Taking Lily to the vet

emyoung858

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Mar 2, 2017
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Guys I'm taking Lily to the vet tomorrow and I'm scared because she is still traumatized by being rehomed. I haven't taken her out of my room cuz she's so frightened and I'm not sure how to go about traveling with her in the car, any advice?


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Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Placing Lily in a small carrier that can be safely seat-belted into your car is best. Do you feel it will be difficult to entice her into a carrier? Just drive smoothly and keep the temperature on the cool side for comfort.

Once at the vet, they should have expertise in handling her. I say should, because on occasion it is a very stressful time. Make sure the techs carefully observe Lily as they perform the basic screening and weighing. If she appears overly stressed, have them back-off until she calms.
 

GaleriaGila

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I used to use a spacious wire travel-cage, but my avian vet finally GAVE me a mid-size dog carrier last time (in frustration), heavy molded plastic on four sides, small gave bars on the door. I didn't believe it would be better, but it was! He is quiet, still, clearly more at ease. I toss a green chile in (his fave treat) and in he goes. Time to come out? I hold it upset down and he slides out, willing or not. He'd chew it up if he spent more time in there, but trips to the vet --- no problem.
I hope your visit went well!
 

SailBoat

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DYH Amazon
Guys I'm taking Lily to the vet tomorrow and I'm scared because she is still traumatized by being rehomed. I haven't taken her out of my room cuz she's so frightened and I'm not sure how to go about traveling with her in the car, any advice?


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Okay, Lily is a Too, based on the Forum and has rehomed with you, and you have had him, more likely her based on the name for XX number of days, weeks. Lily is a very young Too, young adult Too, a middle age Too? Lily came directly to you from the owner, a rehomer, a Pet Store, etc... ??? Lily traveled to your home in a cardboard box, her cage, a Travel Carrier, etc...???

First: Parrots, especially Toos' are very good at picking-up on Human Emotions and will commonly mirror them back to the Human. So, it is very likely that you are very concerned about how this is all going to happen. So, Relax Your Self!!!!

Second: Lily came to your home somehow and I am guessing that was a Travel Carrier of one type or another, correct? That will likely be how Lily is going to travel to the Vet's Clinic. If you do not have a Travel Carrier, well its a trip to the nearest Big Box Pet Store or Well Stocked local Pet Store to buy a Large Size (based on the Icon Picture of you and your Too) Plastic Cat Carrier.

Third: Assemble the Carrier and place a towel on the floor of the Carrier. Load Lily into the Carrier. Most Owners will use the Car's Rear Seat Seat Belts to hold the Carrier in place.

Forth: At the Vet's Clinic, they will handle getting Lily out of the Carrier and back into it.

Fifth: Take a note pad and take notes!!! Ask questions regarding handling and holding your Too, if you do not know how to do it properly!

Sixth: Lily will be tied after the trip, let her sleep!

Enjoy!
 
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emyoung858

emyoung858

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I used to use a spacious wire travel-cage, but my avian vet finally GAVE me a mid-size dog carrier last time (in frustration), heavy molded plastic on four sides, small gave bars on the door. I didn't believe it would be better, but it was! He is quiet, still, clearly more at ease. I toss a green chile in (his fave treat) and in he goes. Time to come out? I hold it upset down and he slides out, willing or not. He'd chew it up if he spent more time in there, but trips to the vet --- no problem.
I hope your visit went well!



I have a cat kennel so I am going to use that based on that advice, yes that was very helpful!! Also, how do you get your bird to eat fruits and or vegetables, Lily won't eat anything but nuts and seeds and it's concerning. Her previous owners said she wouldn't eat them with her either and I've tried all different types of foods and she won't even look at them


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GaleriaGila

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Diet ideas...
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. 30-ish years ago, Harrison's was still a small company. My vet was actually able to talk to Dr. Harrison about my bird's species and status, and they decided on the High Potency. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff. My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day.
 
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emyoung858

emyoung858

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Hi, Lily is a 10 year old cockatoo, they said she is female but she is very aggressive and I'm starting to think she's a male. I carried her on my lab on the way home because she was a great bird until she transitioned with us and each day gets worse: she is very u predictable aggressive and I don't know what to think about this. Her personality changes daily in a negative way. I've had her for one week and we were very close up until today when she tried biting me three times now I've backed off and so has she. Anyone who tries to come in the room she will charge at. Her previous owners seemed really nice and she has never been abused, like I said, she was as happy as could be before we got her. I no longer think carrying her on my lap is an option as she has become highly aggressive and I am so terribly scared of putting her in the kennel. The vet said throw a towel over her but I am really scared because her personality is unpredictable and I've never done this befroe


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BeatriceC

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In addition to the other great suggestions you've gotten, I wanted to add that my birds are much happier in the car if I keep the radio on to their favorite stations. This is only a problem if I have all the birds, because the disagree with each other on what music is good. Two prefer old fashioned country and two prefer metal/rock.
 
