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July 2012 Mayor of the Avenue .... Doris/Deejo!!

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Brigidt36

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Doris, Congratulations!!! I loved reading your interview, and I love reading your posts. An excellent choice for Mayor!

I am so very sorry for your loss of Sarita. It is never easy to lose a loved one; just know how much you brought into each other's lives and try to focus on all the wonderful memories of the time you had together.

I believe your answer to #12 is spot on. These majestic and wonderful creatures are more adaptable than most of us give them credit for. Change is not always bad, and at times promotes growth. Humans tend to over think things from time to time.

I so enjoyed learning more about you and Coco and I have learned much from you since I 'met' you here in the neighborhood. Thank you!
 

Annamacaw

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Congratulations Doris!!!
Wonderful interview!

:hug8::heart::dance4::heart:
:dance4::heart::hug8:
 

Deejo

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Congratulations! :dance4: I enjoyed reading your interview!
I was just wondering what was the "inexperience" of the breeder that caused your Sarita to suffer. :(
It sounds like you have a wonderful setup for Coco! You are both blessed to have each other!:heart:
I am sorry - this post will be VERY LONG....there is no short way to answer your question.

Sarita did not receive adequate nutrition from the critical time from hatch, to first feathers.
She was fed enough to survive, not enough to THRIVE.

The breeder was new at raising macaws.
The formula was either too thin, too old (as in fed way past an expiry date), or not enough feedings per day based on age & weight.
While our avian vet with the consultation of Dr. Speer in California, were never able to determine exactly what went wrong at the breeders',
we know without a doubt that it happened there.

When there is severe lack of nutrition during a critical time of growth, there is no going back to fix it all.
The damage is done, for good.

The pictures below are how Sarita looked. It is obvious how ill she was, when you look at the stress bars, the dull eyes, the position of her body, the way she perched.
We did all we could....the best vet in western Canada kept her at the clinic, and did phone consults with Dr. Speer.
Everyone went above & beyond to try & save her.

Tragically, our Sarita passed at just 18 months old, after one year with us.
Nothing...absolutely NOTHING could have saved her.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Dr. Speer many months after Sarita died...we met at a seminar here in Canada and discussed Sarita at length.

This is the memorial plaque that we had custom made by Pat (AA member).



And this was the original photo of Sarita that Pat used to create the plaque....she loved to sit outside in that tree! (she could not fly...it was only about making her as happy as we could)



One last photo of her:







 

kcbee

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Congratulations!!! Very well deserved!
 

wonderb

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Congrats Doris! Well deserved and a great interview. I know you don't feed pellets, but do you recommend traditional hand feeding formula or did you use something else?
 

Deejo

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Congrats Doris! Well deserved and a great interview. I know you don't feed pellets, but do you recommend traditional hand feeding formula or did you use something else?
I'm certainly not a breeder, but have done quite a bit of handfeeding over the years; from GCC, to ekkies to amazons and GW's.
I did use commercially made forumla's. However, if I were to handfeed chicks again, I'd opt to speak with my vet and make my own.
It should be noted - none of the people involved with the care of Sarita, (detailed in my post earlier) were blaming the formula - it was the handfeeder (the breeder) that made critical mistakes.
People think handfeeding is a breeze...on the contrary, there are many, many things that can & do go wrong.
 

Brigidt36

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Oh Doris, what a beautiful, precious girl. The memorial is lovely. I cried reading your post. She may have had a very short life, but the life she had was filled with much love. She was blessed to have you in her life. RIP little one and fly free. Take comfort in your memories and knowing she is now using her wings and soaring free on the other side of the rainbow. Bless you for being her angel.
 

wonderb

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I'm certainly not a breeder, but have done quite a bit of handfeeding over the years; from GCC, to ekkies to amazons and GW's.
I did use commercially made forumla's. However, if I were to handfeed chicks again, I'd opt to speak with my vet and make my own.
It should be noted - none of the people involved with the care of Sarita, (detailed in my post earlier) were blaming the formula - it was the handfeeder (the breeder) that made critical mistakes.
People think handfeeding is a breeze...on the contrary, there are many, many things that can & do go wrong.
It was just a question I had thought about quite a bit. I often wonder if the handfeeding formulas are really the optimal thing to feed baby birds. I also sometimes wonder if the bland and consistant flavor of the formula would predispose birds to be more picky than they otherwise would. I don't plan on handfeeding birds again... Ever. :) Thanks for your perspective!
 

Deejo

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It was just a question I had thought about quite a bit. I often wonder if the handfeeding formulas are really the optimal thing to feed baby birds. I also sometimes wonder if the bland and consistant flavor of the formula would predispose birds to be more picky than they otherwise would. I don't plan on handfeeding birds again... Ever. :) Thanks for your perspective!
Wonderful!! I love how you *think* things through in detail...and I agree totally with your perception & opinion.
That's part of what I was referring to, in the interview, when I said I wish I could be here in 50 years! There won't be any bland formula's (I hope!!).
When I handfed 3 Green Wing macaws, I thought the same way, after they were having that bland GLOP for so long.
So, I went ahead and started making my own mix...I used it as a twice/day supplement to the formula.
It was a pureed blend of all organic veggies and fruits (bell peppers, bok choy, yams, papaya, mango, etc), and organic almond butter. This was fed from a spoon.
Those babies LOVED it. The reaction to something with such intense flavor was fantastic! Those GW chicks, as they weaned themselves, ate most anything I offered them. We know a local breeder who does not use commercially made formulas - they make their own and their birds are stunning!
 

Deejo

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Oh Doris, what a beautiful, precious girl. The memorial is lovely. I cried reading your post. She may have had a very short life, but the life she had was filled with much love. She was blessed to have you in her life. RIP little one and fly free. Take comfort in your memories and knowing she is now using her wings and soaring free on the other side of the rainbow. Bless you for being her angel.
Thank you very much; that is a great way to picture her.
 

wonderb

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Wonderful!! I love how you *think* things through in detail...and I agree totally with your perception & opinion.
That's part of what I was referring to, in the interview, when I said I wish I could be here in 50 years! There won't be any bland formula's (I hope!!).
When I handfed 3 Green Wing macaws, I thought the same way, after they were having that bland GLOP for so long.
So, I went ahead and started making my own mix...I used it as a twice/day supplement to the formula.
It was a pureed blend of all organic veggies and fruits (bell peppers, bok choy, yams, papaya, mango, etc), and organic almond butter. This was fed from a spoon.
Those babies LOVED it. The reaction to something with such intense flavor was fantastic! Those GW chicks, as they weaned themselves, ate most anything I offered them. We know a local breeder who does not use commercially made formulas - they make their own and their birds are stunning!
That is awesome! It is very cool that they went on to be such good eaters. I'd love to know what is in your breeder friend's magical formula :D
 

Bridgette

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Congrats:dance4:
 
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