When do the start "acting" old?

[Pixie603]

Hey everyone, my husband and i were talking last night and one thing led to another and we started talking about how our newly adopted 10 yr old CAG was already in this world for a few months when we first met and were still in high school! Our dog we got when we first got married will be 7 this year and he is definitely showing his age...
So i got to thinking grays can have a 50 some yr lifespan and macaws can be 80ish, so when do birds start showing their age and begin to act old? Any ideas? and what are the signs a bird is ageing (ex-dogs teeth brown and they get gray hair/cataracts ect....)
Thanks!

 

[SandyBee]

My amazon is 35 and the only sign of age it seems is that he is beginning to get cataracts, I wouldn't of noticed it but during a vet visit they spotted it.

He doesn't act old at all, he plays rough, loves to fly and is super active.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

My zons 30 plus years old .His feathers are not as smooth around his face [as a younger one ] Takes more naps . I only say hes 30 years old because [that's when its was documented he came into Florida. I have 3 other birds that are 30 [and he acts way older than them. I wish they could tell us

 

[MonicaMc]

Typically, just when their bodies start to break down. Cataracts. Arthritis. Failing organs. Weight loss. Slowing down.

My mitred conure is 19 years old and he is my oldest *confirmed* age bird, but I may have some others older than him. I just don't know. Conures have an estimated age of 30 years, and I know of one estimated to be 40 years old and a quaker that may have died when he was 50.

In fact, a member here has a cherry headed conure that is 31 years old!


Charlie, my mitred, isn't showing his age... but I do have a bourke parakeet that's 16-18 years old (expected lifespan is 11-15 years, heard of one that died at 21[?] years of age and one still living at ~24 years old!) and she's definitely showing her age! She's having more health problems than she did when she was younger, she's not as active (no longer runs around on the cage bottom), has lost weight and she has cancer on her right foot. I think she might be developing cataracts but I'm not entirely sure yet. (they just appear lighter than they used to be)

I used to own a cherry head, he was estimated to be about 17-19 years old when he passed away, but I would not be surprised to find out if he was in his twenties or older. He couldn't fly, he did develop cataracts, had a less than healthy kidney (I suspect kidney failure), had trouble gripping with his feet, his legs were actually smooth (rather than almost scaly like).... although for all of his problems, I don't know how much I can attribute to age and how much due to a ferret attack years before I got him. Cataracts were definitely due to age, but I don't know about the rest.

I also have a cockatiel that is over 15 years old (I only know his history starting in 1998, and he was an adult then! Not a clue how old!), and tiels have an estimate age of 20-25 years, but have the potential to reach 35/36 years old. So far, he's not showing any signs of aging! He is thin, but he's always been thin!


It really depends on the birds themselves. Some may reach their expected lifespan and maybe even surpass it without showing any signs of aging! Indian ringnecks for example have an expected lifespan of about 30 years old, and I heard of a hen still breeding at 31 years old!

 

[Pixie603]

thanks for all the info. That's really interesting, I was wondering if like other animals the spent more time napping or if they stopped actually playing with toys with age. Or if they would be clowning on a boing rope one day, then passing overnight just because it was their time. I have seen a 20 yr old grey that looks exactly the same as hannah at 10. I was wondering if they had signs like dulling colors, less talking/chattering, toys lasting longer, or if they are the same parrot personality wise and appearance until they get terminally ill.
i know hannah definitely naps more . my ekkie is also more acrobatic and "comical" . Hannah will concentrate for hours on turning a toy into wood chips, but doesnt really "play" with things, but since i didnt know hannah when she was younger i'm not sure if thats maturity or it has just always been her personality.

 

[MonicaMc]

I'd say that's just her being more mature about things. She's 'grown up' in other words.

I've seen a 50+ year old amazon who has gone through three of his families generations. His feathers were a *little* unkempt (nothing a bath wouldn't fix), but otherwise, there was no real way to tell that he was actually as old as his owners say that he is. He definitely didn't act like a young parrot, but he doesn't have any signs of age either, from what I could tell.

