An almost disaster

Wow. Today has been a rough day. Get ready for a wild ride everyone. Drama will ensue, and some lessons can be learnt.

On Friday morning, I woke early to finish a history essay. I submitted it late morning, and satisfied I headed to my room to spend some time with the birds. I heard Berry behind me, and thinking that she was on my desk, I stepped backwards. And oh lord, I stepped on Berry. I believe now that it was just her tail, but boy oh boy did I freak out. I have panic disorder, and this was the ultimate trigger. She flew away from me, she hated me, she wouldn’t let me touch her. She was mobile, able to fly really well still. But I wasn’t going to take any chances with my baby.

Panicked, I called the avian vet. They said they could fit me in at 1pm. At this stage it was around 11:50, and the vet is about 45 mins away. So I ran downstairs, grabbed the travel cage and raced back up. By this point I was crying uncontrollably.

Berry got a huge fright when I came back into the room, probably because I was incredibly freaked out. In the panic, she dashed past me (something she had never done). She landed on a window sill in the hallway. Luckily today was a chilly day and none of the windows were open. Otto my dog was also out for a walk, so no predators. I still continued to panic uncontrollably. I felt irresponsible, terrible and undeserving of my fids. How could I betray her trust, no matter how accidental?

It was difficult getting her into the travel cage. Eventually she stepped up, and hopped in. By this point I was a mess. I strapped her into the car and began to drive at around 12:15.

All went okay, I was still crying, so worried about her. And then, things just went from bad to worse. I was at an intersection, and as the light turned green I let go of my brakes too early and crashed into the car in front of me. I pulled over behind the car, now so frantic I could barely breathe. The women who I bumped into was an angel. She was so kind to me. My car is very damaged, however hers was not. We exchanged details. I knew I had to get to a police station to report the accident, but I also needed to get Berry to the vet.

By the time I arrived at the vet, tear stained and generally disheveled, Berry looked so confused. She was concerned for me, I was concerned for her. The vet was also so kind. She checked her thoroughly, and mentioned that she really didn’t look like a bird in shock despite the stress (which I have seen before, and I have to agree - she was still preening, her poops were totally normal, and she was fairly calm). Moreover, she said that I would definitely know by now if she had a severe injury. Wings okay, back okay. Nevertheless, she said that an x-ray would confirm that she had no broken bones, particularly with focus on her fragile little ribs. Everything was fine. She gave her a shot of anti-inflammatories for possible bruising, as well as prescribed anti-inflammatories if I noticed some deterioration. She seemed very confident that my little one was okay. Phew. But the stress was not over.

Since the accident happened in the area, 45 mins away from my home, I had to report it ASAP at the local police station. I had to leave Berry at the vet to keep safe as I did not want to leave her in a hot car, gosh no. My dad came to my rescue, as he works in the area. We drove to the police station, and luckily the lady who I had the accident with arrived about 5 mins after me. We filled out the report together, and she again reassured me that it’s okay, and these things happen. At this point I was so tired. My dad dropped me back at the vet, I fetched my darling Berry, and we made our way home.

When we got home, I let her out of the cage. She happily stepped up. She let me cuddle her. She let me scritch her. I felt so grateful, so grateful that she forgave me. She spent the late afternoon eating with the budgies, preening and being her normal self. I will watch her closely for any signs of deterioration, but I trust my vet. I saw the x rays, and watched her examine Berry so carefully.

This is why this was an almost disaster. Had I not been barefoot, had my step been just a little harder. Had I not jumped in absolute terror immediately. Had the windows been open outside my door. So many things could have gone so much more badly.

Hence, I have learnt many lessons, both Birdie related and life related.

1. Always look where you’re walking. Parrots like budgies and cockatiels are foraging species and they naturally spend time on the ground.

2. Try to remain calm after an accident with a bird. This is so difficult with anxiety, but I really need to learn from this. Berry could have gone into shock so easily due to my recklessness. I am so grateful that she remained calm, unlike me.

3. Be extra vigilant about opening and closing doors.

4. Keep the travel cage in the room.

5. Do not drive whilst panicking. It is so irresponsible, and I should have known better. My mom would have literally been home in 10 mins to drive us. I should have waited and been a little late for the vet.

What a nightmare. I am so glad it is over. Honestly, it was so traumatic.

