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This makes me so sad...

cassiesdad

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Milton did get his "WET" that he requested last night. When I uncovered him this morning, he had pulled out a whole bunch of small feathers and, even worse, a number of strong feather sheaths. This conversation follows..

Me: You pulled out all your new feathers, Bird..

Milton: "I KNOW DAT"...

Me: That makes me so sad...

Milton: "I A PRETTY PRETTY BIRD?"

Me: You will always be a pretty bird, and I will always love you, Bird...

Milton: "BUT I A BAD BIRD"...

I didn't know what to say...what could you say to a creature that intelligent?
 

TikiMyn

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O:( That snips the heart right in two, I can’t Imagine actually being there with him saying that, it’s so sad:( At least you are there to comfort him:hug8:
 

sunnysmom

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So sorry to hear that Milton pulled out his feathers again. Please tell Milton that he can never be a bad bird but is always a special bird. (Elvis on the other hand... ;)..... No, Elvis isn't bad either.) I wish I could help you figure out why he's all the sudden doing this. Do you think it has anything to do with how hot it's been? Maybe he's not sleeping well at night?
 

Dona

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:sadhug2:why is he bringing up " Bad bird"? I know you never say it to him...just shows that they never forget.
Not to hijack your thread, but to agree that some birds remember things and are remarkably intelligent, like your Milton. I watched a PBS special years ago and the story went something like this. A caique was visiting someone and kept fooling with the TV remote. The owner put it in a drawer. A year later the bird visited the same house and tried to open the same drawer.
 

Sarahmoluccan

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:sadhug2:
You give Milton such a loving home. With plucking sometimes we can find no rhythm or reason for it... Take some comfort in the fact Milton is so well loved and taken care of by you and your family
 

Temi's Tavern

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Poor Guy, At least you were their to help him. I hope his plucking gets better. He seems to have such a excellent vocab, making him a pretty AND smart bird!

Birds really are some of the most intelligent and beautiful creatures alive. Its a shame that some people don't know how to take care of them.
 

cassiesdad

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Do you think it has anything to do with how hot it's been? Maybe he's not sleeping well at night?
It's hard to tell... yes, it's definitely been hotter this summer than most other summers. His room, being our bedroom , is air conditioned, which we turn on in the evenings. He gets his share of "WETS"...3 or 4 a week.
The plucking and picking have become a habit...and he'll pluck the new feather growth just when it looks like it's going to take off.
:sadhug2:why is he bringing up " Bad bird"? I know you never say it to him...just shows that they never forget.
Milty uses the word "BAD" in correct context...a lot....when he's upset with me, for example.
He seems to have such a excellent vocab, making him a pretty AND smart bird!
Milton is a very intelligent bird...he is definitely well-known here on the Avenue. :) When you get a chance, go back here on "Cockatoo Causeway" to read about his exploits...;)
 

Hankmacaw

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@cassiesdad - I would recommend that your vet do a culture and sensitivity on the blood from a feather growing out. I say this because I know of a person whose bird is plucking and after doing a skin scraping -nothing, skin biopsy - nothing, Xrays - nothing, and nothing in any of the blood chems a culture and sensitivity was done on the blood from inside a blood feather and BINGO three bacteria showed up. A staphylococcus, A coagulase negative staphylococcus and an E. Coli. All three of these bacteria have antibiotic resistant strains - so if you do this, insist that an extended culture be done to identify if any of the bacteria are antibiotic resistant.

Hope this may help.
 

cassiesdad

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@cassiesdad - I would recommend that your vet do a culture and sensitivity on the blood from a feather growing out. I say this because I know of a person whose bird is plucking and after doing a skin scraping -nothing, skin biopsy - nothing, Xrays - nothing, and nothing in any of the blood chems a culture and sensitivity was done on the blood from inside a blood feather and BINGO three bacteria showed up. A staphylococcus, A coagulase negative staphylococcus and an E. Coli. All three of these bacteria have antibiotic resistant strains - so if you do this, insist that an extended culture be done to identify if any of the bacteria are antibiotic resistant.

Hope this may help.
Thanks. I know they did a skin scraping -eww- last year when this started....but analysis of the blood in a blood feather...wow, I never thought of that. I'll have to get on the phone to our AV tomorrow and talk to her about it...
 

cassiesdad

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@cassiesdad - If your vet has questions, have her call Dr. Sakas in Chicago.
...again, thanks! Our AV does reach out to other AVs to consult about difficult situations. I know she consulted with a number of other AVs when she was caring for our Cassie...
 

Fergus Mom

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Owwww - so sorry @cassiesdad I was about to say that I have researched things like trichotillomania in humans, which you, and probably lots here know about... and thinking maybe Milton might know about it too .. (Ha, thinking he might secretly be READING our forum!)
Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling) | Mental Health America

Then I saw @Hankmacaw post about the blood analysis inside the feather - wow! That is amazing, and so wonderful that they found the strep in that particular bird, who was obviously uncomfortable, maybe even suffering. Thanks Mary Lynn, so much for posting this info.

I feel if I learn as much as I can, it may make me a better budgie owner. (Even if I never encounter some of the more complex problems)
 
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