charmedbyekkie
New member
Question first for those who want to skip the tale.
How long do you dose apple cider vinegar for? Iāve been putting a dash in Cairoās water bowls for a little over a week now, and his droppings look amazing (hahah). But I wonder if too much vinegar for too long might have negative effects on him, like vinegar and eroding enamel.
Long story:
We live in a country where work hours are a bit crazy (everyone takes home work to do), and house cleaners are common and affordable (growing up, I would never have thought Iād have a cleaner pop by my home ever). So our weekly cleaner came by, and per usual, Cairo and his cage went onto our windowsill outside for his regular dose of unfiltered sunlight and weekly solo vocal practice to the ambient sounds of other birds. Donāt worry - my partner keeps an eye on him and even has a standing fan pointed at him at all times.
I came home that evening and naturally took Cairo out of his cage, but I didn't bring the cage inside just yet. As I was unwinding and prepping for dinner, I had to put Cairo in his cage briefly for safety reasons. When itās that short of time (less than 1-2 minutes), I usually donāt bother to lock his door since it opens up into the glass of our window and it can only open maybe 1.5 inches wide (cue internal voice saying, "surely it's not big enough for an ekkie to climb out...") plus Iām usually back within a minute; PLUS his cage being on the windowsill is a weekly thing for a couple of hours. (I think you guys know where this is going.) As he was in his cage, we remembered that we needed some last minute groceries, so I rushed out to get groceries and completely forgetting that I didnāt lock his cage door. And voilĆ , the phone call from my partner. He had dropped a bowl and immediately heard the ekkie squawk and the flapping of wings going further and further away.
Alamak!
I rushed off to buy heavy-duty flashlights/torchlights. We searched the trees nearby our apartment, but there was no response - we found every other bird sleeping but Cairo. Our neighbours told us they heard him flying and landing in the wet trees (it had just rained earlier); they let us in their backyard several times. Other neighbours stayed out on their balconies to keep an eye out for him. But it was dark, and Cairo probably went to sleep (and since we're in the same region/climate/terrain as where his species are indigenous to, he BLENDS IN TOO WELL!)
That night, I insisted on leaving all of our windows open with all the lights on in the house. My partner joked that I built a little altar (Chinese-style) with offerings of his favourite foods and toys on our windowsill. I even turned his cage around so the door was open facing outside in the hopes that he would recognise it.
The next morning, we went out at sunrise to look again for him. The security guard (completely normal to have in this country) for the nearby condo told us they saw him, not five minutes before, in one of their trees before he flew away from incoming crows onto the roof of our apartment building. They accepted a coconut from us (one of his favourite toys since we started teaching him to forage with them) and promised to keep an eye out for him.
When it came time for me to leave for work, I let my boss know that I wasnāt coming into work since my fid was lost and proceeded to throw together a āLOST PARROTā poster (thank god, my job forced me to learn design skills). I posted on several local Facebook groups as well.
Cairoās previous owner saw the Facebook posts and immediately messaged me. In between his work hours, he came down to help us search the area, explaining that Cairo would be trying to circle the area to find his flock (us) again, but that he would probably get lost (the little guy had gotten lost before and flew 4km over the span of a week to our place).
My partner and I, we went everywhere. We covered 1.25 sq km (Google is converting it to 308.9 acres
); my watch says that we walked 24 km (14.9 miles) and god knows we cycled even more than that. My partner knew I wasnāt going to stop - he had to convince me to go back home during a thunderstorm to eat some lunch (it was over within 10 minutes).
We met such amazing folks along the way. People took our phone numbers and snapped photos of the posters, promising to keep an eye out for him. Even a fruit vendor (a nice older man) who only spoke Chinese was intent on helping us - my partner translated Cairoās name into Chinese as āččā (veggie, meat), and the uncle (local term for men 50+yo) kept repeating it to himself so he wouldnāt forget.
It got to be around 5pm, and we were exhausted. As a last attempt, my partner decided we should cycle into the driveway of a construction site. We turned in and called out Cairoās name as we had done at every tree we came across, and finally, FINALLY we heard the famous ekkie call back!
We went absolutely bonkers. We raced past the guardhouse, into a group of bewildered workers. I think I shoved a poster at someone as we both dropped our bikes and started frantically looking for him. The moment they understood what was going on, they were unbelievably helpful. They moved our bikes out of the way of oncoming trucks, they called and whistled at him, they gave us space when we needed it, they loaned us a ladder, and most importantly, they let us run back and forth for an hour as we tried to coax him out of the trees. They were so supportive, especially since before we arrived, he had been playing and teasing them for an hour!
