Caring for Birds

[Texasmujer]

Hi, Terr... I phoned the vet's office today...the vet for exotics/birds was not in, but I spoke to her assistant, and explained the situation...they wanted to see your bird, but when I explained the situation, they then said to tell you that a bird's feathers act as insulation, and without feathers you'd need to be careful their body temperature does not get out of control. They also added that, in their opinion, this was a behavioral problem, and to tell you that birds are very fragile. Of course, if you want to cross the pond, to see my vet, she'd be very happy to see you and your bird!! Does this help any?

[Terr]

I can see it now...me and my bald BG crossing the pond!!! LOL!! Thanks for checking with your vet's assistant. My vet concurs it is a behavioural problem versus an actual medical "crisis". It is sometimes exacerbated when she doesn't want to do something - like go in to her cage at night - similar to a birdy temper-tantrum.

I think my only hope at this time is that step-d will be on her own in a few years so she won't be such a frequent visitor. I'm very conscious of the fact that change of any sort sets her off - the primary one being the step-d. However, she also gets bent out of shape if my husband and I pull out the cribbage board. Who would have thought? We always make sure that we put her in her cage and cover her for a few minutes if we're moving anything big that she hasn't seen before. She'll jump and then pick!

We are very careful about temperatures for her since she is relatively un-insulated from the elements. We live in Littleton, Colorado and is can be very warm in the summer - cold in the winter. I've enclosed the back and part of the sides of her cage with a large towel to make sure she doesn't get exposed to drafts. She enjoys that pretty well and heads to the back of her cage behind her toys when she's taking a nap. It's not glamorous but does the trick.

Thanks for all of your input - it helps to get outside opinions/ideas!

Terry

[Texasmujer]

...and look at that...I thought you were 'from across the pond"! LOL I got to thinking...sometimes I become REALLY compulsive about 'things'; I'd probably try to make my pet bird a JACKET (of some sort!--couldn't you just see that?!)
to try to keep it warm. You can imagine what I do with my cat (I spoil him). Here's to birds in jackets!!

[Gilmorescot]

ANYBODY HAVE A PARAKEET LIKE ME?

[Texasmujer]

We don't know...why don't you tell us about your parakeet?
what is his/her color? How old is your pet? Name (of your pet?), and 'all that'.

Gilmorescot---for a little info about parakeets, look at the post "general info", in this 'pets' thread.

[mee]

are these birds easy to handle? In general what bird would be a good pet for a 10 year old, she will want to hold it and carry it around but I dont want a big bird like an african grey , lol something a bit smaller!

Not up to date on birds as i dont work with them lol