Betrisher
Well-known member
- Jun 3, 2013
- 4,253
- 180
- Parrots
- Dominic: Galah(RIP: 1981-2018); The Lovies: Four Blue Masked Lovebirds; Barney and Madge (The Beaks): Alexandrines; Miss Rosetta Stone: Little Corella
Our Dommie's been making progress lately and so I thought I'd write a bit of an update on him for you guys.
The most noticeable thing is that his tumours are shrinking almost visibly day by day. The big one is now about the size of a modest walnut and the ones at the back are barely more than small lumps about the size of the tip of my finger. Dom has lost nearly two hundred grams since he first arrived and now I'm getting a bit nervous about putting him on a maintenance diet. While I don't want him to gain any weight back, I certainly don't want him to fade away either!
The feathers on Dom's back and lower abdomen have failed to grow. I'm pretty certain he's not plucking (too busy during the days) as his 'stockings' have grown over the tops of his legs. He looks for all the world as if he's wearing pink, fluffy gaiters over his sandshoes! LOL! Now that winter's approaching, I'm getting a bit worried that Dom might feel the cold, especially following his weight loss. Soon, I think I'll see if I can get him into a sock buddy in the interest of keeping his back and tummy warm. I'll probably get shredded for my trouble, but we'll see...
I think the reason Dom has done so well is the difference in his mobility. At first, he hated coming out with the Beaks and would lift his hat up and rush at them angrily whenever they came near him. As time passed, he began to ignore them and do his own thing, clambering over the playgym and cargo net and using his long ladder (made for him by my Hunn) to get from the fridge to the playgym and back again. At first, too, the tumours were so huge and bulky, they were a real impediment to Dommie getting around. They would catch on the rungs of the ladder and his claws would get caught in them when he tried to gad about in the rummage basket. (Just recently, he managed to score an awful gash in the bottom of the larger tumour while doing just that - rummaging!)
Well, about six months ago, Dom began to take a few experimental flights. He found he was able to fly from the kitchen table up to his playgym or the top of the fridge. Once I'd realised that, I would always put Dom on the table and leave him to make his own way aloft. That meant he had to fly a few times a day and I believe that gave him a great deal of his confidence back. Once he was flying, Dom was a different bird! (Part of the reason I could never clip a bird: they rely on their wings for their whole being!) Anyway, once he was flying, Dom then found his voice (ie. on exactly the same day he flew for the first time). It was so cool to see him give his Galah yell with his hat up and wings outstretched as if he were a Major Bird! Made me cry!
As you all know, Dom has had a bit of a - um - strange relationship with me: he hates me like poison! At first, he would come running with hat fully deployed and beak wide open in an attempt to bite me. I spent lots of time just sitting by the table while he was there, sucking up to my husband (smarmy bugger) and fed him treats whenever I could. Eventually, greed won out and Dom learned that if he didn't bite me, he got treats. He still bites me, usually when I least expect it. Today, for example, he was clearly wanting to fly down from his fridge, but wouldn't take off. I reached up for him and he stepped down onto my arm. Looking around, I tried to guess where he wanted to go, but for lack of any indication, I just moved to set him down on the table. He went all right, but he happened to take a beakful of my forearm with him! Yowch! I think Dom will always bite women, maybe because his Bad Years were spent with my Mum taking care of him or maybe because he just wants to vent his spleen on someone and I fit his notion of a villain. Dunno. Dom still hates my daughter wildly and actively gallops after her if she happens to pass by. Poor Ellie has a dreadful fear of Dom getting down on the floor and herself being unable to find a chair to jump on. I have to admit, I wouldn't want to be her under those circumstances: he'd eat her to bits!!!
Today was an interesting one. Usually, I'll get my morning muesli and pick out a peanut each for the Beaks and a sprinkle of rolled oats for Dommie to peck at. This morning, I had my back to the fridge, where Dom was sitting, waiting, tapping his beak and poured muesli into my plate. Next thing, there was a squawk and a great flurry of wings and Dom arrived upon my unsuspecting head, firmly knotting his toes into my hair! Highly aware of his tendency to reach and bite from that vantage point, I bellowed for Matthew (my son) to come and save me. Which he did. Whew! Dom had his muesli, I had mine, the Beakies got their peanuts and all was well...
Until later in the afternoon, my Sister and Niece arrived with my baby Great Nephew, Jacob. As my Niece came into the room, Dom took off from his fridge and flew to land on the top of Jake's head. Only that Tease (Niece) turned around, heaven knows what might have happened! She (Tease) got bitten as my son removed Dommie from her head, but the baby was all eyes, reaching out for the nice pink birdy! LOLOLOL!
Speaking of 'nice pinkness', Dommie isn't nice and pink. His pink feathers are all very worn and frayed at the edges, giving him a scalloped appearance on his front. His grey feathers are in rather better condition, but he's in the middle of moulting and they're all different lengths. He has a crop of miserable pins on the top of his head and they drive him crazy as he tries to scratch at them. He'll let me have a go at them very occasionally, but I have to put up with a few nasty bites in the process as, if I hit a pin at the wrong angle, it hurts him dreadfully, so I get to be his Nipping Girl. I hope he moults out the ugly old feathers and gradually grows a nice new set: he deserves a new suit, after all he's been through.