And Cairo, what a stinker! He went through his repertoire of words and sounds, from āhelloā and āuh-ohā to laughing and blowing us kisses. I called his previous owner, expecting to get some advice from him on how to get Cairo down. But he dropped everything at work and raced over to us (pretty sure he might have hit the speed limit). Cairo, the little bugger, would swoop down as if he was going to land on one of us, then fly in circles around us, just playing with us! My partner joked that Cairo was having an adventure that day while I was bursting into tears whenever I saw a local bird drink from a puddle - in my defence, it was 36 Celsius (96.8 Fahrenheit), so I was worried about Cairo getting dehydrated since he didnāt have breakfast!
Finally after almost an hour of trying, we decided I would cycle home and bring back his little box of treats. I've never cycled faster in my life. I brought it back, we made a big deal of us opening it up in front of him, and *swoop* the little greedy guy came down for an almond sliver. I immediately put his harness on him as he was distracted with treats, and the construction workers started taking photos of the little green celebrity of the day.
Unbelievable.
Just seconds before he had flown off, my partner had asked me how much I would offer as a reward for Cairo if he ever got lost. I asked in response, āIs it ok if the number is in the four-figures?ā He laughed, but then within that hour, all cost limitations went out the window quite literally with Cairo.
Now, on our walks, the neighbourhood establishments recognise him. He gets free cups of mango and poses for photos. But wow, do we owe our neighbourhood community for going out of their way to help us.
Anyway, how it ties into the question is, when Cairo came back, I was worried about his health. He looked fine (and we gave him a soaking shower the moment we brought him home), though a bit dehydrated according to his droppings. I gave him watery chop and dosed his water with apple cider vinegar just in case he ate something bad (he kept chewing on the local trees, and I can't find most of the local plants on any parrot/tree list). It's been over a week now, and his droppings actually look better than before he got lost and they're consistently looking good now. If it's the ACV doing this, I definitely want to keep it up, unless long-term ACV isn't good for him.
And don't worry, I won't make the same mistake with his cage again.
How long do you dose apple cider vinegar for? Iāve been putting a dash in Cairoās water bowls for a little over a week now, and his droppings look amazing (hahah). But I wonder if too much vinegar for too long might have negative effects on him, like vinegar and eroding enamel.
Long story:
We live in a country where work hours are a bit crazy (everyone takes home work to do), and house cleaners are common and affordable (growing up, I would never have thought Iād have a cleaner pop by my home ever). So our weekly cleaner came by, and per usual, Cairo and his cage went onto our windowsill outside for his regular dose of unfiltered sunlight and weekly solo vocal practice to the ambient sounds of other birds. Donāt worry - my partner keeps an eye on him and even has a standing fan pointed at him at all times.
I came home that evening and naturally took Cairo out of his cage, but I didn't bring the cage inside just yet. As I was unwinding and prepping for dinner, I had to put Cairo in his cage briefly for safety reasons. When itās that short of time (less than 1-2 minutes), I usually donāt bother to lock his door since it opens up into the glass of our window and it can only open maybe 1.5 inches wide (cue internal voice saying, "surely it's not big enough for an ekkie to climb out...") plus Iām usually back within a minute; PLUS his cage being on the windowsill is a weekly thing for a couple of hours. (I think you guys know where this is going.) As he was in his cage, we remembered that we needed some last minute groceries, so I rushed out to get groceries and completely forgetting that I didnāt lock his cage door. And voilĆ , the phone call from my partner. He had dropped a bowl and immediately heard the ekkie squawk and the flapping of wings going further and further away.
Alamak!
I rushed off to buy heavy-duty flashlights/torchlights. We searched the trees nearby our apartment, but there was no response - we found every other bird sleeping but Cairo. Our neighbours told us they heard him flying and landing in the wet trees (it had just rained earlier); they let us in their backyard several times. Other neighbours stayed out on their balconies to keep an eye out for him. But it was dark, and Cairo probably went to sleep (and since we're in the same region/climate/terrain as where his species are indigenous to, he BLENDS IN TOO WELL!)
That night, I insisted on leaving all of our windows open with all the lights on in the house. My partner joked that I built a little altar (Chinese-style) with offerings of his favourite foods and toys on our windowsill. I even turned his cage around so the door was open facing outside in the hopes that he would recognise it.
