Lots of problems

[AmazingAmazon]

Hi everyone,

I'm in a bit of a fix. I am visiting my family in Trinidad, and my elderly aunt's beloved parrot needs some tlc. It is unsexed so I will call it a he, as my aunt does.

The little guy is 12 years old, has a flaky, approx. 3mm sized lump on/in its right nostril, extremely dry skin (seems itchy, he preens a lot and there is a lot of dander) a heavily curved beak, and a sneeze. He is constantky rubbing the lump on his cage bars and soft, woven fabricperch. He eats mainly sunflower seeds, occasionally okra and hot peppers. From googling his symptoms, I've come to the conclusion that he has a vitamin a deficiency. I've gotten him squash, sweet potatoes and carrots which I have steamed and cooled and put into his food bowl, but he tossed them away. I called several pet store today, and it sounds like pelleted parrot food is unheard of.

I'm only here for a week, but I'd really like to help this bird. He's friendly enough in his cage, but not all that interested in new people or new objects. His cage is clean and full of mostly unused toys.

Please note that my aunt is 85 years old and house bound. She lives alone but is extremely frail and depends on others to pick up seeds for the bird. She does not cook and relies on church provided meals. The parrot has lived with her since he was a baby. They both seem extremely attached to each other and I don't think separating them would be a good option.

Looking forward to good advice!

 

[Julianna]

Please take him to an avian vet if it's at all possible! His symptoms seem very bad, and at that stage of an illness or deficiency, a bird could die at any moment. Your aunt's bird is definitely in need of a vet visit. Putting him on a pelleted diet would be a good first step to getting him better, so I recommend you try to find some pelleted food, even if you have to travel a longer distance than is ideal, or if you have to order food off the internet. Sunflower seeds will not provide enough nutrients to keep a parrot healthy. In the mean time, keep on trying to give him new foods. He may reject a food over and over, and then one day decide he loves it. Parrots differ on their food likes and dislikes by the day, so don't ever give up on a new food just because it was rejected once. Hope this helps your little guy!

 

[AmazingAmazon]

I spoke with a vet clinic who said that my best bet is to take him to the veterinary school. Their phone lines aren't open on the weekend, so I'll have to wait till Monday. I can't get him to a vet right now as there is not one available. I'll do my best with that on Monday. The clinic they are recommending is about an hour away from me, and I can't drive here so I'm going to have to beg another relative to get the bird to the vet.

It's sort of a tricky time of year, things kind of shut down around Chrismas. Another issue related to being in the Caribbean is that there isn't much awareness of the needs of companion animals aside from dogs, and somewhat cats. The range of toys and food that are available abroad are simply unheard of here. All the toys that her bird has have come from me when I visit. Ordering food online won't be a quick solution, and I have a feeling that it will be tricky trying to get him off those seeds.

She said he's eaten two cubes of sweet potato, but not the peel. The cubes are about 2.5cm. I've set some pulses to sprout for him, and I'll pick up some fruit for him at the grocer's tomorrow.

He's active and vocal, do parrots typically continue to exhibit normal behavior when unwell?

 

[Merlee]

I know this sounds awful, but needs to be addressed at some point. If your aunt comes to the being unable to care for the bird, have plans been made for somebody to step up and take guardianship?

If the beak needs some care, the toenails may need to be trimmed as well.

Good luck with finding somebody to give him a full examination.

 

[AmazingAmazon]

I've been thinking of that. It's something that I will need to bring up with the family. It's very complex. This aunt is unmarried and childless, and her care has been an issue of contention within the extended family. I'm doing this because the poor bird sits in a cage that I think too small him, with a lady whom, despite adoring the bird, is not able to properly care for him or herself, and i think it a pretty miserable situation. I know nothing about parrots, I spent a day googling to see if I could figure out how to help the poor critter. From what I understand, diet seems to be the best way that I can help him. I just don't know how to get him eating the healthy food.

 

[Merlee]

After eating a seed diet, it's going to take longer than a week to teach your aunt and bird how to eat healthier. Since the odds are against you finding a commercial source for pellets, your other option is to feed fresh vegetables, fruits and a variety of nuts.

I wonder if there are other exotic bird owners in your area. If your aunt has a bird, there may be others who may be able to help you out.

 

[SpotsandSally]

Do whatever you can to get your aunt to feed him lots of different fresh foods. Just offering them to him, saying yummy sounds. Just a variant will help. And try to limit his sunflower seeds. I'd write a list down for her.

 

[AmazingAmazon]

Orange-winged amazons are a native species here, and are widely kept as pets. The belief that they can exist in small cages on a diet of just seeds is a pretty common belief, as is the belief that parrots have short life-spans. People comment on this parrots young age, thinking that it is actually pretty old. Fruits and veg are seen as treats. I emailed a wild-life rehab that I found online to see if they have any contacts.

I guess I'll just do what I can while I'm here since it doesn't seem that I can do very much. Thanks anyway for all your advice. From what my aunt said, he seems to really like the sweet potato so I'll try some other things tomorrow. I have broccoli which also seems to be a healthy choice for parrots.

 

[AmazingAmazon]

Thanks SpotsandSally, a list would be great. She is really forgetful, so I'm going to make her a basic care handbook so that she will have a guide. I'll include a list. If you are able, could you indicate appropriate quantities?

 

[henpecked]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for caring. I have many OWAs. I'm sure he likes things like toast. Look for a product (online) called "sunshine factor" it's made from Red Palm Nuts and contains tons of VitA, my zons love it spread on a small piece of toast. I lived in Central America for many years and understand about the mentality of keeping amazons as pets. Maybe a local parrot club could help you out with care and understanding the needs of amazons as pets. You could also get your Aunt to join our forum, we'd love to help.

 

[SpotsandSally]

Not sure that I could. Firstly I don't know the amount of food an amazon needs to eat per day, and it would change as his diet changes.

WELL your VERY lucky if he's native ! Your aunt could have friends collect native fruits and veggies and stuff to chew on. This of course would require her insisting on him eating it, but after a while, it could end up nicely. He could live solely on stuff from the wild, honestly. But, given your aunts condition, it would require help.
I don't know what it's like in the Bahamas, but if she has a blender and can get some good veggies and fruits, she can make a chop (mix everything together in a blender) and then mix some whole sunflower seeds in it. He'll try to pick it out, and in a way get some nutrients.


Amazon Parrots - Feeding | VCA Animal Hospitals here's a good list of information, as well as a list of safe foods.

Best of luck!

 

[AmazingAmazon]

Thank you for the link and suggestion for the chop. I made one for the bird this morning and as predicted, he picked out the sunflower seeds. Amazing how quickly he found them. I also put a quarter egg yolk in his bowl, which he ate really eagerly. Are those good for birds?

Thanks, Henpecked. My aunt is not computer literate and would not be able to participate in the forum. I have gotten the name and contact info of the only avian vet in the country (!!! There is only one!) I'll call him tomorrow to see if he can provide some care and advice. He showed no interest in toast, though there was nothing on the toast. Are those millet sprays good for OWAs? They seem commonly available.

I'm feeling much better about the bird's situation. Thanks for all the help.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Yes, millet is a good snack.

Here are some GREAT links that you may find quite helpful:

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html