First time Pionus

[Dartman]

Nerd chewed certain favorite places and things and it was easy to blanket up his favorite spots and he wouldn't chew through wool army blankets. Lurch was a bit more aggressive chewer but still a wool blanket would get gnawed on but usually not chewed through. Dobby is a hole punching chewing machine. Any blankets covering anything he wants gets nice round holes in them. He destroys wool blankets and sees them as a challenge. We tell him to stop and he gets a gleam in his eyes and takes a few more chomps. We have also found for him distraction works if we give him another highly desired chew toy he'll work on it for awhile and ignore the blankets. For him he loves pop plastic bottle caps and he gnaws and bites them happily without eating any of it. I think they are just strong enough, yet flexible and chewy to keep him happy without biting eatable chunks out of them. I got him some really nice plastic buttons but they are very hard so he wont chew them even though they are bird safe chew toys and I bet most Pionus would love them. They have lots of rules on how things should be.

 

[LSA]

We leave in >5 minutes! Everybirdie is packed, buckled in and ready to go except me! I need a "going to the vet" song. Any ideas?I

 

[finchly]

I always sing are we there yet. Which does rhyme with vet

 

[finchly]

They have lots of rules on how things should be.

Isn’t that the truth!

 

[LSA]

They have lots of rules on how things should be.

I told my friend Kenny she was like living with an autistic child! Everything has to be just right always.
Poor Sherman gets carsick even when covered. The bottom of her cage is a mess

I always sing are we there yet. Which does rhyme with vet

I don't know that song.

get a baby monitor

Okay, I'm at the Bossier City Supercenter Walmart and I'm looking at this baby monitor:
VTech Sound 'n' Safe, Two-Way Baby Monitor and Audio with DECT digital technology.
This is SIMILAR to what I had when my mother moved in. Unlike that one-way, this is a two-way. That worked well, but it was several years ago. Do you know anything about them?

 

[LSA]

Okay, I'm the only one here, so I'm getting this one.

 

[tka]

I've just read a post by Sally Blanchard on her facebook group where she suggests that ear issues (like a build-up of wax) can cause balance problems and carsickness. Maybe worth getting checked out while you're at the vet.

 

[LSA]

I've just read a post by Sally Blanchard on her facebook group where she suggests that ear issues (like a build-up of wax) can cause balance problems and carsickness. Maybe worth getting checked out while you're at the vet.

I wish I'd turned on my phone while traveling! I don't remember if he checked her ears, although I both called a few weeks ago and reminded him about the balance issues. The car sickness was pretty obvious but was still pointed out. I'll ask when they call about the lab results Friday.
I went to Walmart between appointments. Sherman was first. I can't imagine him rechecking her in my absence. Is there a way for me to check her ears myself?
Sherman, WCP, has lost weight... Dr. Jim actually expected more. She was down to 216grams. He asked me to cut the almonds to 1×daily and only give her one ear of corn every other day or cut the ear in half for daily because she wasn't eating enough pellets. Then he showed me how to tie it by the husks to her cage. Also, he reminded me, she hadn't been with me 2 mos even. That I just needed to be patient. She had met more goals than predicted.YGG!
Tommy, budgie, weighs 23 grams (Sherman is almost 10× that!) and was also cleared from quarantine. He gave me ideas to help him and JoJo acclimate to each other. He also said to hang wet leaves in the cage since he didn't like spray bathes.
Dr. Jim said he would maintain the pay schedule on rescues, but not birds acquired elsewhere... IOW, 100% for JoJo and Tommy. That's pretty much what was expected though.
For the most part, I like Dr. Jim. He sternly explained that he wasn't a bird rescue organization and his house and office were already overflowing. HMM

 

[finchly]

She weighs 216! Ernie weighs 190. He is in the doghouse with me because he helped eat my nachos and threw them everywhere, including a jalapeño pepper that went into my eye.

I don’t know how to check ears yourself, do you have an otoscope?

I guess Dr. Jim should be admired for his candor. At least you know where you stand!

Everyone checked out okay, right?

 

[LSA]

Sherman is down to 216 from 224. Ernie is about the weight of a regulation softball! HAHA

Jalapenos? Are you okay?

I'm hoping @tka answers with info about earwax because I don't have an otoscope.

Actually, I trust Dr. J's knowledge and appreciate his directness. As you may have noticed, I'm a bigtime talker!

Everybody checked out well although labs will come in Friday. Tommy is too small for blood draws. Quarantines end when conure quarantines begin!

 

[tka]

@LSA I don't want to share Sally's comment without her permission because it's a closed group, but I'll ask her if I can copy her comment here or in a private message to you.

 

[finchly]

Sherman is down to 216 from 224. Ernie is about the weight of a regulation softball! HAHA

He flies like a softball

Jalapenos? Are you okay?

Oh yes I'm fine. Hubby was mostly the one upset. He said E was throwing food in our food.

I'm hoping @tka answers with info about earwax because I don't have an otoscope.

Actually, I trust Dr. J's knowledge and appreciate his directness. As you may have noticed, I'm a bigtime talker!

Everybody checked out well although labs will come in Friday. Tommy is too small for blood draws. Quarantines end when conure quarantines begin!

All good! I like for my vet to be direct. Hopefully the labs will be 'all clear.' I know you will be happy when quarantine ends and real life begins!

I should probably purchase an otoscope - my cocker spaniel gets ear infections constantly.

 

[LSA]

All good! I like for my vet to be direct. Hopefully the labs will be 'all clear.' I know you will be happy when quarantine ends and real life begins!

I have them in separate rooms just in time for the conures.
Dr. J thinks that since the conures have lived together, a single quarantine room Is best. He also said to start separate night cages (which they don't have now) the second week of five. Put the night cages in the first week to let them get used to them and encourage inspection.

 

[LSA]

@LSA I don't want to share Sally's comment without her permission because it's a closed group, but I'll ask her if I can copy her comment here or in a private message to you.

Thanks!!! I'll be hoping and waiting to hear from you! The conures will get their pre-quarantine visit next week. I should be able to ask then!

 

[LSA]

He flies like a softball

I guess you read tka's response and mine back.

 

[LSA]

So much was going on w , but the branch is basically the same diameter, so repeat. After another fall, she steps to where the branch is much smaller.

The branch at her fresh food dish is even thicker and the direction forces Sherman to hold on with her "bad" foot, so her best defense is to grasp the bars with her "good" foot. That foot gets tired and down she goes. The trick must be smaller diameter perches that she can hold better!

Nerd used to get night frights and freak out for 10 minutes or so till they passed. I also think that his foot would fall asleep and he'd wake up to a numb non working foot and freak out till the feeling came back

Nerd got me thinking that just may be what's up with Sherman. That foot falls asleep, she changes feet but the perch is too big. Her head puts her off kilter since instead of shifting her weight forward, she goes into a more vertical position.

The perch in her travel cage is smaller around! Sounds better.

 

[LSA]

Oops. I fell asleep and erased half of what was wrote.

Sherman's labs were great! WooHoo!

I saw Sherman fall while napping (happy and sad). Apparently she tries to change feet and down she goes. The branch she starts is too big. She tries to switch feet which doesn't work. In the dark, she only makes it halfway back and that branch is about the same diameter as the first. The whole thing is repeated. The third or last branch is about half as big around. Sherman can hold on!

 

[tka]

Poor Sherman!

What diameter are her perches? Leia's sleeping perch is roughly an inch. She likes her platform but doesn't sleep on it.