Kirby’s Capers

[GaleriaGila]

I showed MY Kirby that poop post. He just rolled his eyes.
NO PHOTOS!

 

[ravvlet]

I swear he knows Sunday is the day the vet isn’t open. He’s been sneezing again today, and additionally ate some of his chop but ignored his pellets again.

Inexplicably however his weight has been trending upward, and he ate twice as many pellets as he usually does yesterday!

I’m pretty sure he can’t be “not hungry” from yesterday, since they have fast metabolisms. I tricked him into eating some pellets by mixing them in with his afternoon chop. I feel like he does have some days where he saves pellets as a later-in-the-day meal, though…

Ugh. Birds. His new vet is back from vacation tomorrow so I am going to call and let her know he’s not seeming any less sneezy even with the humidifier, baths, deep clean/disinfecting of cages and stands, and antibiotic.

 

[ravvlet]

Still sneezy and scratching his nares, so off to the vet he goes for a drop-off at 8am on Saturday. I’ll have to pack his food as he is not an early riser nor breakfast-er - feels like sending him to daycare, haha.

Here are some pics of him enjoying bath time again today. Had to really crank the heat up though because it’s barely above freezing today and he likes to sit by the window! It amazes me how hardy by comparison our coturnix quail are - they’ve been playing in their dust bath and zooming around their pen, largely oblivious to the cold.

 

[wrench13]

I really like the pics of Kirby-Birby ! Thanks

 

[Deleted member 42416]

Is humidity in house above 50%? We live in Texas, but during cold weather times, i.e. 40 F outside, the humidity drops to 30% indoors and the conures get sneezy… immediately resolves with a humidifier.

 

[ravvlet]

Is humidity in house above 50%? We live in Texas, but during cold weather times, i.e. 40 F outside, the humidity drops to 30% indoors and the conures get sneezy… immediately resolves with a humidifier.

Yep, we have a humidifier in his room, as well as a digital hygrometer on my phone set to alert me if the temp or humidity goes outside of a set range. We got a AirCare (BestAir? The branding is a little confusing) humdifier and we keep it around 45+. I was given to understand 50 and up can cause mold growth which is already a big problem given how wet it is here in the PNW, so I try not to go over 50. I also change the water daily and rinse with vinegar once a week (which is today, incidentally). The filters aren’t cheap, but I bought a back up set for when the ones it came with eventually go out.

Can’t say enough good things about this humidifier honestly. It’s an opaque casing so I don’t have to worry about mildew growth from sunlight, its ridiculously easy to clean, and the humidity gauge is pretty accurate too. I’m really liking this evaporative style humidifier as opposed to the cool & warm mist ones we’ve tried in the past.

 

[wrench13]

Heck with the amount of care Kirby gets, I wanna move in with you!

 

[Deleted member 42416]

Yep, we have a humidifier in his room, as well as a digital hygrometer on my phone set to alert me if the temp or humidity goes outside of a set range. We got a BestAir humdifier and we keep it around 45+. I was given to understand 50 and up can cause mold growth which is already a big problem given how wet it is here in the PNW, so I try not to go over 50. I also change the water daily and rinse with vinegar once a week (which is today, incidentally). The filters aren’t cheap, but I bought a back up set for when the ones it came with eventually go out.

Can’t say enough good things about this humidifier honestly. It’s an opaque casing so I don’t have to worry about mildew growth from sunlight, its ridiculously easy to clean, and the humidity gauge is pretty accurate too. I’m really liking this evaporative style humidifier as opposed to the cool & warm mist ones we’ve tried in the past.

Wow…you got it down!

We do keep our humidity at 50 to 55%, no mold issues (and this is East Texas….it’s so humid outside in the summer you feel like you are walking through wet Keenex).

 

[ravvlet]

Heck with the amount of care Kirby gets, I wanna move in with you!

LOL! I have a toddler and a 9 year old… trust me, it gets *dramatic* over here. I am a stay at home mom slash freelance illustrator, which is why Kirby’s room is in my office, but also why I am always helicopter-parronting him

 

[ravvlet]

Wow…you got it down!

