If you missed the entry on our first vet visit, read about it here.

And if you live near Roanoke, Virginia and are in need of a fantastic avian vet, exotic vet, or just regular cat/dog type vet, please look up Dr. Paul Stewart. He is amazing, dependable, and affordable and way over qualified for anything you might need.

A couple days before Dave and I would be driving up to Virginia from Florida, I talked with Dr. Stewart and asked which birds needed to be brought back and the verdict was all of them except Jinx. Jinx, our blue throated macaw, was thought to have a tiny piece of metal in his stomach from the looks of his x-ray  but when it was thoroughly tested we found it was nothing at all and it had been the only concern with Jinx so he got to stay home on this trip.

We’ve had a stroke of bad luck with our main truck lately, it actually broke down 3 times in the last month and a half so we decided it was no longer dependable. It’s the truck that pulls our bird trailer, and we just couldn’t risk getting stranded in the cold with our birds so we traded it in for a new truck but the new one isn’t quite equipped with all the towing stuff we need it to be for the size of our bird trailer and how much it weighs on its own… so long story short, we took our 10 foot trailer instead for our trip.

Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Orlando, FL
Shown: Camelot macaws “Comet” & “Tusa”

It’s not as comfy for the birds, and we haven’t used it in years so it went into quick drop off repairs before our trip. We packed food, water, toys, travel cages and one larger white cage that we keep in that trailer anyway for our two macaws. We secured it down to the trailer and used bungees and clamps for the other travel cage that held our three medium sized parrots.

Our first day we took off around 7am from Florida and made it to our friends’ place in Virginia by 11pm. We stopped to conduct a freeflight call with our latest Freestyle Flyer Student (our freeflight course) making us a little later in the day.

When we arrived in Virginia we moved all the birds into the house in a separate room and they were fed and watered a few gas stations prior. We took them all out, watered them again and everyone went straight to sleep. 7am the next morning rolled around very early. Our birds were used to much more sleep, and I knew they’d be testy once we got to the vet’s office which was a 1.5 hour drive for me that morning.

I dropped everyone off at the vet’s office at 8:30am, and came back for them a little before 2pm with tons of great news from the vet.

Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Orlando, FL
In travel cages: Congo african grey “Cressi”, Galahs “Bandit” & “Bondi”, Camelot macaw “Comet”

First thing was, everyone looked in optimal health since being home for 30 days (off the road) and the vet told me whatever I was doing with their diet to keep on it. Cressi (our african grey) showed no signs of any trouble with her kidneys while Rocko showed the same signs and looked great. We had his blood drawn for iron levels as toucans often die from too much iron and it’s good to have a baseline on your birds of where there levels are when they’re healthy.

Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Orlando, FL
Ready for travel: Camelot macaws “Comet” & “Tusa”

Both Comet and Tusa had what our vet called “White Coat Syndrome” which just made me laugh… especially since this vet clinic has everyone wearing blue coats! Basically, white coat syndrome means your bird gets stressed and uneasy at the sight of a “white coat” or “vet”. And immediately their levels sky-rocket. Our macaws had very high white level counts which means they could be hiding illness which is what we wanted to be sure of. Tusa had been on the changes of a booster and Rain which had done wonders during his molt making his feathers come in beautifully, especially on his head where he practically looked bald before. All the levels were normal this time around, and the vet had waited a couple hours of the birds being there and hanging out before he tested them to make sure their emotional states were not heightened.

It worked! And the boys checked out beautifully.

Bandit’s levels were tested as he had shown very small beginning signs of fatty liver as a possibility so with the change of diet for the last 30 days we wanted to see the difference it all made. (We’ll hear more on any test results, and later for ones that were sent out, likely 10-14 days).

Bondi’s legs had approved as far as her picking at them, but under her wings had gotten worse at home. It seemed to calm down once her yeast went away (which the vet also confirmed, that the yeast infections in both our girls Bondi and Cressi was gone) but then her picking under the wings got worse after a couple days of the yeast medication being done. Because of this, the vet took 8 skin biopsies. He took 3-4 from places she was picking, and 3-4 from places that she was not and could not possibly reach to test her skin and see if anything might be irritating her and causing itchiness. The couple days before we left for the appointment he suggested using the Rain on her picked areas to see if that would help. We had only had the chance to use it once before we left, but definitely plan to implement it more for all our birds around 3 times per week.

Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Waynesboro, VA
Pictured: Biopsy spot on galah “Bondi”

The size of the biopsies was about the size of the “pore” so to speak of the feather. The size of a feather coming in is what was taken. Usually when birds have this done they have to wear a neck thingy that is a sponge-y foam type thing. Luckily, Bondi didn’t bother with her biopsy spots and didn’t need to wear it, though Dr. Stewart did send us home with it just in case she began to for any reason.

We were very thrilled at all the positive feedback from the vet – the days at home seemed to do wonders for the birds’ health, especially in our ability to optimize their diet. We have to give a great deal of credit to that to Patty for researching what’s perfect for kidneys and livers and exactly what the birds would be needing. We cut back on giving fruit a ton to our birds, and stuffed them with colorful veggies. We bought wheatgrass by the bagful at Whole Foods and cooked beans for the weeks to come and mixed it with tons of  healthy stuff. We ended up writing tons of our own recipes and were very excited about all of it. We didn’t feed a single nut or seed to any of our birds, just really focusing on the healthy foods they needed.

Photo by Jamieleigh
Location: Waynesboro, VA
Shown: Galah “Bondi”

With Rocko we also optimized his diet as he showed beginning signs of something being wrong with his kidneys. While traveling we could always get watermelon and blueberries and blackberries, but he wasn’t liking the store-bought blackberries after having them fresh from Chet’s house. He also needed better foods like banana, sweet potato, papaya and mango… which were foods we had a hard time coming by in our travels.

Back at home we were able to get him everything he needed and he was loving the different methods we would experiment with when it came to feeding time.

Needless to say, we are ALL benefiting from being off the road for a while. And we’ll be putting together our original recipes for all of you to benefit from too. We always include original recipes in our promos (so far Halloween and Christmas) so be on the look out for those because right now it’s the only place to get them! Today I talked to the vet about any results that already came back, and every single bird of ours is back to normal and optimal health all around. We were able to take Bondi off every single medication except her anti-biotic which is just for 4 days to make sure no infections happen to her biopsy spots, and then she stays on her supplements like sunshine factor and her booster. Other than that, her liver shows great now and we are very excited about it. We’re waiting to hear about what the biopsy results are but until then, everyone seems in optimal health and life off the road is fan-freaking-tastic as far as our birds are concerned!

King O photo from www.bestfriends.org

When I have asked bird owners what initially attracted them to parrots, they usually say it is their beauty and grace. Birds are visually stunning. It is impossible for that not to be the first thing we notice about them. It is only once we really get to know and understand them that that their vibrant personality outshines their briliant appearance. We are taken with their extreme intelligence and the profound connection that has developed.  Then we are whipped.

I am always saddened when I hear from an owner whose bird has begun feather destructive behaviors. Once medical possibilities have been ruled out, it is heartbreaking to imagine that your bird has been so emotionally distraught in it’s environment that it would resort to these measures. Unfortunately, many owners feel a lot of guilt.

Sometimes the cause of the upset can be found within the birds immediate surroundings, and sometimes the problem is so internalized that it is only known to the bird. We rearrange the furniture, re-outfit the cage and adjust the diet and hope we hit upon something that will make life more settled for the parrot. Usually, should we be lucky enough to find the cause, it is too late. For reasons that no one can be 100% certain of, the plucking often continues even once the source of the problem is eliminated. Eventually the folicles in the skin become too damaged for feathers to regrow, and we have a bird that is, to many people’s way of thinking, ugly.

To my way of thinking, these birds have a special kind of beauty. When you strip away the outer layer that attracts the eye, what is inside can more easily shine through. A plucked bird can live a happy, healthy and enriched life – if you allow it to.

King O photo from www.bestfriends.org

Meet ducorps cockatoo, King O, a resident at Best Friends Animal Society in Kenab, Utah. King O (originally named Ophelia until he was determined male) plucked out his feathers with his feet following the death of his owner. He has become something of a star at his new home and in the avian community. It is impossible not to grin as you watch the his videos, like this one, posted on his own facebook page. This is a bird who truly enjoys his life.

If your bird is plucked, it is likely that you care more about it than he does. Try not to feel embarrassed by his appearance, and if you carry guilt, let it go. It is pointless for you to assume blame for something unforeseen and impossible to understand. There are NO experts in this area. No one fully understands why birds do this.  We can only scramble to try to find a solution when it happens.

