Special Needs Birds
October 2001
Alex: Meyer's | Gracie: Red lored Amazon | Tu-ki: Green cheek conure | Tinkerbell: Pacific parrotlet | Sassy: Senegal |
Sterling: African Grey
A Touch of Grace
by Pamela Clark
"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself."
David Herbert Lawrence
It is a sad truth, about which you will read more in our column Rescue Report, that there are many unwanted birds in this country. It is an even sadder truth that many of these are birds with disabilities or needs for special care. The majority of young parrots, forty-three percent according to a recent Bird Talk magazine survey of readers, are purchased from pet stores. Most of these stores provide little to no education to the purchaser about the realities of parrot ownership. A few years down the line, the many charms of the baby parrot have evolved into the maturer behavior of the adult parrot and the realities of living with a sexually mature parrot have become startlingly clear.
If the young bird is not given good direction and instruction regarding acceptable behavior during his first two years, he will often develop “default behaviors,” otherwise known as behavior problems. If the owner was also unable to develop a strong bond of love and commitment toward the parrot, the hard work that is sometimes needed to work through behavior problems pushes the owner to give the bird up. What was once a lot of fun has become a lot of work, more than most people ever bargain for. Unfortunately, in the struggle prior to relinquishing the bird, abuse occurs that the parrot is disabled as a result. Others are disabled through injuries sustained when young. Still others develop disabilities as they age, primarily due to inadequate nutrition.
Having been for some years now in the position of both breeder and behavior consultant, I have encountered and taken in many parrots that had no where else to go, and have worked with them to improve their skills as companion birds. Some I have placed into good homes, and some I have kept. Ironically, it is often the “special needs” bird that is hardest to place, but whom makes the most exceptional companion.
While an owner contemplating the acquisition of a “special needs” parrot may feel intimidated by the challenge of caring for the bird adequately, this is largely a matter of common sense. The owner with commitment, imagination, creativity and common sense has all he needs to be successful with such a bird. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information in print about the types of care needed by disabled birds, and it is necessary to throw out “conventional wisdom” and replace it with common sense and sensitivity. If my experiences are any measure, the cost of rising to the challenge is repaid a thousand-fold.
Alex, our Meyer’s Parrot, appears completely oblivious to the fact that he is different from our other parrots. He has no feet and walks instead by balancing on the stubs left him when he lost his toes. Even if we disregard the ease with which he accommodates his disability, he is amazing because of his eternal good nature. He is, without a doubt, one of the sweetest birds I have ever met. He lives life with enthusiasm and is free with his affections.
Parrots who lack toenails, one or more toes, or the entire foot are relatively common in aviculture today. The bonding, mating, laying, and nesting process through which a pair of parrots must proceed is complex and sensitive to outside disturbances. Many pairs of birds don’t “get it right” until they have attempted to rear a few clutches of babies. They may not hatch out the eggs, feed the babies adequately, or protect them from temperature extremes in an effective manner. If the over-eager novice breeder checks the nestbox too frequently, or offers other forms of intrusion, young and inexperienced pairs often react with aberrant behavior such as chewing off the toes or feet of their young.
Such was the case with Alex. Unable to sell him, the breeder gave him to her daughter, who in turn lost interest in him with a year of taking him home. Eventually, he found his way home with me.
Little was really required in terms of modifying the environment for him. I purchased a cage with a playtop, which was removable, leaving a flat surface. I covered this with paper or towels to create a solid surface upon which to play on top of his cage. Perches were created out of ½ x 1-inch lumber and screwed in place. A wire platform of the sort sold in pet stores for budgies and other small birds was placed just below his highest perch, so that his fresh food dish could rest on it, giving him easy access to this as he balanced on his perch.
Due to his small size, I discouraged walking on the floor for exercise in his case, but allowed him to remain fully flighted much of the year…usually until he lost the privilege by developing a cockier attitude than was good for all concerned. Watching Alex fly and land was instructive for me, because he is capable of landing on the narrowest of places, such as the rim of my hanging pot rack. He truly is testimony to the adaptability of parrots.
