Day by Day.... Apollo's Story

[𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖞𝕻𝖎𝖈𝖆]

Soooooo...

One day, while on Petfinder, I saw an elderly budgie with a hormonal imbalance (named Lulu), and after a few days decided I wanted to adopt her. My parents said yes, since at the time Pepper (RIP baby <3) was lonely since Picasso and Stormy were a pair. THEN, right before we were about to fill the application, the stupid rescue gave her to Petsmart! My heart still aches for her... it's not fair that she was not living her best life for 8+ years, then given to a place that doesn't care about her.

We called every Petsmart, then one store said they had exactly the bird we were looking for. It was blue, and had been surrendered because the owner was too sick to care for it. We went there and long story short, it wasn't Lulu. Instead, it was a 2-2.5 month old little mega-anxious birdie. This birdie was Apollo. Now, you may ask, why didn't I stop them from packing her up and selling her to me? Long story short: anxiety. I was so anxious I could barely talk!

And I brought her home.

The most apparent problem with her when I got her was that she WOULD NOT drink. For a week or two, she drank nothing. I honestly wasn't sure she KNEW how to drink, because she only seemed to realize how to drink after I "trained" her to. Yes, every night, I would do a training session and reward her every time she sipped the water or touched the water with her beak. Now, she loves it and is my only bird who bathes more than once every 6 months!

The second problem was and still is her barbering and feather-breaking issues. During moulting season, I find 1 or 2 barbered feathers a week, and a broken feather with blood on it every month or so it makes me so sad, especially since she can fly quite well right now, so she must be breaking them herself. She barbers her tail feathers especially, and it is very noticeable when you look at it. I do actively try to stop it by enrichment and it does seem to help, but I think it's just a habit at this point.

And that's really it. If anyone can recommend anything that may help the barbering and feather-breaking, please let me know! I am really looking forward to seeing how she progresses and grows positively! And I will always support and love her, even when it seems like one step forward and two steps back.

 

[Cam1961]

The most apparent problem with her when I got her was that she WOULD NOT drink. For a week or two, she drank nothing

@stormypica a budgie would not survive that long without water. I know this forum has many young members just by reading the threads. What would happen if a person new to bird read that and thought they didn't need water for that long of period.

 

[BirdyBee]

@stormypica a budgie would not survive that long without water. I know this forum has many young members just by reading the threads. What would happen if a person new to bird read that and thought they didn't need water for that long of period.

I find this comment very unnecessary.

The budgie had other sources of moisture to consume. Anyone who thinks, "Oh, I can let my bird dehydrate by not giving water for one week" lacks common sense. StormyPica was just stating that for some reason her bird didn't drink water.

Saying, "This forum has many young members just by reading their threads" implies that minors are immature and liars, which is incorrect, because not all are.

 

[𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖞𝕻𝖎𝖈𝖆]

@stormypica a budgie would not survive that long without water. I know this forum has many young members just by reading the threads. What would happen if a person new to bird read that and thought they didn't need water for that long of period.

Budgies can also get water from fruit and veg. They generally don't need large amounts of water.

I am a young member myself, and know many of the other young members. Just because we're young doesn't mean we'll put our bird's lives in danger based on a single thread we read.

Basically, I 100% agree with Pipp on this.

 

[saxguy64]

Should also be noted, it's really common, especially during transition to a new home, to not SEE them drinking. Doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't, just that we don't see it happening, or notice the small amount of water gone from the bowl. To this day, I pretty much never see my guy Tucker take a drink. Obviously he does, because now he's become a great fan of making water bowl soup.

 

[Cam1961]

I stated a fact, a very simple fact on water. The OP didn't add the information on how fruits and vegetables do as well. Information like that would be helpful to not only the bird but the owner too. Forums have the ability to be reach so many young people, and having correct information for them is crucial. As far as common sense, not all people use theirs.

 

[HeatherG]

My take at the time was that Apollo was drinking water on the sly. Drinking and feeding are vulnerable times for birds and you don’t often see them doing it when they’re very shy.

It isn’t possible that Apollo lived for a week with no water. But it wasn’t worth arguing about at the time.

I agree that the story might be confusing for readers. But it’s simply not possible that the bird didn’t drink for the first week or two. I don’t think Apollo was eating much veggies or fruit either, as it was new from the pet shop.

EVERYBODY: It’s helpful to assume that posters have good intentions when they post. And if something doesn’t make sense to you, take it with a grain of salt.