However, if you let him suffer a lack of socialization and deny him happy outings because you find it uncomfortable to answer questions about why he looks the way he does, that fault is yours. I’m sure that if you search your heart you will find that you love your bird as much as you did before he lost his feathers, maybe even more.

Military Macaw

When discussing bird toys, there are two very common statements made:  “I don’t give my bird toys anymore, she never plays with them.”  and  “Whenever I get my bird new toys, he just destroys them.”  Do either of these sound familiar?  Read on…

Toys are multi-tasking things. They should be fun, educational, provide challenges and satisfy a bird’s instinctive needs. They are there to fill the void that a caged bird might feel with limited space and social activity. They exist to be chewed on, smacked around, yelled at and reduced to splinters. An utterly annihilated toy, is one that has been most enjoyed.  So, to the guy who laments over his bird’s destroyed toys: well done. You found the perfect toy for your bird!  For the guy whose bird doesn’t play with toys: keep looking!  You just haven’t found what interests her yet.
Toys are there for the use and enjoyment of your bird. While we may think that the giraffe shaped pinata is adorable, your bird may have no interest in that type of toy. I will venture to say that most parrots really don’t care that a toy looks like a monkey or a snowflake. In fact, your bird has no idea what either of those things are. It is the texture and functionality of the toy that interests your bird.  Be careful not to buy the toys that are appealing to only you.
Toys are expensive and it’s hard to be able to afford to experiment with a $40 toy that your bird may not like. Try some things from around the house to test the waters. Here are a few suggestions:

• Offer a paper towel or paper bag. See what she does with toilet paper or paper towel tubes  Your bird might prefer shreddables.
• See how your bird reacts to pieces of an old t shirt or a facecloth. She might like fabric toys .
• Go to Home Depot and buy a couple of small wood scrap pieces from untreated pine 2X4s for the larger birds, and watch the gnawing begin!
• Fold a favorite treat up inside a unwaxed dixie cup to inspire her to learn to forage.  How well she does with this simple forager will tell you if your bird might be ready to try a more sophisticated toy.

Cockatiel

Once you get a feel for the types of materials your bird prefers and makes the best use of, look into the different types of toys available that have that composition. Try, also, to get a feel for the activities your bird prefers. My umbrella cockatoo loves to put things inside of other things. Often I find he has jammed bits of wood into any crevices he can find in his cage. I have noticed that he has a longer than typical attention span than most cockatoos when it comes to accomplishing tasks. Puzzle toys are right for him, but he is very particular about the ones he likes.
I had several friends in Austin who own parrots. We had an arrangement for toy swapping so that we could experiment with what our birds liked.  I bought a Rainstick for Linus once. He hated it and actually got angry when he would hear the sounds it made.  I swapped it with an african grey’s owner for a moving parts toy that is now a favorite to Linus.  We would ONLY do this with plastic or metal toys that could be sterilized before passing them from bird to bird. It saved us a ton of money on wasted, unused toys.

Military Macaw

Once you decide what your bird’s preferences are, look into these options:

• Foraging toys: Foraging for food is an activity that occupies a great deal of a wild bird’s day. Our companion birds benefit both mentally and physically when we create a foraging environment for them in their cages.
• Puzzle toys:  These are the educational toys. They can keep your bird busy for hours with different tasks.
• Wood/shreddables: Your bird has an innate need to chew. Gouging out a tree cavity or creating materials to line a nest are behaviors performed by your parrot’s wild cousins. This is hard wired into companion parrots as well. Providing toys that satisfy this urge will hopefully make the furniture less appealing.
• Preening toys:  These are great for the bird who would spend hours on your shoulder grooming your hair.  If you suspect your bird is an over-preener, or might be heading in the direction of feather destruction, these types of toys might distract him from that.
• Plastic toys: From pony beads to bullet proof acrylic, things that spin, slide, and speak. These are toys that will last a long time, but are not always the favorite. These are great toys to use in rotation in the cage to offer a variety of activities throughout the month. Since they don’t serve a purpose as far as destructibility goes, they should provide a fun/educational activity instead.

Toys are an essential part to your parrot’s well-being.  Unused toys in the cage are no better than no toys in the cage.  Observation and a little inexpensive experimentation will give the info you need to provide just the perfect ones for your bird.  The pictured toys and more are available at Birdtricks.com.