Frickin' dang bird..

[Mare]

I wasn't sure where to post this but all you amazing moderators, please feel free!


Wednesday, March 23, 2016
In Baja with Tim and Wyatt, Katie and Greg are south, probably in Loreto by now. Noah is at the house holding down the fort. Just get a call and all hell had broke loose at home. Amigo jumped Noah during a feeding expedition, Noah ran backwards with Amigo attached to his shirt, hit the cockatiel's cage, knocked their nest box off that had two eggs in it..MY POOR BIRDIES :(. He flips off his shirt, runs out of the room and runs around the deck to the slider door to the bird room..my poor birdies :(. Noah grabbed a towel trying to grab Amigo who had little Jellybean pinned, trying to kill her, Amigo grabbed the towel and got pulled outside :( we cut our vacation short. :(. Noah says that Amigo will be sleeping in his tree tonight. I told him that he better sleep on the trampoline that's under the tree so's he can watch for racoons :(..my poor birds :(. Oh, yeah...Noah says, Amigo is an A-hole. The thing is, he's really not..he's just an umbrella cockatoo! I swear, only women from now on will be taking care with the birds.

I found some internet, will continue tomorrow after we get home..I'm super stressed right now.

[mdg1109]

Oh Mare, I am so sorry. I hope that when you get home everything will have calmed down and that Amigo, Chip, Sassy and Jellybean will all be ok.

Hugs to you and your birds.

:'(

[lolsavannahh]

Oh no! That sounds so scary! I am sorry you had to cut your vacation short... birds can be like that sometimes :/ Hope it all gets better and that next vacation will be fine!

[kendrafitz]

Oh no Mare! Is Jellybean ok? Was Noah able to get Amigo back in his cage or is he outside? I hope everyone is ok. I can't imagine how stressed you are right now. Sending you lots of good thoughts.

[Mare]

Thank you for the thoughts, peeps. We now have internet at our place in Baja (thanks to our neighbors :) ). Kendra, Jellybean is ok, she's back on her eggs. Noah moved their box to the inside of their cage, I just hope the babies are ok. Amigo is outside in his tree hole, Noah has his food and water on top of his outdoor cage.

[spiritbird]

Oh no! Chaos is right. Are the eggs Ok? I bet when you walk in the door all will be calm and quiet.

[PlaxMacaws]

Well among other things, Mare... I would say that Amigo has gotten his point across. I.E., he's not happy with the situation there :distress:. I'm sorry to hear that it happened. You're clearly needed at home :eagerness:

[Mare]

I hope so, Dianne :). What are the "other" things, Tony? Yes, my birds clearly need me which is disturbing from the point of view of someone that likes to travel.

[Cedardave]

But....ya gotta love em.I get frustrated with the yelling of my buddy Ivo quite often.I find that I get less ..well slightly less frustrated with the macaws screaming.I find myself often reminding myself that these are birds...birds that would prefer to do what they want,when they want and not be captive.In spite of breeding pet companion birds,I still feel that way.Contradictive....yes...but remember we gotta love them regardless

[The Pinkertons]

Oh my there are no words to describe how you must feel. Next time you go away, lock down in a padded cell for Amigo :culpability:

[Mare]

Yes, Dave, I've got to agree :). I love my birds more than I can say.

[PlaxMacaws]

What are the "other" things, Tony?One of them is that he has clearly demonstrated some of the risks that are present when you are away and Noah is there in your place :(

[Penny]

I'm glad everyone is settled back down for the moment. You might want to remind Amigo his name means "friend" not "attack bird" ... silly 'too.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

oops, that didn't go well then. Amigo didn't agree with the change of routine, being kept inside. We'll see how he gets on with being kept outside. :)
I hope it all sort's itself out and Noah doesn't bulldoze Amigo into the road surface.

I was complaining because my friend let our dog escape a few years ago. His reply was "I only opened the door an inch and he came past me at shoulder level, I wasn't expecting that." The dog came back when he was hungry, probably having sired a few pups on the way.

[Sucre]

Oh, no! I hope all is well when you get back. Does Amigo ever spend the night outside?

