Happy Hatchday Iggy

[TexDot33]

ok, how is the air quality in the new place? Is it too dry ... how is Iggy with baths ... maybe his skin is bothering him ... maybe the air has caused a respitory issue ...

I know I have a hepa-filter running in the room where I keep Ham, and the vet said that it was a great idea for everyone because good air quality is beneficial to all parties envolved ..

 

[Minzer84]

I think it is pretty dry in my house, and I try to shower him at least once a week. I had an air filter going for awhile, not Hepa, so maybe it didn't do anything worthwhile, but I didn't notice a difference in his behavior or breathing...maybe I need a better filter?

 

[TexDot33]

OK, I too try to give Hamlet a bath once or twice a week, BUT I do notice that he gets really noisey between baths, ESPICALLY DURING A MOLT. I have now started, within the last week, to mist him daily with a spray bottle, and he's quiter now between baths.
(what about a shower pearch, take Iggy in with you DAILY? I know someone who has a DYH zon and she takes hers in the shower daily, and then the DYH loves to be blow-dried after the shower ... )

Another thing, when I was talking to my vet about a filter he also mentioned that it's really important to keep the air humid ("remember" he said to me, "the natural habitat is like 85% humidity all the time) and you know what it's like around here in the winter, the air is really dry. Maybe you might want to consider a humidifer for the room that Iggy is in (talk to your vet first).

Ya know, a better filter isn't going to hurt anything, why not try it.

 

[Peta]

Not sure, he has some kind of wheezy thing going on sometimes, a little bit of liquid in one nostril sometimes and right now one is crusty

The first thing I wanted to say when I read that was get him to the vet, Do you trust your vets judgement 150%, I know its a silly question, because we wouldn't go to these people if we didn't trust them, but when we are looking into getting a healthy bird we are told to look for all the following and then stay clear.

Don't think I would want anyone cutting my bird up either, Is there another vet you could go to for a second opinion. If you didn't feel comfortable asking your vet for another name/number you could give your local Rescue Center a ring they may be able to help out with a name and number.

The screaming does seem to have been going on for a while now it makes you wonder if he's trying to let you know that "Hey Mum I'm not well".

We certainly are NOT getting fed up with hearing about him, good and bad points, we are all here to help each other.

 

[Minzer84]

Yea, I definitely need to give Iggy a shower soon, I just try to do it in the morning so he doesn't go to bed wet, and I often am not home in the mornings so I don't get to do it...bad mom.

I've thought about humidifiers, but I'm afraid that if he did have something like aspergillus (a fungus) it might make it worse? I don't know. And would that be a hot or cold humidifier? I guess that's where talking to my vet comes in, lol Dr. Tex.

But maybe you're right and I should pay more attention to improving his health/environment and less time crying in a corner, lol.

 

[Peta]

Just noticed the other posts, I also take Kito into the bath with me everyday, and Bucc he gets a good misting everyday, and during a moult, gets a good soaking, Bucc can get real noisey during a moult, only because he really suffers, poor little soul.

 

[Minzer84]

The vets I've been seeing are here at Tufts, and they are the ones who want to cut him up. I called Iggy's old vet back in CT and he basically said the same thing, and then I went to the wildlife center to ask them (those who know about birds) and they said to try retesting the blood which I did (and was perfect), and go from there...so I guess everyone is saying cut him open I have been thinking more about actually doing it as a last ditch effort to see if something really is wrong with his health...but then what if they don't find anything? I guess I'm just being stubborn and being made to pay for it with constant screaming?

 

[TexDot33]

Ya know what really makes this tough too is that there are two things that can conribute to birdy sickness, environmental and biological nasties.

It seems, right now, that all of the "regular" Biological nasties have been ruled out.

I think that we dealing with, now, haveing to try to eliminate all of the "environmental nasties", which we all know are exponentally greater than the "biological nasties"

Minzer, you are at one the BEST vet schools that the states has (I had an ex that was trying to get in many years ago for equine medicine [Christy, sorry for bringing her up]) I know what it takes to get into that school, which says a lot about you personally. I think that if she didn't trust her vet 150% she wouldn't be there ...

