Advice on screaming and begging and feeding.

[angie_robyn]

I'd like some advice on both screaming and begging in my new Little Corella (bare-eyed 'too). First a bit of background.

I adopted Stitch a few days before Christmas. He was just weaned and 9 weeks old. He is aviary bred and hand raised, and I purchased him straight from the breeder, a lovely couple who also own and run a bird store. I did my research, and I have owned and fostered toos before. I know they can be loud.

When I bought Stitchy home he was very sweet and cuddly. He begged for formula feeds at first, even though he was weaned, and I hadn't seen him drink water, so I offered him formula first thing in the mornings for a couple of days as I feared he may have regressed, as I read can happen. I stopped doing this after a couple of days when I noticed he seemed to be eating and drinking ok. This was in consultation with the breeder. At Christmas I had to go away for 2 nights to visit family. The breeder offered to birdsit for a couple of nights. I thought this would be OK as he knew her but when I picked him up he was really off, acting sleepy, and didn't eat for a whole day. I was watching him closely and in consultation from the breeder and about to take him to the vet, when he came around. Turned out he was stressed. In hindsight I should have waited until after my trip to bring him home. Lesson learned.

So he is now 13 weeks old. He has become very attached to me. This is good of course, but he screams when he can hear me talking whether or not I am in the room. I do not pay him attention when he screams (I may have inadvertently started this behaviour by getting him out of his cage when he was making a bit of noise, thinking he needed some freedom). If I stay in the room for a while he settles down (it's a large, open plan kitchen/dining and family area and so not always possible to walk out of sight, especially if cooking in the kitchen) but if I go near his cage he starts with his begging cry, like he wants formula. He only does this for me and does not make noise when my husband approaches or the kids. I think he thinks I am his mum. Anyway is it ok to get him out when he does this? It kind of drives me mad, because he keeps begging until I distract him with putting him on the floor or on his play gym and even then he can only be distracted for so long. My husband says he is quite good while I'm at work and doesn't scream or beg, just occasional flock calls if he can hear the kids in another room. Because of the begging I am also worried about his eating, which brings me to the next problem: that he is addicted to sunflower seeds. The breeder weaned him on to parrot mix that contains some. When I feed him (I have started mixing in some softened pellets) he picks the sunflower out and then won't eat anything else. For ages. He'll beg and beg for a bit. Eventually he might eat a teeny bit of wheat or millet but not much if at all and he won't touch the pellets even if wet and mixed with seed. Our 2yo GCC however is taking to the transition well (I've been trying with her unsuccessfully for a while but switching pellets and wetting them has helped). So is he too young to try and transition him? I also offer chop, and from that he will occasionally nibble the green peas and the odd bean or chickpea. It does not seem like he eats much however but it seems like he's hungry all the time (always checking his bowl in case more sunflower magically appears). I do offer them as treats, and have started trying to target/clicker train him. Sunflower is the only treat he will take, but he will soon start begging for more.

I just don't know what to do as the noise (both screaming and begging) is starting to bug me, and I find myself spending less time with him because of the screaming. If I'm tired after work I don't wanna deal with it. I have read the screaming protocols on here and will start applying that but I was wondering if anyone may have more specific advice given his young age and my concerns about his eating (maybe he's just hungry or that addicted to the sunflower). You'll be pleased to know I have a vet appointment tomorrow to discuss these things and check his weight and health (a good nail trim is in order for his razor talons too) but any advice will be appreciated if you are still reading this incredibly long post (sorry).

 

[MosaicMadness]

Hello and congrats on your new baby! I haven't had a too but have had a macaw and many other smaller birds. I would first start to teach him to play with toys, that will help to distract him and keep him busy. Personally, I feed a bowl with JUST pellets because they WILL pick through it for seeds (and if they don't like it tend to toss it). I would keep the sunflower seeds stricktly as treats either when training or for bonding of family members when being held and good. I put other seeds and nuts into foraging toys, babies may take a while to get the hang of them, but keep trying. We also do chop and cooked mixes and raw fruits/veggies. Keep trying different shapes and sizes and colors of fresh foods. Maybe some on a kabob to see if he prefers biting from larger pieces? If he comes out on top of the cage, I also have bowls or foraging treats up there to keep them entertained and on the cage. My newest pi can get loud at times, and a cage cover works magic. Sometimes just blocking a certain view from the cage and other times completely covering it. Hopefully you can take something from this. Oh, and sometimes as they learn to talk or whistle it will replace the contact calls and screaming, so maybe playing a tape or something???

