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first vet visit!!

McBird

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this little man has no idea what's in store for him lol he's about to get his first vet visit in his whole 8 years of life IMG_0633.JPG IMG_0633.JPG IMG_0628.JPG
 

expressmailtome

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Good luck!
 

cassiesdad

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He'll do fine!
 

ZoeyFredrik

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I just went through this with Sydney and it went surprisingly well.
Wishing you the same luck!
 

iamwhoiam

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Hope things go well at the vet's.
 

BirdGuy21

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Hope all is well.
 

Tiel Feathers

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Hope everything goes well!
 

Tyrion

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Best of luck :)
 

rocky'smom

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hope his first visit goes better then Bebe's and Dr. Tony first greet and meet. Nick will never forget it I know that. LOL. their second meeting was not much better.. be calm
 

McBird

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all is well in Leaf's world until we get the results from the blood work back!

I got his leg band removed (the vet said that it was too big so I'm glad I went ahead and asked for the band to be removed anyhow), got him microchipped, they're going to give me a call about the blood work, the Chlamydia test, etc, in about a week. he did really well save for miming an attack at the vet inside of his cage (I don't think he likes males LOL). I got a lot of information from the vet and I'm going to make the necessary changes over the next while here. I got him five more perches, then I got him a bunch of toys, some Golden Feast treats, a few foraging toys, a water bottle, an avian sun lamp, and I'm waiting on my order from My Safe Bird Store to come in on the 13th with even more perches and toys! he's slowly exploring his toys and I've left the cage door open so he can come and go as he pleases.

the vet agreed with me that he probably shouldn't have his wings clipped because it could mentally and psychologically damage him since he's been fully flighted for his whole life. I left the decision up to the vet and he asked me a couple of questions and when I answered he said that Leaf should probably remain fully flighted. he told me that I probably shouldn't work with a harness as he's an adult bird and it could be a disaster and ruin our relationship. he also expressed that because I have outdoor cats that roam the neighbourhood that it would be a bad idea. I explained to him that the dog's get kenneled whenever he gets out but because the kennels are on the main floor whenever they move he gets startled and I told him I had been thinking of moving their kennels upstairs so if they move, etc, it won't startle him. he agreed that would be a good idea.

since coming home, he's been given his new toys to look over and investigate and his healthy treats. he happily ate his pellets at the vet but slept most of the way home. he's still a little out of it and pretty drowsy from his big day so I'm going slow with him. he's sitting on my shoulder right now fluffed up under my hair preening it. I'm super stoked about his cage right now and I'm going to save up some money and buy him an even bigger cage in the future!

while we were there it was pretty clear that he preferred the lady techs over the male doctor LOL. it was pretty funny. I asked him if he thought that Leaf was a male since I've seen him masturbate a few times with his hanging toy and he said that's more of a male behaviour but we won't know for certain until the DNA sexing results come back. he was a very good boy and the vet said that he has some dietary deficiencies (which I already figured since he was on a basically seed only diet before I got him) but he was glad that I was working toward a healthy diet with him. he also said that Leaf had a bit more fat than he would like to see but nowhere near obesity. so with the dietary changes and such that should dissipate. I now have to purchase him a gram scale sometime in the near future to keep an eye on his weight. he was 112 grams today and I want to make sure that he doesn't get too skinny or too fat.

he got several toys while I was there, and I paid special attention to getting him foraging toys. he now has seven variable perches in his cage (I removed the dowel perch), a hanging rope perch with a bird safe bell at the bottom, several foraging toys, some tear apart toys, a swing, a circular "swing" with bird safe yarn all over it, and I'm eager to get his other perches in the mail on the 13th so that I can have some stored away to switch out every now and again. the vet said he was pleased I was doing so much work toward getting him to a healthier bird. he'll contact me in a week and we'll schedule his vaccinations to make sure that he's on the up and up.

since the visit I've:
- arranged toys in his cage
- put the perches in various locations
- moved the dog kennels upstairs to my bedroom so they can no longer spook him
- purchased some fresh veg and will be more involved in making sure he gets more fresh veg
- cleaned the water bottle in preparation to hang it up sometime later this week when I can be there to acclimate him to it
- gotten him started on his new treats from Golden Feast
- and made sure his cage looks extra appealing to him!

the vet said that I'm looking at 3-6 months to get him to peak condition as far as health is concerned if I continue to do what I'm doing. I'm extremely happy that we're on the right track and I'm super excited to see his progress! he also said that once he settles in more he'll start showing more and more of his personality but since he's only been with me for 3 weeks he's still settling in.