The only thing that made me sad is the fact that he has a tiny cage, so small that he could be carried around in it. I don't know if that's his actual cage or just his "away from home" cage.

 

[cnyguy]

My YCA George lived to be roughly 70 years old, and never really "acted old." He got a little mellower as he got older, but was still active and vocal up until his last day.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

In their minds, conures are always the same curious, fun-loving toddlers. So other than more napping, there is not likely to be anything that changes -- unless some illness or infirmity causes a slow down, like arthritis, vision problems, enlarged heart. Pritti has decreased kidney function (32 years old this month). However, now that we know and can supplement, he's his same crazy, independent, busy self.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I know someone with a 68 year old green cheek amazon who acts pretty normal, he just sleeps a little more then her younger birds

I agree with MonicaMc, when their body's start breaking down they start slowing down and show their age. Birds who've received bad care at some point in time are more likely to show "wear and tear" over time. One galah who is in it's late 60's/early 70's has terrible arthritis because he had a bad diet for a long time. Although he needs a special cage with platforms and ramps he is happy, but needs a lot of pain meds.

My Congo grey, Kenji, is 20 years old and he doesn't look a day over 5. But by no means is he old, greys have a average lifespan of 50-60 years and could very well live longer.

 

[MikeyTN]

Our oldest bird here is Dixie at 20 something years old. I need to look at her year again of when she was hatched. Next is Willie at 12....I know some of the smaller bird's hatch day but I have no idea on the ekkies, I'm going by what I was told which they're around 8 now. I just wish I knew when Lola hatched, she's approx. 3. So yea we have pretty young birds around with Dixie being the oldest and she's still got a ways to go and she hasn't slow down one bit....

 

[Pajarita]

It depends on the bird. Some of them slow down, some keep on acting exactly as they've always done until something goes very wrong (usually liver or kidneys).

 

[MsPony]

My cockatiel that flew into my life when I was 5, died at about 30. He had a fatty tumor that wouldnt go away, and one day he didn't greet us, so we put him down. He almost died on us, we didn't know much about birds, he got REALLY sick one year and almost died, then he got super obese after that. That poor bird, he was amazing though.

My female cockatiel died this winter at about ~10, she was a breeder (wouldnt stop laying through pectin shots, we wanted her to stop), was on prescription calcium... But I think it was too much for her. I still have her mate, hes a charming, classic color. Young, but another fly-in, so no clue on age.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Wow, 68 green cheek amazon, 30 cockatiel. Warms my heart and soul. Such a gift to have them in our lives and on the planet for so long.

For about 8 years +/-, Pritti enjoyed a virtual cornucopia of bad parot diet -- some kind of seed mix supplemented with fast food burgers, fries, texmex, pizza, pasta and candy. Seriously!!! (that was when he was with another family member before I got my neurotic little hands on him). I am pretty sure that is the reason he has decreased kidney function now at 32. It's not necessarily reversible, but it is certainly manageable. That's the sort of thing that catches up wth a bird (or human) later in life.

 

[Pixie603]

love all the stories guys! The amazon is still absolutely stunning! It is amazing to hear about the fids who can be in our lives for so long! I am even more happy to hear they my guys have long fun lives ahead of them!
On the topic, we went to the county fair today and local celebrity is "the guy with the birds" he comes and does shows with his birds and does a little show while educating. I have seen him 3 different times at 3 different places and i always make sure i catch his show! He actually had a yellow collard macaw today who was born when jfk was president, still looking as amazing as ever! His grey is 40ish and looks exactly like my hannah and right on cue with his part in the act (phone ringing, ect) Amazing creatures they are!

Here is his website if anyone who is interested!
http://www.thatguywiththebirds.com/

i love him because he makes it very clear that while being amazing, beautiful and fun, they come with a lot of work and require so much!
He has tons of before and afters of his birds and includes the back story on all of them!