 

[𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖞𝕻𝖎𝖈𝖆]

Ok, here's the thing. She was EXTREMELY scared of water. No clue why. She basically avoided it at all costs. And listen, I could explain how I knew she wasn't drinking at all, but that would mean writing out long (and fairly boring) paragraphs about her reaction to water and how I keep my birds in such a way that taking sips of water hardly goes unnoticed if one is home (I don't obsessively watch them, but they all drink from a VERY specific place)

She loved her chop, though. She ate like crazy, so I think that's where she got most of her water. She especially likes apples. Not all birds are the same, and budgies, needing such little water, can easily get most of what they need from their chop.

You guys are just going to have to trust me on this. If you don't, I won't be offended, but due to many factors, I am at least 99% sure she didn't drink. And yes, some of the factors include the classic signs of dehydration (for those few days when she didn't eat chop).

 

[HeatherG]

Yes— if a budgie ate a lot of apples or lettuce she could get by with little to no water.

But I don’t think that’s the point. your writing about Apollo wasn’t intended as a recommendation. You were describing what you believed took place. You weren’t saying “don’t give your bird water for a week.” Clearly that wouldn’t be a good idea.

Everybody needs to (1) assume that people are coming from good intentions and (2) take things with a grain of salt. If something doesn’t seem right or realistic then don’t do it.

People have suggested care for my birds which I didn’t agree with and I chose not to argue. I can have my own opinions without arguing about them. If it’s not important it doesn’t need to be argued about. That was my point. I wasn’t trying to hurt anyones feelings. And I don’t think anyone here was trying to harm birds by giving unclear advice. I am sure StormyPica would not want to do that!

 

[BirdyBee]

. If anyone can recommend anything that may help the barbering and feather-breaking, please let me know! I am really looking forward to seeing how she progresses and grows positively!

Have you read this yet?

Feather Plucking In Your Bird: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Recovery

Feather plucking is a worrisome problem. Get your questions about feather plucking in birds answered here by BirdSupplies.com - your source for science-backed parrot wellness.

birdsupplies.com

I know it's meant for plucking, but may work for barbering.

 

[HeatherG]

My birds that have barbered seem to do it when they were more anxious. I wonder how you could reduce Apollo’s stress level. What about making a safe little perch away from the other budgies so he can get away?

I had good luck with my Gouldian finches when I hung vines (aquarium vines) all over their cage to block sight. They felt more secure, I think, and they had a clutch with four healthy babies.

You know Apollo so how do you think you could do that?

 

[𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖞𝕻𝖎𝖈𝖆]

My birds that have barbered seem to do it when they were more anxious. I wonder how you could reduce Apollo’s stress level. What about making a safe little perch away from the other budgies so he can get away?

That may work. She likes to keep away from them generally, though, so idk if giving her another perch would make a difference.

I had good luck with my Gouldian finches when I hung vines (aquarium vines) all over their cage to block sight. They felt more secure, I think, and they had a clutch with four healthy babies.

Great idea! I'm actually hoping to get some bird-safe plants soon!

 

[HeatherG]

A few high up perches that only accommodate one budgie?

 

[𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖞𝕻𝖎𝖈𝖆]

A few high up perches that only accommodate one budgie?

Maybe. I already have a fair amount of perches like that, though.

 

[bonitabird59]

@stormypica a budgie would not survive that long without water. I know this forum has many young members just by reading the threads. What would happen if a person new to bird read that and thought they didn't need water for that long of period.

Unwarranted and quite frankly rude. There are probably many minors here, not totally sure we dont post ages here, and they are just as interested in birds as we are. Budgies get water from their food as well, such as from veggies and fruits. Instead of being so negative maybe look at the fact that this owner was so observant that she noticed the budgie wouldnt drink water directly. And even trained her to do so.

If you dont have something nice to say, dont say it at all.

 

[bonitabird59]

Toffee, my society finch, ripped her whole tail out because of stress before I adopted her. What worked best for me was showing her how to destroy toys with paper streamers/baskets/woven timothy hay. Finches dont play by nature very often so I had to show her and soon enough she was going HAM on the toys with the streamers. The all living things piñata toy was an absolute hit for her and Ive probably bought atleast 30+ of them for her this year. Since you have a budgie im sure the playing will come naturally but hopefully Apollo will enjoy that instead!

 

[kme3388]

I was once upon a time a teenager (young) with parrots. I would rather of had an adult be respectful, and try to help me rather then insult me for my age. I am now an adult, and still make mistakes with my Ekkie, and conures. It's about trial, and error. Being supportive of one another, and trying to help people with issues that come up with their parrots is the goal regardless of someones age, gender, race, and so on. @Cam1961 I do think that being positive, and trying to help is the right way to go.

 

[𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖞𝕻𝖎𝖈𝖆]

Thank you all for your advice! My little girl is doing quite well, and bathing a lot! I’m working on harness training with her, but if she never gets comfortable with the harness, that is ok, it’s still a good bond-building activity!