Nico’s Thread 😊

[saxguy64]

Awwwwwwww, Happy Birthday, Nico!!! ❤️

 

[kme3388]

So Nico has been taken off all food that could be considered “mushy”. It’s believed that this could be the reason why he’s hormonal. He’s seeing it as me regurgitating food for him, and in return he wants to mate. Which leads to frustration for Nico. We are currently doing Harrison’s pepper course pellets. We tried tops but Nico decided to fling the bowl across the room. He was on roudy bush for a long time. We shall see how this goes… I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn’t try to fling these pellets across the room too.

 

[saxguy64]

Ahhhh, I hadn't thought about mushy stuff. I've heard so many times that it can be a hormone trigger, but no experience with it. My guys refuse anything considered as mushy. Even oatmeal, that is supposed to be universally loved, absolute no go. Tucker will eat dry oats sometimes. I always throw some in the dry food bowl. If he doesn't eat it, it's still cheap, safe material to forage through

 

[kme3388]

Nico has been doing well. He is eating his Harrison’s pepper course pellets. I was really worried about the food change. It went fairly well. It’s not prevented any mating behaviors, or regurgitation.

Nico had a vacation in northern Minnesota last month. I was very worried that it would add stress, and the result (consequences) would be feather plucking. It went very smoothly. He appeared to enjoy being outside. I didn’t see any drastic feather plucking. He did very well on the car ride. He just stood on my shoulder and made Ekkie sounds at the cars driving by. Nico really enjoys car rides.

I’ve been experimenting with a ihome Zenergy speaker for Nico. It is a therapy speaker with lighting (for meditation). It has a bunch of different sounds on it too. I’m just hoping it distracts him from some of his behavioral issues.

 

[saxguy64]

Awwww, Nico. Looking good there little dude! ❤️

 

[kme3388]

Who wants to hear a mad Ekkie who wants to go back outside?!?

Yes, they are definitely loud & can wake the dead 😂

 

[saxguy64]

Wow, Nico! That's a new one for me. Tucker's scream is similar, but much higher pitched. I'm sure it's no more or less ear splitting than Nico's though. Gotta love 'em! 🤣

 

[kme3388]

Nico is trying figs for the first time. So far we’ve only been inspecting. Nico is always hesitant on trying new fresh foods. A lot of times he doesn’t end up eating them.

 

[LaManuka]

View attachment 53704
Nico is trying figs for the first time. So far we’ve only been inspecting. Nico is always hesitant on trying new fresh foods. A lot of times he doesn’t end up eating them.

Oh I hope Nico likes his figs, they're so yummy! Tell him I'll have 'em if he doesn't want 'em!!

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I'll have Nico's Figs if he doesn't want 'em! (Actually you might have to hide your whole stash. I'm a Fig hawk and can eat a package in a single sitting, LOL)

 

[kme3388]

Nico hasn’t feather plucked in quite sometime. His primary feathers were back. Until today 😢 he did some damage

 

[saxguy64]

Awwwww, Nico, stop that, buddy! You're still a very handsome little man, but ya know...

 

[kme3388]

On top of Nico’s already bad day. I trimmed his nails. One bled, and I clotted it with quikstop. The nail is fine, but he scratched his eye. He got quikstop in his eye, and there was blood (not sure if it was from his nail). I got it rinsed out with a spray bottle. He held his eye closed for a little bit. He squinted for a bit after that. Now it seems okay. Yes, his vet was contacted. Just waiting to hear back if she wants to see him, or if she thinks he’s fine.

 

[LaManuka]

View attachment 54171
On top of Nico’s already bad day. I trimmed his nails. One bled, and I clotted it with quikstop. The nail is fine, but he scratched his eye. He got quikstop in his eye, and there was blood (not sure if it was from his nail). I got it rinsed out with a spray bottle. He held his eye closed for a little bit. He squinted for a bit after that. Now it seems okay. Yes, his vet was contacted. Just waiting to hear back if she wants to see him, or if she thinks he’s fine.

