Urgent Rat Attack

[iamwhoiam]

How is the molt going? Is she/he getting black bib feathers or grey head feathers or keeping that brown coloration?

 

[Pippa]

So far she's keeping the brown but it's pretty slow. The feathers from the rat attack have grown back very well and it's pretty much all covered over. They grew in a cocoa brown but it's on the back of the head where a males head is brown anyway. She might have some black coming in right below her beak but I think it's just shadow or bare spots but most likely my eyes are playing tricks on me. I don't mind a slow molt, and I don't mind her being a her but I just wish I knew already! It's annoying not seeing grey because then I would know but there are still some babies outside getting bibs, masks, and grown in. Quite scruffy looking and it's adorable (Late bloomers I guess and off topic: Some crazy dove is nesting up in one of our trees! And we're in the middle of a cool front but it should warm up. I just hope they fledge before it gets snowy, I also don't want to end up with a squab on my hands, even though they are adorable) I'm almost tempted to pay for DNA sexing but I figure by the time results came in, I would know for sure already. And her beak isn't black and her buff eye rings are still buff and I think they've come back in all the way. And holiday present season is coming up so I need to save to get gifts for everybody. But I'm pretty sure she's a she so she will get a lot of fun gifts!
Ooh Pippa was mad tonight. The dogs got out of the yard today and it disrupted our cuddle time and then dad forgot to close the door so the cats got out so she didn't want to go to bed because her 3 hour cuddle time was cut to only about 2-2 1/2 total. Little stinker even flew out and landed on my head when I went to close the cage door to leave the room at one point. But minus a few little argumentative grunt chirps, she got on her night time perch and then into her nest without much fuss. I put some toilet paper in her nest and she kept kicking it out until every last square was individual, not a piece with 3 or 4. Such a little diva.

 

[iamwhoiam]

It's funny reading about her kicking out the toilet paper because I layer paper towels into Spee's bowl and he generally kicks most of it out. I try to pad it for him but guess I overdo it. Tonight he was chatting a lot and saying his usual "Spee" followed by that not nice word over and over again.

 

[Pippa]

How cute! They are so picky aren't they? I hope Pippa learns to talk. It'd be adorable. IS it kinda high pitched or kinda like when some parrots talk and their voice is really deep?

 

[iamwhoiam]

Spee's voice is high pitched...sounds like a sparrow chirping but words replace the singing and "tweeting".

 

[Pippa]

Awh. Just realized that where the feathers were ripped out, has grown in a dark brown and..... split the buff eye stripe! So it's possible she's a he. I don't know what to hope for...

 

[iamwhoiam]

Awh. Just realized that where the feathers were ripped out, has grown in a dark brown and..... split the buff eye stripe! So it's possible she's a he. I don't know what to hope for...

Just hope for a happy and healthy sparrow.

 

[Pippa]

I was looking on FlightQuarter.com at the flight suits and one of the options when ordering a suit lets you put in the exact size of your bird. It would be great for letting her fly but I don't know if she'd tolerate/allow it to be put on her. I do have another thing I'm going to try with making a harness first.

 

[Pippa]

Do you think this harness plan would work for Pippa? DIY flight harness - Grey -- Cages, Accessories and Décor - An African Grey - Forum

 

[iamwhoiam]

I have never used harnesses on any of my birds but then I don't take them outside without being in a carrier or cage anymore. Did that at one time but no longer. I am personally not comfortable with the idea of the harness on your little sparrow but it's up to you if you want to try that. I also don't think that the harness pattern in that link looks very secure or safe. If I were you I would just allow her to free fly in a secure part of your home. JMHO

 

[Pippa]

The problem with free flying indoors is the whole "flying" part that Pippa deems totally unnecessary. Why fly whe you can nest with paper towels on the arm of the sofa? But winter is approaching so going outside won't be happening but today it was warm out again so I moved Pippa by a window and opened it up. There is some Rose of Sharon right outside and Pippa made friend's with a sparrow and a.....Titmouse! The titmouse was very friendly and even hopped onto the window sill to talk to her more even after I entered the room. Pippa is VERY mad at me right now. We just rescued 5 rat babies and pair that with my sleep schedule being out of whack, mom keeps forgetting to turn off the light until over an hour after "Goodnight" and her attention is on socializing the rainbow fuzzy devils! (The babies are all pink eyed whites and look the same so you use a little bit of non-toxic marker to tell them apart) It's absolutely awful for her but she got a big tupperware of fresh grasses and a treat of red clover with long stems that she's been juicing and eating as well as a little bit of some Cheez-Its so she's slightly less aggravated about the new intruders. She even sat on their cage while I was cleaning her's (don't worry it's 2 story and they were on the lower part of the cage sleeping) but I think it's because it's black wire with much closer bar spacing, very similar to her cage and not the other rat cages which are fat white wires.

