Hello and Questions

[FieryPhoenix]

what can I do for her to help her be less if a wreck. The vet told me that my Quaker will need to recuperate in a separate cage but to keep the cages side by side.

My Sun doesn’t like to be far from her. I took her into the kitchen with me to prepare their food and she and the Quaker were calling to each other.

Will they still be close after the surgery? They are both 17 going on 18.

 

[Scott]

I just hope she makes it through and they her quality of life will not diminish. I obviously know there is recovery. I just hope she won’t die a week later or something like that.

Do most small parrots make it through such a surgery. I am worried for her.

Aldi she has a sun Conure BFF. They are housed together. Obviously I have a separate cage for my Quaker to recover in but will their relationship be negatively affected. Will my sun know it’s her.

Sorry if I am asking dumb questions. As you can see I am not the brightest bulb in the Christmas tree. The sun and wisher enjoy sitting right next to each other and mutual preening. They do everything together a lot if the time. They love showers too. They are one month apart in age and are both female.

Have you chosen most qualified vet and verified avian credentials? Can be difficult depending on where you live but well worth the effort! Sevoflurane and Isoflurane best avian anesthesia but costly.

Intelligent people ask questions and you're proving yourself worthy!! Sometimes it helps to write a list for the vet to consider, don't let the practice ignore your very real concerns!

I've found parrots tend to forget the angst of surgery and return to normal behaviors fairly rapidly. As with anything different, support with love, extra attention and treats!

 

[FieryPhoenix]

The place I go to is run by a top avian-certified vet. I know she will be in great hands.

I don't know what anesthesia they use.

I have had Nikki for almost 18 years and Sunny for almost 17 (she was 13 months when I got her). These two are buddies but also great with people. My nieces were playing with the two of them back in December.

 

[Scott]

The place I go to is run by a top avian-certified vet. I know she will be in great hands.

I don't know what anesthesia they use.

I have had Nikki for almost 18 years and Sunny for almost 17 (she was 13 months when I got her). These two are buddies but also great with people. My nieces were playing with the two of them back in December.

In that case she's receiving very best care and quality anesthesia + monitoring!

 

[HeatherG]

The place I go to is run by a top avian-certified vet. I know she will be in great hands.

I don't know what anesthesia they use.

I have had Nikki for almost 18 years and Sunny for almost 17 (she was 13 months when I got her). These two are buddies but also great with people. My nieces were playing with the two of them back in December.

Hi,
My 24 y.o. Quaker, Lucy, passed away in April 2020. She had not been able to fly since she was two because of an injury. Her wings were damaged and just didnt work right. She got around quite well most of her life. In fact I didn’t realize she couldn’t fly for years. She had a broken leg and cast for more than a month, five years before she passed on. She also had a conure friend, Oscar.

I think your Quaker Nikki will be happy to be with you and her conure best friend after her surgery. Nikki will have postoperative pain medications to keep her comfortable. There’s an opioid (strong) pain medication that can be given to birds with bigger injuries and meloxicam which is an NSAID like aspirin. Most likely the vet will give Nikki meds to go home with so she will stay comfortable. They will show you how to give the meds and how much. You’ll be giving her a little bit in her beak. Maybe she’ll have an antibiotic or something else, too. She will probably have a collar of some sort on, or maybe just a secure bandage, to keep her from picking at her surgery site. Keep her where Sunni can see her and watch her and that will help Sunni to feel better. In fact, you could put their cages next to each other since they are used to that.

You can feed Nikki baby bird food from a spoon or syringe if you need to. You can hand feed her favorite foods or bits of millet if she’s not eating well. The vet will probably keep her for a little while to watch her and make sure she’s recovering from the tumor removal or amputation. The vet can advise you on extra ways to feed or give Nikki nutrition after her surgery.

You could purchase a block heater or heated perch for Nikki to keep her warmer. Or you could use a heating pad on low under her cage. If you wrap Nikki’s recovery cage in a sheet or towel that will help keep the heat in. And you could put Nikki’s cage next to Sunni’s cage and wrap them both in the sheet. They will call to each other and be upset if they cant see each other. It’s great that you have Sunni to love and cheer Nikki up and Sunni will probably be worried while Nikki is gone and when she’s back, until she’s feeling better. They will certainly be close but Sunni will probably act worried about Nikki.

I had a green cheeked conure Oscar that I thought did not like my Lucy Quaker. He would get out and get into her cage and steal her toys and eat her food, and she’d wail about it until I found them and took Oscar out. Lucy broke her leg by jumping off her cage to come get me one day that I was sick. She had never done that before and I then found out I had a big kidney stone that was infected. Lucy was at the vet for a day or two while her leg was set and casted and I was in hospital getting my stone removed. Oscar was so worried about Lucy! He looked miserable and was watching her worriedly after she got back. She had to be in a big Tupperware box until she got better and he always watched her carefully. So be sure to love your Sunni when Nikki is at the vet and afterwards, too, because Sunni will be worried about her best friend.

When Lucy was collated and wearing the leg cast, she was very unhappy to be restrained. I hung things (string, surgical tape tassels) that she could chew and pick at on the sides of the box she stayed in and then later in her cage. She would preen and fuss with the string or tape bits and leave her collar alone when she had that. Those little tassels and preening toys were SO helpful to keep her distracted.

Please let us know how Nikki’s surgery goes. Of course, if I made any suggestions that differ from what your vet says, follow your vet’s instructions!! He or she knows Nikki and I don’t. I am happy to answer other questions if you think of them later.

 

[HeatherG]

Also, you will get used to Nikki’s appearance if she loses a wing. My Lucy had only one eye (had a hard life before I got her). I am always surprised to see Willow’s left eye because I’m so used to Quaker parakeets only having one eye!

I am sorry that this is happening to your sweet birds and I’m glad you are together to recover. Your bird will have pain medications to keep her comfortable afterwards and she will have her conure friend and you, too. (((Hugs))) from Heather and Willow Quaker.