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Post by spookyhurst on Oct 8, 2005 15:31:02 GMT -7
Nikko came home with me yesterday ;D. He's not officially adopted yet (there's a mandatory foster period of 2 months), but I can't imagine not keeping this little sweetheart. He's 4 years old, and absolutely wonderful. He's very good with stepping up, seems to like everyone, and surprised me last night by showing off a little of his vocabulary. I was cleaning up my room, and not focusing my attention on Nikko, and he said, "Hello,", "Good morning," and 2 other things I didn't quite catch. He's got a good appetite too. He gobbled down some baby food squash, carrot, grape, pine nuts, cheerios, AND his pellets. He doesn't seem afraid of my dog either. Spencer barks ferociously when someone rings the doorbell, and Nikko didn't even bat an eyelash. I haven't got bit yet, at least not by Nikko. I did get bit by an ostrich on Thursday. Actually it was multiple bites, by multiple ostriches. Only 2 small problems. About midway through the parrot care class my mom and I were taking yesterday, Nikko's lab results came in. He has a rare bacterial infection (they said they don't see too many birds with it) that can be resistant to antibiotics. They sent home medicine to be given with a syringe  . I gave him the first dose yesterday at the clinic (they held him, I syringed him), but my mom and I could not get up the courage to grab him like that today. We resorted to putting the medicine on some cheerios for him to eat (which he did). We've also considered putting the medicine in a spoon with a tiny bit of juice (he's good at licking from a spoon). Do you think that's okay? If not, I don't know how we're going to handle this. Anyhoo, we need to do this twice a day for a week, and then take him ALL the way back to Tucson for a checkup in a month or so to make sure it's cleared up. The second problem is just about taken care of. He was terrified of his new cage. The best I could do was get him on the door, and shut it. He clung to the door for most of the evening. We removed most of the perches and toys, in case he was scared of them, which helped a little. He found the courage to sit on his food dish, where he slept all night. It must have been terribly uncomfortable, but he would absolutely not get on the perch, no matter how much I touched it and told him it was okay. This morning, he finally found the courage to try it out, and will sit on just one perch. It's a start. Sorry for the longwinded post. And I'll probably be back with more questions  . And pictures. The ones I took last night are too dark, but I'll try to get a better one today or tomorrow. |
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Post by Jane on Oct 8, 2005 16:45:14 GMT -7
Congratulations. Nikko sounds very nice. Did they say what the actual infection was? Being terrified of the cage and perches and indeed anything new is normal for Greys but they always come round in the end. They also seem to like perching on things which we think would be uncomfortable - food bowls, food bowl hoops and the tops of cage doors are often preferred over perches.
Jane
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Preston
Super Talker
NEED HELP? WE WILL ANSWER AS FAST AS WE CAN (Note: Preston passed away in 2012. We hold his memories dearly, he was a great person and super moderator.)
Sisika and Pete
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Posts: 5,912
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Post by Preston on Oct 8, 2005 20:07:58 GMT -7
I hope they are providing you the medication to treat a bird that was sick when you received it. Keep us posted, and he will be ok soon.
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Post by spookyhurst on Oct 8, 2005 20:22:32 GMT -7
They did say what the infection was, but I don't remember what it was. I'm going to email and ask so I can look it up on the net. I asked them where he could have picked it up from, and they said potentially from contaminated seed (the bacteria is carried by rats, and they said bird seed could very well have rat droppings in it) or from his old owner. Nikko is taking the antibiotic Cipro for it. Nikko seems very relaxed tonight. I took my dog to the dog park, and when I got back, he was on the upper perch of his cage for the first time. Tonight he's been playing little games, like hanging upside down on the side of the cage while he ate from his food cup, and carrying pellets to the other side of the cage to dunk in water. Right now he's sitting on his upper perch grinding his beak. Brings back good memories of my conure. Nikko also gave me my first scare tonight. I didn't think he could fly. I assumed the clinic had cut his wings, since they're very big on keeping them cut. Also, last night when he got scared, he simply fluttered to the ground. Well tonight, I took Nikko to the kitchen to share the first bites of dinner with the family. Then I returned him to his cage while we finished. I thought he would be okay on his playtop. I returned to the kitchen, and a little later I heard fluttering. I thought he fell off his perch, so I went to retrieve him. The room was empty. I called him and whistled, looked under the bed, behind furniture, quickly ran into the bathroom to check the toilet, but nothing. I looked down the hallway, and there he was, sitting on my mom and dad's bed in a dark room (probably silently laughing at me). I picked him up, and he took off again down the hallway and back to my bedroom, and landed on the bed. He navigated some tight turns, so I'm thinking his previous owner probably let him fly around the house. Unfortunately for him, that won't be the case here. There's too many birdie dangers around (namely ceiling fans) for that. I'll have to get that taken care of. Plus I need to get a t-perch so he can stay with us throughout dinner. I think he probably was just trying to come back to us and get some more pizza. Anyway, here are some pictures of my new baby:    EDIT: Yes, the medication is paid for by TARA, as well as his follow up appointment. |
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dawninstep
Weaned Todd
Joined: July 2005
Posts: 93
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Post by dawninstep on Oct 8, 2005 20:28:34 GMT -7
Congratulations on adopting Nikko! He is a lucky bird! Sounds like you all are adjusting nicely!
dawn
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Post by lidiam on Oct 9, 2005 2:57:28 GMT -7
Congratulations on finally getting Nikko! I am sure it will all work out well.
You could also try putting his medicine in some yoghurt or baby food and letting him eat it from a spoon or from the syringe (without being held).
