Pet Store African Grey

[Clueless]

Well I appreciate everyones input!

I took him to the vet and he for sure has something respiratory going on. It may be a simple issue or something far worse. It is too early to tell but I had all possible tests done to get to the bottom of it. He was actually wheezing today. Anyway I am hoping for the best. He is fairly active, eating and climbing about even after the vet so thats a great sign!

Thank you again to everyone and I will keep the thread updated with the outcome of the tests. Also I suppose when in doubt the best thing to do is go to an Avian vet to have the appropriate tests done.

Thanks for taking him in for medical care.

 

[jh81]

I am sorry to hear Zazu is suffering, but i am glad he is with you now at least he has as good a chance as possible! I will hope for a good outcome, so tou can start to fully enjoy yo.ur companion, woryfree

 

[Tyrion]

Best of luck with him

 

[Kiwi and Mitch]

I am sorry to hear Zazu is suffering, but i am glad he is with you now at least he has as good a chance as possible! I will hope for a good outcome, so tou can start to fully enjoy yo.ur companion, woryfree

Thank you for the kind words. He really seems happy, but he is ill and it is respiratory and the Vet has not received the results back as of yet. I will keep the thread updated!

Best of luck with him

Thank you so much!

 

[camelotshadow]

Gosh just read about the breathing...Hope the vet can take care of that....

 

[iamwhoiam]

So sorry about the respiratory issue. You may want to consider giving him some vetri-DMG. Check with vet first.
Amazon.com : Vetri-DMG Liquid 1 oz : Pet Antioxidant Nutritional Supplements : Pet Supplies

 

[Kiwi and Mitch]

Gosh just read about the breathing...Hope the vet can take care of that....

Thank you for the kind words!

So sorry about the respiratory issue. You may want to consider giving him some vetri-DMG. Check with vet first.
Amazon.com : Vetri-DMG Liquid 1 oz : Pet Antioxidant Nutritional Supplements : Pet Supplies

I will definitely look into this! Thank you.

As far as Zazu goes here is the update as of today:

I have been administering oral antibiotics that the vet gave as a precautionary treatment while we are awaiting results of the stool sample and CBC. The vet also did a sinus flush.

Zazu has some wheezing but otherwise seems to be in very high spirits. I took him outside yesterday in a secure area where he was exposed to natural sunlight, we have been providing assorted fresh fruits and veggies (apples, carrots, brocoli) as well as some dehydrated fruits and a little bit of unsalted peanuts and almonds. He is on a pellet diet, a mix of Roudybush and the food he is used to from the pet store. We also add supplements to his food, it is a vitamin and probiotic powder. This is the exact diet we have our dear Quaker Kiwi on (Kiwi is on the smaller Roudybush pellets).

I honestly don't know if there is anything I am missing but waiting for the results from the vet is difficult. Zazu is such a pleasure with his whistling, clicking, beeping and talking but the respiratory issue is scary.

Any suggestions of what may help Zazu or other people that have experience with respiratory issues would be really appreciated!

 

[Kiwi and Mitch]

It has been a few days since I have posted anything and I just wanted to update this thread.

Zazu has been doing so well. He is honestly happier than I could have ever imagined and his test results have all come back negative, except for the elevated white blood cell count. He is still on antibiotics but his breathing, energy levels and general demeanour are improving daily.

I am so grateful to everyone here and this wonderful forum. If I did not have somewhere to go for help and information I may have never ended up with Zazu.

Thank you again and I will post some more pictures soon

 

[galah!]

 

[galah!]

oops, sorry meant the congrats on getting Zazu

 

[jmfleish]

It has been a few days since I have posted anything and I just wanted to update this thread.

Zazu has been doing so well. He is honestly happier than I could have ever imagined and his test results have all come back negative, except for the elevated white blood cell count. He is still on antibiotics but his breathing, energy levels and general demeanour are improving daily.

I am so grateful to everyone here and this wonderful forum. If I did not have somewhere to go for help and information I may have never ended up with Zazu.

Thank you again and I will post some more pictures soon

How high was his WBC (white blood count)? It's absolutely normal for it to be slightly elevated simply do to stress.

 

[Kiwi and Mitch]

oops, sorry meant the congrats on getting Zazu

Haha No worries and thank you!

How high was his WBC (white blood count)? It's absolutely normal for it to be slightly elevated simply do to stress.