The next morning, we went out at sunrise to look again for him. The security guard (completely normal to have in this country) for the nearby condo told us they saw him, not five minutes before, in one of their trees before he flew away from incoming crows onto the roof of our apartment building. They accepted a coconut from us (one of his favourite toys since we started teaching him to forage with them) and promised to keep an eye out for him.
When it came time for me to leave for work, I let my boss know that I wasnāt coming into work since my fid was lost and proceeded to throw together a āLOST PARROTā poster (thank god, my job forced me to learn design skills). I posted on several local Facebook groups as well.
Cairoās previous owner saw the Facebook posts and immediately messaged me. In between his work hours, he came down to help us search the area, explaining that Cairo would be trying to circle the area to find his flock (us) again, but that he would probably get lost (the little guy had gotten lost before and flew 4km over the span of a week to our place).
My partner and I, we went everywhere. We covered 1.25 sq km (Google is converting it to 308.9 acres
); my watch says that we walked 24 km (14.9 miles) and god knows we cycled even more than that. My partner knew I wasnāt going to stop - he had to convince me to go back home during a thunderstorm to eat some lunch (it was over within 10 minutes).We met such amazing folks along the way. People took our phone numbers and snapped photos of the posters, promising to keep an eye out for him. Even a fruit vendor (a nice older man) who only spoke Chinese was intent on helping us - my partner translated Cairoās name into Chinese as āččā (veggie, meat), and the uncle (local term for men 50+yo) kept repeating it to himself so he wouldnāt forget.
It got to be around 5pm, and we were exhausted. As a last attempt, my partner decided we should cycle into the driveway of a construction site. We turned in and called out Cairoās name as we had done at every tree we came across, and finally, FINALLY we heard the famous ekkie call back!
We went absolutely bonkers. We raced past the guardhouse, into a group of bewildered workers. I think I shoved a poster at someone as we both dropped our bikes and started frantically looking for him. The moment they understood what was going on, they were unbelievably helpful. They moved our bikes out of the way of oncoming trucks, they called and whistled at him, they gave us space when we needed it, they loaned us a ladder, and most importantly, they let us run back and forth for an hour as we tried to coax him out of the trees. They were so supportive, especially since before we arrived, he had been playing and teasing them for an hour!
And Cairo, what a stinker! He went through his repertoire of words and sounds, from āhelloā and āuh-ohā to laughing and blowing us kisses. I called his previous owner, expecting to get some advice from him on how to get Cairo down. But he dropped everything at work and raced over to us (pretty sure he might have hit the speed limit). Cairo, the little bugger, would swoop down as if he was going to land on one of us, then fly in circles around us, just playing with us! My partner joked that Cairo was having an adventure that day while I was bursting into tears whenever I saw a local bird drink from a puddle - in my defence, it was 36 Celsius (96.8 Fahrenheit), so I was worried about Cairo getting dehydrated since he didnāt have breakfast!
Finally after almost an hour of trying, we decided I would cycle home and bring back his little box of treats. I've never cycled faster in my life. I brought it back, we made a big deal of us opening it up in front of him, and *swoop* the little greedy guy came down for an almond sliver. I immediately put his harness on him as he was distracted with treats, and the construction workers started taking photos of the little green celebrity of the day.
Unbelievable.
Just seconds before he had flown off, my partner had asked me how much I would offer as a reward for Cairo if he ever got lost. I asked in response, āIs it ok if the number is in the four-figures?ā He laughed, but then within that hour, all cost limitations went out the window quite literally with Cairo.
Now, on our walks, the neighbourhood establishments recognise him. He gets free cups of mango and poses for photos. But wow, do we owe our neighbourhood community for going out of their way to help us.
Anyway, how it ties into the question is, when Cairo came back, I was worried about his health. He looked fine (and we gave him a soaking shower the moment we brought him home), though a bit dehydrated according to his droppings. I gave him watery chop and dosed his water with apple cider vinegar just in case he ate something bad (he kept chewing on the local trees, and I can't find most of the local plants on any parrot/tree list). It's been over a week now, and his droppings actually look better than before he got lost and they're consistently looking good now. If it's the ACV doing this, I definitely want to keep it up, unless long-term ACV isn't good for him.
And don't worry, I won't make the same mistake with his cage again.