As for Noah, he and I could start our own support group called "Cockatoos Against Humanity".

[mdg1109]

Hi Mare. Any word on if Amigo came out of the tree and how everyone is doing? :big_hug:

[Mare]

We got home too late last night, after dark so Amigo was already hunkered down in his tree by then. I was hoping to get home with some daylight but the border crossing took over an hour and a half in line..ugh..Easter week in Mexico is CRAZY! All together, it ended up being a thirteen hour drive.

The birds were SO happy to see me this morning, even Sassy! :). Amigo flew in and clung to my robe with his head shoved in my chest for a full minute before he came up for air. I set the cockatiels box back up where it was before and Jellybean went back in and laid another egg!! One of the eggs is dented, I don't know if it's still viable but there are now three and they, both Jellybean and Chip, are setting on them. They take turns going out to eat but return quickly to their box.

I'm happy to be home :)

[spiritbird]

Mare you are indispensable to your flock of birds.

[Mare]

Dianne, I have to tell you..nobody cares about them as much as I do, that's for sure!

Kim, Amigo has spent nights outside in his tree which is great until a raccoon climbs up and starts poking around in his nest at two in the morning! This is when I started making sure he was inside at night :)

[mdg1109]

We got home too late last night, after dark so Amigo was already hunkered down in his tree by then. I was hoping to get home with some daylight but the border crossing took over an hour and a half in line..ugh..Easter week in Mexico is CRAZY! All together, it ended up being a thirteen hour drive.

The birds were SO happy to see me this morning, even Sassy! :). Amigo flew in and clung to my robe with his head shoved in my chest for a full minute before he came up for air. I set the cockatiels box back up where it was before and Jellybean went back in and laid another egg!! One of the eggs is dented, I don't know if it's still viable but there are now three and they, both Jellybean and Chip, are setting on them. They take turns going out to eat but return quickly to their box.

I'm happy to be home :)

Wow, we drove to Florida last year and it was a 9 hour drive so I can sympathize, I don't know if I could handle 13 hours in my car with my two sons (even with the DVD player)

I am glad that you are got home safely and that things are back to normal for you all. I am sure your flock is so glad to have you back! Happy Easter.

[Lady]

Wow what was Noah and Amigo thinking??? Sounds like they surprised each other and then all heck followed. I bet I could search the threads to answer this question but I'm going to ask instead.... is this the first time Noah was left in charge? I thought for some reason they were buddies. Sure no one is YOU and gives the love and care you do but, I bet if you were even further away they would of straightened things out the next day. Okay, I don't know, but I'm figuring because your flock is well established and you have brought them up so well with your human family that if anyone could get away for a vacation it would of been you guys. I guess sometimes things just don't run so smoothly.
Poor babies, they just don't like it when Mom is away from them for more than a few hours! I'm glad to hear they are all okay, sorry this trip wasn't enjoyed to it's fullest, but I know their will be more in the future :). Welcome Home!

[Mare]

Thanks for the welcome home, Alice :). Noah and Amigo go way back in the "being the one to hate" department, the last couple of years, though..they had somewhat of a truce going and whenever Noah would drop by,,things were mellow between them. Noah has taken care of the place a few times in the past two years, with no issues, so we thought it would go smoothly. I think that because of past, vicious attacks..Noah over-reacted and things spiraled out of control.

Amigo's cage is pretty tall with a walk in entry and if that door opens with him standing on a front perch, he CAN and sometimes WILL lean over and grab your shirt. We've been discussing cutting portals in the side and fixing it up with feeding stations, having access to the food that way rather than having to reach into his cage.

Katie is his favorite caretaker when we are gone, because he just prefers women,,but..she was with us this trip. Thankfully, everything got back to normal crazy and all is well :)

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Racoons: industrial sized rats so can you put a cone around the trunk of Amigo's tree so they can't climb up. Will only work if they can't gain access from close-by tree's canopys.
Rough sketch stolen from the internet
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I'm sure Noah would be happy to oblige. :)

[kendrafitz]

Thinking the full moon had something to do with it. Apparently things didn't go smoothly at my house either...