I am not sure but excellent question and point. I am taking him to the vet for a followup tomorrow and will ask!

 

[Kiwi and Mitch]

Hello everyone, I thought I would update this thread,

Zazu has been home with us a little shy of one month and it has been a wonderful experience. One negative, which my fiancee and I fully prepared for prior to bringing him home, is that he does bite people when presented with the opportunity. He does not bite me...but everyone else is a for sure bite. Does anyone have any advice on how to try to curb this behaviour? In case of an emergency I would really feel more comfortable that he was able to be handled by at least my fiancee if I was not immediately available.

 

[greys4u]

He doesn't bite you because you are his flock and he's alerting you that there is someone who might hurt you.

 

[Kiwi and Mitch]

He doesn't bite you because you are his flock and he's alerting you that there is someone who might hurt you.

Thank you for the explanation!

Are there any methods that we can implement so that Zazu recognizes my fiancee as part of the flock as well?

 

[jmfleish]

It's all about the body language, she has to learn to read his body language. I would guess he's biting because he doesn't trust her and she has to gain her trust. Does he ruffle up when she tries to pet him or asks him to step up? Does she ever try to give him treats? That's generally a good way to try and wiggle your way into a grey's heart. Also, they can be a little territorial over their area. We have a grey, Smokey, who we took in knowing he doesn't like women. He's definitely my SO's bird but I can handle him. I don't even bother to try and pick him up when he's around his cage but I can get him to step up on a stick. When I take him out of the room his cage is in, he will step up for me and I work with him when he's not by his stuff. I also do all the feeding and he has an EH cage, so I have to reach into his cage to get his food dish. We have a settled truce and he will let me reach in to get it without a lot of drama most days and I don't get bit. I do a lot of sweet talking to him and I do a lot of scritching of his head between the bars. I think we have a decent relationship but he's still not my bird!

 

[Kiwi and Mitch]

It's all about the body language, she has to learn to read his body language. I would guess he's biting because he doesn't trust her and she has to gain her trust. Does he ruffle up when she tries to pet him or asks him to step up? Does she ever try to give him treats? That's generally a good way to try and wiggle your way into a grey's heart. Also, they can be a little territorial over their area. We have a grey, Smokey, who we took in knowing he doesn't like women. He's definitely my SO's bird but I can handle him. I don't even bother to try and pick him up when he's around his cage but I can get him to step up on a stick. When I take him out of the room his cage is in, he will step up for me and I work with him when he's not by his stuff. I also do all the feeding and he has an EH cage, so I have to reach into his cage to get his food dish. We have a settled truce and he will let me reach in to get it without a lot of drama most days and I don't get bit. I do a lot of sweet talking to him and I do a lot of scritching of his head between the bars. I think we have a decent relationship but he's still not my bird!

I must thank you for this...you are spot on.

Today my fiancee did some cleaning and she moved all of his toys. They were in an open cubby beside his cage. Zazu is kept out of his cage and she said he literally went into the cage and repeatedly tried closing the door but the safety latch prevented him from closing the door so she closed it for him. He tried nipping her, but only from within the cage.

I came home and she explained what happened. I reached into his cage and without warning he bit me, drew blood. It was the first time he had done this to me. I did not react and I explained to my fiancee that I think it would be best if we take his toys from the new storage place and put them back to the cubbies by his cage that he was used to. This calmed him down a bit, but he was still nippy and biting throughout the evening. We decided to let him continue with his regular nightly routine, not change anything and we just put him to sleep for the night.

I suppose only time will tell how long this will last for. Any thoughts on how to curb this behaviour? Or am I to just continue with his normal routine and hope for the best?

 

[greys4u]

You may have startled him or he is cage aggressive, keep him on his routine, don't change anything and wait until he is a little bit more settled before anything is changed.

 

[Kiwi and Mitch]

You may have startled him or he is cage aggressive, keep him on his routine, don't change anything and wait until he is a little bit more settled before anything is changed.

Thanks! I will be doing this...I hope he cheers up soon!

 

[Shinobi]

You're fiancée moved HIS toys and he wasn't impressed about it at all, in fact he was so upset he went into HIS cage and closed HIS cage door. It would probably be better to put him into another room when you clean his cage. Some birds are quite possessive other their cage and toys.