LaurenB
New member
- Oct 28, 2014
- 191
- 0
- Parrots
-
Green Cheek Conure - Tiki //
Sun Conure - Nacho //
Indian Ringnecks - Kermit and Beaker
Today was quite possibly one of the worst days of my life.
I'll start by saying she's ok, now. Also that she is flighted, and an extremely skilled flier. In all the time she's been with me, she's never bumped into a wall or crash landed. She only flies away from me if something startles her, and she usually loops back around to land on my shoulder, or on something else.
Today I was in my upstairs hallway, which is connected to our two story foyer. Tiki was on my shoulder, and Nacho screeched... it startled her and she took off. Instead of circling back around and coming to me, she flew down the steps and around the corner to the left into the living room.
Calling her, I headed down the steps. Halfway down, she came flying back past me, through the foyer in the other direction, heading toward the kitchen. That's when I began to think something was wrong... she doesn't fly away from me. She flies TO me.
I ran after her, and turned the corner in the kitchen to the family room and couldn't find her. I didn't hear her flying any more. Then I heard this horrible scream... she was screaming for me, a sound she's never made before.
This is going to be so hard for me to write. It was very traumatic.
I found her on the floor in front of the fire place. She was standing in a pile of her own feces. She was standing up extremely tall, almost on tip toes. And she was swaying back and forth, like an exaggeratedly drunk or dizzy cartoon character. I put my finger out for her to step up, and when she lifted her leg, it couldn't grip my finger, and she fell over. I scooped her up, and she struggled to stand up, swaying this way and that, unable to grip with her feet. She made this terrible whimpering noise.
I rushed her upstairs and put her into the travel cage. I was telling myself over and over to keep calm for her sake, but I was a hysterical mess. I did not handle the situation well at all. I couldn't even control myself enough to put the perches in her travel cage, or food and water. I sat her in the cage and she stumbled around. The look in her eye was of pure confusion and terror.
I called my avian vet, and THANK GOD, she was there. I begged to bring her in, it was an emergency. On the way to the vet, she vomited multiple, multiple times all over the cage and all over the car. Tiki has NEVER vomited since she's lived with me.
By the time we got to the vet, she started coming around. She was hanging on to the sides of the cage. She was showing immediate signs of improvement - she seemed like nothing had happened at all!
My vet checked her out and couldn't find any bruises or blood to indicate she crashed into a wall. Based on her flying ability, she doesn't think it was a crash. She said her symptoms sounded more like a seizure.
At this point though, she doesn't want to medicate for seizures. Sometimes they are a random occurrence and don't happen again, plus we aren't 100% sure that's what it was.
Right now Tiki is home safe. I gave her all her favorite foods when we got home. She got some snuggles, and I put her to bed early, per my vet's instructions as she will be very tired from this ordeal.
I know there are worse things in life than a sick/injured bird, but it didn't feel like it today. I was (and still am) sick over it. As I held her in my hands I KNEW she was going to die. Either she was going to die any minute, or I was going to have to put her down at the vet. It was THAT bad.
I am so, so, so grateful to my vet and God and the universe that she is doing ok now. I tried to talk gently to her on the way to the vet, but all I could do was cry and tell her how much I love her and how much she means to me and that I don't know what I would do without her.
I hate what I witnessed. I hate what she went through. I just can't get the images and the feeling I had out of my mind.
It makes me feel like I can't handle being a bird caregiver. They just mean so much to me... its like I love them more than I should.
I'll start by saying she's ok, now. Also that she is flighted, and an extremely skilled flier. In all the time she's been with me, she's never bumped into a wall or crash landed. She only flies away from me if something startles her, and she usually loops back around to land on my shoulder, or on something else.
Today I was in my upstairs hallway, which is connected to our two story foyer. Tiki was on my shoulder, and Nacho screeched... it startled her and she took off. Instead of circling back around and coming to me, she flew down the steps and around the corner to the left into the living room.
Calling her, I headed down the steps. Halfway down, she came flying back past me, through the foyer in the other direction, heading toward the kitchen. That's when I began to think something was wrong... she doesn't fly away from me. She flies TO me.
I ran after her, and turned the corner in the kitchen to the family room and couldn't find her. I didn't hear her flying any more. Then I heard this horrible scream... she was screaming for me, a sound she's never made before.
This is going to be so hard for me to write. It was very traumatic.
I found her on the floor in front of the fire place. She was standing in a pile of her own feces. She was standing up extremely tall, almost on tip toes. And she was swaying back and forth, like an exaggeratedly drunk or dizzy cartoon character. I put my finger out for her to step up, and when she lifted her leg, it couldn't grip my finger, and she fell over. I scooped her up, and she struggled to stand up, swaying this way and that, unable to grip with her feet. She made this terrible whimpering noise.
I rushed her upstairs and put her into the travel cage. I was telling myself over and over to keep calm for her sake, but I was a hysterical mess. I did not handle the situation well at all. I couldn't even control myself enough to put the perches in her travel cage, or food and water. I sat her in the cage and she stumbled around. The look in her eye was of pure confusion and terror.
I called my avian vet, and THANK GOD, she was there. I begged to bring her in, it was an emergency. On the way to the vet, she vomited multiple, multiple times all over the cage and all over the car. Tiki has NEVER vomited since she's lived with me.
By the time we got to the vet, she started coming around. She was hanging on to the sides of the cage. She was showing immediate signs of improvement - she seemed like nothing had happened at all!
My vet checked her out and couldn't find any bruises or blood to indicate she crashed into a wall. Based on her flying ability, she doesn't think it was a crash. She said her symptoms sounded more like a seizure.
At this point though, she doesn't want to medicate for seizures. Sometimes they are a random occurrence and don't happen again, plus we aren't 100% sure that's what it was.
Right now Tiki is home safe. I gave her all her favorite foods when we got home. She got some snuggles, and I put her to bed early, per my vet's instructions as she will be very tired from this ordeal.
I know there are worse things in life than a sick/injured bird, but it didn't feel like it today. I was (and still am) sick over it. As I held her in my hands I KNEW she was going to die. Either she was going to die any minute, or I was going to have to put her down at the vet. It was THAT bad.
I am so, so, so grateful to my vet and God and the universe that she is doing ok now. I tried to talk gently to her on the way to the vet, but all I could do was cry and tell her how much I love her and how much she means to me and that I don't know what I would do without her.
I hate what I witnessed. I hate what she went through. I just can't get the images and the feeling I had out of my mind.
It makes me feel like I can't handle being a bird caregiver. They just mean so much to me... its like I love them more than I should.