 

[angie_robyn]

Hello and congrats on your new baby! I haven't had a too but have had a macaw and many other smaller birds. I would first start to teach him to play with toys, that will help to distract him and keep him busy. Personally, I feed a bowl with JUST pellets because they WILL pick through it for seeds (and if they don't like it tend to toss it). I would keep the sunflower seeds stricktly as treats either when training or for bonding of family members when being held and good. I put other seeds and nuts into foraging toys, babies may take a while to get the hang of them, but keep trying. We also do chop and cooked mixes and raw fruits/veggies. Keep trying different shapes and sizes and colors of fresh foods. Maybe some on a kabob to see if he prefers biting from larger pieces? If he comes out on top of the cage, I also have bowls or foraging treats up there to keep them entertained and on the cage. My newest pi can get loud at times, and a cage cover works magic. Sometimes just blocking a certain view from the cage and other times completely covering it. Hopefully you can take something from this. Oh, and sometimes as they learn to talk or whistle it will replace the contact calls and screaming, so maybe playing a tape or something???

Thank you. Funny you mention teaching him to play as I have noticed he isn't interested in his toys. He will occasionally touch or move his hanging toys but does not touch any of his foot or chewing toys. It must because he just doesn't know what to do. I'll do some more research and work on this. In relation to food I do offer him a variety of cooked and fresh foods in different sizes. He gets everything my GCC gets. I figure it may just take some time for him to try more things. I have seen him pick out a grape or blueberry and just throw it on the ground. This is a start, at least he touches them! And re: the cage cover I'll give it a go when he screams. This is mentioned in the screaming protocols I have read too. I have also spoken to the kids and husband about not responding when he screams and giving him heaps of attention when quiet or doing his cute mumbling. He can already say 'hello' quite clearly!

 

[angie_robyn]

I took Stitchy to the vet today. No infections but he is too thin and due to his age they wanted to keep him for a couple of days to make sure he eats and puts on weight. Turns out the screaming and begging is likely from hunger, and that I should be offering him more sunflower seed if that's all he eats at least til he gets healthy again. What I should NOT do at this point is take them away. The vet told me although they see many toos that come in overweight and with associated problems from too much sunflower, at his age he will literally starve himself to death if he doesn't get what he wants (sunflower). When he is older and healthier I can wean him off. Although I had the right intention trying to get him on the pellets he is just too young to try and transition him and he ended up starving. Of course I feel terrible, I feel like a complete failure to let him get that bad that he needed to stay in hospital, I guess at least I recognised there was a problem before it was too late. The vet said she'd seen that happen with baby birds too.

One thing I have noticed through this and also with my research, is that there are so many different and often opposing schools of thought when it comes to parrot care and other aspects of ownership. In talking to the breeder today she said the best diet for pet birds is seed and fresh fruits and veg. She said pellets are just ground up seed compacted into a pellet and she thinks they are a gimmick designed for making money. The vet however seemed to like pellets (although not just yet for Stitchy) and a lot of my research seems to suggest pellets is the best with cooked and fresh grains fruit and veg as a wet mix in another bowl. Hmmm.

 

[Scott]

Congratulations on adopting Stichy, and thanks for using great judgment with an early vet visit. They are so vulnerable at a young age, and having a baseline may prove valuable for the future.

If your vet didn't advise, it is good practice to have a home scale as weight loss/gain can be an early indication of difficulty. Of course this will be most helpful once Stichy is fully grown! (small scales sensitive to gram units are fairly inexpensive)

Parrot diet is a source of infinite discussion and passion!! Mine receive a triad of fresh vegetables/fruits, pellets, and some seed. They seem to be thriving and content - my oldest have been with me for about 3 decades and are older.

Screaming.... well I have 5 Goffins and others, so it is a fact of life! Stichy may have been vocalizing situationally, but the earlier he learns self-entertainment and a certain degree of independence the better.

 

[angie_robyn]

Congratulations on adopting Stichy, and thanks for using great judgment with an early vet visit. They are so vulnerable at a young age, and having a baseline may prove valuable for the future.

If your vet didn't advise, it is good practice to have a home scale as weight loss/gain can be an early indication of difficulty. Of course this will be most helpful once Stichy is fully grown! (small scales sensitive to gram units are fairly inexpensive)

Parrot diet is a source of infinite discussion and passion!! Mine receive a triad of fresh vegetables/fruits, pellets, and some seed. They seem to be thriving and content - my oldest have been with me for about 3 decades and are older.

