Urgent Complications due to band- advice needed

[SandraK]

Ugh, Macroserft really is oodles of fun, isn't it? If you want, I could send you my phone number privately?

PM (message) me & I'll send the pix. Blew away my email files, calendar, all of whatever memory there was of anything. Thankfully my photos were saved, I can download but can't resize

 

[Garet]

All you can do is try to work with ideas and what you have on hand and just maybe something will work! There are several videos about people making collars out of things like a water bottle. Many of them are made by young people like yourself.

And Garet please try to get a good nights sleep. You must be exhausted. You can put a night light near the cage in case you want to peek at him during the night. May the Gods of Lovebirds look down upon you both and bring healing of the leg. Oh and I would contact the breeder and let that person know what a mess the leg band has made and the stress it has caused your bird. Perhaps it will help next time this person attaches a leg band to do a better job of it.

I think I will do just that! I have the number right in my email, along with a certificate signed by the vet that the band did come from him. I just gotta find a site I can look this stuff up on.

And I am, but I never really sleep unless I take my medication, which I don't want to take this early. I plan on staying up until he at least goes to sleep, so I know he at least settles down. I still have to walk the dogs and take care of my mom and bring my dad his supper, and think of where I'm going to put Geralt. I can't put him near Triss, and if I put him in my room, the dog won't let anyone near him until I get up, and I don't think my mom will let me put him in the hallway or kitchen... Ahh, what a mess.

 

[Garet]

Poor baby! When Presley needed to wear a collar, I made her one out of a toilet paper tube, paper towels, and medical tape. I cut the tube to size, wrapped it with some paper towel for padding, and then wrapped it in a layer of the tape and taped it together around her neck. It threw off her balance at first, but after about a half hour she got used to it and could stand up straight with it on. She was a really good girl about it.

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Oh gosh, what a good, pretty girl! I'm not sure if that would work for Geralt, but it's cute and you did a great job with it!

 

[Lady Jane]

Can you put the dog elsewhere for the night? Keep your lovie near your bed just for this first night.

 

[Garet]

So, I tried finding his breeder, but I'm having difficulties with the site. :T Time to go dig out his band and see if the vet missed anything.

Can you put the dog elsewhere for the night? Keep your lovie near your bed just for this first night.

Unfortunately, that's not possible. He doesn't sleep unless he's in my room. I wasn't supposed to have him with me when I went through my stomach and dental surgeries, but no one could put up with his howling. He basically screamed until I got home from getting my appendix out.

Either way, mom is not interested in helping. I asked her if she could watch him/help him get up while I take the dogs out, and she just went 'No no, I'm not doing that, sorry', Bro said he'd brave the pooch to check on Geralt if he wakes up first, at least.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Hope that Geralt's leg will heal quickly.

 

[SandraK]

Baldy, the little tiel with the cone went to a new home and was returned with a chunk missing from his right leg. I knew from how it looked that it would affect his foot because the injury was almost down to the bone. I just wanted him back so I could take care of him, which I did. His foot atrophied from the damage to the leg and muscle but he's part of the flock even if he is small and he's doing well. I probably kept him in the collar for 3-4 weeks because he was also plucking. Baldy is now fully feathered and just "hanging". I've even caught him singing for the ladies so I know he's feeling his oats even if he's too young.

 

[Fergus Mom]

@Garet .. I sure feel for both you and Geralt! I'd be miserable watching him be miserable too! I'd be scared to try to second guess an avian vet though, even if I thought I could make something better for his collar. I'd be afraid I'd not be able to get it on without the anaesthesia, etc. and I'd be back at the vet for another of their cones! Just me... I hope this week will pass FAST! Will be thinking of ya'll.

 

[Sweet Louise]

You are taking wonderful care of Geralt and doing a very nice job of problem solving everything coming your way. Using the lid instead of the bowl was genius. He is eating and drinking-and you are doing everything possible to keep him safe. He is good hands. In the video, he looked like a sweet and loved bird.

