Paralyzed African Lovebird????!!!!!!

[Chyna]

Hello.

I'm going to lay all the cards on the table.

It's been 5 years and I did not take care of my african lovebirds. I forget to feed them sometimes, and I don't change their water everyday, and I barely cleaned their cage. They hate me and I've never attempted to socialize or touch or tame them. I hate myself for it, truly, but recently I've been paying more attention to them because one of them got very very sick.

One of them (the male I'm guessing because he's less dominant and territorial than the other) has gotten very sick. His feet are paralyzed, it seems and he rolls around flapping his wings and just rolling around in general. He can't eat, drink, or move around his cage properly and he's dying. I want to bring him out of his cage with a gloved hand (otherwise the other attacks me but by wearing a glove it scares them both) to nurse him but I heard separation can cause anxiety and cause more damage. He's been like this for 2-3 months but now it's worse. We don't have any avian vets in the Philippines and the vets close to us don't have any experiences with birds. My dad contacted the breeder who gave them to us as a gift, he said that it was going to die and the cause was heat stroke and old age. I don't know how old they truly are but it's been 5 years since I got them.

I hope someone can help me because I'm desperate, truly. They mean a lot to me even though I don't take care of them.

 

[MosaicMadness]

Starving to death is an excruciating way to die, take him to a vet. At the very least make a hospital style cage or spot at the bottom of the one he's in, prop him up with a bowl and/or washcloth and make the food and water accessible to him on the ground so he can just lean over. Make sure he can eat, drink and poop. 5 years is NOT an old lovebird, they can live to 20ish with good care. Good luck.

 

[Chyna]

I'm planning on nursing him back in a separate cage with softer lining. Thank you for the advice, it helps a lot

 

[Allee]

Birds aren't for everyone, no one would hold it against you if you had refused the 'gift' in the first place. Confining birds to a cage and not providing them with the basic necessities of life is a different matter altogether.

As MosaicMadness mentioned, slowly starving to death is an excruciatingly painful way to die. The fact that you found this forum tells me you want to do the right thing. Please find a way to help the seriously ill bird and find someone willing to care for both of them if you don't want to keep them. The very least you can do is provide adequate food, clean water and a clean cage. Three to four months is a very long time for a bird to suffer, I hope you can locate a veterinarian to help your Lovebird, he obviously needs medical care desperately.

 

[OOwl]

You really should drop your birds at a local humane society if you are unwilling or financially unable to provide medical care for the male that appears to be what sounds to be gravely ill. They will be able to treat the bird (hopefully) and then adopt it out to a good home when/if he recovers. It breaks my heart to know there is a little lovebird suffering like this out there. This post will haunt me. Despite your past misdeeds toward these birds, please do the right thing now and take them immediately to where they can get medical attention.

 

[mekat]

I would set up a hospital cage next to the main cage and put some millet next to the injured bird. Soak the millet in pedialyte (or whatever electrolyte solution you have in the Philippines). Hopefully better nutrition and a cleaner environment will help.

You can try contacting an avian vet through the internet. One might be willing to offer guidance either to you directly or guide a local vet through appropriate treatment protocol. If the lovebird doesn't make an improvement and everything you try fails it will be far kinder to find a vet to humanely euthanize rather then let him waste away and suffer.

 

[BluePLet]

Wow. How sad that you would allow poor innocent HELPLESS birds to be treated that way. Please give them to someone who cares all the time, not just when they are feeling guilty for their cruelty.

 

[MikeyTN]

Please visit this site---> VetWorld: Veterinary Listings for The Philippines

One of those vets should know about birds I would assume.....

 

[BoomBoom]

Kaibigan, this disappoints and upsets me. You had the courage to own up to your mistakes in the forum - I'll give you that. Now please take the next step and bring your birds to a vet for proper care.