Screaming.... well I have 5 Goffins and others, so it is a fact of life! Stichy may have been vocalizing situationally, but the earlier he learns self-entertainment and a certain degree of independence the better.

Thanks Scott, the vet didn't mention it yet but I have scales and I will certainly be keeping a closer eye on his weight from this point. Even though not fully grown I can at least see if he's gaining or losing weight.

I believe Goffins are quite similar to corellas, at least in appearance. You don't really see them here, I believe they are more from Indonesia? But I have had toos before. I grew up with a sulphur-crested, and have had a galah and a corella in the past. Noise was to be expected, but I feel Stitch's hunger was probably adding to the problem. Let's see if the noise level may ease when we have a more healthy, satisfied and content bird! I still plan on ignoring him when he screams too loud and encouraging the chattering and less ear-piercing sounds. I'm hoping he may also become more interested in toys and playing when he feels better. I will ring the vet in a couple of hours to see how he's doing.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Congrats on your baby! And a very wise move in taking Stitchy to the doc's with your concerns.
As far as screaming/screeching,I am experiencing this with Jonesy,my goffin. When he sees or hears me talking it just starts up and wont shut up! he has been covered so much that he thinks its normal and still screams when he hears me or Arleen..we cant even watch tv sometimes,coz he gets so obnoxious!
He seems to get better when he is out with us,but still yells!

As far as food goes...when I got Smokey,my TAG <about 28 yrs ago> she was a wild caught Grey,and ate just seed. No matter what I tried,fresh veggies or fruits, she'd look at them,then me,and throw them away lol.

When I acquired Amy,the Blue Front,she was 16 weeks old <I have had her 28 yrs now> and she was eating pellets,and she just loves all fruits and veggies and pasta and chicken bones etc etc etc!

When Smokey saw her eating all this,something must have clicked in her little head.." Hey??!! whats this new green bird eating"? lol and Smokes started to try/taste new things! She ended up eating EVERYTHING,or at least giving it a try! I could NOT get her to eat pellets tho..she stayed on seed,but because she ate everything and anything offered,I was comfortable that she was getting the proper goodness.

Good luck with your new 'too..he is still young,in a new surrounding,so give him plenty of love and attention. Its very easy to spoil a 'too!
Oh,and WELCOME to this wonderful forum! Many experienced and wise and caring people here!


Jim

 

[Scott]

Congratulations on adopting Stichy, and thanks for using great judgment with an early vet visit. They are so vulnerable at a young age, and having a baseline may prove valuable for the future.

If your vet didn't advise, it is good practice to have a home scale as weight loss/gain can be an early indication of difficulty. Of course this will be most helpful once Stichy is fully grown! (small scales sensitive to gram units are fairly inexpensive)

Parrot diet is a source of infinite discussion and passion!! Mine receive a triad of fresh vegetables/fruits, pellets, and some seed. They seem to be thriving and content - my oldest have been with me for about 3 decades and are older.

Screaming.... well I have 5 Goffins and others, so it is a fact of life! Stichy may have been vocalizing situationally, but the earlier he learns self-entertainment and a certain degree of independence the better.

Thanks Scott, the vet didn't mention it yet but I have scales and I will certainly be keeping a closer eye on his weight from this point. Even though not fully grown I can at least see if he's gaining or losing weight.

I believe Goffins are quite similar to corellas, at least in appearance. You don't really see them here, I believe they are more from Indonesia? But I have had toos before. I grew up with a sulphur-crested, and have had a galah and a corella in the past. Noise was to be expected, but I feel Stitch's hunger was probably adding to the problem. Let's see if the noise level may ease when we have a more healthy, satisfied and content bird! I still plan on ignoring him when he screams too loud and encouraging the chattering and less ear-piercing sounds. I'm hoping he may also become more interested in toys and playing when he feels better. I will ring the vet in a couple of hours to see how he's doing.

I believe they are very similar. Corellas are fairly rare in the U.S. while Goffins are popular and readily breed in captivity. I have a wild-caught pair and 3 of their hand-fed offspring. All 5 are wonderful and have distinct personalities, though they cannot be together at the same time! Really love the Goffins; they are my favorites!!

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Congratulations on adopting Stichy, and thanks for using great judgment with an early vet visit. They are so vulnerable at a young age, and having a baseline may prove valuable for the future.