[Mare]

I like that, Jean-Pierre! Awesome, thank you! Did I mention the owls..?..

Uh, oh...What happened at YOUR house, Kendra?! I hope everyone survived..!?..

[kendrafitz]

Sadly, barely. My mom said Rosie flew, hit the fridge and fell. Teddy was at her immediately. She had to pull him off Rosie. She said Rosie seemed fine and must have bitten him bc he was licking his side. Knowing birds hide it when they aren't 100% I was a mess until I got home. She seems fine, was mad at me - 1st time ever. Didn't know if it's bc I am sick or bc of what happened with Teddy. After about 45 min she forgave me. Once she stopped pinching and running/lunging at me I was able to preen her and check her out. She looks ok. I am going to keep a close eye on her though. Sigh...

So there you go - even when you keep dogs and birds apart things happen. Thank goodness Teddy is small and Rosie is large. It could have been a lot worse. Teddy considers my mom his person so I am guessing he was jealous. Horrible!

[Mare]

Oh, frick..I'm sorry! Crap! Jellybean survived Amigo, I truly hope Rosie's ok..please..

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

It sounds like Teddy came off second best. Hopefully he will think twice before lunging in ever again. Very stressful for your Mum as well. Best wishes to all.

[kendrafitz]

Thanks. Fingers crossed. She seems fine though. Missing a few feathers on her head but she is going through a rough molt. The full moon had our guys going nutty I guess.

JP - yes, very stressful for my Mom. :(

I am hoping Teddy will think better next time. But he may not remember. He isn't all there mentally. Based on his reaction to being picked up, I am guessing he was dropped on his head at least once before coming to us. Which caused what I am assuming is some slight neurological damage. Sweetest dog I have ever met 99% of the time. A real mushy love. It's just that 1%...very hard to read him.

[plax]

I'm relieved to know that everyone seems mostly alright! But if that changes, a vet trip may be in order.


So there you go - even when you keep dogs and birds apart things happen.That's why one of the points I consistently stress is that there will always be a significant risk to a bird who has freedom in the same room as one or more predatory pets. The simple truth is that uncaged birds will become startled on occasion and launch into panic flights. It can occur at any given moment. And when it happens, if there are predatory pets in the room, there's a significant risk of the bird ending up very near them, or even flying directly at one of them. That's why it's dangerous to keep birds and dogs or cats in open space together. The other thing it's important to realize is that both dogs and cats carry pasteurella bacteria orally, as well as on their claws and fur. If this pathogen reaches the bloodstream of a companion bird it can lead to an agonizingly fatal death in a very short time.


Thank goodness Teddy is small and Rosie is large.That helps. But it's no guarantee.


It could have been a lot worse.The next time may always be worse :(

Again, I'm glad everyone is okay!

[Mare]

Tony, the thing is..we can't live with "the next time", we live "now". Your caution is something I live and it haunts my dreams.

[plax]

Tony, the thing is..we can't live with "the next time", we live "now". Your caution is something I live and it haunts my dreams.I'm not entirely sure what you mean, Mare. If you mean that we should live for the moment and take no precautions against lethal risk because if/when tragedy occurs it will be in the future, that seems illogical and reckless to me. Our feathered companions depend upon us to keep them safe and healthy! If we don't do that because it's not convenient for us, it becomes exclusively our fault if/when tragedy strikes as an ensuing result. Some preventable risks to those we look after are more likely to occur than others ... it's those that need to be proactively prevented. Our feathered companions deserve no less :(

[Mare]

"Live for the moment"..totally illogical. Living my "real" life, makes more sense to me. My birds are my LIFE, sorta..in many ways.. . And then it makes . . . No sense at all :).


I'm sorry I make light of the subject. Birds are birds and caregivers are what they are. We all need to be careful with whatever task we are given.