 

[Peta]

Well, if everyone is saying the same thing, then maybe it would be worth at least thinking very carefully. This is the time that hindsight would be great to have right now.

I would be feeling the same as you right now, if it were one of mine, excatly how long has this been going on now?

 

[TexDot33]

Yea, I definitely need to give Iggy a shower soon, I just try to do it in the morning so he doesn't go to bed wet, and I often am not home in the mornings so I don't get to do it...bad mom.

I've thought about humidifiers, but I'm afraid that if he did have something like aspergillus (a fungus) it might make it worse? I don't know. And would that be a hot or cold humidifier? I guess that's where talking to my vet comes in, lol Dr. Tex.

But maybe you're right and I should pay more attention to improving his health/environment and less time crying in a corner, lol.

Hammy gets his baths in the AM too ...
I would think HOT because the vaporizing of the water into steam should remove many, many nasties before they get into the air.
I am not a Dr., nor do I play one in parrot forums. But by asking simple questions you can gather a lot of information, and sometimes just the basic information is enough to make some non-medical connections.
We all understand how upsetting, nerve-wracking, angering it can be. That's why we are all here to help each other. Think of this as your support group. "Hi, my name is Minzer, and I am parrot-a-holic.

 

[Minzer84]

Yea, I'll definitely have to try to make my house more humid, at least in his room. And shower him sometime in the near future. And ruminate more on whether or not to get the endoscopy/laproscopy done...

I've worked since I was 4 to get into vet school, and it was really hard. Honestly though, I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be with the exotics vets...I think they're more for pocket pets and reptiles than for birds. I think if I do get the cutting open done, I may ask if I can be present for it (you know, as a "learning experience" )

 

[Peta]

I think that if she didn't trust her vet 150% she wouldn't be there ...

I think you'd be surprised at how many people don't trust their vet even 100% of the time. Yep I know its hard for us to understand but some people actually will go to a vet nearer home than travel a little distance, even if the better vet was further away. Unfortunately.

I'm not saying that anyone here is like that I'm just asking my usual questions. Sometimes it takes people asking questions about everything to make the person in particular (In this case Minzer) realise something they are or are not doing.

 

[Peta]

I think if I do get the cutting open done, I may ask if I can be present for it (you know, as a "learning experience" )

That sounds like a great idea. There are many places (here) that will allow you to do that.

 

[TexDot33]

...I think if I do get the cutting open done, I may ask if I can be present for it (you know, as a "learning experience" )

Oh, come on now, you just want to "scrub in" for ANYTHING at this point! I know your type ... I dated one for like 3 years.

 

[Minzer84]

I didn't mean anything by the dr. comment, only that I was asking you questions that you may not feel comfortable answering. It was more poking fun at myself than at you...sorry if I made it seem otherwise.

 

[TexDot33]

I didn't mean anything by the dr. comment, only that I was asking you questions that you may not feel comfortable answering. It was more poking fun at myself than at you...sorry if I made it seem otherwise.

NO NO NO NO!! I know you were kidding ... the answer was more "toung-in-cheek" than anything ..

 

[Minzer84]

Lol, many things are lost in typing here I suppose! And yea, I guess I am a little bit of an eager beaver when it comes to animal stuff...and if something terrible has to happen to my evil little birdy (and pay tons of money for it), I might as well learn from it

Summer break is here soon and exams will be over, so I should be able to schedule something if I do decide to. In the meantime, I'll work on environmental stuff and see if anything comes from it...

And if nothing works...who wants a bird???

 

[TexDot33]

just run the little guy up here ... I am right around the corner from UNH ...

ACTUALLY, Christy would be rather unhappy with me if I did that .. :18:

 

[Minzer84]

Just tell her it's a new kind of conure...a very special larger kind. You guys are looking for a new bird anyhow!!

 

[Peta]

And if nothing works...who wants a bird???

Oh me, me, me,

Thats the only trouble no one can really tell if we are being kind, funny, tongue-in-cheek, or really nasty. Luckily at PF we are not that kind of family.

Think thats where the smilies come into their own.