If your vet didn't advise, it is good practice to have a home scale as weight loss/gain can be an early indication of difficulty. Of course this will be most helpful once Stichy is fully grown! (small scales sensitive to gram units are fairly inexpensive)

Parrot diet is a source of infinite discussion and passion!! Mine receive a triad of fresh vegetables/fruits, pellets, and some seed. They seem to be thriving and content - my oldest have been with me for about 3 decades and are older.

Screaming.... well I have 5 Goffins and others, so it is a fact of life! Stichy may have been vocalizing situationally, but the earlier he learns self-entertainment and a certain degree of independence the better.

Thanks Scott, the vet didn't mention it yet but I have scales and I will certainly be keeping a closer eye on his weight from this point. Even though not fully grown I can at least see if he's gaining or losing weight.

I believe Goffins are quite similar to corellas, at least in appearance. You don't really see them here, I believe they are more from Indonesia? But I have had toos before. I grew up with a sulphur-crested, and have had a galah and a corella in the past. Noise was to be expected, but I feel Stitch's hunger was probably adding to the problem. Let's see if the noise level may ease when we have a more healthy, satisfied and content bird! I still plan on ignoring him when he screams too loud and encouraging the chattering and less ear-piercing sounds. I'm hoping he may also become more interested in toys and playing when he feels better. I will ring the vet in a couple of hours to see how he's doing.

I believe they are very similar. Corellas are fairly rare in the U.S. while Goffins are popular and readily breed in captivity. I have a wild-caught pair and 3 of their hand-fed offspring. All 5 are wonderful and have distinct personalities, though they cannot be together at the same time! Really love the Goffins; they are my favorites!!

Interested in another one,Scott?? :54: LOL


Jim

 

[Scott]

Interested in another one,Scott?? :54: LOL

Jim

Thanks Jim, but my hands are full! I love Goffins, but 5 are a handful, particularly as some cannot come into contact with each other.

Seems like Jonesy is starting to turn the corner?

 

[plumsmum2005]

I took Stitchy to the vet today. No infections but he is too thin and due to his age they wanted to keep him for a couple of days to make sure he eats and puts on weight. Turns out the screaming and begging is likely from hunger, and that I should be offering him more sunflower seed if that's all he eats at least til he gets healthy again. What I should NOT do at this point is take them away. The vet told me although they see many toos that come in overweight and with associated problems from too much sunflower, at his age he will literally starve himself to death if he doesn't get what he wants (sunflower). When he is older and healthier I can wean him off. Although I had the right intention trying to get him on the pellets he is just too young to try and transition him and he ended up starving. Of course I feel terrible, I feel like a complete failure to let him get that bad that he needed to stay in hospital, I guess at least I recognised there was a problem before it was too late. The vet said she'd seen that happen with baby birds too.

One thing I have noticed through this and also with my research, is that there are so many different and often opposing schools of thought when it comes to parrot care and other aspects of ownership. In talking to the breeder today she said the best diet for pet birds is seed and fresh fruits and veg. She said pellets are just ground up seed compacted into a pellet and she thinks they are a gimmick designed for making money. The vet however seemed to like pellets (although not just yet for Stitchy) and a lot of my research seems to suggest pellets is the best with cooked and fresh grains fruit and veg as a wet mix in another bowl. Hmmm.

Hi congrats on your new addition. Don't feel bad - we all learn something every day from our birds.

Some thoughts on feeding Stitchy - as he is still a baby have you tried feeding him from a spoon a warm mush of chop? Birds don't really like eating on their own, they are in a flock in the wild. Mine will always go eat if I sit near him and especially seems to need this in the evening near bedtime. As Stitchy favours Sunflower seeds so much you could soak them before feeding, this changes their composition or even better go on to sprout? This could be the intro he needs to accepting veg etc? I tend to agree with your research although was very skeptical in the beginning too.

I can remember in the early days of having mine he needed reassurance that I was still about so I just used to call back to him and this stopped the excessive noise. As he got more confident it got less. Funny thing is he now uses those calls/words/noises to me now to get my attention lol.

Enjoy your new baby and good luck

 

[angie_robyn]

An update on Stitch.

A lot has happened today. I rang the vets thinking I was going to bring him home today. I spoke to a different vet, a very experienced bird vet, who told me he believes Stitch has PBFD or psittacine beak and feather disease . He is not producing powder and has bare patches where his powder down feathers should be. Blood has been sent off, and the results should be 2 weeks, but the vet is confident that is what is wrong. He wanted to euthanise him and told me to contact the breeder.