We do keep our humidity at 50 to 55%, no mold issues (and this is East Texas….it’s so humid outside in the summer you feel like you are walking through wet Keenex).

Ah! Yeah, my partner is from the Dallas area, I do NOT miss those summers, lol! I’m originally from Louisiana so I’m used to the damp, just not the cold that it gets up here! It was 27 last night outside.

 

[wrench13]

On second thought - living with a freelance mom slasher... pass.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Ah! Yeah, my partner is from the Dallas area, I do NOT miss those summers, lol! I’m originally from Louisiana so I’m used to the damp, just not the cold that it gets up here! It was 27 last night outside.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

It was a record 70 degree's here yesterday...it is now 29 with freezing rain and about 6 inches of snow coming...I shouldda taken Amy on an adventure yesterday lol

 

[ravvlet]

Dropped the Kirb off this morning at the vet, he sounded real wheezy this AM - it usually clears up as he becomes more awake (and it did) but I’m pretty worried as I know that shouldn’t be the norm. He’s been on a pretty heavy duty dose of antibiotics for two weeks, so the fact that he still sounds bad is very concerning. I got a call from the vet letting me know they want to do X-rays. At this point I’m anxious about a number of possibilities- aspergillosis chief among them, since this sinus issue has been something we’ve been dealing with the entire time we’ve had him - but I’m hoping we get good news.

His X-rays in January didn’t show any issues with his air sacs or any latent infection in his lungs, but perhaps because they were also looking at his heart they weren’t the specific angles the vet would need to be certain there were no respiratory issues. Really hoping the imaging they get this visit clears things up one way or another.

I know at one point his previous vet had him on antibiotic nose drops, as well as saline drops to keep his nose clean; I think that was last winter. I’ll try to remember to ask his new vet if that’s something they want to try, assuming there’s nothing more serious going on.

 

[Deleted member 42416]

Dropped the Kirb off this morning at the vet, he sounded real wheezy this AM - it usually clears up as he becomes more awake (and it did) but I’m pretty worried as I know that shouldn’t be the norm. He’s been on a pretty heavy duty dose of antibiotics for two weeks, so the fact that he still sounds bad is very concerning. I got a call from the vet letting me know they want to do X-rays. At this point I’m anxious about a number of possibilities- aspergillosis chief among them, since this sinus issue has been something we’ve been dealing with the entire time we’ve had him - but I’m hoping we get good news.

His X-rays in January didn’t show any issues with his air sacs or any latent infection in his lungs, but perhaps because they were also looking at his heart they weren’t the specific angles the vet would need to be certain there were no respiratory issues. Really hoping the imaging they get this visit clears things up one way or another.

I know at one point his previous vet had him on antibiotic nose drops, as well as saline drops to keep his nose clean; I think that was last winter. I’ll try to remember to ask his new vet if that’s something they want to try, assuming there’s nothing more serious going on.

Praying for Kirb-birb and a quick recovery!

 

[ravvlet]

Thanks. We knew eventually we would be doing end of life care for the guy, as his health was pretty poor when we got him. Really hoping he pulls through this though and we keep him around for a good while longer.

 

[Laurasea]

Awww.
I'm hoping for the best.

 

[ravvlet]

Ah! Good news. The vet examined him and changed her mind about x rays- his nares were blocked again, and after giving him a listen she was confident that was the issue and not something scarier. She cleaned them out and got loads of gunk again, so she suggested we start putting some pure aloe into his mister for baths (1:15 ratio), using distilled water this time (city water here is pretty hard) and make sure to mist his cere area every day. We are also looking into perhaps upgrading his air filter in his room - we have a little Holmes filter that’s rated for the room size but I’m wondering if something a little more powerful might help out.

 

[Laurasea]

Love this great news.
Hope he feels better with nares cleared out

 

[wrench13]

Salty has had nasal issues twice about 4 yrs ago (?). Disconcerting to watch that nasal flush, water going on one side and squirting out the other. But it did help clear up his infection, along with the meds. Here's to 'old' Kirby, may he live long and prosper!