Buddy update

Buddy has been with us for almost 24 hours now and we are totally in love with him already. But it's obvious he's in poor health (weight and respiratory issues) and I can't wait for the vet to open in the morning so I can make him an appointment.

He is eating like a pig (did well with a healthy breakfast this morning, but no interest in pellets yet), and sleeping a ton. I actually think he sleeps too much - he's only awake for short bursts of time and then he gets sleepy - whether it's due to the exhaustion of changing owners and households last night, diet related, or because he's sick, I'm not sure. He slept 12 hours last night, woke up when I brought him breakfast this morning, ate, slept, and has had off and on cat naps every hour since then with snack breaks in between.

He breathes through his mouth a lot (beak open) and even if his beak is closed, his breathing is audible from across the room. His owner called it "snoring" and thought it was cute - it does sound like snoring, but it's not cute at all. I think it's from years of living with a chain-smoker who smoked sun up to sun down right next to Buddy. Sometimes he sounds raspy/airy, sometimes he sounds whistly, and sometimes he coughs/sneezes. None of them are noises he's mimicking - they all happen when he breathes. I get more and more furious with his previous owner as the time passes - I know he loved the bird, but the care Buddy received is atrocious. I didn't want to buy a sick bird, but I wanted to get him out of that smokey room ASAP.

When I spritzed him with water a bit ago (when he was awake), he just sat there. He didn't clean his feathers or fluff or shake the water off. So he sat there wet and doesn't trust me enough to dry him off yet. I see him scratch himself frequently and stretch his wings out and he scrapes his beak all the time, but I haven't seen him preen his feathers yet. (He finally shook the water off. I hope he didn't get too chilly. I so badly wanted to wrap him in my blanket with me.)

Buddy doesn't want to be held today (last night he stepped up without hesitation when I got him out of his travel cage, but today he's not so sure - or maybe I'm not so sure. I haven't been very forceful about it - just gentle sweet talking and letting him make the decision to trust me.), but I was standing next to his perch talking to him and he lowered his head. I gently rubbed and he turned his head to the side so I could rub his cheek and chin, and then turned his head to the other side for me. So sweet! (see picture) I think I loved it more than he did. He hasn't let me do it since, though - I think he's mad at me over the water spritzing. Baby steps.

He's currently perching and grinding his beak with sleepy eyes - looks like he's ready for another nap.

Poor baby that kind of broke my heart. Bless you for taking him out of that situation. I know all the birds I've had where quite sleepy when they came home. Bursts of activity then sleep time. Actually Peapod still does that. Now that I think about it even in the rescue center it's high activity then a lull unless I get to loud then I get cussed out. I've never owned a Amazon but the ones at the shelter are very verrrrrrry mellow. I don't know if all the activity just freezes them up. But i see them all as wise old men thinking Zen thoughts.....Hmmm now I'm interested to hear the answer from an experienced Amazon person.Good luck tomorrow keep us updated.

I'm SO relieved to hear that Buddy is in your care now. The way you describe his breathing/coughing/wheezing, it's a very good thing you'll be scheduling an appointment with an avian vet. How could his previous owner have thought that this was cute?

I agree that the change in environment could have something to do with him sleeping a lot.

Please keep us updated on Buddy - and again, best of luck with him.

I didn't get a chance to update yesterday, but Buddy had a great vet visit. He was on his best behavior and even willing to step up for the vet and tech. He wasn't happy about the throat culture or nail trim, but he got over it quickly and let the tech pet his head when they were finished. Though I've only had him for 4 days, we are best buds already! Last night he was chilling on the bed with me and started rubbing his beak all over my hands (it reminded me of a cat), and then decided he wanted me to rub him back. He let me rub his entire face (nostrils, beak, eyelids, and all!) and then scooted forward so I could move down his back. He spread his wings and let me rub underneath them and on top of them. I couldn't believe it! When he decided he'd had enough, he nudged my hand away with his beak and then climbed up in my lap. What a sweetheart - i'm in love. He also loves Adam, which is ideal, since we were worried he would prefer only one gender.

The vet put Buddy on Baytril for something that was found under the microscope from the throat swab - I can't remember exactly what they said, but whatever it is, it was in clumps and about 40%? He said they usually don't like to see it that high, even though everyone has it and at lower % it doesn't usually cause a problem. He said it's possible it could be causing some of the respiratory issues, though he thinks Buddy's weight is also a contributing factor to the respiratory issues. The fecal gram stain was good. He does have a raw, irritated throat likely from the smoke, but that will heal now that he's in a smoke free environment. He needs to lose weight (795g) and hopefully that won't be too hard now that he's on a healthier diet and getting more activity.

We go back in a month for a checkup. My vet was fantastic with Buddy and other than the throat swab, he didn't mind going to the vet at all. I was so worried it would set us back in our bonding process, but if anything, we're closer now.

What a beautiful bird! Happy to hear you rescued him from that situation, and that he is on the path of a healthy lifestyle! Congrats!