Should older people adopt parrots in need?

[Clueless]

He didn't like being misted with a water bottle. He tried to get away from it. So far he has only allowed me to scratch the back of his neck twice.

Did you spray above him so it drifted down in a fine mist? Secret doesn't like it when you spray straight....

 

[cathybill7]

My spray bottle does more drops than mist, but I will get a better one and try letting the mist just fall on him. I didn't even think about that as all my other birds like the raindrop effect.

 

[Clueless]

My spray bottle does more drops than mist, but I will get a better one and try letting the mist just fall on him. I didn't even think about that as all my other birds like the raindrop effect.

I bought one for $1 at the dollar store. My first one was from Wal Mart.

 

[cassiesdad]

My spray bottle does more drops than mist, but I will get a better one and try letting the mist just fall on him. I didn't even think about that as all my other birds like the raindrop effect.

Another hint...let Zeus watch you getting wet from the mist, and make sure he sees you enjoying it!

 

[cathybill7]

Please help. I've noticed Zeus sneezing from time to time. He has done this since day one. His eyes look a a little heavy, like sleepy and maybe a little puffy with slight pinkness. This comes and goes. I could see just a little clear liquid around nostrils today, but not much. He is eating well and has no diarrhea. I know we have a lot of dust right now due to doing some reorganizing in our house, so I am thinking allergies, but we do use our air conditioners in the afternoons. I'm in east tx and it is Hot and Humid. We usually turn on air around 1 or 2 in afternoon. We have window units and I try to keep him out of the air stream. His cage is across the room and off to one side from the air stream, if that makes sense, but will the temp fluctuations bother him? It probably around 80 when it's turned on and gets down to around 68 in the evenings until bed time, when I turn it off. I am getting ready to do thorough cleaning and dusting to help with dust, but has anyone got other suggestions. Our nearest avian vet is 90 miles away, so I don't want to make an unnecessary trip, not to mention our funds are a little tight after the purchase of his cage and such. Any suggestion and tips would be appreciated.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Because there is liquid coming out of his nostrils I strongly recommend you take him to the vet. It could be an infection. Zane my M2 has has sinus infections before and it can become quite serious. My vet told me anytime there is discharge coming out of the nostrils it's time to go to the vet.

I sympathize with tight funds thou. I'm having that problem too. And it looks like my Zane is going to need surgery and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

 

[Hankmacaw]

This won't do anything for your fund balance, but you should put an air cleaner on the top of your purchase list. There are top line air-purifiers that cost as much as $600, but there are also much lower priced ones that are adequate. Look on Amazon. This is the one I have, but I bought it on sale for $149; https://smile.amazon.com/Winix-WAC9...keywords=air+purifiers+for+allergies+and+pets Make sure that any air cleaner you get has true HEPA filter and check into how expensive the replacement filters are. Make sure the coverage of the cleaner is larger than the area you will be putting it in.

Otherwise, he could have an infection. Keep an eye on him.

Do you know if he was housed with dusty birds (cockatiels, African Greys, cockatoos) in his previous home? There is a disease called Pulmonary Hypertensive Syndrome that macaws are sensitive to. Please read this; Cardio, Respiratory and Circulatory Diseases | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Hankmacaw]

PS - Have you weighed him He looks overweight to me and that's not good - could just be the camera angle.

 

[cathybill7]

The lady I got him from did indeed have him in a room with her birds she raises. She has many types of birds so I can't be sure. I think he was with her aproximately 2 weeks at most. He only sneezes now and then and usually a couple of times in a row. The pink around his eyes also comes and goes. He may not be getting enough sleep also. I go to bed around 9 and get up around 5. He freaks out with a cage cover. My house is small, so I have only so many places to put him and chose the living area as it is the hub of the house. Over all he appears very healthy and upon going back and checking again, the liquid by his nostrils is gone. I only saw it that once. I tend to believe the dust could be the culprit and will invest in an air filter. I can't put him in my bird room as I do have a Ruepell's that is quite dusty. What do you think on temp fluctuations?

 

[theocnoob]

Take him to the vet, please!!!
It's not as expensive as you might think. Birds deserve as much care as humans do. If you even think the MIGHT be sick, he needs to be seen by a bird doctor right away. Please don't wait. Sneezing liquid is bad. Pink eyes is bad. Please see a vet!!!

