mattpatresi Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Dear all! this site is brilliant ..a whole bunch of people that love what I love..didn't think it was possible! I live in Rome with my fourteen year-old son, a black Labrador called Groovy and a little colony of 7 Kakarikis which are wonderful New Zealand parakeets. I'm Italian born but I spent half my life in London and my son was born there, but we've been in Italy for 10 years now. I'm now 42. We've just adopted a 5-6 yr-old supposedly male Grey called Pablo who is a delight - he was in a pet-shop for the last four-or-so years, and he learnt all related sounds, from answering the phone to barking like a puppy or whistling like a canary. When my dog goes near him Pablo barks at him!!! I will post photos and videos at some point, when I figure out how, and when I have some more time on my hands. Couple of problems: Pablo took a Chlamydia test (psittacosis: parrot fever) and resulted ONLY JUST negative, by that I mean he had traces of it, he is a healthy carrier. The vet prescribed specific antibiotics which I'm administering at the moment. He's also written a note for me to show my doctor in case I get a serious cough or breathing problem - the note tells the doctor to test me for Chlamydia... bit worrying, especially for my son. Could've taken him back to the shop, but couldn't face it. The other problem is that he's picked me as his "parent" and tends to want to bite my son...a one person parrot it seems...not ideal, but hey, I'm the one that does all the work anyway. Any suggestions or accounts of past experiences are very welcome, especially about the Chlamydia. Best regards to all of you, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaxtersMom Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Hi, I can't answer your questions you have but would like to welcome you and Pablo to the forum. It's a great place to get information and I'm sure there are some more experienced grey owners on here that can help you with your concerns. It sounds like you are quite taken with Pablo. They are amazing animals. We would love to see some pictures when you get the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slmclean Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 hi there welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Hi Matt welcome to the forum. I hope Pablo gets better soon. Can't wait to see some photos when things settle down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Matt, So glad you managed to find the welcome room and we finally get to hear about you and your beautiful grey Pablo. I am so sorry Pablo has to take meds for the psittacosis, but hopefully everything will work out fine after treatment. Does he need to go back for a re-test when the meds are done? What about your other birds? Did the vet mention anything about them? Its good your vet gave you the note for the doctor, this will be because the psittacosis is a zoonotic disease ( can be passed to humans) if you do start with any symptoms, which hopefully you wont, it is normally treatable with an antibiotic called doxycycline, but hopefully you wont have any problems. Please keep us updated on Pablo's treatment and progress and just join in on the forum and chat along with all of us as we would love to get to know you. So glad you could join us. Caroline.<br><br>Post edited by: casper, at: 2008/12/12 14:14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Welcome Matt and Pablo!!! It's GreYt having you here and kudos to you for rehoming a Petshop of 4 years Grey that is now in a loving and caring home with a "Flock", rather than finger poking visitors annoying him. Children may be an issue with Pablo, due to the way they poke at every critter they see in a cage. Pablo has probably learned not to trust "Little" humans. This is not to say that over time, Pablo will learn that the little human which is part of an established Flock. A little human that treats him with dignity, respect and gives good treats and never threatens him. Regarding Chlallmydia, psittaci is excreted in the feces and nasal discharges of infected birds. Infection usually occurs when a bird or a person inhales organisms that have been aerosolized from dried feces or respiratory tract secretions of infected birds. Other means of exposure include mouth-to-beak contact and handling infected birds' plumage and tissues. Even brief exposures can lead to symptomatic infection. So the caution here is to ensure you and your family wash hands regularly after any interaction with Pablo or after cleaning, feeding, cage rearranging etc. Do not allow any beak to lip contact and watch any nasal discharges that could be transferred to you or clothing. Also, ensure you keep the others parrots isolated from Pablo. The normal treatment is usually by the antibiotics Tetracyline or Doxycycline, however some newer drugs are also effective. Duration of treatment is for 45 days. One thing to note, if your vet did not advise you of is all sources of calcium need to be removed for this period, as calcium affects the uptake of the antibiotic. Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing those promised photos and videos. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Hello Matt and welcome to the family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Pablo. Thats great that you could find it in your heart to take in this grey, he must have had all kinds of attention being in a pet shop for those years but not receiving the love and attention he really needed and though he has chosen you as his favorite he can still be on friendly terms with your son. I am sorry to hear he is a carrier for Chlamydia and hopefully that will be corrected soon and some others gave you some excellent advice for the precautions needed to prevent you and your family from contracting this disease from him. You will find lots of useful information in our many threads so read thru them at your leisure and do not hesitate to ask any and all questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. I look forward to seeing some photos and videos if you would share them with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
she Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Hi I am sorry your grey has traces of chlamydia.I believe it is treatable with a long course of antibiotics. Please keep your other birds away from him and be sure to wash hands often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyric Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Hi Matt, welcome to our little flock! The others have given you great advice regarding the psittacosis and staying healthy yourself. It's too bad you had to deal with this problem after getting Pablo but luckily there are things you can do about it. It may be that Pablo will never like your son, but he can do things to try to improve the relationship. Have your son be the only person to give Pablo his favorite treats. Have him talk calmly and softly to him and sit by his cage and read to him. Perhaps in time Pablo will come to see him as a friend and fellow flock member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpatresi Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 Wow. many thanks to you all for your prompt and thorough responses. It'll take me a while to absorb all this information! Will keep you posted. mxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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