[plax]

Mare: I'll just say that if I chose to treat my own life as my top priority and relegated the lives of my birds to a mere secondary concern, and I thus maintained a convenient situation for myself which placed the lives of my birds at significant risk, I wouldn't feel very good about myself. Within this thread (and elsewhere) I have stated a fact of preventable significant risk to the lives of pet birds caused by their access to predatory pets... that risk is very real and very lethal! Companion birds lose their lives every day in our world from being attacked by other pets. Ignoring or dismissing this disturbing fact will not change the death toll. In my view, preventing a catastrophe that has significant odds of occurring should be far more important than maintaining one's conveniences. While I won't dictate to companion bird keepers on this issue, I will continue to point out risks and give my personal views and feelings about bird safety on this website. Precisely Parrots was founded on my views and feelings in this regard. That will never change!

[Mare]

Hey, peace, Tony. My birds mean more to me than anything but myself. I'm selfish in that way and sorry if offensive. My birds are what my life revolves around and to me, this can sometimes be a sad world to revolve around on. I'm just saying...I have bad days, like many, and so do birds.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

...The other thing it's important to realize is that both dogs and cats carry pasteurella bacteria orally, as well as on their claws and fur. If this pathogen reaches the bloodstream of a companion bird it can lead to an agonizingly fatal death in a very short time...

I don't know if this is covered in the first aid vids, I am only up to no.6.
If your bird comes into contact with a cat or dog presumably you should wash the bird to remove any saliva that the parrot might then get into its mouth when preening. What would be the best way to go about it, spray the bird with f10, use that stuff for disinfecting wounds which I can't recall the name of, or just good old water in the shower?

If you want to move this to the Avian first aid thread go ahead. :)

[kendrafitz]

Tony - I will keep an eye on her. We have an emergency vet (which is where her vet is located) literally 3 minutes from the house. Hopefully I won't need to take her though. Thank you for the good thoughts. :)

Mare - sorry to take over. Glad your Jellybean and Chip are back on their eggs. :)

[kendrafitz]

Oops - didn't realize there was another page when I posted the above. Sorry, I have a fever and it's early here. [emoji53]

I didn't mean to cause an upset. Agreed, birds and predatory animals should not be together. For us, it normally is not an issue. However, it obviously was when we were away. My mom is older and wasn't as vigilant as I am. There also isn't the jealousy issue when Rosie is my dependant. So lots of variables changed when we were away. Something I have to figure out before we go away again.

In a perfect companion bird household, it would be bird only. However, Bailey and Teddy were here first and we love them just as much as Rosie. Once a member of crazy the Fitz Farm, always a member. So bird only doesn't work for us. But I do my best to be vigilant to keep my Rosie safe in the home we do have.

[plax]

I don't know if this is covered in the first aid vids, I am only up to no.6.
If your bird comes into contact with a cat or dog presumably you should wash the bird to remove any saliva that the parrot might then get into its mouth when preening. What would be the best way to go about it, spray the bird with f10, use that stuff for disinfecting wounds which I can't recall the name of, or just good old water in the shower?Jean-Pierre: If the pathogen has breached the bird's skin, washing/cleansing likely won't do much good. But I would think rinsing the bird's feathers in a sink or tub as quickly as possible couldn't hurt. It's probably best to consult your avian vet ahead of any such incident about the best method to use. Antiseptic solutions are a possibility. If a bird has an open wound after such an incident, it may be best to transport it to the vet clinic immediately. But again, consult your vet ahead of time so you can be prepared to take recommended action if/when the need arises.

[Mare]

Hi, Tony..I'm back :). Just out of curiosity, by I'm sure just not only me..how do you put up with keeping me and Amigo around..?..him being exposed to all that he is, every minute of every day. I'll have to assume you bite your tongue, quite often. I've always been curious..

[plax]

Hi, Tony..I'm back :). Just out of curiosity, by I'm sure just not only me..how do you put up with keeping me and Amigo around..?..him being exposed to all that he is, every minute of every day. I'll have to assume you bite your tongue, quite often. I've always been curious..You need some memory pills or something, Mare ;). Back in the midst/aftermath of the 2014 staff conflict incident here at PP you posed this very same question to me via private message and we proceeded to discuss the matter. Within my dialog thereupon, I shared my thoughts and feelings with you concerning Amigo's flight freedom. I remember that you replied in acknowledged and seemed satisfied with my reasoning. I took the impression from said reply that you understood my explanation concerning the risks to Amigo (and his overall situation) being very different from the 'prey pet and predator pet' physical contact issue. Do we really need to go into this matter once again? And this time do so publicly? I have our entire conversation from back then within my private message archives in case you would like me to dig it out. In any case, I think I need to move this thread to Controversial Topics :(

