The kirb birb & sambo thread

[wrench13]

View attachment 40467

The Amazon "It's Great To Be Me" greeting to the world!!!

 

[ravvlet]

I dunno if there’s anything funnier than being stared at judgmentally by a parrot through a window.

 

[Cottonoid]

What a great photo 😁

 

[ravvlet]

Ah, the battle of the sinuses never ends…

Poor Kirby. I was a week late deep cleaning his cage due to a COVID infection in the house, but I don’t imagine it was the cause as his cage is pretty clean even without a deep clean - but his nares are all stuffy again! At least his cage and playstands are sparkly clean and disinfected again…

It is never ending. How does this fid always have a stuffy nose?! We are doing daily misting, humidifier, air filter, the works. I think I maybe missed a day or two on the misting this week? I aspire for perfection, but often fall short.

I emailed the vet tonight after holding him in my lap in a towel for ten minutes trying to (unsuccessfully) unplug one gently, using a technique his old vet showed me, to ask if it’s time to do nose drops. I THINK we were able to use OTC saline solution drops that are also for people, but I am not positive, so I’m waiting to hear back.

Poor dude.

Also, I rearranged his playstand, and he does not approve! I had to replace his rope boing that I used to connect one set of branches to another, and I decided to try positioning it differently, and now he acts like he can’t get across! Unless I have a piece of walnut. Then suddenly all is possible.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Ah, the battle of the sinuses never ends…

Poor Kirby. I was a week late deep cleaning his cage due to a COVID infection in the house, but I don’t imagine it was the cause as his cage is pretty clean even without a deep clean - but his nares are all stuffy again! At least his cage and playstands are sparkly clean and disinfected again…

It is never ending. How does this fid always have a stuffy nose?! We are doing daily misting, humidifier, air filter, the works. I think I maybe missed a day or two on the misting this week? I aspire for perfection, but often fall short.

I emailed the vet tonight after holding him in my lap in a towel for ten minutes trying to (unsuccessfully) unplug one gently, using a technique his old vet showed me, to ask if it’s time to do nose drops. I THINK we were able to use OTC saline solution drops that are also for people, but I am not positive, so I’m waiting to hear back.

Poor dude.

Also, I rearranged his playstand, and he does not approve! I had to replace his rope boing that I used to connect one set of branches to another, and I decided to try positioning it differently, and now he acts like he can’t get across! Unless I have a piece of walnut. Then suddenly all is possible.

I LOLed when I read his opinion of the play stand change. Birds can be hilariously picky about some things! As for his sinuses... hopefully a solution can be found **Hugs**

 

[SailBoat]

Hmmm, is that where she is hide that stuff!!

"nares are all stuffy again!" It should be less common this time of year. More common during the Winter months. I have never seen this as a DIY thing and had always had our Avian Vet handle it. May want to have a full blood scan completed to check if there is an underlying illness.

 

[ravvlet]

Yeah, if the vet wants another blood work up we will do it. It’ll be his…4th this year?! He’s on a roll! I wonder if, like me, he’s got allergies. I mowed the lawn this week and the pollen knocked me on my butt for a couple days - it was bad enough that I took (yet another) Covid test but was negative!

 

[ravvlet]

Kirbo has a drop off appointment Tuesday if things don’t clear up over the weekend! We did get approval to pick up some OTC saline drops for him though, to be used every 12 hours.

He’s going to hate it, lol, but I’ve gotten medicating him down to a science now that he’s got to take enalapril (and won’t take it from the syringe or on a treat). So at least half of those times we have to give him, he’ll already be due for his heart meds!

I haven’t given an update on Princess Sammy in a while, but she’s doing great. She attends Esme’s Zoom meetings and likes to scoot back and forth on the windowsill. She still isn’t very brave about her playstand, but has been really going to town on the toys in her cage finally, so given that I imagine in a couple more months she’ll be playing with the ones on her stand too!

She steps up for my partner and we’ve only had one nasty mishap where she nipped her on the cheek (for the audacity of wearing a raincoat whose texture was apparently very offensive). I’m proud of her and of us and the progress we are making. The kids still love her and the littlest one in particular insists on coming downstairs to tell them goodnight!

 

[ravvlet]

Running to the gym, but managed to catch her highness doing her infamous windowsill scoot:

 

[ravvlet]

Kirby had yet another productive (aka, lots of funk came out) nasal flush today. It’s only been a month since his last one! It was a long day for everyone; Kirby’s vet is booked out for two months so she only had time for a drop off (it was honestly crazy awesome of her to fit him in at all!) and it’s an hour drive one way. And then the kiddo had speech therapy an hour and a half in the opposite direction…

We are going to be continuing with saline drops twice per day, and are hoping that gives us more time between nasal flushes. I asked and the vet said todays session was definitely needed but that she isn’t happy with how often he’s needing to have them either.

It’s crazy, we added a humidifier so it’s always over 45%, we keep the temp up around 75 in the bird room, and I disinfect his cage and all playstands every month with a vet grade disinfectant; and change papers/wipe down problem areas daily! Really hoping the drops make a difference. I’m thinking the baths maybe didn’t because the mist doesn’t penetrate his nares as directly. A lot to think about…

 

[HeatherG]

I love the striped Amazon tail!

I’ve never had an amazon in my home, but have had Pionus. I miss them.

 

[ravvlet]

I love the striped Amazon tail!

I’ve never had an amazon in my home, but have had Pionus. I miss them.

I love their stripey tails. It’s too bad I only really get to see them when they’re so excited it’s even odds I’m gonna get a bruise lol!

Was yours a white capped? They’re so unique looking! I love their little face proportions; the big dark eyes look so sweet.