Gracie’s Story
by Pamela Clark Gracie, a Red-lored Amazon, came to us approximately three years ago. Her history includes having been physically abused to the point that she experienced seizures from swelling of the brain. For the eight years prior to coming home with me, she had lived in a parakeet cage (12"x12"x12") with one perch, a dish of seed and a dish of filthy water.
I had sworn that I wouldn't take in another bird. And then one day, circumstances saw me in the same room with this bird with the current caretaker who couldn't keep her and was concerned that she might have trouble placing her because she was such a "special needs" bird. I was presented a choice at that moment...and Gracie came home with me. I didn't even have to think about it. Life is sacred, and when presented with a choice to honor that truth, we had better rise to the occasion in whatever way we are able.
Gracie’s disabilities were both physical and emotional. She was extremely fearful of human hands, had lost the ability to grip with her feet, and was able to move around only very slowly. “Stepping up” was out of the question.
Thus, in the beginning I had to find ways to handle her without touching her. My first challenge was to get her out of that tiny cage, into a larger temporary cage I could put up high to foster a sense of safety in her. Once that was accomplished, she spent the first three weeks in this temporary cage on the dining room table, watching me handle and play with all the other birds.
Although her diet had consisted solely of seed for many years, she readily accepted the fresh vegetables and other foods offered her here. In fact, she ate like she'd been starving to death. Gradually, she started letting me touch her and stopped threatening to bite. Soon, she had grown comfortable enough to ask for scritches by tucking her head, every time I walked by or came over to talk to her. In fact, her comfort level was pretty good, so I sensed it was time for the next challenge.
My goal was to move her into a small California Cage with a playtop, where she would be at a lower height also. I wanted her to learn to live as my other parrots do, and regain as many skills as possible. That would make her more "adoptable", if I decided to place her and an appropriate home presented itself. Occasionally, she would fly off the top of her cage, where I had been letting her hang out, and I decided that such an occasion would provide the opportunity to make such a change, since she still could not be handled.
I readied the cage I had in mind, and awaited the next opportunity. When she once again flew to the floor, I picked her up (she would step up from the floor by that time) and placed her on her new cage. Although new to her, I knew she'd stay put because 20 years of no exercise and injuries has made her a pretty stay-in-one-place bird. She adjusted easily to her new cage, and appeared to grow happier with life with each passing day.
Making a choice to disregard the generally accepted knowledge that brain cells are not able to regenerate, I supplemented her diet with a high-quality essential fatty acid oil blend in order to improve her brain function. I also worked at slowly providing her with new challenges at appropriate intervals, in the hopes of both stimulating new (or once lost) behaviors and skills . She regained much of the strength in her feet from playing with foot toys, as well as having the larger cage upon which to climb and walk. She began to climb in and out of it at will, choosing to eat on top and nap inside on a perch.
Gradually, Gracie has become a different bird. Eating a healthy diet has afforded her shiny, more vibrantly colored plumage. Her ability to act volitionally has increased to the point where visitors would never suspect her once severely disabled status. Not only does she climb in and out of her cage at will, but she initiates and happily participates in social interactions, will step onto an arm, occasionally talks and even sings.
About a year ago, Gracie surprised us all by deciding that her favorite human is my husband. This came as a surprise because all of our other parrots shun him and, on his part, he is most uncertain and tentative around them. He was tremendously flattered that finally one of the parrots liked him, and her obvious and unwavering devotion to him has been a gift to us all. The presence of parrots in a household can be a devisive one, if both adults are not equally enthusiastic about their contribution to human life. Such was the case in our home. However, Gracie’s love eased any tension around the “parrot issue” and has provided my husband with an experience that has changed him.
Her affection for him has also forced further changes in Gracie. One evening, approximately six months ago, she purposely hopped off of her cage and walked back into the bedroom to find him and enjoyed some time watching television with him.
Having Gracie in our home did, however, create one difficulty. Since parrots are not domesticated, and the presence of a hurt or injured member of the flock can draw the attention of a predator in the wild, she was not a welcome addition in the eyes of several of our parrots. They knew instinctively that there was something “wrong” with her, and the demonstrated a growing determination to “drive her from the flock.”
