Skittles isn't doing well

[Skittys_Daddy]

Hello all,

Its been a while since I last posted. Skittles turned 16 in March and we celebrated our 15th year in April.

A few days ago, he had a bout of diarrhea, which he often has after juice or fresh fruit. I haven't been giving him any fresh fruit as of late due to the outbreaks across the US in recent weeks. The juice he gets is pure pressed. The diarrhea bout went away. But yesterday he was very lethargic but his appetite remained normal. Today, however, he spent much of the day still lethargic. He spent a great deal of time cuddling by my neck and did regurgitate once and I don't know if that was due to illness or affection. I checked his weight and he appears to have lost weight since yesterday but still has a fair amount of 'meat' on his bones. His eyes tend to be half closed and he tends to 'rock' a bit back and forth. There is no discharge from his nostrils or eyes. He did eat and drink before bed but when he went to climb up the perch above, he struggled a bit, but did make it. He's not perching on the bottom of the cage, yet.

I KNOW I have to get him to the vet asap, that's not even up for debate, but the nearest bird vet thats open on weekends is in Boston (and I'm in Lewiston, ME). I am HOPING to get him in first thing Monday to the avian vet in Yarmouth (about a 35 min drive). He has an annual scheduled with them for Thursday but I am NOT going to wait it out. What I want to know, please be honest, what are the chances he will make it til Monday? I don't know why he is sick, I've been wracking my brain. Only things I can think of is I started feeding him a new treat, "Nuggies" by Harrisons (he's on the regular Harrisons organic pellet) and the other thing is we have had a VERY 'buggy summer' and I had a bit of a gnat invasion and Skittles was freaking out with the flying bugs and in a moment of frustration I grabbed an old bottle of bug spray and sprayed an area where they were coming from and while Skitty wasn't 'directly' in the vicinity, he was close enough that I should have known better. This happened about two days ago. I scrubbed the whole area of the room with bird-safe cleaner that I got from MSBS and I'm going to reclean the area again tonight with hot water and dawn.

I'm not going to go into how I'm feeling at the moment as I don't have the energy. I am just hoping he can hold on til Monday and I'm hoping people can provide guidance on anything more I can do to increase the likelihood he makes it til Monday. I also want to know what I should do about his sleep cage. I did some research and they all pretty much said not to clean a sick birds cage as it can stress them out further and that IF they got sick from a bacteria in the cage, only an antibiotic will fix it. I know he gets wound up when I clean his sleep cage and I didn't want to do that to him. So I just emptied out the bottom tray.

I'm not a 'religious' person, but I am very spiritual. If you are as well, PLEASE pray for us no matter your beliefs. If anyone has any words of advice or comfort, I'd gladly listen.

 

[kme3388]

Hello all,

Its been a while since I last posted. Skittles turned 16 in March and we celebrated our 15th year in April.

A few days ago, he had a bout of diarrhea, which he often has after juice or fresh fruit. I haven't been giving him any fresh fruit as of late due to the outbreaks across the US in recent weeks. The juice he gets is pure pressed. The diarrhea bout went away. But yesterday he was very lethargic but his appetite remained normal. Today, however, he spent much of the day still lethargic. He spent a great deal of time cuddling by my neck and did regurgitate once and I don't know if that was due to illness or affection. I checked his weight and he appears to have lost weight since yesterday but still has a fair amount of 'meat' on his bones. His eyes tend to be half closed and he tends to 'rock' a bit back and forth. There is no discharge from his nostrils or eyes. He did eat and drink before bed but when he went to climb up the perch above, he struggled a bit, but did make it. He's not perching on the bottom of the cage, yet.

I KNOW I have to get him to the vet asap, that's not even up for debate, but the nearest bird vet thats open on weekends is in Boston (and I'm in Lewiston, ME). I am HOPING to get him in first thing Monday to the avian vet in Yarmouth (about a 35 min drive). He has an annual scheduled with them for Thursday but I am NOT going to wait it out. What I want to know, please be honest, what are the chances he will make it til Monday? I don't know why he is sick, I've been wracking my brain. Only things I can think of is I started feeding him a new treat, "Nuggies" by Harrisons (he's on the regular Harrisons organic pellet) and the other thing is we have had a VERY 'buggy summer' and I had a bit of a gnat invasion and Skittles was freaking out with the flying bugs and in a moment of frustration I grabbed an old bottle of bug spray and sprayed an area where they were coming from and while Skitty wasn't 'directly' in the vicinity, he was close enough that I should have known better. This happened about two days ago. I scrubbed the whole area of the room with bird-safe cleaner that I got from MSBS and I'm going to reclean the area again tonight with hot water and dawn.

I'm not going to go into how I'm feeling at the moment as I don't have the energy. I am just hoping he can hold on til Monday and I'm hoping people can provide guidance on anything more I can do to increase the likelihood he makes it til Monday. I also want to know what I should do about his sleep cage. I did some research and they all pretty much said not to clean a sick birds cage as it can stress them out further and that IF they got sick from a bacteria in the cage, only an antibiotic will fix it. I know he gets wound up when I clean his sleep cage and I didn't want to do that to him. So I just emptied out the bottom tray.