It is my belief that any new pet you acquire should see a vet right away to get a clean bill of health and so that if there IS an illness it is dealt with as soon as possible. Birds hide illness like cats. He might be very sick but not showing it.

 

[cathybill7]

I don't have a scale to weigh him, but will say when you pick him up on a perch, his weight is substantial. He is not that active so far, but not being settled in, he doesn't like getting off his cage. I put him toys on his cage and he plays with those. I'm hoping as he adjust, he will become more active. He does like to eat and will come down to my kitchen table if we are eating there trying to get food LOL. I am trying to keep him on healthy foods fruits, veg with greens. He doesn't like pelleted food and throws it down, so I am trying to give mostly fresh and cooked (beans, brown rice, etc). He does eat some seed, but even picks the pellets out of that. He really likes the fresh the best. He only eats a little seed when he goes in for the night.

 

[cathybill7]

Will be making him a vet appointment right away. Will let you know what they say after check.

 

[theocnoob]

He needs to eat a high quality bird kibble or he won't get the required vitamins and minerals for good health. He can't be on beans and veggies and fruits that is not a good diet and will further degrade his health. You need to find a pellet that he will accept. Zupreem makes a fruitblend flavor which, although not the best food in the world, is apparently delicious and most birds will readily take it. When I want George to eat something new I take a piece and chew on it and make happy noises which will always get him to at least taste it.

If he refuses all known bird kibbles you might try seeing if he'll eat like a baby out of a syringe filled with baby bird formula which will at least get him the vitamins and minerals he needs. This is a last resort though IMO.

Im glad you will be taking him to a bird doctor.



You have to give us all the information you have so that the more experienced parronts here, along with your vet, can give you the best advice to give Zeus the best possible care. Nobody's going to judge you.

 

[cassiesdad]

I'm glad you're making an appointment for Zeus...it sounds like he might have a nasal infection. Milton had one a few months after we adopted him. Like you, our AV is 95 miles away, but we got him there quickly. He was diagnosed after a nasal flush, and we got to instill nose drops for 14 days.
It was quite a challenge to get those drops in there, I'll tell you that...but when you have to do it, you do it...

 

[cathybill7]

I am only finding out some of this myself. I wasn't afraid of judgement, I just didn't know. The lady I got him from, was apparently not that forth coming. She brought him back to Tx. from his previous home in Fla. while visiting her mom there. She told me he was healthy and ate good and the people she got him from were rehoming him because they retired and were going to travel. She said she flew him to Texas from Fla. - wouldn't he had to have been vet cleared for the airlines? I thought all airlines required a current health certificate to ship a bird. I am working on getting him to accept pellets and will try the Zupreme as was suggested. When I looked up sneezing after hearing the first sneeze, several sites said it was not unusual for blue and golds to sneeze and as long as nostrils were clear of discharge and eyes looked clear they were probably fine. Most days his eyes look fine, just some days the outer rims will appear slightly pink. As I said I've only seen any moisture the one time today. As far as dietary issues, other than not eating pellets, he eats a great deal of food fruits and veg some whole grain pasta and I do give him some of the Lefeber berries. The berries are not his favorite, but he will eat them. I would appreciate any kind of a feeding schedule anyone could give me as to how much of what and when as I am new to Macaws and I am just trying to settle him in and give him the best food I can get him to eat.

 

[Jenphilly]

Please help. I've noticed Zeus sneezing from time to time. He has done this since day one. His eyes look a a little heavy, like sleepy and maybe a little puffy with slight pinkness. This comes and goes. I could see just a little clear liquid around nostrils today, but not much. He is eating well and has no diarrhea. I know we have a lot of dust right now due to doing some reorganizing in our house, so I am thinking allergies, but we do use our air conditioners in the afternoons. I'm in east tx and it is Hot and Humid. We usually turn on air around 1 or 2 in afternoon. We have window units and I try to keep him out of the air stream. His cage is across the room and off to one side from the air stream, if that makes sense, but will the temp fluctuations bother him? It probably around 80 when it's turned on and gets down to around 68 in the evenings until bed time, when I turn it off. I am getting ready to do thorough cleaning and dusting to help with dust, but has anyone got other suggestions. Our nearest avian vet is 90 miles away, so I don't want to make an unnecessary trip, not to mention our funds are a little tight after the purchase of his cage and such. Any suggestion and tips would be appreciated.

