Well that failed horribly

Dj tweet

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Aug 11, 2010
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New Zealand
Parrots
Pheonix- alexandrine parrot
1 September 2010

mikki- barraband x king parrot
21yrs old
Dear o dear o dear
I have had the worst day possible with my birds besides having them die
Most of you know by now about my struggles between mikki and Merlin
I decided this morning to move my hanging gym to a position above the cage and took mikki out
he loves his playgym so will happily stay there for as long as required

My thoughts were that perhaps I could show Merlin that his behaviour wasn't going to get mikki back in the cage with him and then hopefully work on handling mikki without Merlin freaking out

Well it sounded good in theory
it was 2hrs I now have a bird with a naked chest who not only pulled his feathers out but chewed a hole in himself
I waited for 5 mins after he seemed to calm down and returned mikki to the cage he went phyco and attacked mikki ripping a large hole into his back and again on his wing

Both were taken immediatly to the vets
Merlin has stiches and a cone and has been given a mild sedative for the night to help relax him
mikki has bandages in his wounds and is so far doing ok in dealing with them we were leant a small cage to house him in for next few days or so

This is a disaster :,( my vet is not a spe******ed avian vet so we will be heading there for a check up 2moro but my vet is of the opinion that it may be best to unenas sorry can't spell merlin if he is to continue this behaviour as we can not seperate them due to his self harming but also can not keep them together as he now attacks mikki

O man I'm the worst parrot owner in the world within 1 week I have totally ruined these birds lives
:,(
someone come lock me up now :(
 

Von1983

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Sep 3, 2010
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Oh no! Those poor pair </3

You had them seperated for 2 hours? Merlin was plucking all that time?

Sorry, I'm just confused.....
 
OP
D

Dj tweet

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Aug 11, 2010
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Pheonix- alexandrine parrot
1 September 2010

mikki- barraband x king parrot
21yrs old
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  • #3
Yeah on and off he would pluck for 5-10 min then sqwark and flap and all and then go back to plucking
I was supervising to make sure things didn't get to bad but had to rush off for 10 min and grab my son from school and I found the big hole when I returned
I didn't put mikki back straight away as Merlin was still angry
I thought he had calmed down enough when I put mikki back in but obviously not
I'm just devestated
totally heart broken
 

Von1983

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Sep 3, 2010
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Oh dear.....

How are they doing now?

Everyone makes mistakes though so don't beat yourself up, you took them straight to the vet and that's the best you could do in the situation. Obviously, training will have to wait until they are healed but if this much damage occured, I don't think Merlin would cope very well being rehomed away from Mikki.
 

wildheart

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Mar 16, 2010
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South Africa
Oh I am so sorry and it is not your fault, you are trying your best!

Can you talk to the people where they came from a bit more, is it possible to get them in the exact setup that they were? I think that it could have been best to not interact with the new birds yet. They clearly need a lot more time to settle in.:(
 

Vivica

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Sep 7, 2010
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Philadelphia PA
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1 15 year old Golden Capped Conure Named Wrnts
Oh dear, i'm sorry that happened.
Don't beat yourself up over it though. Disasters happen sometimes.
One day my ferret got loose and the bird was near the ground, and the ferret ripped a piece of his nostril off. Needless to say, they're in different rooms now.
The lesson you should learn from this is to carefully monitor their behavior with one another. Keep them together for now and let the stress dissipate. They need to calm down after that episode. Best of luck with them.
 

Aussie Ben

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Jun 8, 2010
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This is awful, I am sorry to read this. You were trying to do good by the birds so please don't feel like you are 'the worst parrot owner in the world'. The fact that you care so much about these birds alone brings you into the top 10% of parrot keepers :) Sorry you and your fids had to go through this. See what the vet says tomorrow, I wish you all the best.
 

Bobby34231

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Jun 25, 2010
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Joey - Yellow Crown Amazon, Ashley - CAG
If I'm reading what you wrote correctly I can't believe that a vet would recomend euthanasia for a bird because of behavioral problems, thats very disturbing, the only solution I see right at this moment to keep both birds safe is to place the birds in seperate cages next to each other, that way they can't attack each other and will hopefully help with seperation anxiety, even if they scram for each other at least there won't be physical harm, I wish you the best.
 
OP
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Dj tweet

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Aug 11, 2010
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New Zealand
Parrots
Pheonix- alexandrine parrot
1 September 2010

mikki- barraband x king parrot
21yrs old
  • Thread Starter
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  • #9
Thankyou all
I finally managed to get hold of the original owners last night and they are just shocked
I don't think they realises how bonded he really was as they had all 5 in one cage and so it's not until the 2 of them have been seperated off by themselves that we have seen just how bad it is
for now none of us are totally sure what we are going to do but they have suggested taking him back once he Is up to travelling
I have explained that he will need seperate cage and alot of work to stop from plucking and self muttalating but I think he will heal best in an environent he knows
I would keep mikki
I think this is going to be the best option for us
it really does break my heart that this has all happened
if I had the space and money I would build them their own aviary and let them live happily outside together but I don't unfort
 

wildheart

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Mar 16, 2010
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South Africa
I don't think they realises how bonded he really was as they had all 5 in one cage and so it's not until the 2 of them have been seperated off by themselves that we have seen just how bad it is


If I put myself in Merlin's wings then I will also go off my rocket. You took away 3 birds that he shared a cage with! This is the only life he knows and he is terrified that you will take the last one as well. He is scared and frustrated and he is angry about the changes that he could not control. You forced him into being only with Mikki and you forced him into a new home and new cage. He did not choose this and does not want it.

Merlin is a very special bird and he has special needs. Who ever that is going to take him HAVE to see him as someone that can not cope with change. You must see him as scared and helpless and give him ALL the assurance and time that he needs. His anger and aggressiveness is only symptom.

I believe that you will try and get Merlins life back in order and give him the time to adjust and accept. I also feel that if you put Merlin by himself in a cage that he will die because being alone TERRIFIES him. You took 3 away and this is the result - if you take all 4 then I dread the outcome.

I would put him back in the cage with the other 3 that he used to live with and observe him closely.

Please treat him as special.
 

pityu

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Sep 20, 2010
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2 love birds.
He is called Pityu
She is called Citrus
They are 3years old, she is a little older than him
O my... thats horrible. Quite reminds me of my own lovebirds, but they are far more friendly though. Try to put them in separate cages next to each other and good luck!
 
OP
D

Dj tweet

New member
Aug 11, 2010
204
0
New Zealand
Parrots
Pheonix- alexandrine parrot
1 September 2010

mikki- barraband x king parrot
21yrs old
  • Thread Starter
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  • #13
Merlins original Owner has found a great breeder who needs a male for his girl that list her mate last year
he has 3 other pairs who are all hand raised breeders so he will have interaction with birds and people which is cool
and on a personal note
instead of swapping cash etc he will be swapping me with one of his alexandrine babies who are due for homes in about 8 weeks
 

Vivica

New member
Sep 7, 2010
132
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Philadelphia PA
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1 15 year old Golden Capped Conure Named Wrnts
Well that's good news. It's a shame you had to separate them, but life goes on. Whatever's best for the parrot and you.
 

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