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Post by Scratchpost on Oct 17, 2023 1:57:26 GMT -7
Hi all,
About a week ago I started a new thing with Aka because I needed to check his wings (I suspected some feather biting on his left wing and wanted to make sure) so I started this game where I would hide behind my face behind my hands and say Peek-a-Boo when I put my hands down and took a step closer to his perch where chills during the day. This only worked partially because he hates it when I touch his wings and he was onto my plan. Then my husband came home and said to Aka "Show us your wings" in a cute voice, and Aka listened after the first try. Damnit haha.
Anyway, I would say Peek-a-Boo each time and bring my hands down as I said this. It started on Sunday, but Aka has started saying Peek-a-Boo! So I cover my face in hands in my hands and bring them down when he says Peek-a-Boo. It's really cute, he did it again today and I used a book to cover my face and said 'Where's Aka?' and then he said Peek-a-Boo so I lowered the book. This went on for about ten minutes, it was really cute.
I took him to the vet yesterday because it's time for the annual check-up and to find the cause of the feather biting. I took him to a new vet and she was so awesome! She let me come into the rooms with her (I wasn't allowed to with the previous vet) and she was just great in general. He is biting his feathers, and the vet said it's because the previous vet messed up 
When he went to have his feather cyst removed, they gave him pain medication at the vet and they were supposed to send me home with a slow-releasing pain medication to give Aka for a week after the operation because they removed the entire feather instead of cutting the skin associated with the feather cyst. So he has developed a habit of feather biting on that wing (the other wing was perfect) because of the pain and discomfort after the feather cyst. She gave him some medicine to help with agitation and she said if that doesn't help I need to go back in three weeks to see what they can do.
Since it's a behavioral thing, she said she can't really do much aside from keep him calm enough to not respond to the agitation of the broken/bitten feathers (there are two very bad ones but neither of them were blood feathers so that's good at least). He has a new feather growing so she wants to see if the medicine she gave will help him not bite the new one so we'll see. I'm so cross, like wtf other vet? Do your job properly.
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Post by Haz on Oct 17, 2023 10:20:43 GMT -7
Chy likes to do the peek-a-boo thing with me.
After Chy had her operation years ago, the vet sent her home with pain medication which had to be given twice a day for 10 days. It obviously worked as she was fine and totally left the operation site alone.
Haz
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Post by Scratchpost on Oct 18, 2023 1:59:37 GMT -7
Hi Haz, That's so cute. I didn't really acknowledge he was saying that until he repeated himself and gave me 'the look.' Haha Yeah I have to give Aka's medicine twice a day as well. Once in his chop (it could have been any food stuff but the chop is the only thing he finishes so that was an easy choice), and the second dose in the water in the sleep cage overnight. This medication needs to be taken for three weeks... What was the operation? Other than than, the vet was very happy with his health. Apparently he is a big bird (not overweight) because the vet said he's one of the biggest she's seen  She asked what I feed him and how much sunlight he gets etc. and she says it's probably the diet combined with sunlight and some genes maybe. I know his father is a big bird as well, I haven't seen the mom. The vet also explained exactly what happened with his foot (something the other vet never bothered with) but I can't remember what the exact term for it. Something about his 'elbow' joint forming at a 90 degree angle instead of straight which affected his foot. Above his 'ankle' leg and muscles are like normal so it was just the 'ankle' that was affected so it affected the foot but he still has feeling and muscle contraction in that foot except for one toe that can't feel anything. The breeder and previous vet told me his whole leg was affected.... It might have been from when the parents turned the egg (the previous theory was because the parents turned the egg in an odd way so this affected his development) but the vet said if that was the case, then most of his nest mates would have had the same problem (they didn't) because the parents usually turn the eggs at the same time. She said it's more likely a birth/hatch defect like how some people are born with double jointed elbows, etc. |
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Post by Haz on Oct 18, 2023 7:45:12 GMT -7
Chy can't grow flight feathers on her left wing. They sometimes grow in but then she flaps her wings and the feathers fall out. Years ago, she launched herself off the top of her cage and crashed splitting the skin over her keel bone. At first the vet tried bandaging her. She wouldn't eat or talk and bit the bandage off. We took her to get a new bandage repeatedly with the same result. Finally, the vet said it would not get better unless they stitched her up. I was afraid of the anesthesia but went ahead. When they brought her out after the operation, she said, "Hi sweetie pie. Let's go and eat". Everyone was laughing.
I tried hiding her medication in her favourite foods but she refused to eat knowing medicine was in there. For ages she wouldn't eat yogurt unless I ate some first. We had to give the medicine by mouth with a dropper.
Haz
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Post by Scratchpost on Oct 19, 2023 2:15:12 GMT -7
Hi Haz,
I am starting to think that this might be the case for Aka as well. Even the feathers that have grown seem stunted compared to the rest of them (they grow like normal regarding colour and strength, etc. but they are a little shorter than the new wings on his left —normal— side) and now the feather biting is just making it worse. If the medicine doesn't help I'll speak to the vet and discuss options for the odd feathers.
She did mention that if they continue to give issues that affects him, his behaviour, and his flight, they could do a procedure where they give him African Grey feathers and attach it to the base of the feather (non-invasive) so he could have a full set of feathers to fly around with, almost like a prosthetic limb.
The idea is that these new feathers might have grown incorrectly because of the damage to the wing through the feather cyst that wasn't addressed/managed properly through medication (it's the same wing) and when he has his next moult, the feathers holding the 'prosthetic' feathers will fall out and new (hopefully fully formed) feathers will grow back.
That's so cute, she must have been so hungry, or at least hungrier than normal. I am convinced greys are at least 20/30% hungry all the time. What did you give her to eat after that?
Also, do you give Chy a treat when she comes back from the vet in general?
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Post by Haz on Oct 19, 2023 10:31:10 GMT -7
The vet offers her a treat but she won't take it. She just says that she wants to go home.
To Chy, being home is worth more than a treat. She gets those all the time.
Haz
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Post by Jane on Oct 20, 2023 7:16:13 GMT -7
That procedure is called imping, where the donated feathers are fitted into the existing feather shafts using splints and glue. It is used quite a lot in falconry.
Monty has never been able to grow primary flight feathers on either wing, they start to grow but fall out malformed. He did have them when he was a baby and grew them in at that point but after that he was never able to grow them.
Jane
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Post by Adele on Oct 20, 2023 9:23:48 GMT -7
That is cute with the peek-a-boo! With Manzi, I used to mix his meds up with peanut butter. Peanut butter isn't great for them, but he was losing weight so fast that they said anything to help.
With Maui, when she needed meds, I just had to force it in her mouth. She hated taking them, but was fairly tolerant to being manhandled and she never held a grudge.
I think Maui might pluck the feathers under her wing, as she is bare there, but I've never seen her pluck. I just know she sometimes screams and kinda bites towards her wings, like something was hurting her, but the vets and I have never figured out the problem. Someone mentioned that it might be ingrown feathers. Maybe, but I've looked extensively and couldn't figure it out. I think that screaming thing might just be habit by now.
Good luck with Aka. Hopefully they get the feathers figured out!!
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Post by Jane on Nov 10, 2023 1:52:58 GMT -7
Mitzi won't play peek-a-boo. She just looks at me as if I am mad. She has always been a Little Miss Sensible.
Jane
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She asked what I feed him and how much sunlight he gets etc. and she says it's probably the diet combined with sunlight and some genes maybe. I know his father is a big bird as well, I haven't seen the mom.