 

[HeatherG]

I had a bronze winged Pionus for several years. Lost her to a gas leak. Rescued a very sick plucked bronze wing who passed on within a couple of years. Then had a white capped Pionus for a while until my financial situation fell through and she went back to her first home.

Pionus are sweet quiet birds that smell GOOD and like to just chill alongside you. Or on your shoulder. Honking hormonal female pi’s can be annoying, but hormones…what can you do?

I love the pink and blue and bronze hidden in their colors.

 

[ravvlet]

I had a bronze winged Pionus for several years. Lost her to a gas leak. Rescued a very sick plucked bronze wing who passed on within a couple of years. Then had a white capped Pionus for a while until my financial situation fell through and she went back to her first home.

Pionus are sweet quiet birds that smell GOOD and like to just chill alongside you. Or on your shoulder. Honking hormonal female pi’s can be annoying, but hormones…what can you do?

I love the pink and blue and bronze hidden in their colors.

Wow! I didn’t know they smelled different… now I know my next parrot mission: find a cuddly baby pionus and sniff it, lol! Not taking my chances with an adult who doesn’t know me though!

I remember reading you mentioning the gas leak at some point. It inspired me to install really obnoxious alarms in Kirby’s room, because we have a gas water heater in there…he has one for the natural gas and then a carbon monoxide one just in case. I am so sorry for your loss, and thank you for sharing your experience because I suspect it’s something I’d not have thought of or overlooked otherwise; I’m not used to having gas appliances.

 

[HeatherG]

I’ve heard that Amazons have some of the Pionus honey-musk smell, so it might not be so different. And when my Quaker is really happy he smells closer to that; not like honey but like sheets dried outdoors. And his breath and Lucy’s breath often smelled like cookies.

Not that I have ever snuggled my bird and said “mmmm! Gonna eat you up!”. Nope. Well with medically difficult birds it is good to be able to touch them mostly all over without too much fuss. Unfortunately my birds seem to read my mind when wing or nail clipping comes around. Otherwise they are pretty friendly.

 

[ravvlet]

Kirby has gotten pretty used to the toweling routine - I bring him in the bathroom and set him in the tub, then drape a towel over him and flip him so he’s laying in my lap. He lets me hold his head still to do his nasal drops, although he still refuses to cooperate on the oral enalapril - I guess he really hates the tutti fruti flavor, poor fella.

 

[ravvlet]

WOAH!

So, Kirby recently had a MONSTER molt, and has grown in all his flight feathers. I didn’t think he’d DO anything with them though, since he tends to be so sedentary…

Just now, he climbed down off his cage and wandered over to my feet! This is very unusual in and of itself, so I let him onto my hand and sat there for a few good minutes giving him major scritches. After a couple minutes my arm was a little tired, so I thought I’d let him down onto my desk - HE TOOK OFF LIKE A SHOT! Flew right off my hand and onto his tree!!

What the heck?! Kirby, I’m so proud of you buddy! I wish I had it on video!

He is winded as all get-out of course, but also seems proud of himself!

I’m pretty sure while he enjoyed the pets, what he actually wanted was a piece of walnut, lol! I’ve been giving him small pieces as rewards for doing things (like letting me give him his nose drops, or coming over to where I’m at). Never underestimate the will of a parrot who wants a walnut, I guess!

 

[ravvlet]

I think we are starting to zero in on Kirby’s nasal issues…

This morning I woke him up and he had clear, thin discharge in one nostril. I’d dislodged dried debris from this nostril yesterday, and it’s the same one that was funky Monday morning. Well - I was sneezing my HEAD OFF this morning. I checked the pollen count and grass pollen is double the PPM for a “very high” rating.

I emailed the vet to ask if our little guy might have nasty allergies. I know I’m miserable today! I wonder though, if it’s even possible to test? And if he has a grass pollen allergy, should he be eating TOPS (which has a ton of alfalfa??) I know the pellets give me trouble (burning eyes/hay fever).

Meanwhile, Sammy got a half hour shower today! She just did not want to get out. We let them say hi to each other through their cages before she went to the bathroom for her shower. However, when my partner was taking Sam back to her office, she decided to cut through my office - and I’d let Kirby out! He took a running leap to land on her carrier, which scared the snot out of me. We got him off without incident, but it was a harrowing reminder to always be vigilant.

 

[HeatherG]

I think we are starting to zero in on Kirby’s nasal issues…

This morning I woke him up and he had clear, thin discharge in one nostril. I’d dislodged dried debris from this nostril yesterday, and it’s the same one that was funky Monday morning. Well - I was sneezing my HEAD OFF this morning. I checked the pollen count and grass pollen is double the PPM for a “very high” rating.

I emailed the vet to ask if our little guy might have nasty allergies. I know I’m miserable today! I wonder though, if it’s even possible to test? And if he has a grass pollen allergy, should he be eating TOPS (which has a ton of alfalfa??) I know the pellets give me trouble (burning eyes/hay fever).

Meanwhile, Sammy got a half hour shower today! She just did not want to get out. We let them say hi to each other through their cages before she went to the bathroom for her shower. However, when my partner was taking Sam back to her office, she decided to cut through my office - and I’d let Kirby out! He took a running leap to land on her carrier, which scared the snot out of me. We got him off without incident, but it was a harrowing reminder to always be vigilant.

Might be able to see certain elevated immune cells in the CBC if he’s having seasonal allergies. Birds have neutrophils, basophils, probably eosinophils. Not sure if lymphocytes would be elevated to. A SKIN BIOPSY would be great if he’s plucking, or a sample of NASAL WASH.

Message for further discussion if you like.

 

[ravvlet]

We are doing saline drops in his nares, and his vet has basically been flushing his nares every month this year (yeah, it’s crazy expensive). We are hoping to find the root cause of his sinus issues so we aren’t dragging him across town for a “nose job” every month, lol!