I'm not a 'religious' person, but I am very spiritual. If you are as well, PLEASE pray for us no matter your beliefs. If anyone has any words of advice or comfort, I'd gladly listen.

Provide heat, when my jenday conure got very sick she couldnt retain body heat anymore. I made her a homemade incubator with a heat bulb. I just used a large fish tank, and put perches on the bottom. I used a retile feeding dish (i put her food in there) and put it under the heat bulb (it heats up from the heat bulb). She perched here the rest of her life (3 months). She truly spent the majority of the time on this food dish at the end of her life. She must have really enjoyed the heat. I had to hand feed her with formula the last 2-3 months of her life too. I had gone through 2 formulas until i found something she liked as she stopped eating all together. Watch YouTube videos on how to hand feed. It’s just a tiny bit at a time. If the parrot accepts it they will eat it willingly. Never force feed. Just use a syringe, push a tiny bit out, and your parrot will start to lick the formula. Afterwards if they accept the formula it will look like you’re feeding a baby parrot. Not forcing a parrot.

I posted the products I used for my parrot to help you. Do not use a light bulb. Make sure it’s only a heat bulb as I have posted below.

Thrive Reptile Ceramic Heat Emitter - Terrarium Heater - 60-100W

Buy Thrive Reptile Ceramic Heat Emitter - Terrarium Heater - 60-100W at PetSmart

www.petsmart.com

Flukers Deluxe Clamp Lamp Reptile Terrarium Clamp Light Fixture - 8.5 in

Buy Flukers Deluxe Clamp Lamp Reptile Terrarium Clamp Light Fixture - 8.5 in at PetSmart

www.petsmart.com

Imagitarium Marbled Desert Corner Reptile Dish, Medium | Petco

Add dimension and a realistic aesthetic to your pet's terrarium with the Imagitarium Marbled Corner Reptile Dish.

www.petco.com

https://www.chewy.com/hari-hand-feeding-formula-mash-food/dp/2377214?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=22362707008&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22359029696&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V30YBCOxvllhbSK6952-jbhF&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs8TvvOSjlgMVzIfCCB3RYhfyEAQYASABEgLjfPD_BwE

 

[kme3388]

This is kind of what it looks like once the set up is done. You’ll also want to get a thermometer. This is my Jenday and she loved causing trouble in her incubator. She flipped her water bowl, and hid under the paper towels. I personally believe it prolonged her life for some additional months. Unfortunately the disease she had took over. We miss her dearly.

I hope something in here helps you. I forgot to post the thermometer I used. It’s below.

https://www.petco.com/product/zoo-m...|PM|0|rBfYNcTb52ivxnPcri3CBm|10078|648966|0|0

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Thanks for the tips. It shouldn't be difficult to provide him with heat. Its summer in Maine and all I have to do to get the bedroom (where his sleep cage is) to be above 85 is not run the AC. I'm going to sleep in the living room tonight so that I don't have to run the bedroom AC and just use the living room one. I just checked on him again and he's not on the perch anymore but is in the corner where his sleep blanket is and its where he usually sleeps which should help keep him warm.

I'm going to stop the treats, even though I doubt they are the cause, I'm not gonna chance it. Skittles is free-flighted and normally has a huge appetite. I'll monitor his eating tomorrow and if he won't eat his own food, I'll try to give him some safe foods that I know he'll eat even if just to give him calories/energy.

 

[LaManuka75]

I'm so sorry to hear Skittles is unwell, @Skittys_Daddy. I don't have any particular advice for you over and above @kme3388's sterling advice, but my most heartfelt prayers go out to him for his full recovery. Honestly there is very little that's more distressing than when our babies are ill, I went through it recently with my princess parrot Peachie who is thankfully recovered now from a mystery infection, so I'm sending plenty of love to both of you

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Thanks. Right now I'm just hoping he can hold on til I can get him to a vet. There are a few positive signs, as I mentioned above, but too many negative ones. Given he is free-flighted and with my during the day 95% of the time, I would imagine his survival instincts would allow him to mask until the very end.

I'm reminded of my budgie, Sammy. He was my second bird and I got him when I was 13. He was with me til the end and even came along with me through every apartment. In one instance, he got caught in a fly strip and the vet told me he would likely succumb to shock during the night especially given his age (he was nearly 10 years old). I couldn't accept that so I made a pot of coffee, opened the oven door and turned the heat on. I wrapped him in a towel and sat by the oven in a chair and held him all night. He made it through and the vet said that what I did was likely why. That being said, I also remember how he passed and it breaks my heart every time I think about it. He was 11 when he passed, which is pretty good for a budgie that would only eat seeds. I remember when he was nearing the end and was ill, the vet told me it was time but I could do it. I gave him the medicine they prescribed and believe he'd bounce back again. It wasn't until a week later that I finally accepted it was time. By the time I got him back in to the vet, he was practically already gone. I hate that I made him suffer so much because I didn't want to say goodbye. But I really hoped he'd bounce back. I think about that now, because if a budgie can hold on for a week after showing illness signs, surely a conure who is fed organic pellets can hold on for a couple days. I just don't know how long Skittles has been ill. If this has been going on for weeks and he's just now showing signs, it may be too late. Given how much time he spends with me, its nearly impossible for any changes to occur in his behavior, patterns or biology without me knowing it. I just hope he hasn't been hiding it all this time.