So I contacted the breeder and she basically refused to accept he had the disease. She said she would give me a refund but did not want me to have him euthanised. She also let it slip that she actually purchased him from another breeder (even though before I bought him she told me he was from her aviary, she and her husband are breeders and dealers) She was also trying to say he is sick because of what I was doing with his feeding. She said she would give me a refund if I didnt have him euthanised and give him back to her. After discussion with my husband, we decided not to put us or kids through the stressful and emotional ordeal of looking after a possibly sick and dying bird and I agreed to give him back. Anyway, the vet rang me after she turned up at the clinic unannounced to pick the bird up and asked if I gave permission for her to take him. I said yes, and she took him, agreeing to pay for his tests.

I rang her after work and she said he IS eating seed (she gives all her birds budgie mix), and that she would send me a video of him eating millet, again trying to point out that I was in the wrong and it was my fault for giving him sunflower. I only gave him sunflower because when I bought him that's what she told me he was eating from the seed. I offered him a wide and varied diet but he only picked out the sunflower when he was with me. Oh and she accused me of not bathing him and that's why he wasn't producing powder... I did bath him.

Basically she does not think he has beak and feather and is trying to put the blame on me. She will give me a 50% refund or give me back a possibly dying bird. I have been in tears all afternoon. Not about the money of course but about a beautiful bird with who I bonded and is now likely very sick. Anyway, I am going to her shop tomorrow and quietly taking my $300. That is also what the vet himself suggested I do. He said don't wait for the tests because they can give false negatives, and he is very certain that he has the early symptoms of the disease. He also suggested I give his cage a good clean with F10 and leave it in the sun. I will throw ALL his toys.

I do have a GCC at home who was possibly exposed (was not possible for us to do a proper quarantine at our home and ensure sperate air supply) but the vet said as she is older and also a South American parrot she won't get sick. It affects mostly Australian parrots and particularly cockatoos. Worst affected are the large white toos such as sulphurs, moluccans and umbrellas. Adult birds don't seem to contract it and become symptomatic, but it can kill babies and birds under about 2.

 

[Scott]

I am so sorry, what a stunning turn of events.

Hard to evaluate the potential diagnosis as I have no experience with the horrors of PBFD. Perhaps others can elaborate on the early symptoms and veracity of the test. At the very least it appears the breeder was less than candid with you regarding Stichy's origin.

What haunts me now is what will happen to him? Was the breeder concerned with having a euthanized bird in vet custody definitively diagnosed through pathology?

 

[plumsmum2005]

Oh my word what have you been through? I'm so sorry. It's heartbreaking to see an ill bird but also, it being used as just a commodity without concern for it's welfare is horrendous. Just a thought is it worth having a word with your pet/animal protection society its the RSPCA here? Feeding budgie mix, seriously? Please do not blame yourself in the slightest.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Interested in another one,Scott?? :54: LOL

Jim

Thanks Jim, but my hands are full! I love Goffins, but 5 are a handful, particularly as some cannot come into contact with each other.

Seems like Jonesy is starting to turn the corner?

No not really.. If he keeps it up,he'll be SITTING on the corner!


Jim

 

[angie_robyn]

I am so sorry, what a stunning turn of events.

Hard to evaluate the potential diagnosis as I have no experience with the horrors of PBFD. Perhaps others can elaborate on the early symptoms and veracity of the test. At the very least it appears the breeder was less than candid with you regarding Stichy's origin.

What haunts me now is what will happen to him? Was the breeder concerned with having a euthanized bird in vet custody definitively diagnosed through pathology?

I think you are right. She took him to get the upper hand and to possibly cover up the fact she sold a sick bird in case I internet shame them or give them bad reviews. Worst thing was she sent me the video of him eating seed, and the video was taken in the shop. With their other birds in the background. Wouldn't you isolate him and keep him right away from other birds? As much as she doesn't believe he has the disease wouldn't you isolate until the results at least? I have lost complete faith in them (her and husband) seriously. She lied about his origins, she changed the story twice about what he was fed (in an attempt to shift the blame on me) and blamed the powder issue on me not bathing him. Oh and I think she smokes around the birds. There's a dirty and full ash tray sitting on the bench behind the front counter inside the shop.

 

[angie_robyn]

Oh my word what have you been through? I'm so sorry. It's heartbreaking to see an ill bird but also, it being used as just a commodity without concern for it's welfare is horrendous. Just a thought is it worth having a word with your pet/animal protection society its the RSPCA here? Feeding budgie mix, seriously? Please do not blame yourself in the slightest.

