casper Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Morning everyone, its early for me but I need someones help. Woke at just before one to Charlie flying frantically round his cage. When I went downstairs, He was shaking, four of his primary feathers were on the bottom of the cage and three tail feathers. It took a while to calm him and I sat up all night with him with the light on. When I put the radio on this morning, I found out there was an earthquake at about the same time! I have phoned two vets for advice, they think it is connected and as he is singing away and eating not to worry to much. I am so upset, I have never seen an animal so scared. I have taken the day off work and have been advised to keep him in his cage for a couple of days. What do you suggest I do with him tonight? Will he be scared when we go to bed and what about the loss of the flight feathers, letting him out etc... Will they grow back? The primarys are ell from one wing. Just need reassurance from people who understand. Thanks Caroline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Caroline birds can sense when something is about to happen,mine know when we are going to have a thunder storm they go very quiet & subdued.Charlie sounds as if he knew something was wrong & has a night fright which has caused him to flap around the cage with the loss of his feathers.The shaking will be beacause his was frightened.His feathers will grow back in time, i would keep him in his cage for a few hours but then get him out for a cuddle , play & a little reasurrence that all is ok from mum.Tonight i would follow the normal nightime routine you have for Charlie as if nothing has happened, if he does seem a little scared i would leave a dim light on for him. If he is singing, eating then he will be fine,the experience has probably upset mum more than Charlie Caroline forgot to say if i was in your situation i would take Charlie out of his cage, different from what the vet has advised but i would try to keep his routine normal, keeping him locked up for a few days may have Charlie wandering what he has done wrong <br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2008/02/27 11:45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisejane Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Hi Caroline This happened to our grey last night too. He literally fell off his perch and we found him sat on the bottom of his cage panting and shaking. He was terrified. We had to sit with him and coax him back onto his perch with praise and reassurance. I would maybe leave a light on for him in a corner somewhere tonight. We had to do the same for Eddie as each time we turned it out last night he started flapping about. It scared the heck out of us so it must have been extra scarey for a little grey! I hope he's better soon Caroline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 wow this a is a coincidence, Caroline on reflection my 4 in the bird room took longer to settle last night !2 of them were flapping around & i did put a light on to check them, i didnt think anything of it untill now ! maybe all incidents are related ? we are all in the UK ? will be intresting if any other UK members had un settled greys last night ?<br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2008/02/27 12:01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisejane Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Hi lovemyGreys, We are in Yorkshire but Eddie was fine when we put him to bed. I think he was as shocked as us as I think he was literally knocked off his perch my the tremors. They were quite strong! I think there will be a few of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 Thanks for that. He seems his normal self at the moment. It did shake me up though. Neighbours have said the doors were shaking so it must have been scary for Charlie. We dont have any experience of earthquakes do we so I suppose it was a bit unusual for all of us. Will do that tonight and see how he is. Dont want him injuring himself anymore. He looks a sorry sight this morning. Charlie is a very nervous bird anyway, and when he does have time out of his cage will fly if he hears a noise. How is this going to affect his flight with the feathers all coming off from one wing? :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 yes i have just seen the news & it was the biggest earthquake the UK has experienced for 25 years !! I'm sure this is connected to our un settled greys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 It will effect his flight Caroline the only real way to tell is to let him have a little flap & see what happens, perhaps over your bed or somewhere with a soft landing, let us know how it goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisejane Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Theres a lovely picture on the Sky News website of another frightened grey from last nights quake. http://yourphotos.sky.com/ I thinks its picture 36. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Right girls i have been looking on UK forums & the feedback i see is that the earthquake pretty much sent tremors all over the UK, Many people has nervous, scared & unsettled birds last night, it was unnerving for everyone it seems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Thanks Louisejane YOUR PHOTOS QUAKE John Godfrey, Hemel Hempstead, 27/02/2008 09:09:00 Bubbles Frightened in earthquake - Apsley,Hemel Hempstead - Flew around off his perch for at least 15 Secs last night when earthquake happened Email this photo Upload a photo Report this photo 36/36 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdgranna Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Some of my birds have night frights,especially the cockatiels. I always have a light on in my bird rooms at night now just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I have never been in an earthquake, but all my animals are wigged out for days after a huricane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 Have kept a close eye on Charlie all day. He seems okay in himself but keeps dropping off his perch when playing. Think it is obvious he is not going to be able to fly. How Dangerous will this be when hes out? He has always been a good flier. He normally sits on top of his cage and flies down from there. Do you think this is going to cause a lot of problems? He is 9 months and just started a molt. When do you think his flight feathers will come back? :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Did the whole feather come out or did they break off. If the whole feather came out they will grow in faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 Thanks for reply, whole feather has come out, two of them had blood on. I feel so sad he has lost them in this way and worry it could change him. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommaFawkes Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I think in truth that you are probably more upset about his feathers than he is. I bet he doesnt even miss them anymore, though at the time with all that happened im sure he was terrified. His flights will come back in time and he will most likely have long forgotton the tremors by then. Just make sure you try to keep his routine as normal as possible and try to be as calm as you can around him. Don't feel bad about it and you did a wonderful job in handling the situation!! Just remember all birds will lose feathers so he might not even notice they are gone. He may not fly the same until he grows them back as the others suggested, test it out over a soft surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Casper you do need to keep the routine as normal as possible for if you are at ease then he will more than likely be too, he takes his cue from you. I think he will settle down in a few days and be fine. As for the feathers they will grow back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 HI everyone. Tested Charlie with his flying today over a soft surface and like I thought he is unable to fly. He looked really confused and tried a few times from the sofa back to his cage. I think the big problem is going to be stopping him from time out on top of his cage as I feel its to high if he decides to fly and has a fall. This is his favourite spot. Just hope they dont take to long to grow back couldnt find any links on primary feathers to give me an idea. We will just have to adapt together with a slight change to our routine and a lot more handling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siobha9 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 The poor little mite. I have never clipped a bird so I don't quite know how it works, but surely once he cops he can't fly, he won't try? How do the greys with clipped wings not fall? Mind you they probably have enough feathers left to glide to the floor. Siobhan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 If he only has one primary on the one wing he probably was not able to glide safly at the right angle. I have been thinking and you may want to hold off on clipping his wings if you want to continue to have him fully flighted because the feathers that came out in the fright will grow back faster than the ones one the other wing that is clipped. Normally if should not take too long (every bird is different when it comes to growing feathers) so he could end up lop-sided again if you clip. One thing you can do is see how far he is able to go before hitting the floor and then put a bunch of pillows or gym mates all around his cage at that distance when he is up there just incase he trys to fly. Normally parrots realize they cannot fly pretty quick...like you said he got confused and tried to fly a few times after the first attempt, so he will probably stop trying pretty soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 I am sat in tears. I have just tried letting Charlie out, he tried to get to the top of the cage, I stopped him and he sat on my arm. He then tried to fly and fell down at an awkward angle which shook him up. As ive gone to pick him up hes gone to fly again and crashed across the floor into the wall. I cant have him out like this, I am so scared he is going to really hurt himself but I know he cant stay in his cage either. I am at my wits end and dont know how to help him. I need some solution as I dont know how long its going to be like this for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Well, It seems from what you have said he is still getting lift with just the one wing and cannot steer himself anymore. I would clip him, because from how upset you sound he must have come really close to hurting himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Here is a diagram of how to clip the wing. Let me know if you need any more help with how to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 HI everyone, its been how many weeks since that dreaded earthquake that caused much upset for us to do with Charlie losing his flights, but just wanted to let you know the good news, his flights have come back. They are not through completely yet but it wont be long now. We had to change Charlies routine to stop him going at certain heights, this was quite difficult as Charlie has always been fully flighted. Anyway just wanted to let you know and say thankyou to the people who were there when I needed help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now