 

[Vampiric_Conure65]

It's rough when a beloved companion becomes ill. Pray'n for both of you

 

[AMD65]

Praying for both of you!

 

[wrench1368]

all else fails, offer baby parrot formula. Very nourishing for sick birdies.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Just thought I'd give you all an update. He was quite vocal when I woke him up but then quieted right down and remained so the rest of the day. While he does not appear to be worse, he doesn't appear to be any better either. I did make him some pasta and he ate a good portion of it. Then prior to bed, he ate some of his regular pellets. I ditched the tap water and put some bottled water in his water dish.

The vet opens tomorrow at 7:30a and I plan to call them first thing. My neighbor said her brother has agreed to take me tomorrow so I hope that pulls through. I read online that they said not to handle or pet a sick bird, but problem is, he kept flying over to me and snuggling right under my neck. I wasn't about to reject him and it would seem that is a good sign since if he was near death, he'd withdraw and go somewhere to hide. But he's still craving my company. I just gotta hope and pray he keeps hanging on. He's got age on his side, he's only 16.

 

[Vampiric_Conure65]

The fact that he's eating is an excellent thing to see, especially if he hadn't been eating previously. Fingers crossed the vet keeps him on his feet!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Thats the ONLY thing keeping me sane at the moment. The fact that he's still perching, eating and drinking. The ride that was supposed to bring me tomorrow and Thursday can't do it now. So, I reserved an Uber for Thursdays regular vet trip. Tomorrow when I talk to the vet, if they can get him in, I'll call an Uber for that and hopefully they can fit him in. If they can't, I am just hoping he can hang on til Thursday.

 

[AMD65]

Good Luck with the Vet, and keep us posted!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

UPDATE:

I didn't get hardly any sleep last night, but I woke up around 7a. The vet opens at 7:30a. They told me they could get him in as a drop-off. So I got an Uber, took him in and I waited. I was there about 2hrs. The vet came out and said Skittles has lost a LOT of weight (he's down to 105gr and he was normally 130gr)-he's rather big for a sun conure. The doctor said he believes it to be a GI infection because his respiration is great, heart everything else they said is great, but when the doctor examined his abdominal area, Skitty didn't like it and the doctor noticed that and the diarrhea examination. The vet also did the beak trim he was due to have on thursday and so I don't have to bring him back on Thursday for his annual. I'm disabled and live on a fixed income, so that was great to hear. That being said, if he doesn't get better and has to go back, I'll find a way to get him there. I'm so glad I started that "Skitty Fund" a few years ago. I've depleted it down to $150, but I'm gonna start building it back up to $500 where it was before today.

I'll keep you all posted, but he seems to be doing better. I spent the afternoon scrubbing and disinfecting his sleep cage with HOT HOT water and diluted dawn. I had already done his bedroom playstand. Tonight I'm gonna disinfect his living room playstand and his day cage (which is also in the living room). I'm not worried about his day cage so much since he's hardly ever in it, but I'm still going to clean it. I believe the culprit was likely the sleep cage and/or the bedroom playstand which is where he spends the most time.

Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts and care. Like I said, I'll keep you posted about his progress. The antibiotics are for 7 days.

 

[LaManuka75]

Keeping you both in my thoughts, @Skittys_Daddy, I hope the meds do the trick and that Skitty’s a compliant patient

 

[HarleY 0615]

from far away, and beyond, we notice and share your tribulations. You are a good example of a caring bird owner, who with his own limits, goes the extra mile!!

 

[Vampiric_Conure65]

Prayers and light for you and Skittles!

 

[texsize72]

How are they/you treating his GI problems.
Did they give you medicine of some type?

 

[AMD65]

Thank you for the update! Keeping him in my prayers.

 

[vsk101]

I'm sorry to hear about skittles. I hope he's doing better. I wanted to mention a veterinary disinfectant called F10. I don't know if a disinfectant might be more effective than soap and hot water here, but perhaps your vet could advise. This product is diluted to 1:250 and is ready to spray in the cage. https://www.kwikpets.com/products/f10-veterinary-disinfectant-by-f10?variant=19698011504709 Some viruses require a stronger (1:100 dilution), so you would need to ask your vet. If a 1:100 dilution is required, you would need to buy the concentrate (F10SC) and dilute it. A little of the concentrate goes a long way so you would only need the tiniest bottle.