Wow, I had so much to catch up on!
I wanted to comment on this. We used HEALx on Rhubarb when she had deep wounds on her elbow and back. It does get crumbly when it builds up. Thankfully it's water soluble and washes away easily. We didn't see any feather loss when using this, though we did have to give long baths once a week to soak it out of Rhubarb's feathers.
Turmeric is almost a miracle to me. There's a good deal of scientific research on it. In addition to pain relief, it also helps with kidney function and reduces overall inflammation. And while it may not be a big deal for Saya right now, it also reduces the risk of some cancers and preserves brain health over time.
Rhubarb gets some turmeric every day, morning and evening in her cherry juice. We also add milk thistle and a bit of powdered glucosamine/chondroitin. We had really look for a glucosamine supplement that didn't include vitamin D. We learned that supplementing vitamin D can cause some big problems in birds with kidney issues... Especially when the bird isn't getting enough vitamin A. Turns out that orange veggies are rich vitamin A, so there are always carrots, squash and sweet potatoes at our house! (Often found together in a salt-free yellow curry.)
Hopefully Saya is doing better today!
Hugs from rainy California!
Edit: At the suggestion of our vet we've recently increased the amount of omega-3's in Rhubarbs diet by adding flax seed and flax meal to her morning oatmeal. Her feather condition has improved surprisingly since then. Maybe it's a change in her preen gland oil?
She doesn't seem to mind her turmeric, milk thistle, tart cherry and aloe and has it twice a day in her veggie/sprouted seed mix
-Her nettle and dandelion tea seems to help as well.
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I returned home, and there was a slew of feathers all over the bottom of the cage. She is in there with Zeka- and some of the feathers were hers, but it is still too many.
Saya sits next to her featherlite full spectrum light and preens. I am watching her like a hawk- but I don't see her visibly plucking (of course she is super small, so it is hard to tell). Feather loss seems to be on her underbelly (brooding feather location), and then the tail feathers that fell out (but someone times she does have strange moults- example: one side of her head at once).
Saya is not a 'flier' she can't do it very well. Never could/wanted too except back and fourth in her enclosure or from the coffee table to moms lap/head. Her desire to fly became less and less as she got older. (Zeka flies like crazy- chases me around the house and demands attention). However I have noticed her throwing little fits- jumping from branch branch screaming 'let me out- there is not enough room!'
I am setting up the large enclosure now that is came over- 3ft high, 30 inches long and 18 inches deep. Zeka will be very happy- and hubby thinks the larger cage will make Saya happier. I am a little apprehensive (or helicopter mom syndrome) as I feel like she is 'comfortable' in this small one.... but:
- I wonder if she is very bored, and needs more stimulation (which a larger enclosure would provide- similar to what she is used too)
- Better access to the bottom of the enclosure for her bath, food dishes, etc
- Leave the enclosure open so she can come and go as she sees fit during play time
- The new cage placement means that there is more privacy (plants on the exterior, further away from household lighting, etc)
-I think I need to add extra branches as I want to make sure she can reach everything and doesn't have any problems. She is not a rodent- she is a bird, so having more room might do her very well.
What do you think? new big enclosure with toys?