Although, it was not difficult to protect her by restricting the freedom of the others, we did not want Gracie living with the threat of potential harm. Parrots have an uncanny genius at communicating with each other non-verbally, and I had no doubt that Gracie felt a threat, even if no harm had come to her. Thus, the decision was made to move Gracie’s cage downstairs to our home office where we spend much of our time anyway.
Immediately, Gracie reacted with further improvement and advances in her behavior and learning. Previously, she had never actually climbed up onto the perch of her play-top, but had instead chosen to perch along the rim of her cage. Within days, Gracie was climbing up and down from her play-top perch. One day, after flying or falling from her cage, she climbed a ladder to get back up herself.
Not one to use the word lightly, I must say that I think that Gracie is a miracle. I can't even begin to articulate the bond I feel with this bird and the respect I have for her. She has taught me many lessons about the incredible resiliency, courage, and resourcefulness possessed by the majority of parrots, as well as their generous-spirited willingness to forgive and forge new bonds with humans.
Some might think that taking in a second-hand parrot, and a disabled one at that, would carry with it a price, the depth of which would be difficult to calculate beforehand.
However, each one of these three parrots has brought to me far greater rewards than I might have imagined, and certainly rewards that have surpassed any cost to me.
Especially Gracie. She has been a gift to us. There has been no sacrifice on our part. The challenges of making her comfortable here have demanded that I bring the very best in me to the situation. She, in turn, is offering us her best. I have thought for some time that having parrots is a very spiritual experience, and none has been more spiritual (or full of spirit) than this
one.
The story of Tu-ki is to me, mystical, magical and full of love. Tu-ki is a greencheek conure I found dying in a local pet chain store one year ago. She had been shipped there with her lower mandible missing. When I asked what had happened I was told "she came in that way and was doing just fine". (I found out later, a Macaw had torn off the beak during shipping,) She sure did not look "just fine" to me; she looked sick, dirty and scared.
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I'm not a bird expert, in fact I have little experience with birds having only one, very dear, little yellow budgie I found four years ago, in the woods behind our home. I had no thoughts of buying a bird from this store when I walked in there. Even I knew that a companion bird should be purchased from a breeder or at least a reputable bird store. I was just there for toys for my budgie, but I'm a sucker for a pretty feather and wandered into the bird room just to look. Something about this green cheek just kept me coming back day after day. I must have visited her 10 times in a two-week period. I knew that if I were to take her home it would mean allot of special food preparation, cooking, food processing, also vet bills and no sure way of knowing if she would even survive a natural lifetime.
I did allot of praying, talking to people, Internet searching on care of special needs birds and nearly drove my husband crazy with indecision. So I did what I often do when I have big doubts and insurmountable decisions, I asked my Dad. This is what is so very magical, mystical and hard to believe about Tu-ki. My dad has been "on the other side" or as most people state "deceased” for over 20 years. He has always come to me in dreams and visions and has helped me with so many of my problems throughout my life. I had to ask for his help again, this time about a bird. I just said "Dad, I need help, send me a sign as to what to do.” The day after this "prayer “ I again went to the pet store. the attendant was putting up a sign on the conures cage that read "Geen Cheek Conure 1/2 price $200.00 5/5/99.”(I think the 1/2 price was supposed to lure me in)
I asked her what the "5/5/99 " was, as this was April of 2000. She stated that 5/5/99 was the birth or hatch date of this bird. I knew then and there that this bird would come home with me. My dads birthday was May 5 - 5/5 was surely the sign I asked for.
I knew it was going to be a challenge getting her to give up soaking her seed in her water dish so that she could eat. I just could not stand letting her do that. The first feeding brought tears to my eyes. I held her in my hand and gave her some crumbled, warm birdie bread made just before her homecoming. It was made with a corn meal base , veggies, fruits , nuts, Harrison’s Mash, eggs, applesauce, baby food, everything I could get into it that would be nourishing. The look on her face was amazing. She actually started to purr. It's a sound she makes even today when she's totally, blissfully happy. Our last vet check up gave her a totally clean bill of health and as an extra bonus we have an amazing talker on our hands.Tu-ki has a vocabulary of over 40 words and puts together the most hilarious sentences. Special needs, yes, Special bird, very. Thanks Dad.
