Rehabilitation Help

[Alaeriel45]

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.

 

[AMD95]

Welcome to the forum! Kudos for taking in this poor baby! The bottom line is that alot of patience will be needed to re habiltate him. One day at a time for just getting him used to you. Work on his trust with you before worrying about his physical rehab. Once he trusts you, you will be able to work on the physical. Lots of little tricks for helping with that. For his legs just putting him on the ground and asking him to come to you will help with that. But again he has to trust you before you start any rehap. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Alaeriel45]

Welcome to the forum! Kudos for taking in this poor baby! The bottom line is that alot of patience will be needed to re habiltate him. One day at a time for just getting him used to you. Work on his trust with you before worrying about his physical rehab. Once he trusts you, you will be able to work on the physical. Lots of little tricks for helping with that. For his legs just putting him on the ground and asking him to come to you will help with that. But again he has to trust you before you start any rehap. I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you! I still have plenty of time to research, we'll be giving him a few weeks to settle and learn the new home and schedule. Building trust will always be the first step! Since he's not had much contact in the last several years, we'll work very hard (and very slow!) to build the association that I am made of snacks and good things. Hopefully he'll like us and we can get to work on giving him the best quality of life for as long as we have him with us!

 

[HarleY 0643]

Somehow, only the way you know now - work on ONE to ONE . vocal chords need to become caring, same pitch and NO interference. Do that for as long as it helps you, and your bird accepts it. How he accepts it may necessitate a change in the course method. Again TIME means the birds time, not yours! the talking in slowly improved with a slow start to caressing him. Finger only, lightly, and slightly, until he gets used to it. he will show someway that he likes it - possibly by lightly fluffing is wings and tail - hard to notice, so stay tuned!Then you can go to exercise programs befitting his condition, and the advice of your Avian vet. After that consider step-up training. DO NOT be led by videos of how others achieved, because every bird and every trainer is different. Your attitude, shown in your blog, is what will make you a good parrot owner. Thats the TALK THE TALK now you nead to do the WALK THE WALK.
Snacks and bribes) should only be given at the end of the session, not before or during. that way he wont become devious until he gets what he wants (the snack or good thing)
I think( opinion only) you are a little misjudging in what you want for him, asto the best quality of life whilst you have him. You are putting yourself on a pedestal that most, not all, parrots love. the pedestal that becomes a servant to the whims of a parrot who knows no control, or boundries.

 

[Vampiric_Conure95]

I have just adopted a handicapped cockatiel who can't walk and barely flies. She drags herself around the cage, flapping and pulling herself by her beak. I find keeping paper towels handy for her favorite spots and large, flat perches (I got mine off Amazon) to be a godsend. Keep bowls low enough to reach and climb on. A water bottle will be good to train him to use, as there's less of a risk of accidental drowning and making a mess in the water bowl.

Good luck! And thank you for adopting this Amazon!

 

[Alaeriel45]

I have just adopted a handicapped cockatiel who can't walk and barely flies. She drags herself around the cage, flapping and pulling herself by her beak. I find keeping paper towels handy for her favorite spots and large, flat perches (I got mine off Amazon) to be a godsend. Keep bowls low enough to reach and climb on. A water bottle will be good to train him to use, as there's less of a risk of accidental drowning and making a mess in the water bowl.

Good luck! And thank you for adopting this Amazon!

Thank you so much for your reply! I'm really hoping we'll be able to get him home safely so he can be in a secure, clean environment. They just brought him in for his wellness check to get his travel papers and he's in even rougher shape than we thought. In addition to his feet being crippled and signs of fatty liver disease, he's also got a heart murmur. From what the vet said, our focus from here will be more of hospice and comfort care rather than trying to get him stronger. I'm heartbroken at the news, but we will make whatever time he has left as peaceful and stress-free as possible.

 

[Vampiric_Conure95]

Thank you so much for your reply! I'm really hoping we'll be able to get him home safely so he can be in a secure, clean environment. They just brought him in for his wellness check to get his travel papers and he's in even rougher shape than we thought. In addition to his feet being crippled and signs of fatty liver disease, he's also got a heart murmur. From what the vet said, our focus from here will be more of hospice and comfort care rather than trying to get him stronger. I'm heartbroken at the news, but we will make whatever time he has left as peaceful and stress-free as possible.

That's rough when you're told that it's hospice care. Hopefully hell gets stronger in your care anyways . Sometimes even the best vets can be wrong about longevity .

And you're very welcome for the reply!