Oh poor baby, it never rains but it pours, huh? I hope his eye and his nail and everything else will be ok! 🙏🙏🙏

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Oh poor baby, it never rains but it pours, huh? I hope his eye and his nail and everything else will be ok! 🙏🙏🙏

Bummer! Maybe you should have the vet do his nails from now on.

 

[kme3388]

Bummer! Maybe you should have the vet do his nails from now on.

I wish it were that easy. His vet has limited availability, and she is over an hour away. If I take him to a regular vet that isn’t avian certified they will see him, and try to treat the situation (in dire situations). Then they refer him back to his vet.

 

[kme3388]

Nico’s nail will be fine. About twice a year I cut into the quick. I trim a little off his nails at least once a month. I’m hoping to train him to do it calmly. He now lets me trim them on his perch. I have trimmed Nico’s nails and beak for quite sometime now. Even at a vets office, or a pet store the quick gets cut into. In cats & dogs too. My puppy has black nails, and they are always the worst to cut as you can’t see the quick. He unfortunately gets his quick cut into. This happens at his vet, and the last time we brought him to the local pet store. He’s too hyper for me to cut his nails. Clotting is simple if you know how to do it. When Nico feather plucks, and I mean try’s to rip out feathers I have to clot them too.

What changed this time is when he went to itch/scratch his eye he did it with the nail that had quikstop on it. It got in his eye. Then he tried to rub his eye all over his perch. I’m guessing it stings, and I know it has a numbing agent in it. Once I rinsed his eye out he calmed down some. He’s doing much better. I just couldn’t tell if the blood was from his nail, or from rubbing his eye on his perch. I can’t see a scrape on his eye. That’s why I contacted his vet. I wouldn’t contact his vet from cutting into his quick. That’s easy to clot, and I just disinfect his perches to make sure an infection doesn’t occur.

 

[LaManuka]

Nico’s nail will be fine. About twice a year I cut into the quick. I trim a little off his nails at least once a month. I’m hoping to train him to do it calmly. He now lets me trim them on his perch. I have trimmed Nico’s nails and beak for quite sometime now. Even at a vets office, or a pet store the quick gets cut into. In cats & dogs too. My puppy has black nails, and they are always the worst to cut as you can’t see the quick. He unfortunately gets his quick cut into. This happens at his vet, and the last time we brought him to the local pet store. He’s too hyper for me to cut his nails. Clotting is simple if you know how to do it. When Nico feather plucks, and I mean try’s to rip out feathers I have to clot them too.

What changed this time is when he went to itch/scratch his eye he did it with the nail that had quikstop on it. It got in his eye. Then he tried to rub his eye all over his perch. I’m guessing it stings, and I know it has a numbing agent in it. Once I rinsed his eye out he calmed down some. He’s doing much better. I just couldn’t tell if the blood was from his nail, or from rubbing his eye on his perch. I can’t see a scrape on his eye. That’s why I contacted his vet. I wouldn’t contact his vet from cutting into his quick. That’s easy to clot, and I just disinfect his perches to make sure an infection doesn’t occur.

Another remedy I heard for cutting into the quick is to scrape the nail across a solid bar of a very plain soap - the soap supposedly plugs up the nail and stops it from bleeding. I haven't ever had to do it myself but I think I might if I was in that situation, particular if as you say you think the quikstop might have gotten into Nico's eye and stung him? Hope you hear back from his vet soon and that everything is OK! 🤞

 

[kme3388]

Nico looks great today. He’s definitely back to normal. @LaManuka the soap bar is a great suggestion. Thank you very much. I am going to purchase one for his next nail trim. The quikstop definitely got in his eye. It took some time to get it all out with a mist (spray bottle). He wasn’t a happy camper. No word from his vet. I sent her a detailed video so maybe she reviewed it, and didn’t see anything that needed to be addressed immediately. I know how busy she is so I try to provide as much as I can so she can prioritize things accordingly.

 

[saxguy64]

I have to agree, he does look great! ❤️