 

[Garet]

@Garet .. I sure feel for both you and Geralt! I'd be miserable watching him be miserable too! I'd be scared to try to second guess an avian vet though, even if I thought I could make something better for his collar. I'd be afraid I'd not be able to get it on without the anaesthesia, etc. and I'd be back at the vet for another of their cones! Just me... I hope this week will pass FAST! Will be thinking of ya'll.

Awew, thank you. I feel worse for him than me, though. It was a little stressful for me, but I'm not the one in pain. Geralt is the one missing a good hunk of his leg.

You are taking wonderful care of Geralt and doing a very nice job of problem solving everything coming your way. Using the lid instead of the bowl was genius. He is eating and drinking-and you are doing everything possible to keep him safe. He is good hands. In the video, he looked like a sweet and loved bird.

He is sweet, but he usually doesn't like being handled. He'd fly away whenever I got close. It was only two, maybe three days ago that he started landing on me, so I generally tried to avoid handling him and wanted to let him decide when he was ready, but obviously, the world had different plans!
He really is a good little bird, though. He'd rather fly away than bite, and he's just been so good and friendly with all my birds since I took him home. The rest of the flock goes in and out of his cage without fear, even when he's in it, because he just doesn't mind.
And he's a great partner to Triss, even if he can't quite figure out how to feed her and goes chasing Yen from time to time. I'm hoping that once she's off of her eggs and his leg's healed, she'll be able to share a cage with him.

 

[Garet]

uuugh, mom's ridiculous. She wanted to see Geralt before I went to bed and finally started acting a little worried, then turned around and went 'Ugh, the things you do for birds' in that dismissive tone of voice that people who don't think what you're doing is worth it use. Then I had to hear 'it's just a bird', and 'you care more for your birds than you do for me' and 'I wish you'd do as much for me as you do for the birds'. I just don't get it. When she's sick or wants something, I go, even if all she wants is to pull the blanket up over her feet I can care for more than one living creature at a time.

 

[Birdbabe]

That cone is way too big, he should at least be able to walk..and why it's turned down, instead of up? Call the vet back, if he tips over in it, That s not good..he could drown in a water bowl. My experience says to trim it a quarter of what it is now..and see if he does any better.

 

[Garet]

I think it's turned down to keep him from flying, but I'm really not sure. Imho, they were really unprepared for this sort of thing and just grabbed the smallest thing they had to cone his head

Unfortunately, I did call the vet, and they said it was the right size for him. Would love to get a second opinion on the cone from a different avian vet, but the only other one in the area that Iknow of is a big jerk and I wouldn't trust them with a pet rock, let alone my bird

 

[Lady Jane]

Show the video to the vet. You can tell you Mom for me to get over it. No, on second thought you'd better not.

 

[Fergus Mom]

uuugh, mom's ridiculous. She wanted to see Geralt before I went to bed and finally started acting a little worried, then turned around and went 'Ugh, the things you do for birds' in that dismissive tone of voice that people who don't think what you're doing is worth it use. Then I had to hear 'it's just a bird', and 'you care more for your birds than you do for me' and 'I wish you'd do as much for me as you do for the birds'. I just don't get it. When she's sick or wants something, I go, even if all she wants is to pull the blanket up over her feet I can care for more than one living creature at a time.

UGHHHH and ARRRRGHHHH! Like @Lady Jane said - your Mom can get over it! I swear, I don't know how some people can make such terribly invalidating statements, and then even go one step further than that to make it worse! I can surely sympathize with you tonight, as my bestie made a hugely invalidating statement to me earlier. Hurts my feelings big time, but I'm supposed to suck it up like the doormat? UGHHHH - oh yeah, that's what I said already. Big hugs to both you and Geralt tonight!