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emyoung858

emyoung858

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That's is absolutely adorable


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emyoung858

emyoung858

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Ok so I'm worried now about putting her in a kennel and was going to just try to put her in the seat next to me with a blanket over her, is this a bad idea?? I don't want to traumatize her and I think she'll be ok under her blankee


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BeatriceC

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Goofy (YNA), Oscar (Goffin 'too). Foster bird Betty (RLA). RIP Cookie, 1991-2016 ('tiel), Leo (Sengal), Charlotte (scarlet macaw). Grand-birds: Liam (budgie), Donovan (lovebird), RIP Angelo (budgie)
I think in general birds do better if they can see where they're going, so I wouldn't put the blanket over her.
 

plumsmum2005

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Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
For her safety and yours a bird free in a car is not a good idea. I had to use a towel with Plum in the early days but he appreciates a trip in the car now and the appearance of his travel cage means trip out so although sometimes a bit awkward he will go in. The AV has to towel Plum and he is no worse for it, not keen but no lasting effects. If you are confident/show you are confident the bird is usually so taken aback that they obey.
 

EllenD

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I was just reading through this post and I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I hope your vet trip went alright, but I hope you didn't just put her on the seat next to you in the car with a blanket over her...She needs to be able to see what is going on around her and she may actually like the car and may have had good experiences in the past while in the car. Plus, putting an aggressive cockatoo free in the car while you're driving is very dangerous for both of you. And I was wondering how you planned on getting her from the car to inside the vet's office without a carrier? Using only a towel is very dangerous, I don't know what her flying situation is, but one bite is all it would take for you to drop the towel, her, and to lose her forever. I hope however you managed to do this went alright, getting her safely to the avian vet is step one, I highly doubt that putting her in a safe carrier will make your situation with her worse, as step one of getting her on her way to accepting you as her new family is getting her checked out by a good avian vet and making sure her health is good and not causing any of her issues.

So often when rehomed birds are aggressive, biting, or refuse to adapt to their new home and have a total lack of trust of all people it's because their first home was horrible. Usually, in my experience as a volunteer and a foster for a rescue, birds that have been surrendered or put up for adoption online have been physically, verbally, and emotionally abused, being beaten, thrown, screamed at, locked inside a tiny cage with no toys and absolutely no interaction except yelling, and very often just completely neglected for years and years, locked inside a cage for years and years with no toys and no interaction beyond their food and water bowls being filled (hopefully), like they are a piece of furniture or a colorful, animated piece of home decor. I don't know the story behind why your cockatoo was rehomed but from what you have said she came from a very loving home that had her since she was a baby until recently when she was rehomed to you at the age of 10. So this bird's circumstances are very different than the typical, abused parrot in a rescue. This is both good and bad I suppose, it's good obviously because she has never been abused in any way, was well taken care of and most likely very healthy, and it seems she was a very loved bird. So she doesn't have the emotional and psychological issues that a lot of rehomed parrots have. That being said, she is a 10 year old cockatoo that has the intelligence of a 5+ year old human child and has been suddenly taken away from the only home she has ever known and from her family which she loved and who apparently lived her very much. And the biggest issue is that she has no idea why she has been abandoned.

I've seen a lot of rehomed parrots act in much the same way your bird is acting as far as the rehoming time line. It's like at first they are alright with the new people and the new home because they don't realize that it's a long-term or permanent situation. She may very well have been taken to bird-sitters and the homes of relatives or friends for a week or two throughout her life while her family was on vacation or out of town, so she's familiar with her people going away once in a while, but they have always come back for her very quickly. After a week or two she's sensing that this time is different and she wants to know where her family is and when she gets to go home. So as you've stated, not only has she become very aggressive but each day she gets more and more aggressive as she gets more and more angry and scared about her family not coming back for her. She feels abandoned. Typically, in my experience with some of the larger, more intelligent parrots I've seen adopted into very good homes, over time the bird goes from aggressive and angry to anxious, depressed and morose. They may stop eating, stop being at all active, and often times once the depression and anxiety start so does the plucking and self-mutilation. Since we don't often think about a rehomed bird coming from a very good, responsible, loving home and the possibility that their behavior is the result of them feeling abandoned and missing their people, rather than them being damaged by abuse, we don't often understand where the bird is coming from and what they are feeling.

I have great admiration for you and your commitment to helping this cockatoo get through the rehoming process. It's a long, stressful process for everyone involved, and it takes a great amount of patience and understanding to get through it. It also takes a lot of time, months if not years for the bird to come around and get through their feelings of abandonment and loss. This is why a lot of larger birds are rehomed several times in a row, their new homes just can't take the amount of time and commitment it takes. You have to think of it like a young child that suddenly loses his parents and he doesn't know why they left him. It really is the same dynamic, and sometimes thinking about your bird's circumstances and feelings in the form of this comparison can help you answer all of the whys and the whats you're asking right now...It is just going to take time, patience, and understanding.

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