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Adopted a Senior Lovebird, What to Expect?

LilSprout

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Kamara is a 15 year old lovebird who was previously badly neglected. She's getting vet care for her feather plucking and is getting on a proper diet (zumpreem natural pellets, fruits and veggies and sometimes seeds as a treat) I was wondering what considerations do I have to take for her future to prevent age related problems and what problems could arise because of her age? Thanks for your time!
 

Hankmacaw

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You will need to watch her for liver and/or kidney disease. Arthritis is prevalent in older birds and can be so painful as to be debilitating. She may have some heart or circulatory disease and you will need to watch her breathing and energy level to get a hint about them. She may develop cataracts.

The good news is that there are treatments for all of these conditions that can make a bird's final years more comfortable and extend their life.

She may be "one of those birds" who just survived and was not effected by the neglect. There are lots of those out there.
 

webchirp

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Get your vetting back and write down anything you see that seems off or questionable. You don't want to give supplements she may not need. Did she get an xray by chance?
 

LilSprout

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Get your vetting back and write down anything you see that seems off or questionable. You don't want to give supplements she may not need. Did she get an xray by chance?
No, she's going back in a month to see how she does on a proper diet, before that she's getting a stool test and I'm just collecting her stool for it now. If I get an idea of what to look for I can ask about tests for age related conditions.
You will need to watch her for liver and/or kidney disease. Arthritis is prevalent in older birds and can be so painful as to be debilitating. She may have some heart or circulatory disease and you will need to watch her breathing and energy level to get a hint about them. She may develop cataracts.

The good news is that there are treatments for all of these conditions that can make a bird's final years more comfortable and extend their life.

She may be "one of those birds" who just survived and was not effected by the neglect. There are lots of those out there.
Her vet has recommended a blood test for her so perhaps I could ask about testing her liver and kidney with that blood test. Since she's settled in to her new home she takes a few short naps a day and I'm actually going to talk to her vet about that because I don't know if that's normal and I want to be sure she's alright. The vet has checked her breathing last time she went which was about a week ago. I'm concerned a lot about arthritis with her because for many years she only had one plastic perch in her old cage at her old home and I'm worried that did some damage to her feet so I will certainly ask her vet about that.
 

Milo

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I would highly recommend a complete blood count and a chemistry panel. If her stool isn't abnormal there probably won't be anything of note on it. Some people recommend probiotics for birds, but I don't believe there's any good evidence that what we have on the market right now works for every companion parrot. Not because they're bad products but because there is such a diverse group of species.

An x-ray is definitely not a bad idea, they do have to be anesthetized for it though. Not that it should deter you, but you should be aware. Anesthesia (when there is knowledgable staff) is generally a very safe thing for x-rays, it's brief and for the bird's safety as well.

While you're waiting for your recheck, just get to know your new little one. If you know that "she" is for sure a "she" watch out for nesting behavior that you can discourage, and you can start offering her new foods in different ways. Don't be afraid to try the fruit zupreem first and then work in the natural colored pellets. She's had 15 years to eat garbage and so at this point any pellet is going to be an improvement!
 

Heather F

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It's pretty normal for birds to nap a bit during the day, as long as they don't seem excessively sleepy or tired the rest of the time. But by all means ask your vet about everything that worries you.
 

LilSprout

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I would highly recommend a complete blood count and a chemistry panel. If her stool isn't abnormal there probably won't be anything of note on it. Some people recommend probiotics for birds, but I don't believe there's any good evidence that what we have on the market right now works for every companion parrot. Not because they're bad products but because there is such a diverse group of species.

An x-ray is definitely not a bad idea, they do have to be anesthetized for it though. Not that it should deter you, but you should be aware. Anesthesia (when there is knowledgable staff) is generally a very safe thing for x-rays, it's brief and for the bird's safety as well.

While you're waiting for your recheck, just get to know your new little one. If you know that "she" is for sure a "she" watch out for nesting behavior that you can discourage, and you can start offering her new foods in different ways. Don't be afraid to try the fruit zupreem first and then work in the natural colored pellets. She's had 15 years to eat garbage and so at this point any pellet is going to be an improvement!
She's 100% a female because when my grandma owned her and I was child she would lay eggs all the time. She hasn't done it in a few years.
She's eating zupreem natural very reliably, I give them to her first thing in the morning (after she squawks to let me know she's ready for breakfast) and she seems to enjoy them. I had to slowly transition her off seeds with them but now she'll happily eat them by themselves. Next thing I want to get her eating is fresh fruits and veggies but I can tell it's going to take some persistence to get her to try some. Right now she gets fruits and veggies baked into birdie bread which I hide under shredded paper for her to forage for, she enjoys that a lot and she's doing it right now
IMG_2063.JPG
(The toilet paper tube has holes and bird bread hidden inside so if she rolls the tube it will fall out. She hasn't figured it out yet)
 

WendyN

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You are a wonderful birdie parent!
 

metalstitcher

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Some natural wood perches and some platform perches would be good for her. Gracie is about the same age and after she has her breakfast she demands to take a nap with me. Once she has her nap she is all over the place like a missile. She has a nap in the afternoon after my husband gets home and they talk for a little bit and then after I get up for work in the evening she wants a little nap before I have to leave. Napping at their age is normal. Chew able toys would be good for her too. Sea-grass toys, balsa, and cork are good too. Might want to ask @webchirp for some ideas lol She has some really awesome toys my babies love to attack.
 

fluffypoptarts

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As they get older, they definitely nap more. Termite is 10 or so and if I'll stay still while he's on me, he'll usually assume napping position. :)
 
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