it's crazy how in January when he was dropped off and I was sitting in the grooming salon almost in tears at his contact calls thinking REALLY HARD about just taking him home that night that he eventually came to live with me anyway! I couldn't ask for a more amazing bird and I absolutely adore him. he's currently falling asleep on my couch while I type this so I think I'm going to put him to bed soon and let him get extra sleep since he had such a big birdie day today!

he's not where the vet wants him in ideal condition yet, but he said that I'm definitely on the right track and I'm super happy! I want to make sure I give him the best little birdie life that I could ever give him and I love him so much. you'd never think that such a small little thing could make such a huge impact on your life. he's a delightful companion, a wonderful little baby, and I swear to you I thought I heard him almost say "I love you" back to me earlier this week. in his little conure voice. :heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart:

I do want to know: is it normal for them to spook more easily after they've had a stressful visit to the vet? (it feels like a "no brainer" yes but I just wanted to know what you all knew from having these experiences as well!)
 
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BirdGuy21

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Glad the vest visit went well! Sounds like you are already on the right track with him and your vet is onboard. Hoping the blood work comes back okay! And it sounds like he is going to be a very happy birdie with all those new toys and perches coming.
 

ZoeyFredrik

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Glad everything went well! Leaf sounds like quite the lucky bird to have you!

It's definitely normal in my opinion for a bird to be more on edge after a vet visit. It's stressful and puts them on high alert. Joey is like that. She gets so stressed and upset, it takes her a while to calm down.
 

cassiesdad

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I do want to know: is it normal for them to spook more easily after they've had a stressful visit to the vet?
That's a pretty normal reaction for a day or so. My guys are also extra-clingy (if that's possible) the next day.

Cassie was the opposite of Leaf...she preferred men over women. In fact, they knew she was ready to come home from surgery when she started to bite the women vet techs!

I'm so glad everything went well with Leaf at the vet's office...:)
 

McBird

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@cassiesdad that's what I thought! I knew he was super sleepy when I got him home and got back from my technical interview (I got the job!!!! start Monday!) and just slept the entire time I had him out.

he's so funny! I really feel like he probably is a male since he doesn't like other males. but, of course, males and females can be super possessive. I was asked if he was a Jenday x Sun Conure but I don't feel like he is. they questioned it because of the red around his eyes and I was like I don't think he is a mix of the two, he looks like any other Sun I've seen.
 

cassiesdad

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Congrats on your new job! :bounce7:
 

Monica

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It's great that Leaf's vet visit went so well! :D


I don't see any indication that Leaf is part Jenday.... if he is, then there's not much jenday in him! ;) Sun conures tend to be more orange than jendays, and jendays tend to be more "yellow".... in the head region. Now, there are some jendays with extra facial colors, but general rule of thumb, jendays are more "yellow". It's easy to see when you see both species next to each other, like these images.

http://www.crittersandconservation.com/cnc/uploads/images/conures.jpg
http://images1.americanlisted.com/n...sun-jenday-conure-americanlisted_40946029.jpg

Vs these two jendays that do have more facial coloring than the ones above (could be an age thing, could be genetics)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...g/768px-Aratinga_jandaya_and_solstitialis.jpg




As far as harness training goes.... pfft!


Charlie, my mitred conure, was born in 1994. I don't know what month, let alone day, but he is a first generation captive bred parrot. Both of his parents were wild caught imports. His breeder only bred his parents once before giving the pair to a friend.

For the first 10 years of his life, Charlie lived with a man. Then, for about a year, he lived in a pet store. I *hated* dogs though, because whenever a customer brought a dog in, he'd go berserk and start screaming his head off! Which resulted in him having to stay in the back, with the bunnies... (back of the store is larger than the front!) Then, he spent another year in foster care, where he tried to bully a blind ruby macaw and got the short end of the stick. It was in his foster home, when he was around 12 years old, that he first wore a harness.


His first harness was more cockaitel to sun conure sized....




He's since been upgraded to some larger harnesses (I have 2 Feather Tethers and 1 Aviator harness for him)



Dogs don't bother him anymore.



And me mentioning he got the short end of the stick between him and a blind ruby macaw???









Charlie's beak no longer grows properly since he's missing part of his lower beak. This means that he requires beak trims for the rest of his life. This happened when he was 12 years old. He's been with me since October, 2006. Since his beak doesn't grow normally, I have to use a dremel to keep his beak in shape. I even have a little kit full of various dremel attachments for cutting and grinding his beak. (I typically only use 2-3 attachments, though)








Charlie is 23 years old this year. Given a choice, he'd happily remain glued to me! ;)
 

expressmailtome

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@McBird Congratulations on your new job!
 
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