Sorry I have not been around much, but would love to jump in and help with your 'adoption' As the Adoption Coordinator with A Helping Wing, I can babble on and on, so apologies if I go off on a rambling tangent!!

With all new birds, you should seek disease testing and vet checkup. I know budget and funds can be tough, but having one of these big guys its something that is just a must. At AHW, we disease test every single bird from budgie to macaw, you never know who has been exposed to what and birds can carry and actively shed something like PBFD for literally years and year and years without ever showing a symptom. You can do disease testing super easy and cheap thru avianbiotech.com, we use them ourselves. They one of the top 2 avian and equine labs in the world. You can go on their site or call them, and request an environmental swab, that will allow you to just swab up a fresh pile of poo for testing. You can do a poop swab for PBFD, psittacosis (chlamydia) and polyoma. Those are the 3 important ones for an adult bird. Blood is needed for DNA sexing and Pacheco's. A vet can do all these tests, but it is much more expensive, you can save yourself some money when budget is a concern thru avianbiotech.com, the 3 panel poop test is only $55!

But, hearing about the weight issue and the sneezing, I would suggest a vet visit and encourage you to consider investing in a complete blood panel (CBC and liver function). I know this can be pricey, but with an adult bird its really important, especially a guy who seems a bit pudgy, liver disease is a killer and it is often silent for a decade or longer with so much damage done when you realize there is a health problem, the prognosis is not the best. I always personally I had a very young (barely 3 year old bare eye cockatoo) that was rehomed to us (before the shelter) and she was literally a glowing picture of health. But practicing what I preach, she went in for a check and much to everyone's shock, her gram stain showed epithelial and blood cells. We were seeing renowned avian vet Elizabeth Clark, and she was shocked at the results and said we definitely need a full blood panel and liver function. At less then 3 years of age and truly a picture of health, Ivory had the very early beginnings of liver disease and the cells found in her gram stain were being shed by her liver.... Thankfully she was so young and it was caught so very early that it was only a healthy diet needed to reverse things... She's been with us 4 years or so and now her gram stain is perfect! If we had just gone by appearances, behavior and how she acted, chances are Ivory would have had a much shorter lifespan... anyway, warned you, babble!!!!

I have an adopted blue and gold macaw myself, I just posted about him in another thread yesterday... Hi from Max thread... he was a pudge bucket when he arrived at AHW at 25 years of age. He also was not known to fly, but he could If Zeus likes to climb and such, get him active and moving. Max is a floor bird, no one told him that macaws like to be up high on cliffs or in trees! He prefers playing on the floor... but what I did early on to get him 'exercise', I would not carry him up the stairs, he follows me around like a puppy... but if he wanted to go with me, he had to provide his own transportation! So, he went up and down the stairs a few times (and now has claimed the first corner landing in the upper living stairs as one of his play areas). Another exercise for him was setting up a wood chair (height like a high top bar set) as his food stand. Max has to climb up and down to get to his food bowl during the day. Fast forward just over 3 years and there is not a bit of fat on the boy and he's got lots of muscle tone You can also help with exercise if Zeus is not one for climbing or such, by encouraging him to flap his wings. With him on your forearm, life him up and down so he stretches and flaps his wings to keep his balance. Great exercise for any bird. Obviously not so fast he feels like he is falling!

Everyone has talked about harness and outside, which completely agree with! Even a clipped very bonded bird can startle and fly off. We get so many calls and email at the shelter of people looking for a lost bird... often - he is clipped, he couldn't fly and painfully the lesson that even a very bonded attached bird will fly when startled... we had one young couple who knowingly took their bird out for their evening walks with him sitting on the shoulder (an IRN)... she insisted the bird was too bonded, he was too devoted to her to ever leave her side. Unfortunately instincts trumps training...