An almost disaster indeed.

Oh. Here’s Berry yawning after a long day of her human being a mess.

Wow, you went through the wringer today! I’m glad Berry is doing well and I hope you are able to breathe peacefully again. Definitely a few good take-away lessons, but the best part is that you are both okay now.... Those are the kind of days that I go to bed thinking “may we NEVER experience that again!”.

GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ! Good lessons, all around. That takes bravery to admit it out front so that we can all have a good reminder, or two, or three. I've certainly done similar and worse. It only takes a second, doesn't it?
And there's our Berry, yawning, who looks just as easily to be having a good laugh about it all.

That was a lot of bad that I'm so grateful turned out well. I hope you have a relaxing weekend!!! Definitely time to pamper yourself!!!! I'm a complete mess if anything even might be wrong with my birdies too.

I'm so glad most everything turned out well and that this day is over. We're all human and capable of mistakes, but at least some good arises when we share and allow others to learn.

Seems Berry has already forgotten the accident, love conquers all!

Hopefully the repairs to your vehicle will be minor and not overly costly.

Oh gosh! What a crazy day, thank goodness it didn't go any worse.
I think the biggest lesson here is definitely to stay calm. When we panic so much can go sideways quickly. Our birds need us to remain calm and collected, easier said than done of course.

Berry look great too! She's a beautiful 'tiel.

What a day....
I am glad that all is fine now. Berry is probably the most handsome looking cockatiel I have seen in a long time. I can tell Berry is valued and loved by you.

What a day for you both! I would get screens, ASAP, for those windows!

Awe, what a horrible day! When it rains it pours, that's for sure...Just keep in-mind that these things happen to everyone, it was an accident, and your bird is fine. As far as your car goes, well, they make those every day. I've had more car accidents than I care to admit, some my fault, some not my fault, but the most horrible one, where my car was totaled and where I was hit with 3 airbags (including a knee-bag under the dash) and was very lucky I wasn't killed was my fault. Same thing, I was anxious about something that happened at work with a customer, and on my way home I wasn't paying attention and I slammed into the back of a Subaru wagon that was stopped at a red light, i was going about 40-45mph...no one was hurt but me, and their wagon actually was fine, the rear bumper cover fell off, but that was it, no big deal. But me, being the car nut that I am, was laying there being taken out on a backboard and being put in the ambulance, with a broken sternum, 2 broken ribs, and 2 broken tibias, and I was freaking out about my damn car...

Take a deep breath and relax. Accidents happen, and everything worked out just fine. You're fine, the lady you hit is fine, and your bird is fine. These are all good things.

Take a deep breath! It's all over now and little Berrie is fine and you will be too Still....a pretty crappy day all around




Jim

Hey everyone! Thanks for all your kind messages lol. Honestly I had a good laugh about the day with family over the weekend. Berry is doing absolutely fine, and we have rebuilt trust. On Saturday morning she still wasn't so happy with me, but I spent the whole day fussing over her and she was back to her old self in no time. I am really glad that she is okay, and thankfully insurance is paying for the car damages, which weren't too severe. It was still a hella expensive round trip, but all I really care about right now is Berry's wellbeing. In terms of window screens, I have them in my room (where the birds live), however the rest of my house is pretty open plan so it wouldn't really work to have screens on every window. I'm usually very careful, the door is locked when they are out of the cage, and she just got a fright because I was panicking. In future I plan to be even more careful.

good to hear disaster was averted, even with the minor prang!

I'm a good ol' anxiety ridden person myself! out of a 22 scoring system for anxiety I range
a baseline at about an 18 so quite severe. I found the best thing when you get that moment is to touch something like the wall or floor (preferably something with a good texture) and just to focus on that texture until your mind stops racing. After that deal with each thing 1 at a time.

Might be a helpful exercise to try out in future

good to hear Berry is unharmed and has processed her human's 'moment'

I’ve had anxiety my whole life. I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder at the age of 7, and then Panic Disorder when I was 17. The awful thing about panic disorder is that sometimes you’ll just have a panic attack with absolutely no trigger. I also have Bipolar Disorder, and medication has helped that a bunch, I’ve been stable for like 3 years. But the anxiety never goes away - no matter how much medication or therapy I get. Anyway, I’m just glad that, despite the panic, Berry didn’t go into shock too!