Max's Vet Visit.

Today, Max had a very long ride in the vehicle. We live 100 miles (one direction) from the aviary vet. And yes, that is the closest aviary vet we have.

So, I filled out the paperwork, like I usually do. We got settled into the examination room. Dr. B came in and was telling me about her Sennie too. Max and Cheerio has a bit in common. Dr. B also told me I made a great choice.

Upon looking at Max, she made a 'discovery.' My Max.... is a GIRL We didn't do blood sexing yet, (we drew blood for psittacosis but not the blood sexing yet) but upon looking at her, Dr B is 80% certain that my little Max is a girl.

Dr. B looked at Max's foot--as some may recall, it has been a great concern of mine. I bought Max from Craigslist from a woman (Heather) who 'fostered' Max with the hope of finding her a new home. The original owner bought Max from a swap meet, and the story is that Max's birdie parents stepped or sat on Max shortly after she hatched and broke her foot. Sure enough, it was a fracture that had healed, however, wasn't reset. The tendons may be fused, but with some physical therapy, we may be able to loosen them up a little.

She got her nails done and she had her blood drawn for the psittacosis test. And she moved a little while they were drawing blood, so her vain was lacerated a little. She had to wear a little bandage until she could calm down and the bleeding stopped.


However, mommy felt terrible for my sweet little girl. And the vet has a lot of toys.... Including the one toy that I have had my eye on since I brought her home.

Foragewise Parrot's Treasure Bird Toy by Nature's Instinct: Foraging toys for pet birds


She still hasn't figured it out yet. She has been standing on top of it and trying to eat the top off I will have to post pics later...

lmao!! poor max or maxine!! she'll figure it out, as soon as she gets her beak on a crow bar lol

I have shown her what to do a couple of times. She has officially given up for the night, but I am sure tomorrow will be an entirely different story.

Wow, 100 miles each way! Crazy stuff!
I worked out Merlin was a boy before I officially got him DNA'd, there are some slight differences between males and females.

About her foot, I'd recommend physio like you said, it's working a treat with Merlin. He grumbles most of the time when we do it but it has made a massive difference. How old is Max...ine? ^^

Mayden, In Missouri, there are only a very small handful of Aviary vets and they are either in St. Louis, MO (the eastern border) or in Kansas City, MO (the western border). And I reside in the middle of the state. LOL


Max is about a year, perhaps. Her eyes are starting to change, they are a hazy light yellow. I am the third person to have Max in her life. She was purchased originally at a bird swap meet, and the person selling her told the lady who bought her that her parents sat or stepped on Max's foot shortly after Max hatched.

Well, the lady who bought Max couldn't keep her--she had lost her home and was moving back with her parents who couldn't have animals. So a friend of hers, maybe a co-worker... Heather, bought Max and gave her a decent home. Heather said that this girl didn't really know what she was doing with a bird and that she was looking for money, not the welfare of this sweet little girl. So Heather actually named the bird Max and kept her for a couple months with the intention of finding Max a good home. Heather has 5 or 6 animals of her own, and knew she couldn't keep her.

I had just lost my Amazon. I had Ricco since he was weaned. I had a wonderful 18 years with him, but he had gotten very ill quickly and passed on. I wasn't really looking to adopt, I was looking more at different species and was looking to compare them because in my heart, I had decided I wanted a white bellied caique. I had even contacted a breeder who had eggs that were ready to hatch in a couple of weeks. But I wasn't wanting to pay this huge sum of money for one. So I began looking elsewhere at other birds.

I came across Heather's Craigslist advertisement. I inquired about Max, informing her that I had just lost my Amazon, I wasn't really looking to adopt right away. I was more looking at different species at the moment to decide what kind I would like to adopt next. Heather knew where I was coming from, as she had lost her parrot whom she had adopted last year. However, Heather just knew this was going to be a great fit. She had been looking for someone who had bird experience and needed a new friend as much as Max needed a new friend. We talked and exchanged emails a dozen times and I brought Max home.

Glad you found a vet you like. I have to drive 75+ m to the vet, so I feel your pain. I would feel really strange if Merlin turned out to be a girl, he's been DNA'd so not much chance of that. Its funny how gender makes us think differently.

I actually had a hunch Max was a girl when I first saw her photo. But I wasn't sure. Max hadn't been DNA'ed before, so I didn't care either way. It was just kinda funny because I had just started to say he more often because saying Max over and over is a little strange as well.

My niece had her birthday party last night and I got to make the huge announcement.

"OH and by the way, you have a granddaughter (or to my sister, "You have a niece")!" to everyone's surprise, "HUH?"

"Max... is a girl."