Baby my 24 year old Cockatiel

[SailBoat]

We have long worked with older Parrots and it is clearly more work for us, but the joy of seeing them take advantage of minor changes that makes their life easier is worth the effort.

Older parrots and disabled parrots are the same when on works for an easier life for them.

But, watching Baby, it is clear that he may be a bit slower, but still active.

I am assuming the he climbs higher to be at face level, consider setting the cage higher so that the climb is not required.

 

[texsize]

I promised a video of Baby climbing his new ladder.
He doesn’t use it every time, my 50% but he can and does use it.
I feel better knowing he d. Have to struggle if he doesn’t want to.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

That's a nice big ladder. Where did you get it? Baby seems to have gotten the hang of it quickly.

 

[SailBoat]

Wonderful to see that he is using a combination of the ladder and the cage side as it clearly shows he is testing his abilities. Sometimes you just have to give them a little time to accept that not everything is radioactive.

 

[texsize]

That's a nice big ladder. Where did you get it? Baby seems to have gotten the hang of it quickly.

I got it at the mom/pop pet shop near me.
I think it was about $40.
It was the multi colored ladder rungs that freaked them out.
I left it in the area for 4 days moving it around some so they could get used to it..

 

[DonnaBudgie]

It's hard to find a ladder that big.

 

[rheashard2]

Being a klutz with knives, I use scouring pad for fast iron. It can wrap around perches for easier us.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I didn't think cockatiels lived 25 years but I just read they can reach 30! The record is apparently 36. Amazing! The life expectancies of birds in the wild doesn't seem to reflect their true longevity. Same with other wild animals. Even with humans. If infant and child mortality are taken out of the equation like they almost have been in affluent countries the human life expectancy goes way up. If baby birds and elderly birds were completely safe from predators the wild life expectancy would be much longer. The problem with budgies is they've been so inbred over the last 200 years with no new wild blood introduced. They're genetically weak and very prone to tumors. The call them Tumor Factories. That and being kept in small cages and fed an unlimited dry seed diet makes them overweight and out of shape (sounds familiar). I know budgies can live into their teens- I had one that died at 13 of old age kidney failure- but most don't make it past 6 or 7.
Who knows how long big parrots are capable of living? Bingo lived over 40 years and succumbed to cancer just like a lot of elderly humans do.

 

[texsize]

I didn't think cockatiels lived 25 years but I just read they can reach 30! The record is apparently 36. Amazing! The life expectancies of birds in the wild doesn't seem to reflect their true longevity. Same with other wild animals. Even with humans. If infant and child mortality are taken out of the equation like they almost have been in affluent countries the human life expectancy goes way up. If baby birds and elderly birds were completely safe from predators the wild life expectancy would be much longer. The problem with budgies is they've been so inbred over the last 200 years with no new wild blood introduced. They're genetically weak and very prone to tumors. The call them Tumor Factories. That and being kept in small cages and fed an unlimited dry seed diet makes them overweight and out of shape (sounds familiar). I know budgies can live into their teens- I had one that died at 13 of old age kidney failure- but most don't make it past 6 or 7.
Who knows how long big parrots are capable of living? Bingo lived over 40 years and succumbed to cancer just like a lot of elderly humans do.

I had two Lutino cockatiels that both had genetic problems.
I bought them at a yard sale and didn’t know much history. I suspect they were from a Lutino/Lutino pair to increase chances of Lutino offspring.
Lady developed nurilogal issues and had to be put to sleep .
Pinky lived for several years but died suddenly from I guess heart failure.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

They say breeding lutinos together is a bad idea.