It is never a good idea to leave them unattended where they can do things you don't intend for them to do. Remember Murphy's Law: If something can go wrong, it will.
Best of luck, he's a very lovely looking TAG.
Lidia
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Post by Africanewbie on Oct 9, 2005 5:16:53 GMT -7
Congratulations Spookyhurst.
That is one fine looking bird. Absolutely handsome.
From his relaxed demeanor in the pictures, he does not seem to have any attitude problems unless he is a Jekyll and Hyde. Birds with a behavior problem are often abused and they usually exhibit an aloft stature of unfriendliness. If pictures are worth a thousand words then I would say Nikko is a gem which leads me to wonder, why would anyone abandon a beautiful bird like this.
HE IS A KEEPER!!!
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Preston
Super Talker
NEED HELP? WE WILL ANSWER AS FAST AS WE CAN (Note: Preston passed away in 2012. We hold his memories dearly, he was a great person and super moderator.)
Sisika and Pete
Joined: January 2005
Posts: 5,912
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Post by Preston on Oct 9, 2005 8:21:19 GMT -7
Fine looking bird, imagine what he'll look like all relaxed and healthy. Good Save!!!
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Post by spookyhurst on Oct 9, 2005 10:11:16 GMT -7
Thanks for all the kind words! I have a feeling Nikko was probably cared for pretty well in his former home (with the exception that he had never been to a vet in his 4 years). He is an absolute sweetheart, and has yet to display any aggressive behavior. I think the lady that gave him up was older (the clue being her name is Betty, which people haven't really named their kids in ages), so maybe she got sick or just couldn't care for him any longer (they said she gave up a 2nd bird too). They gave me a short note from her, and she said she had Nikko since he was 8 weeks old, and she seemed concerned about him adjusting to a new home. I was really lucky to get this bird. They had him for 11 days, and during that time, many people had inquired about him. I just happened to be the first one. He's one of those birds that people will snatch right up. Unfortunately, TARA has some birds that have been there for awhile that no one in snatching up. I feel so bad for them  . |
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Post by nancyd on Oct 9, 2005 17:22:31 GMT -7
wow what a beauty !! I've been lookin for a TAG most of the summer but it seems that the breeders here don't want to answer the emails I send them. I guess they just don't care if they sell a birdee or not !! I have even been checking in with PEAC which is the rescue here in Ohio and they don't list what birdies are up for adoption. I did see that in order to adopt you had to take two classes--one on behavior and I think the other was on general care, nutrition, etc. I was thinking of taking the courses even though it seems like I'm going to be buying a bird from someone else. Didn't I read that you had to take courses ?? Were they informative and helpful |
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Post by spookyhurst on Oct 9, 2005 20:08:03 GMT -7
I'd been looking for a TAG for several months as well, and thought I would probably have to go to a breeder to get one (I found 2 that seemed very good). I was on the weekly email list of adoptees from the bird rescue, and was beginning to think the chances of them getting a TAG in was slim, but luckily I was wrong. I had to take a 6 hour parrot care class (3 hours on nutrition/cages/etc. and 3 hours on behavior). It wasn't terribly informative for me, because I've read A LOT about birds already. The nutrition part only served to confuse me further, because it was yet another theory to add to the ones I've already read about. I really don't know which nutrition plan to go with at this point. However, the class was certainly worth sitting through to become elgible to foster and adopt birds. I also had to have a home visit and interview, fill out an application, and sign a foster care agreement. If they deem me to be a fit mommy, I can adopt Nikko in 2 months for $300. The fee is mostly to cover his vet care (they do a full work up on all the birds they get in). The bird also comes with anything they came to the rescue with (cage, toys, playstand), but since I already had a cage, they kept Nikko's to use for a bird that doesn't have one. Have you checked www.petfinder.com? They list a lot of animals that are up for adoption. Right now they have a variety of birds listed in Ohio, but no greys. It also lists some other adoption places besides PEAC that you might want to look into. Good luck! I hope you find a baby soon. |
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Post by spookyhurst on Oct 10, 2005 14:29:37 GMT -7
For those that are interested, Nikko's infection is caused by Acinetobacter, a gram negative bacteria.
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Post by sue on Oct 10, 2005 15:10:08 GMT -7
wow, he's beautiful, good luck with him, Sue & Indy  |
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Post by nancyd on Oct 11, 2005 17:01:21 GMT -7
Thanks for the info on the courses you had to take. Sounds like you went through the same thing that the rescue does here, courses, adoption, checkin mommy credentials, and in the end paying for any vet fees. Actually the other night I think I found a breeder. As a matter of fact I may have found 2. Both are 4 hour drives from here--one is only 10 or 20 minutes away from the other. Need to order my cage so its here before the birdie. Don't wanna go through what I did when I got my tiel. Got birdie and the people that I ordered the cage from didn't get the cage till 3 weeks later. Anyhow that brings up another question. The cage I was going to buy has ceramic crock dishes. I prefer stainless steel. Does anyone here know if stainless steels and ceramic is interchangable as far as the built in holders go |
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. I gave him the first dose yesterday at the clinic (they held him, I syringed him), but my mom and I could not get up the courage to grab him like that today. We resorted to putting the medicine on some cheerios for him to eat (which he did). We've also considered putting the medicine in a spoon with a tiny bit of juice (he's good at licking from a spoon). Do you think that's okay? If not, I don't know how we're going to handle this. Anyhoo, we need to do this twice a day for a week, and then take him ALL the way back to Tucson for a checkup in a month or so to make sure it's cleared up.
. And pictures. The ones I took last night are too dark, but I'll try to get a better one today or tomorrow.
.