One thing I want to mention and this is totally personal for every bird owner... but having a large parrot on your shoulder can be a tragic and bloody ending, especially if Zeus is new and not completely trusting and open to touch and handling. With my beloved Max, I never allow him on my shoulder, the risk is too high. If he is frightened or feels he is losing his balance, the natural parrot response is to grab with the beak, and on the shoulder, what is grabbed for balance could be your flesh. My husband has what looks like a bullet wound on his chest from Max... wasn't a vicious or aggressive bite, but with that beak, human flesh is no match. Also remember that parrots warn their flockmates of danger often by nipping and biting to get their flockmates to leave or move away from that danger. We have many parrots arrive at AHW with reports from angry or upset owners saying the bird bit someone in the face and the bird is no longer trusted... reality, its the owner's who are at fault and failed their parrot... Accidents do happen, but the risk with living with a large beak, we need to not set a bird up for 'failure' Again, this is something that is very personal and a decision that each parrot owner / home needs to make for themselves, but at the shelter, the absolute rule is never put a larger parrot on the shoulder. Really no parrot, but having a small green cheek slice you with their little scissor like beak is different then the need stitches injury from a macaw beak. It is just something to think about especially with Zeus being new to the home... apologies if this subject sounded harsh or critical, just something that is a big topic working with new adopters about reality of having a cockatoo or macaw (or amazon or grey) size beak in the home. Crap happens... we just received word from one recent macaw adopter that the bird chomped on the husband's cheek and he needed surgery, in helping them with the what and why, it was asked why the beak was near the face, and the husband came home as usual, took the macaw out, gave him a kiss on the head and for whatever reason the bird startled and while still near the face grabbed the fleshy part of his cheek. We have another longtime shelter volunteer and adopter who needed plastic surgery from a large parrot bite, and it was a bird that had been with her for years, just a moment with hormones....

Anyway, babble, babble, babble... back to Zeus and the vet... The sneezing and sounding like he has dust in his nose... In a home environment with heat and A/C affecting air quality, macaws can develop problems with the nare... Max went to the vet maybe 2 months ago with the same type of worry, he sounded kinda crackly, not quite snotty, but almost like if you take something for sinus and it dries you out... Max went in to our beloved avian vet and Max's nose was dried and had some yuck... joked that with all that education and degrees, she gets to pick my bird's nose But, it was still winter here in PA, so the house was dry with the heat on, she ran a culture to be safe, but said more baths and a daily steam bath would help tremendously. Our master bath has a tub and shower stall, so Max hangs out on the top of the shower stall and gets a steam bath everyday after I shower. No problems since! But definitely take him in for a checkup.... If he hasn't seen a vet in years, its important just like at our age (I'm 48 and with live with MS, Sjogrens and Celiac), that we go for checkups to make sure everything is good!

The temp changes... you want to keep him out of the line of the air flow, think draft... Drafts are a worry with parrots. If you can put one of those covers to change air flow direction so that it goes up or to the opposite side, that would be a good thing.

Sorry for all the babble! Congrats on Zeus!

 

[theocnoob]

This is the food I was talking about. Get either the bag with the macaw on it or the one with the grey on it as the others will be too small for Zeus to bother with, being a large bird as he is.

I would suggest that you try soaking it to soften it and pretend to eat some and act like it tastes better than apple pie. George was the same way with pellets I tried the really expensive premium stuff like Harrisons and others at first and he refused them so finally I tried this stuff and he took it right away. Its better than no kibble at all.

 

[cassiesdad]

This is the food I was talking about. Get either the bag with the macaw on it or the one with the grey on it as the others will be too small for Zeus to bother with, being a large bird as he is.

I would suggest that you try soaking it to soften it and pretend to eat some and act like it tastes better than apple pie. George was the same way with pellets I tried the really expensive premium stuff like Harrisons and others at first and he refused them so finally I tried this stuff and he took it right away. Its better than no kibble at all.

This is the brand and type of pellets we feed all of our birds..and have for years. It's a controversial choice here on AA, but it works for us and our birds. We also supplement with a high quality seed for the budgies, and all the birds get a "mash"...mixed fresh veggies and a little bit of fruit. We also give every birdie cooked pasta.
We've never had Macs, so I'll step aside to let more experienced Mac owners express their thoughts...