 

[fluffypoptarts]

I’m so sorry that you’re going through this. The lovebirds I’ve known despise collars and do not seem to adjust well to them. There’s lots of flopping around and frantic scrabbling, and no interest in food or water while the collar is on. I’ve tried all kinds of collars for Boo but had to remove them all out of concern for her and her complete inability to stand up (let alone perch or walk) with them on. Most collars seem way too heavy. I have one more to try that’s just one layer of leather. I bought it here: BirdSupplies.com | Bird Collars | Parrot Collars |

Geralt’s collar seems way too big for him.

 

[finchly]

You know, there is size, as in a number, and size , as in what fits. Did you speak to a tech or just the desk person? I’m thinking if @fluffypoptarts says it doesn’t fit, then it doesn’t. So try your various ideas and see what you can do for h im.

Here’s a hug for having to put up with a snipey mom and
@Fergus Mom here’s one for you too. People don’’t dare say things like that to me, I have hubby with me almost all the time and he’s got my back. My parents and brother say stuff but they are miles away, and I just don’t talk to them when they get stupid.

 

[DQTimnehs]

That cone is definitely too big if he can't stay upright or right himself once he falls. He could fall in the water and drown as Birdbabe already mentioned, so it is a hazard. I would be cutting it back. Make sure the edge is not sharp; cover it with medical tape. Make sure he can get up if he falls. Make sure he can eat and drink on his own. When Darwin had a cone for his broken wing, it also went down not up. If it goes up they have to be able to get at the food and water without the cone getting in the way. Darwin's owner at the time filled his food bowl to the top so he could eat. Food and water should be at a level he can reach. If he falls over reaching down for it, he won't be eating or drinking, he'll just be lying there. I don't want to make you feel worse. You need to be able to sleep and rest assured he is ok when you're not there.

 

[Macawnutz]

Make a cone out of cardboard. Big enough that he can't reach the edge to chew it. All you need is a circle cut with a hole in the middle. Cut up a slit so you can get it on him then tape it shut.

 

[Garet]

Oof, I slid on the stairs while carrying his cage down. Thankfully, neither of us got hurt and I managed to fall back on the laundry someone shot down the stairs and land on my butt. I hadn't seen it because I had to put him back in his regular cage to keep him from climbing around.

Geralt behaved well when I tended to him this morning, at least. I rolled him over onto my hand and gently cleaned his vent and tum with some wet toilet paper, then applied a big gob of polysporin to everything. It's so scary, though. There's absolutely nothing between his feathers and foot, just a bit of muscle. I've never seen anything like it outside of horror movies.

I still can't believe he did that to himself. I know it wasn't the vet, as she made sure to show me his leg right after they removed the band and put him back in his travel case, so it was all him.

At least he's been eating, drinking, and pooping like normal, even if he has massive problems getting at his water without rolling around and getting drenched. he attacked the cuttlebone bits of his favourite snuggly toy, which I put on the ground for him, and he's eating his spray millet right now.

Yen is acting weird today, though. She latched onto my pinkie and wouldn't let go. She hasn't done anything like that in months.

UGHHHH and ARRRRGHHHH! Like @Lady Jane said - your Mom can get over it! I swear, I don't know how some people can make such terribly invalidating statements, and then even go one step further than that to make it worse! I can surely sympathize with you tonight, as my bestie made a hugely invalidating statement to me earlier. Hurts my feelings big time, but I'm supposed to suck it up like the doormat? UGHHHH - oh yeah, that's what I said already. Big hugs to both you and Geralt tonight!

She does it all the time with me, and it's infuriating. I'm sorry to hear that you're going through the same. I know I do have some mental issues, but whenever I even remotely like something, it's like 'ugh you're obsessed' and 'you're so much bigger than the birds, don't let them rule your life', as if she just expects me to swat them off when I want to go or leave them flying free in the basement without supervision.

@DQTimnehs I've already made the water bowl as shallow as I can, so I don't think he can drown in it, but I'm going to see if my brother has something I can use to shorten it and tape him up. I'm really worried with this cone. He's able to reach up with his bad foot and hold onto it.