Hello!
I really don't know where I should post this, so I do apologize to the mods if I guessed wrong!
We have hopefully finalized the pickup day for Tequila (20 year old red crowned amazon) as October 1st to start the three day journey halfway across the country to bring him here to his new forever home.
I've gotten some concerning information about how he has been cared for in the last several years of his life, and it seems we will be devoting the next few decades into trying to reverse as much damage as possible.
It is my understanding that he is, at present, if not permanently, crippled. He cannot fly and cannot perch. He's been living at the bottom of his cage now for about 11 years following what they said was an unattended fall. I hope to be able to access vet records from the assessment that followed, but these may not be accessible. All of his perches and toys are at the top of his cage so he has been isolated at floor level.
He gets no daily out of cage time, and while he will occasionally request a head scritch, he does bite and is not considered to be hand tame.
I have set up an appointment in the middle of October with our local avian vet so he can settle before we scare him again with another car ride.
Does anyone have any specific tips on how to do pretty extreme physical therapy to strengthen wing and core muscles, foot tendons, and mend general behavioral issues? Also, I would love to see some ideas and examples of some parrot-friendly ramps and flat perches that we can set up for him when he's comfortable enough to start changing his cage layout!
There is plenty of information here about switching from a high nut and seed diet to maintenance pellets with fresh fruit and veg, so I thank every single person who's ever posted and replied there! I am very patient and willing to move at his speed to build trust from the ground up, and any tips from those who have rehabilitated birds are much appreciated! My local parrot rescue sent me a link to a few facebook groups, but they were mostly the average parrot owners and not so much for birds who need specialized care.
I really don't know where I should post this, so I do apologize to the mods if I guessed wrong!
We have hopefully finalized the pickup day for Tequila (20 year old red crowned amazon) as October 1st to start the three day journey halfway across the country to bring him here to his new forever home.
I've gotten some concerning information about how he has been cared for in the last several years of his life, and it seems we will be devoting the next few decades into trying to reverse as much damage as possible.
It is my understanding that he is, at present, if not permanently, crippled. He cannot fly and cannot perch. He's been living at the bottom of his cage now for about 11 years following what they said was an unattended fall. I hope to be able to access vet records from the assessment that followed, but these may not be accessible. All of his perches and toys are at the top of his cage so he has been isolated at floor level.
He gets no daily out of cage time, and while he will occasionally request a head scritch, he does bite and is not considered to be hand tame.
I have set up an appointment in the middle of October with our local avian vet so he can settle before we scare him again with another car ride.
Does anyone have any specific tips on how to do pretty extreme physical therapy to strengthen wing and core muscles, foot tendons, and mend general behavioral issues? Also, I would love to see some ideas and examples of some parrot-friendly ramps and flat perches that we can set up for him when he's comfortable enough to start changing his cage layout!
There is plenty of information here about switching from a high nut and seed diet to maintenance pellets with fresh fruit and veg, so I thank every single person who's ever posted and replied there! I am very patient and willing to move at his speed to build trust from the ground up, and any tips from those who have rehabilitated birds are much appreciated! My local parrot rescue sent me a link to a few facebook groups, but they were mostly the average parrot owners and not so much for birds who need specialized care.