[Mare]

Sometimes I think I do need memory pills but no, not today, thank you. You're right, we did discuss this, now that I remember. I suppose I still feel so incredibly grateful that you DO put up with us..and I suppose I'm worse than Amigo because I have control of the keyboard, most days :). Anyways, sorry to be such a pain in the butt, I appreciate your views and still don't know how you put up with us! It would be fine with me if you want to throw this thread into the archives :)

[plax]

I appreciate your views and still don't know how you put up with us!Nor do I. Perhaps I force myself to do so because I like you, Mare ;)

[mdg1109]

Sadly, barely. My mom said Rosie flew, hit the fridge and fell. Teddy was at her immediately. She had to pull him off Rosie. She said Rosie seemed fine and must have bitten him bc he was licking his side. Knowing birds hide it when they aren't 100% I was a mess until I got home. She seems fine, was mad at me - 1st time ever. Didn't know if it's bc I am sick or bc of what happened with Teddy. After about 45 min she forgave me. Once she stopped pinching and running/lunging at me I was able to preen her and check her out. She looks ok. I am going to keep a close eye on her though. Sigh...

So there you go - even when you keep dogs and birds apart things happen. Thank goodness Teddy is small and Rosie is large. It could have been a lot worse. Teddy considers my mom his person so I am guessing he was jealous. Horrible!

Kendra I am so sorry this happened. I am glad that everyone is ok! :heart:

[kendrafitz]

Thanks Michelle! She seems fine - her normal bossy self. I have had the flu so Rosie is happy bc she has had me with her all day. :)

[Dragonlady2]

My birds are what my life revolves around and to me, this can sometimes be a sad world to revolve around on. I'm just saying...I have bad days, like many, and so do birds.

I am with you on this Mare. My life revolves around my birds as well. Short story...at least I will try to keep it short, lol. This is what got me back into birds. A little baby robin "jumped" out of a nest way up our pine tree. No way to return it, it couldn't fledge, barely any feathers. I placed it in an old robin nest closer to my porch. Next time I looked it was on the ground below the nest. It was bitterly cold so I took it in for the night, not expecting it to be alive next morning. Fast forward, I set him up in a cage and fed him berries that I picked along the trails, cat food and mealy worms that I travelled 45 minutes to buy. I contacted a rehaber who told me to let it be free outside as it was the best chance for survival. I tried twice to set it free and it wasn't able to connect with another robin, even though it called all day. Finally, it took to the pine tree. I continued to feed it twice daily and he began eating on his own. He followed me around the yard and sat with me when I read outside. I worried everyday because we had cats around the neighbourhood, but I knew he was happiest being able to be free outside even though I really wanted to keep him safe in a cage. Unfortunately, I couldn't teach him safety from predators and I am guessing that he was caught by one because one day he just wasn't there. I am tearing up just writing this, but I know it was the right thing to do by letting him free. I can understand why you treat Amigo the way you do. I am still frightened for you and Amigo, but I respect your choice.
Anyway, that brief relationship with the robin brought back all of my memories of owning birds before and I started again. I even retired early, so I can ensure that the birds never go without if possible. I feel so much more responsible this time round. Gotta do right by them and I feel almost driven....but there are days that the responsibility is overwhelming and I wish I can just stay in bed until 6 am. But the joy of hearing them and interacting with them far outweighs any negative feelings. At the end of the day....we are all human and we try our best. I certainly am happier with birds in my life than not having them and the responsibility that goes with them.

[Mare]

Thank you, Helena, for the story and the support. Most might argue that yes, well..the Robin was a wild bird to begin with. Believe me, I've heard it all. :). Im sorry he just disappeared but you never know,, he may have found his family.

I still wouldn't change a thing with the way we do with Amigo. He's an amazing bird that DOES get into predicaments that caged/in home birds would never experience and I'm thankful everyday that he lives to see and enjoy another.