Yes I've been crying quite a lot. I miss him so much but I don't want to bring a sick bird home to my other bird and for the kids to possibly watch him die. Yes it's the RSPCA here too. These people have bred and sold birds for 30 years and are very 'old school' in their methods and set in their ways. They do also offer fresh foods, veg and sprouts on top of budgie mix. Also the eclectus in their shop has a bowl of budgie mix and water. That's it. I have seen the husband throw in a few corn kernels for him but there is no bowl of fresh food and the corn was put on top of his seed. I could certainly have a word to them, about the food and the smoking, and I think cleanlines could be better but I don't think much would change.

My husband and I are of the opinion they rushed the weaning process with him to get extra cash before Christmas.

 

[Scott]

I am so sorry, what a stunning turn of events.

Hard to evaluate the potential diagnosis as I have no experience with the horrors of PBFD. Perhaps others can elaborate on the early symptoms and veracity of the test. At the very least it appears the breeder was less than candid with you regarding Stichy's origin.

What haunts me now is what will happen to him? Was the breeder concerned with having a euthanized bird in vet custody definitively diagnosed through pathology?

I think you are right. She took him to get the upper hand and to possibly cover up the fact she sold a sick bird in case I internet shame them or give them bad reviews. Worst thing was she sent me the video of him eating seed, and the video was taken in the shop. With their other birds in the background. Wouldn't you isolate him and keep him right away from other birds? As much as she doesn't believe he has the disease wouldn't you isolate until the results at least? I have lost complete faith in them (her and husband) seriously. She lied about his origins, she changed the story twice about what he was fed (in an attempt to shift the blame on me) and blamed the powder issue on me not bathing him. Oh and I think she smokes around the birds. There's a dirty and full ash tray sitting on the bench behind the front counter inside the shop.

What a sad and horrible situation. Do you believe the RSPCA will have a look, particularly when the lab results are completed? Will you get any closure from the vet? Wondering if the breeder offered you another bird?

 

[angie_robyn]

I am so sorry, what a stunning turn of events.

Hard to evaluate the potential diagnosis as I have no experience with the horrors of PBFD. Perhaps others can elaborate on the early symptoms and veracity of the test. At the very least it appears the breeder was less than candid with you regarding Stichy's origin.

What haunts me now is what will happen to him? Was the breeder concerned with having a euthanized bird in vet custody definitively diagnosed through pathology?

I think you are right. She took him to get the upper hand and to possibly cover up the fact she sold a sick bird in case I internet shame them or give them bad reviews. Worst thing was she sent me the video of him eating seed, and the video was taken in the shop. With their other birds in the background. Wouldn't you isolate him and keep him right away from other birds? As much as she doesn't believe he has the disease wouldn't you isolate until the results at least? I have lost complete faith in them (her and husband) seriously. She lied about his origins, she changed the story twice about what he was fed (in an attempt to shift the blame on me) and blamed the powder issue on me not bathing him. Oh and I think she smokes around the birds. There's a dirty and full ash tray sitting on the bench behind the front counter inside the shop.

What a sad and horrible situation. Do you believe the RSPCA will have a look, particularly when the lab results are completed? Will you get any closure from the vet? Wondering if the breeder offered you another bird?

I had a close look at the shop today when I went to get my refund. Dirty. There were piles of dust built up under the cages. Many of the birds cages have days of built up poo on the bottom. They will at least have a look. Closure? Maybe, maybe not. If they come back negative she will say "I told you so" if they come back positive she will try to cover it up. She told me that she will show them the refund receipt as proof ownership has been handed back when I said I would ring the vet for results. I think she doesn't want them to give me the results. I paid for the consult though and there is an outstanding balance for the hospital stay and a DNA sexing test which I will pay, but after they give me the results. She will pay only for the PBFD test. I think she thinks if she pays for that and now that she owns the bird she can ask them to keep it from me. Possibly so she can lie about that too. We have to wait and see. Cross that bridge when I come to it. Another bird? She didn't offer, but I don't think I would want one. Not from them and not for a while. I want to be done with them for good.

 

[Scott]

Wow, very sad, and again, I am sorry for your anguish.

Don't know the laws of Australia, unsure whether the change in ownership compels the vet to withhold the results. Legally perhaps, but ethically and morally, particularly as the breeder is so guilty of treachery and abuse of innocent creatures?

I don't blame you for not wanting another parrot from that facility.