 

[Pippa]

Pippa's started mimicking! She has nearly perfected a rat "I'm not the boss" squeal to the point where I look around to see who's being picked on and all the rats are sleeping with a little Pippa fluttering for attention. She also did a really deep pip while I was telling her goodnight. Specifically hen I said her name. She isn't getting any dark feathers, I think she is a she.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Glad Pippa continues to do well. If that black bib isn't starting to come in then probably a female, as you indicated.

 

[Pippa]

All the baby ratties are at a new home and Pippa is very happy now. I also put in perch in the window sill and turned her cage so she could go in and out and she got a bit of time to sit in the window and talk to the other birds while we put up groceries and my rats snacked on a pumpkin. Now she's sitting on my shoulder. She hasn't gotten to come out in 2 or 3 days. It was awful! But now she's hopping around munching on hairs and preening.

She really likes watching the other sparrows, doves, chickadees, and chipmunks. I'd like to make a separate cage that attaches to the window so if it's a nice day she can sit in or outside.

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Look up aviator harness. They have harnesses for a varitety of birds from very small to very large (emu). You might call and tell them about Pippa and they could make a recommendation.

 

[Pippa]

................Pippa just ate styrofoam. It was just a little bit but for her it was almost the size of her beak. When I went to get it from her she gulped it down really fast. Will it hurt her? Is there anything I should do? Gah! This bird drives me nuts.

 

[iamwhoiam]

I don't know what to tell you except, as you know, birds should not be eating styrofoam. How did she get to the styrofoam? If she is getting into things then look over the area where she is housed and see what has to be corrected in order to make it bird safe. Keep a close eye on her and if you need to, call the vet and ask about this. Hopefully it will just come out the other end.

 

[Pippa]

It was dark outside so I set her down to play at the base of our Bird of Paradise plant. She was pecking around some and then found a piece of styrofoam in the potting soil. I went to grab it but she gulped it down. Could it have been expanded vermiculite in the dirt instead? She didn't have a problem getting it down I just hope she's okay. She's been a real pain lately.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Bird of Paradise plants (not sure if it is the flower or the entire plant) can be toxic to birds. Please keep her away from that. Again, if she is out and about then you need to review the areas of your home and bird safe the place. Being a pain?? She is maturing and demonstrating her independence.

 

[4feathersandfur]

I would definitely move her to another room or get some plexi glass from home depot or lowes for the rats cages. It isnt very expensive and you can have them cut it to the exact dimension you need to cover the rat cage. The great thing is that it is clear so they will still get light. You can even punch or drill holes in it and connect it to the sides with zip ties. Because it is slippery, she won't be able to land on the sides and if she lands anywhere, the rats wont be able to get to her or her to them. It is good news that the rat didn't bite her, that would have been much worse because of the germs they harbor in their mouth. Feathers will grow back. I would not put any more oil on her head because it may damage the surrounding feathers. Give her some extra protein, like scrambled eggs to help the feathers grow back and wait it out.

About her diet, I agree with the others. It seems finch seed, sprouted seed, and insects would be the best diet for her with pellets as she pleases. Fresh greens hanging from the cage were always a favorite with canaries and finches I have been around in the past.

Lastly her feet, it looks like she had either a birth defect or a nutritional deficiency as a baby. Most likely calcium. Sometimes it can be corrected when the bones are still soft in the legs and feet. This usually has to happen with splits when the birds are only a few weeks old. I really don't think it would work now she'd probably get very stressed by it as she is used to this and it would limit her mobility temporarily. You can get her some soft platform perch that will be a bit of a rest for her feet if she needs it. Happy Wings on Etsy sells flat fleece covered perches. The covers are removable for washing. They are less than $10 with shipping.

She sounds like a riot. Very cute. Please keep us posted on how she is doing?!