Tinkerbell is a Pacific parrotlet just about 2. He was hatched in a
clutch of seven chicks. All were fine except him. He was pulled as a tiny
chick because his Mom rejected him. He had what we thought was a splayed
leg. His legs were taped, and hoped that the bad leg would straighten.
It never did. Everyone said I should destroy him. But it wasn't his
fault. He fledged eating fresh foods and parakeet seed. Then I messed
up, and he got his beak nipped off. Back to hand feeding until after
the beak healed. It still hasn't grown completely out. I don't know if
is still tender, but he doesn't chew unless he feels like gnawing on me.
I run most of his food through the food processor. He can't or won't eat
it otherwise. So I always keep some in the refrigerator for him. The only
fresh food he eats otherwise is fresh corn on the cob if it is young, and he never chews on the cob like the other birds.
He prefers a very small cage. He won't try a perch and didn't want a
platform. He has a tube sock tightly braided for a perch. This he can
maneuver well on. He has a four-sided mirror with a top, which he will
sleep on and protect.
He is allowed out when I am in the room. He cannot really fly, but can
reach me sometimes, if he tries hard. Then try to catch him.
Ha. He lays on top of his cage and sleeps. The only thing different
that I have noticed is that he seems to tire easily and sleeps allot.
Sassy the Senegal
by gloria scholbe
Sassy Girl's upper mandible was ripped off by her mate in February, 2001 . I heard the fight from another room and rushed in to find Sassy on her back with the male on top of her. He had ripped off the beak, injured an eye, and bit a hole in her tongue. They had 2 1/2 week old babies in the nest, so I pulled the babies and rushed Sassy to the vet.
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Except for cleaning and trimming the injury, there wasn't much my veterinarian could do. She knows I don't want to use antibiotics unless necessary, so left the decision up to me, but said that because the sinuses were exposed, Sassy had a very high risk of infection until the injury healed over. I let her give Sassy a injection and took the rest of the drugs home to be given orally.
Sassy had been a hand reared baby and has always been tame except when taking care of eggs and babies. At the vet's office, despite her shock and pain, she was a real sweetie. She did very polite step-ups onto and off of the scale. She cuddled into the vet's neck or into mine, depending on who was doing what at the time.
When we got home, I put Sassy in a hospital cage with a heat panel, not only for shock, but so she would not need to use her own energy to keep her body warm. I had to feed her by tube because she couldn't eat on her own and wouldn't take formula from a syringe. When we first weighed her at the vets office, she weighed 138 grams. This probably included the weight of food in her crop since she had filled it to feed the babies just prior to the male's attack. Her actual weight empty was closer to 130 grams.
Over the next couple of days she continued to lose weight as I attempted to get food into her. She bottomed out at 122 grams. That's when I started feeding her four times a day instead of three. Then her weight gradually climbed to 130.
I tried a number of different foods for her to eat by herself, but it
was taking time for her to retrain herself to get food into her mouth without an upper beak. She seemed confused that the missing upper mandible would not work with the lower for picking up food. She also needed time for the injury to heal. She started to show some success with cheerios. Nothing else, including corn, peas, whole or pureed, baby food, etc. was successful.
A few days of abnormal droppings indicated a possible digestive tract infection, possibly from the soaked food I was giving her, which easily grows bacteria. Another cause could have been the fact that she was holding her droppings. She had been accustomed to living in a six foot long flight cage that was three feet high. The small cage she was in now must have seemed like a nestbox that she did not wish to dirty. However, after a period of adjustment, her droppings became normal again. To aid her with this mild bacterial infection, I included echinacea, garlic, and probiotics in with her gavage feeding.
Now several months later, Sassy has been eating on her own and maintaining her weight well. None of her beak has re-grown, so she cannot crack seeds or grind any of her food. She must be given food that she can break into small pieces with her feet or which can be broken between her tongue and the part of her face where the upper mandible was once attached. This food she shoves onto the back of her tongue so she can swallow it. Her main dry diet is cheerios, bread sprinkled with a green food supplement, and dehulled seeds or nuts that have been shaved into tiny pieces. She also likes apples and fruit of similar texture that is cut into thin slices. She can't manage raw carrots, greens, most fruits or vegetables, nor can she deal with pellets or foods that fall apart when wet.
