy. So we're in the ballpark.

 

Sometimes brazil nuts are good, and macadamia nuts are okay too. They get a big Walnut about two times a week, a mostly they eat almonds which have small amts of calcium for a daily nut. hmm. enuf for now, Thanks!

[Nychsa]

Hi Birdmom!

 

Very nice to meet you and that is great news that your birdie girl is starting to do better. Look forward to hearing about your flock!

 

Cheers!

Terri

[KatB]

I have been feeding Oliver Sally Blanchard's "goop" for breakfast for several weeks now, and he loves it. She suggests optionally to add EFA in the form of flaxseed oil. I didn't have it until a couple of days ago, and I added it to the latest batch of goop. Now Oliver won't eat it any longer. It's been two days, and he won't touch the new batch. Did you have trouble getting your guys to eat their oatmeal after you started adding the ground flax?

[Guest]

And I always wore nail polish. So, I may change back and see if she is happier.

 

 

Now, that is what I would Dedication (with capital D) {Feel-good-000200BB}

[judygram]

Joanne, it might also help that since Buddi is the first grey you acquired that it be the first one fed, first one out of the cage, in general the first one in everything. She was there before Charlie so she is No 1 bird and needs to be treated as such, not that she gets more attention than Charlie but that she gets it first. This was mentioned by Dave007 when he first came to the forum and it makes sense. Try that and see if it helps any at all.

[birdmom]

Hi Judy,

 

I got that advice two months ago from the shop I bought her from, they are the first ones I called of course. Karen and Nicole both(african grey pet shop) told me to do everything for her first, so I do now.

I attribute that to part of her recovery. But while she is busy right now on top of her cage, assasinating an innocent roll of toilet paper, she is still plucking the back of her neck on occasion, if I am not scratching her enough.

 

Also, as soon as I made her the first focus of my attention, I noticed Charlie stopped talking as much. You should see the look on his face. He calls to me, Helloooo; he says Joanne I love you from the other room. He is saying Peek a Boo to me right now. He is feeling very unfortunate.

 

So I try to carefully balance it all but the unfortunate truth I'm afraid is that I should not have brought home a second adult grey. I'm not going to place him-- I'll have to try and work it out somehow. After all, she did start the plucking b4 I got him, during a stay at the boarding kennel. WHich probably started the initial anxiety.

 

I heard that Dr. Brain Speer, in Oakley, California recommends Chamomile tea for anxious birds. I'll try that, too. Oi vey.

 

I'm also going to try my red nail polish this weekend. I'll wear my contacts more (she may not like these eyeglasses) and if I have to, I will bleach my hair blonder again, like it was when I bought her. I'll try to look just as I did b4.

 

crossing my fingers in hope! Hey, that's a great name for that little lost birdie in the UK! OFf I go to post it! birdmom