The most noticeable thing is that his tumours are shrinking almost visibly day by day. The big one is now about the size of a modest walnut and the ones at the back are barely more than small lumps about the size of the tip of my finger. Dom has lost nearly two hundred grams since he first arrived and now I'm getting a bit nervous about putting him on a maintenance diet. While I don't want him to gain any weight back, I certainly don't want him to fade away either!
The feathers on Dom's back and lower abdomen have failed to grow. I'm pretty certain he's not plucking (too busy during the days) as his 'stockings' have grown over the tops of his legs. He looks for all the world as if he's wearing pink, fluffy gaiters over his sandshoes! LOL! Now that winter's approaching, I'm getting a bit worried that Dom might feel the cold, especially following his weight loss. Soon, I think I'll see if I can get him into a sock buddy in the interest of keeping his back and tummy warm. I'll probably get shredded for my trouble, but we'll see...
I think the reason Dom has done so well is the difference in his mobility. At first, he hated coming out with the Beaks and would lift his hat up and rush at them angrily whenever they came near him. As time passed, he began to ignore them and do his own thing, clambering over the playgym and cargo net and using his long ladder (made for him by my Hunn) to get from the fridge to the playgym and back again. At first, too, the tumours were so huge and bulky, they were a real impediment to Dommie getting around. They would catch on the rungs of the ladder and his claws would get caught in them when he tried to gad about in the rummage basket. (Just recently, he managed to score an awful gash in the bottom of the larger tumour while doing just that - rummaging!)
Well, about six months ago, Dom began to take a few experimental flights. He found he was able to fly from the kitchen table up to his playgym or the top of the fridge. Once I'd realised that, I would always put Dom on the table and leave him to make his own way aloft. That meant he had to fly a few times a day and I believe that gave him a great deal of his confidence back. Once he was flying, Dom was a different bird! (Part of the reason I could never clip a bird: they rely on their wings for their whole being!) Anyway, once he was flying, Dom then found his voice (ie. on exactly the same day he flew for the first time). It was so cool to see him give his Galah yell with his hat up and wings outstretched as if he were a Major Bird! Made me cry!
As you all know, Dom has had a bit of a - um - strange relationship with me: he hates me like poison! At first, he would come running with hat fully deployed and beak wide open in an attempt to bite me. I spent lots of time just sitting by the table while he was there, sucking up to my husband (smarmy bugger) and fed him treats whenever I could. Eventually, greed won out and Dom learned that if he didn't bite me, he got treats. He still bites me, usually when I least expect it. Today, for example, he was clearly wanting to fly down from his fridge, but wouldn't take off. I reached up for him and he stepped down onto my arm. Looking around, I tried to guess where he wanted to go, but for lack of any indication, I just moved to set him down on the table. He went all right, but he happened to take a beakful of my forearm with him! Yowch! I think Dom will always bite women, maybe because his Bad Years were spent with my Mum taking care of him or maybe because he just wants to vent his spleen on someone and I fit his notion of a villain. Dunno. Dom still hates my daughter wildly and actively gallops after her if she happens to pass by. Poor Ellie has a dreadful fear of Dom getting down on the floor and herself being unable to find a chair to jump on. I have to admit, I wouldn't want to be her under those circumstances: he'd eat her to bits!!!
Today was an interesting one. Usually, I'll get my morning muesli and pick out a peanut each for the Beaks and a sprinkle of rolled oats for Dommie to peck at. This morning, I had my back to the fridge, where Dom was sitting, waiting, tapping his beak and poured muesli into my plate. Next thing, there was a squawk and a great flurry of wings and Dom arrived upon my unsuspecting head, firmly knotting his toes into my hair! Highly aware of his tendency to reach and bite from that vantage point, I bellowed for Matthew (my son) to come and save me. Which he did. Whew! Dom had his muesli, I had mine, the Beakies got their peanuts and all was well...
Until later in the afternoon, my Sister and Niece arrived with my baby Great Nephew, Jacob. As my Niece came into the room, Dom took off from his fridge and flew to land on the top of Jake's head. Only that Tease (Niece) turned around, heaven knows what might have happened! She (Tease) got bitten as my son removed Dommie from her head, but the baby was all eyes, reaching out for the nice pink birdy! LOLOLOL!
Speaking of 'nice pinkness', Dommie isn't nice and pink. His pink feathers are all very worn and frayed at the edges, giving him a scalloped appearance on his front. His grey feathers are in rather better condition, but he's in the middle of moulting and they're all different lengths. He has a crop of miserable pins on the top of his head and they drive him crazy as he tries to scratch at them. He'll let me have a go at them very occasionally, but I have to put up with a few nasty bites in the process as, if I hit a pin at the wrong angle, it hurts him dreadfully, so I get to be his Nipping Girl. I hope he moults out the ugly old feathers and gradually grows a nice new set: he deserves a new suit, after all he's been through.
He couldn't even be nice to a lady with a new baby. What a rude bird:20: (How'd she like that a baby bag BTW?). 
and modified for using with him because "bad" birds are so very much like a naughty little kid and learn in much the same ways (just need simpler means of communication). He has A LOT more leniency to do his own thing now because he doesn't act like a feral monster anymore and we outlined ways of him to communicate his needs and desires beyond biting and screeching. Hopefully Dominic just needs some structure and a clear picture of what his flocks rules and boundaries are.