I am concerned about her nutrition, but she appears to be doing well on this diet so far. Her droppings look good and she has good energy and activity levels.
Sassy does not require any special cage accommodation for her missing mandible. She climbs around very well without it and even manages to climb onto her swing without the aid of her beak. She loves her swing and it is really the only toy she has an interest in. She often sleeps hanging upside down from the bars at the top of her cage.
Her lower mandible requires routine grooming because without the upper mandible to grind against, it grows too long and interferes with her ability to eat. Other than that, Sassy is maintenance free. I have opted to leave her flight feathers unclipped to help protect her from falls.
A parrot must be quite old before he actually has the appearance of an elderly parrot, so I imagine that Sterling was over thirty years old at least when he came to me. This male Congo Grey had been living with a mate in a breeding situation for several years. The breeder, having noticed not only that the pair was not producing, but that Sterling appeared to be losing weight, pulled him out of the flight for a vet check-up. Sterling was blind…and no longer of value.
He was exceptional in the good-natured grace with which he accepted the drastic change from life with another bird outdoors to life inside a human home. Perhaps his age and the maturity and wisdom he had gained during his life previously allowed him to make the adjustment so easily. And, there is no doubt that Rollo’s presence helped.
Rollo, one of my adult companion Greys, was only two years old at the time. I introduced the two of them on the floor, knowing from my own previous research that Greys can often help other Greys learn to adapt in a new environment.* At the moment of introduction, I observed Sterling do something I have never seen before or since. Although brand new to the household, he walked over and placed his beak on the back of Rollo’s neck. This is not a typical African Grey “communication,” and I’m still not sure of the meaning. However, from that moment onward the two were companions, and Sterling appeared to be the more dominant one of the friendship, although this was demonstrated only in the subtlest of ways.
Using common sense, coupled with good advice from others who had also kept blind parrots, I set up Sterling’s cage in a manner that enabled him to get around easily. Whereas most parrots enjoy having toys rotated frequently and perches rearranged occasionally, blind parrots enjoy the greatest safety and sense of security if the location of perches, toys and food dishes always remains the same. It was astonishing to see how quickly Sterling located his food and water dishes and learned the placement of perches and toys. From the very beginning, he seemed to experience no obvious confusion whatever. It is experiences such as this one that allow me to gain greater insight into and appreciation for the intelligence and keenness of other senses that parrot’s possess.
Toys should be provided to blind birds, who have the same need to amuse themselves that sighted birds do. I found that good choices for Sterling included those that made noise, such as different types of bells, and those that had texture, such as tightly braided material (leather or soft strips of material) into which different toy parts had been braided, such as wood pieces, leather, and marbella beads.
Some activities normal to the care of a psittacine companion become more of a challenge with a blind bird. For example, having no knowledge of his previous showering experiences, but guessing that they excluded any in human shower stalls, I chose to bathe him with a spray bottle while he stood on the floor on a towel. He adjusted to this quite well, and enjoyed the experience, feeling quite secure on the floor.
Providing him with exercise was another challenge. Again, due to his age and the fact that he had not been well nourished, I was reluctant to provide any sort of aerobic exercise. However, I allowed him to walk around the house on the floor under supervision, and he greatly enjoyed this experience. For, you see…Rollo always chose to accompany him. Rollo would actually lead Sterling around the living area, stopping to wait if Sterling fell behind.
Sterling died of a stroke within six months of coming home with me. However, I recall his dignity and wizened appearance fondly and he lives on in my memory as a parrot who perhaps did not receive the best that humans might have had to offer him in captivity. I’ll never forget him, and will remain forever grateful that I was able to provide him with a safe and stimulating haven during the last months of his life.
*(The conditions under which this will work are quite specific and a full description of the process is not within the scope of this article. An owner should not place any two Greys together to interact with each other without first obtaining counsel from a behavior consultant about the correct method for doing so, nor should any owner purchase a second Grey to help a first Grey adjust or improve in behavior.)