Defining a senior bird?

[Scott]

I have a senior citizen here, 60 odd. I've never really thought of him as old but thinking about the changes in him recently, when i was in my teens 20 years ago, he was happy to climb all over my arm and play with stuff more, jump and squeak on his perch etc. He was quite mobile and happy eating food from his claw. Now days he is really very slow getting around, only eat from a dish and won't hold his food. Won't consider getting on my arm and X-rays proved he definitely has arthritis which explains why he doesn't want on my arm. He also isn't very good at preening anymore.

It is easy to not notice these things if you have had them in the family a long time but it certainly helps when you do.

The good news is that you may be able to help Syd with preening and hand-feeding him treats.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Rickeybirds reportedly live to 30ish, although some people are saying 40+ nowadays. I can honestly say that I can't see ANY difference in his behavior or activity level. Kinda freaks me out wondering how old he may get. I have to outlive him, you see!

 

[SunnyJ]

The posts here made me laugh......good one!

 

[Cardinal]

You hear about "dog years" and "cat years"
Is there any correlation for specific breeds of parrots for "parrot years" ??
I know a macaw would not be the same as a cockatiel.
Or a cockatiel to a love bird.
IS there a scientist on the forum ??

I am not an active scientist. But I take a lot of interest in Parrot Science.
This would be a very interesting question.

It could be correlated to 3 factors
1. Average age of maturity- ie. when the females are capable of laying their first egg and rearing young successfully (males may not be reliable
2. The genera to which the parrots belong. It could be the same for all Ara species, but slightly different for Anodorhynchus or Cyanopsitta or Primolius even though all these are "Macaws".
3. Body Size. This plays a role though it is not directly correlated. Smaller parrots like Agapornis lovebirds would, as a rule live shorter than larger parrots like Cockatoos or Kakapos.

Indeed this is an interesting scientific question. I am sure parts of this question has been addressed by studies in captivity and in the wild.

cheers

Avin

 

[LeslieA]

Do you want a serious answer?

According to a recent (we're talking <1 month) discussion with an actuarial accounting professor, a senior of any species is GENERALLY defined as 4/5ths of the actual life expectancy. ***Please note that this is for actuarial purposes. Life expectancy is altered by lifestyle, genealogy, status, etc.***

For an actual average lifespan for birds chart visit
Parrot Species Comparison Chart ?.Compare The Most Popular Parrot Species!

 

[LeslieA]

BTW, many hated math! Not to offend or talk down to anyone: The following are ways to find out.
Life expectancy ÷ 5 (× 4) = Life expectancy × 4/5 = senior age
Life expectancy ÷ 5 = ? then ? × 4 = senior age (most cell phone calculator allow: Life expectancy ÷ 5 = × 4 = senior age)

 

[LeslieA]

Dr. LaFeber suggests that a senior avian is "any avian that has reached 50% of its predicted lifespan." He goes on to define a geriatric avian as "any avian that has reached 80% of its predicted lifespan."

This is an excellent article on caring for senior parrots: https://mobile.petcoach.co/amp/article/caring-for-your-senior-bird

Another article suggests

One could also say that pets in their last 20 percent of their average lifespan qualify as geriatric, which would be approximately the following:

• Small—7.4 years old

• Medium—26.2 years old

• Large—37.8 years old

Again, this is strictly “age,” which I think can lead us down a blind path. We have to look at health and fragility as well, but this definitely helps owners know that they are in the range to start looking for those hidden cues. A thorough exam and conversation is needed to really determine the state of the pet and what we can do to help them manage their age-related changes.

Dr. Gardner is a co-founder of Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, a network of veterinarians around the country whose goal is to empower every owner to care for their geriatric pets.<br>

 

[LeslieA]

Personally, I let my AV make that decision because some of my birds have a shortened life expectancy due to abuse, medication or special needs. For example, my WCP is only ~7 years old but, due to special needs and former abuse, is already considered by Dr. J a senior and geriatric bird and is on a supplemented diet and a weight program while my 23 year old BCC is a technically considered a senior but not close to geriatric.

 

[Laurasea]

Environment and nutrition and activities play a big role. When I work with rescues in the past there was a big difference in same species of same age. Those that had always had perches of a wide range of sizes were much better off with less arthritis. This was 20 years ago or more, and most if not all had never been fed a pellet. But many had been fed veggies and fruits and nuts with their seeds.. so much time is spent in their feet in captivating, verse flying and being on the ground in the wild. So I offer perches wide enough that their feet can be flat, all the way down to little twig size.i hate seeing large parrots who are down in their hocks mostly from never having really large perches. We still see dowel type perches in many photos of new members asking other questions, or just sharing their new family member with us.....so the message hasn't reached many new Parrots yet. I just visited a pet store yesterday that had a cute baby blue quaker with tiny small dowels to pech on. The staff was great though!! When I talked to them they went and got different perches abd set them up immediatelly then I said do you offer her baths? No. So we git a bowl and water we could barely get in the cage before she jumped in and started the cutest bath!!! The petstores are the ones communicating with the public, yet they receive no training and basic health information on Parrots. The staff wanted to do right by her, they just didn't know. Anyway I think we play a big role in wether or not they delope sever arthritis as they age, sone is going to happen . But the more we can keep them from standing in one position on one perch all day the better off their feet will be