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When is a bird considered geriatric?

Dartman

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I had Nerd from summer of 78 with his brother Ferd. The shop thought they were a couple of years old at that point but no real clue. Pretty sure they were wild caught and had never seen a Maxi Poconos before but pretty sure they were pretty new to the pet trade back then.
Ferd got sick a few years in and Nerd, the sickly, skinny one, with bad feather color soldiered on for 31 years with me and never acted old or frail, he was just Nerd and played, demanded treats, and ran around doing Nerd stuff. He had no clue he was old till he finally got something that we thought at first was just a bad patch till I realized he was truly sick. :(
The vet and us did the best we could but he was really run down and under weight. He had good and bad days and oxygen helped but he left us a few weeks later close to Xmas 2009
The vet did say she was amazed how old he was and remembered him as a sweetheart even after he bit her on their first meeting.
Almost all of his life he just stayed the same and was a little tank that only got sick a few times to the end and always looked and weighed the same even though he was a skinny little runt, I sure miss him:heart:
 

Clueless

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Loved the Rosie video, thanks!
 

Macawnutz

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What a smart girl! Now, I want a painting by Rosie! :D

Me too!! @Hankmacaw thanks so much for sharing :heart:

Rosie has retired from painting. She is completely blind from cataracts. Volar has taken over for her since her retirement. :D

She is blind, has heart disease, arthritis and has had cancer removed twice. I swear she will outlive me still, she is 75. Her husband passed away about 5 years ago, Greg my BG, he was 62 when he passed. My third older girl is Sakie, she is 59 this year and doing great. Currently hatching a jolly ball. :laugh:

All three birds were hatched here in the US although I do not know anything about their parents. They were parent fed for sometime according to the records. I cringe to read their diets through the years, gosh we have learned so much. :) All three birds were owned by a family that had an amusement park with performing animals. One of the family members just adored these birds! I have black and white pictures of them and even talked to the wife of the man that bred them just a few years ago. Unfortunately he was in hospice but I guess he still talked about them.

We always talk about these passed around birds..... These three lived more than a lifetime. From one owner that adored them to other. I was there the day we bought them, I did not pay much attention as I was not to be "the bird girl" :cautious::laugh: but I do remember him and his wife handing us the records and saying very painful goodbyes. I doubt these birds have ever felt a day without love.

Gosh I miss Greg still. You guys made me cry. :grouphug: 5 years is not enough to heal from losing him.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Rosie has retired from painting. She is completely blind from cataracts. Volar has taken over for her since her retirement. :D

She is blind, has heart disease, arthritis and has had cancer removed twice. I swear she will outlive me still, she is 75. Her husband passed away about 5 years ago, Greg my BG, he was 62 when he passed. My third older girl is Sakie, she is 59 this year and doing great. Currently hatching a jolly ball. :laugh:

All three birds were hatched here in the US although I do not know anything about their parents. They were parent fed for sometime according to the records. I cringe to read their diets through the years, gosh we have learned so much. :) All three birds were owned by a family that had an amusement park with performing animals. One of the family members just adored these birds! I have black and white pictures of them and even talked to the wife of the man that bred them just a few years ago. Unfortunately he was in hospice but I guess he still talked about them.

We always talk about these passed around birds..... These three lived more than a lifetime. From one owner that adored them to other. I was there the day we bought them, I did not pay much attention as I was not to be "the bird girl" :cautious::laugh: but I do remember him and his wife handing us the records and saying very painful goodbyes. I doubt these birds have ever felt a day without love.

Gosh I miss Greg still. You guys made me cry. :grouphug: 5 years is not enough to heal from losing him.

Ah-Mazing. Has anyone told you they love you lately? I love you.. what a wonderful bird mom you are!
 

metalstitcher

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Gracie started slowing doing this year but she still has her momentswhen you would think she is 2. We now have mid air collisions 2 times a week scaring me more than her she thinks they are fun. But she does nap more and is having trouble seeing these days.
 

Bonnetbird

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The only big change I noticed in my senior tiel was gradually he liked his bedtime earlier and earlier too. When it was his bedtime, it was his bedtime. Once the little neighborhood girl came to see him about 10 minutes after I had covered him up for the night. I thought he was likely still awake and might come out and say hi to her for a few minutes. I uncovered the front of his cage and he was still sitting on his water dish and hadn't yet gone up to his "night night" perch. As I opened the cage door, he gave me the stink eye and reached over with his beak and pulled the door shut. That was my lesson not to mess with his bedtime. :bignono:
I feel bad - it seems Bonnet has adjusted to my bedtime - where she sleeps all day while I am at work - wakes up late when I get home ... sleeps when I sleep and then wakes up super early with me for breakfast then goes back to sleep. Late night is the only time of day when she likes to drink.
 

Dona

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What a cool thread. My dear border canary, Bop, lived to be 17. He was blind at the end and ended up with a small tumor on his bottom. I took him to the vet and they suggested that I euthanize him. I couldn't do it, took him home and spent a few more days, then took him back to the vet. I was certain he must be suffering. I stood there with this tiny box, sobbing as they took him away. He was such a good boy. He shared a big cage with my female cockatiel at the end. My cockatiel died just a few months later also at 17.
 

EkkieLu

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My male ekki Sergei is coming up for 27 and he still acts like a youngster! I just got him a harness and we are going exploring local parks and lakes. He's on an all organic fruit and veggie diet with some baked fish and chicken a couple times a week. He also likes scrambled eggs on Sunday mornings. Lol
 

JLcribber

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My male ekki Sergei is coming up for 27 and he still acts like a youngster! I just got him a harness and we are going exploring local parks and lakes. He's on an all organic fruit and veggie diet with some baked fish and chicken a couple times a week. He also likes scrambled eggs on Sunday mornings. Lol

27 is not that old. He is still in the prime of life.
 

EkkieLu

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I have read many ekki books but none seem to agree on lifespan. What do you think?
 

JLcribber

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Most "large" parrots are comparable to humans in aging. Dogs are supposed to be 7 years to 1. Most parrots it's closer to 1 to 1.

Having said that. I know 30 years olds (people) that look and feel 80 and I know 80 year olds that act and feel like 30. It boils down to heredity. Genetics. Lifestyle. Diet. Fitness. Environment. etc. So you see there is no correct answer.
 

EkkieLu

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20180901_163135.jpg Thank you! My ekkies are pretty active and don't sit still for long. My 11 year old female Lucy is more active than Sergei though. Is there a way to safely increase activity with bird exercises? They have a huge play center that includes a 7 foot live willow tree to climb around on. Any recommendations?
 

Peachfaced

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View attachment 285193 Thank you! My ekkies are pretty active and don't sit still for long. My 11 year old female Lucy is more active than Sergei though. Is there a way to safely increase activity with bird exercises? They have a huge play center that includes a 7 foot live willow tree to climb around on. Any recommendations?
Use that willow tree and hide wrapped up goodies (like wooden beads or small blocks, treats, etc) in the branches.
 

EkkieLu

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They get Lafebers Nutri-berries for treats. I could put those in the tree for them as a kind of treasure hunt. Thanks for the awesome idea!
 

Peachfaced

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They get Lafebers Nutri-berries for treats. I could put those in the tree for them as a kind of treasure hunt. Thanks for the awesome idea!
Perfect! I'd start easy and just wrap them in something easy, like paper. Then, you can move to dixie cups and more challenging things.
 
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