Plucking seems to be an issue linked with captivity in parrots and is a very complex issue that experts and veterinarians struggle to fully understand. Proposed links , how they were raised and weaned, starting with a health issue but continues once health issue is resolved, hormonal frustration, diet, not learning how to preen and care for feathers, self soothing ritual, obsessive compulsion disorder, neglect, inadequate mental and physical and emotional needs met. But even parrots cared for in every way by loving owners may develop.
This is a story of one parrots neglect, and I feel his story deserves to be told .
A long time ago, so some details have been lost to memory . I worked with a group that pets could be surrendered, with no charges made, no investigation, no name or details asked. Tho if they chose they could share information or back story to help the pet being left with us. A lot of people were envolved including several veterinarians who donated their time and services and supplies.
I was present when a nanday conure was brought in a pet carrier. This woman was upset and remorseful and chose to tell us some of how this came about. This was her ex husband's parrot, and when he cheated she kept and hid the parrot. It had now been years, and she told us she kept in spare bedroom and was to afraid of him to let him out of his cage. Her fear and his bites and screaming had gotten so bad she had trouble giving him food. Then she left.
We opened the carrier to find a living skeleton of a bird. He was plucked except head and a few mangled bloody tail and wing primary. He had self mutilation all over his body and back. Muscle was exposed, some possibly into body cavity....and the smell of infection. He was weak and not doing very well.....
The veterinarian determines the humane thing to do was euthanasia. While I agree , and it wasn't looking like he would even survive the day. I've had to make that decision for my own personal pets in the past. BUT Something in me protested. I just couldn't stand it all the way to my soul that he had made it this far and didn't get a chance.
So the veterinarian agreed to call over the other 3 veterinarians, to examine him and give their opinion. I'm holding him , and putting forward every argument I have and every story of a miracle I know. The decision is split , 2 for, and 2 for giving me a chance to save him. One veterinarian steps up and says she will provide all the veterinarian oversight and medicine and supplies if I take him home and care for him, and if doesn't respond we will provide that final kindness and not let him suffer. He won't belong to me, but to the organization, who has adopters lined up, and I can not adopt him. I had to sign stuff, and higher ups agreed to this.
A donated cage was found and a truck to deliver it to my house. The veterinarian prescribed and provided a large number of medications, antibiotics, pain medications, mood altering ( halopederal?? Can't remember)
I can remember I never let him go from the time he was surrenderderd to the time I got him home ( someone drove me) and we met the people who donated and drove the Cage to my house. A lot of incredible people came together to make this happen and give him and me every chance. I named him Jax, and he started to groom my hand that were holding him . I was told this could be because he was so weak and in an altered state , and he might become as we were were told very mean if he started to feel better.
Jax survived. After 3 months we took him off the mood altering drugs. He allowed wing and tail feathers and a scatter of down and back feathers to grow back. He stopped self mutilation, but continued plucking. He gained back to normal weight. He never became mean or bite. But was frantic for attention and would continuously preen me, stripped skin from my hand and nails, pulled out hair. He was obsessive compulsive and never returned to be " right in the head" I was to keep him 3 more months to be sure he wouldn't return to self mutilation.
So after 6 months he was ready to be adopted. The head of the organization and the veterinarian contacted me . They told me because of his amazing recovery, and my fight for him, they would stick their necks out , and were willing to sign off that he didn't survive and let me keep him. I struggled with this.... but ultimately decided to keep my and their honor intact. To give Jax and I every chance, they had the adopter come to my house and meet Jax and see how he was ( plucked and a little crazy) and so I could go over his care and needs. And so I could provide all my contact information, and my desire to keep him or take him back if things didn't work out for them or he was to much. She met him, said yes she still wanted him......but not much else...I provided her a sheet with my email, address phone number, his medical history, the veterinarian who had been in charge of him..asked for pictures and update , she said she would. She left,.......I never heard another word about him.
Thank you for letting me share, and maybe heal, definitely cried... it still hurts because I don't know if I should have kept him after all
This is a story of one parrots neglect, and I feel his story deserves to be told .
A long time ago, so some details have been lost to memory . I worked with a group that pets could be surrendered, with no charges made, no investigation, no name or details asked. Tho if they chose they could share information or back story to help the pet being left with us. A lot of people were envolved including several veterinarians who donated their time and services and supplies.
I was present when a nanday conure was brought in a pet carrier. This woman was upset and remorseful and chose to tell us some of how this came about. This was her ex husband's parrot, and when he cheated she kept and hid the parrot. It had now been years, and she told us she kept in spare bedroom and was to afraid of him to let him out of his cage. Her fear and his bites and screaming had gotten so bad she had trouble giving him food. Then she left.
We opened the carrier to find a living skeleton of a bird. He was plucked except head and a few mangled bloody tail and wing primary. He had self mutilation all over his body and back. Muscle was exposed, some possibly into body cavity....and the smell of infection. He was weak and not doing very well.....
The veterinarian determines the humane thing to do was euthanasia. While I agree , and it wasn't looking like he would even survive the day. I've had to make that decision for my own personal pets in the past. BUT Something in me protested. I just couldn't stand it all the way to my soul that he had made it this far and didn't get a chance.
So the veterinarian agreed to call over the other 3 veterinarians, to examine him and give their opinion. I'm holding him , and putting forward every argument I have and every story of a miracle I know. The decision is split , 2 for, and 2 for giving me a chance to save him. One veterinarian steps up and says she will provide all the veterinarian oversight and medicine and supplies if I take him home and care for him, and if doesn't respond we will provide that final kindness and not let him suffer. He won't belong to me, but to the organization, who has adopters lined up, and I can not adopt him. I had to sign stuff, and higher ups agreed to this.
A donated cage was found and a truck to deliver it to my house. The veterinarian prescribed and provided a large number of medications, antibiotics, pain medications, mood altering ( halopederal?? Can't remember)
I can remember I never let him go from the time he was surrenderderd to the time I got him home ( someone drove me) and we met the people who donated and drove the Cage to my house. A lot of incredible people came together to make this happen and give him and me every chance. I named him Jax, and he started to groom my hand that were holding him . I was told this could be because he was so weak and in an altered state , and he might become as we were were told very mean if he started to feel better.
Jax survived. After 3 months we took him off the mood altering drugs. He allowed wing and tail feathers and a scatter of down and back feathers to grow back. He stopped self mutilation, but continued plucking. He gained back to normal weight. He never became mean or bite. But was frantic for attention and would continuously preen me, stripped skin from my hand and nails, pulled out hair. He was obsessive compulsive and never returned to be " right in the head" I was to keep him 3 more months to be sure he wouldn't return to self mutilation.
So after 6 months he was ready to be adopted. The head of the organization and the veterinarian contacted me . They told me because of his amazing recovery, and my fight for him, they would stick their necks out , and were willing to sign off that he didn't survive and let me keep him. I struggled with this.... but ultimately decided to keep my and their honor intact. To give Jax and I every chance, they had the adopter come to my house and meet Jax and see how he was ( plucked and a little crazy) and so I could go over his care and needs. And so I could provide all my contact information, and my desire to keep him or take him back if things didn't work out for them or he was to much. She met him, said yes she still wanted him......but not much else...I provided her a sheet with my email, address phone number, his medical history, the veterinarian who had been in charge of him..asked for pictures and update , she said she would. She left,.......I never heard another word about him.
Thank you for letting me share, and maybe heal, definitely cried... it still hurts because I don't know if I should have kept him after all