 

[cathybill7]

I appreciate all the input and I am ordering the food today. Can't get it locally. In reference to Jenphilly, his nose doesn't make any sound just the little sneezes now and then. As far as blood work I'm on board with that. Had to do it for a rescue maltese dog we rescued in Nov. I would rather rule out the bad stuff than worry about it incessantly. As far as exercise he does climb up and down on his cage, but he hasn't adjusted to my handling enough to try the harness yet. He does not like the floor at all and will climb as quick as he can to get off of it. LOL I don't put him on my shoulder only my wrist and he doesn't stay there long yet. He's only been here a week so he is still adjusting to the new environment. He isn't aggressive, but I haven't pushed him either. I'm thinking just getting him in a kennel to go to vet could be an ordeal.

 

[Jenphilly]

I am only finding out some of this myself. I wasn't afraid of judgement, I just didn't know. The lady I got him from, was apparently not that forth coming. She brought him back to Tx. from his previous home in Fla. while visiting her mom there. She told me he was healthy and ate good and the people she got him from were rehoming him because they retired and were going to travel. She said she flew him to Texas from Fla. - wouldn't he had to have been vet cleared for the airlines? I thought all airlines required a current health certificate to ship a bird. I am working on getting him to accept pellets and will try the Zupreme as was suggested. When I looked up sneezing after hearing the first sneeze, several sites said it was not unusual for blue and golds to sneeze and as long as nostrils were clear of discharge and eyes looked clear they were probably fine. Most days his eyes look fine, just some days the outer rims will appear slightly pink. As I said I've only seen any moisture the one time today. As far as dietary issues, other than not eating pellets, he eats a great deal of food fruits and veg some whole grain pasta and I do give him some of the Lefeber berries. The berries are not his favorite, but he will eat them. I would appreciate any kind of a feeding schedule anyone could give me as to how much of what and when as I am new to Macaws and I am just trying to settle him in and give him the best food I can get him to eat.

Diet for macaws... pellets are important. Try different brands to see what he takes to. Roudybush California blend is a great option and I use Caitec Baked Bites which are a favorite for Max. But, another option that is only by mail order is Phoenix Foraging - their green chunks, its an unpellet option, all natural and more like a cracker texture. Max and my husband's Senegal, Mali, absolutely love them.

For macaws, you want more veggies then fruits... cucumbers, bell peppers, hot peppers, all types of squash (I bake them), sweet potatoes (also baked / cooked), snowpeas, fresh green beans, carrots, zucchini, jicama (Max favorite), about any type of root veggie... You can also share dinner with your macaw, if you eat healthy, share with Zeus. I steam veggies, so before adding butter (I have to use non dairy anyway), I'll pull out some for Max... broccoli, cauliflower, edamame, Brussel sprouts, peas and such! Even sharing rice or pasta is great, just before any salt is added - pepper is fine tho, all types of pepper is great for a macaw.

Dry parrot mixes are great daytime snack / diet additions for macaws. If you look at Goldenfeast or mybirdstore.com they have World's Best line (their own), or mysafebirdstone.com has awesome custom blends as well... Great mix for nuts, grains, veggies and such. There are several excellent mixes that you can switch out daily or so, giving a variety in the diet for even dry foods. And with the big boys, they need nuts in shell... walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, brazils - for smaller birds these are not as needed, but the big guys its a healthy part of their diet. And one treat that most macaws go crazy over was mentioned in another post - pine nuts! For such big birds, they love the tiniest treat! But a heads up that I learned the hard way, pine nuts in shell go rancid quickly. Keep them in the freezer... I posted a couple years ago, Max develop a minor crop infection from pine nuts.... lesson learned, now all nuts go in the fridge and/or freezer.

There are lots of awesome posts on this forum about birdie breads, baked treats and sprouting. All are great reading and wonderful additions to the macaw diet. And baked goodies are a wonderful way to sneak in healthy foods that a parrot may not otherwise willingly eat... If Zeus does not take well to a healthy pellet, you can grind them up and use them in birdie bread or treats I posted quite a few kitchen experiments over the years for using leftover parrot foods in treats for the shelter babies.

Sorry, more babbling!!