New rescues.

[LoriS53]

My husband and I were made aware of 2 Yellow Napped Amazons being kept in a carport in a tiny cage. We were able to talk The gentleman into selling them to us. Max is very over weight and to me he is moving as if he is in pain. Hannah had a nest with eggs which the gentleman told us he broke. She is very hostile. Both were filthy. The food in their bowls was moldy and was straight sunflower seeds. I have an appointment with the vet tomorrow. I was able to get them clean, they loved being misted. I have been giving them Roudybush pellets, mixed grains(flax seed etc.) and fresh fruit and veggies. I have also been sprinkling chamomile flowers on their food. I am experienced with conures and parakeets but these are my first Amazons. What else do I need to do?

 

[Boki]

Get ready for a wild ride. Seriously, go through the two threads highlighted in blue at the top of the Amazon forum. There is even a section telling you how to get ready for the first visit to the vet.

 

[LoriS53]

Thank you for the info I know it's going to be hard. I just want them happy healthy.

 

[Anita1250]

Poor babies! Do you know how old they are? The only advice I can give, and I am sure everyone else will agree, is to be PATIENT. Getting them healthy and happy and accepting of you may take a really long time. Take baby steps and don't be upset at setbacks. When things get bad, take a deep breath and move forward. You will be greatly rewarded in the end! Good luck.

 

[LoriS53]

The gentleman we talked to said Max is 3 yrs and Hannah is 2. I have them in my kitchen, separate from my other birds but close enough I can keep an eye on them. Max moves like he is in pain. I will feel much better after the vet visit.

Thank you for the encouragement! I really appreciate it!

 

[EllenD]

I'm glad you guys took these 2 in, I always wonder why people buy these birds and then treat them the way they do...I can't imagine that this guy just bought these 2 Amazons 2 and 3 years ago and just threw them out like that...Don't be surprised if the Avian Vet tells you that they are older than 2 and 3, it's amazing what people getting rid of birds will tell people. I hope that the Vet you are taking them to is either a Certified Avian Vet or an Avian Specialist Vet? These guys need to see an actual Avian Vet who knows what they are doing and talking about, not an "exotics" Vet.

They should both have a complete wellness exam, as well as routine blood-word (baseline blood work), as they probably both have some liver disease simply due to the diet of only sunflower seeds. The blood-work will tell you if there is any infection, anemia, etc., and then also given their liver and kidney function values, which are very important in this case.

If the male is "very overweight", then don't be surprised if the reason he is walking around like he's in pain is due to severe arthritis in his joints from the excess weight. It could also be Fatty Liver Disease due to his diet, which causes the liver to become extremely enlarged. Then what happens is the huge liver starts pressing on other organs and can cause pain, as well as trouble breathing under exertion, due to the enlarged liver putting pressure on the air-sacs. I actually saw an Amazon not long ago that was fed an all-seed diet (seed-mix, not just sunflower seeds), which is also bad, and he was extremely overweight, and was limping. He also started panting when he would simply walk across a room. We took x-rays and his liver was so large it was pushing on his air sacs, as well as putting pressure on his entire chest cavity. His x-rays also showed severe arthritis, which was worst at his knees, then his ankles, then his hips. He basically had no knees left due to the weight he was carry around. This guy was a human doctor too, an Internist of all things, and yet he still only fed him a bagged seed-mix every day for 10 years. It was bad. And your female will most-likely also have the same liver issues, as she was eating the same diet as well. However, the reason the female isn't as overweight as the male is because she has been laying eggs, probably chronically. This is extremely hard on their bodies, and they tend to be both undernourished and malnourished, which these two birds are anyway due to their diet, so she's probably in pretty bad shape too. Make sure that she always has access to both a Cuttlebone and a Mineral Block, as she's most-definitely Calcium-deficient from the egg-laying. Hopefully once you get them settle-in you can work on eliminating the egg-laying, because over time this can kill them as easily as the Fatty Liver Disease can.

Let us know how it goes at the vet, I certainly hope the vet is an Avian Specialist with lots of experience, and knows what they are doing, and what tests need to be done. These guys need some help to get going, but it sounds like you've already got them on a great diet. Limit all fatty food or food high in sugar, like seeds (especially sunflower seeds and millet), nuts, people food, and even fruit, as it's full of sugar, and that sugar is turned into fat that also accumulates in the liver. Fresh fruit should be only a 2-3 times a week thing, not every day, and not in large quantities; fresh veggies are an every day part of their regular diet however.

 

[Laurasea]

You have a big heart!! I look forward to reading more of your journey! I hope with help from the vet and yiu, the lives of these special birds will be transformed.

 

[Kiwibird]

The gentleman we talked to said Max is 3 yrs and Hannah is 2.

Amazons do not hit sexual maturity until around age 6, so for the female to have laid eggs puts her at a whole lot older than 2. When you say the male moves as though he's in pain, is that like arthritic pain? Older (35+) amazons can and do get arthritis. This man may just have had them for 2 and 3 years, but based on your description, I have no doubt these birds are much much older than that. Sounds like you have quite the 'journey' ahead with these birds!

Please let us know what the vet says.

 

[wrench13]

I applaud you for taking these 2 Amazons in. Excellent advice above, please take it to heart - you will need it in the coming months and years. BUT you are going to rewarded beyond expectations when these 2 open up and sing for the sheer joy of being alive, as most Amazons do on a regular basis. Please keep us in the loop as your journey progresses.

 

[LoriS53]

My babies are indeed much older than 2 and 3. The Avian Vet ran blood work. Max has a severe infection in the right side of his face and sinus. The vet suggested putting him under sedation and running a CT. Thankfully the infection he thinks has not reached the bone. The doc wants to lance the abscess and flushe it out if antibiotics don't start to work in the next couple of days. The vet said it most likely started from a Vitamin A deficiency, common in seed only diets. We now need to give him antibiotic shots every 12hrs for 14 days. He weighed in at 552grams so not as over weight as I thought but still up there. Kidney function is borderline. Both birds have ulcerations on their corneas most likely from smoke. My poor babies. It breaks my heart.

Thank you all for your kindness and support. It means so much. You all are completely amazing people❤

 

[Laurasea]

You are a guardain Angel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Big love to you and the Amazon's. So many need saving...... Truely you are a guardain!!!

 

[LoriS53]

Here is a pic of my sweet babies. Max has had 3 injections and the pain meds seem to be helping. Hannah put her talon on my hand when I was feeding her cantaloupe this morning. No bites.

 

[Laurasea]

Two peas in a pod! Who's who? Is Nac the slightly fluffed one? I hope he feels better soon,!!! What a vet visit!! Is he still eating good for you after that?

 

[ChristaNL]

So much love to go around!
Thank you for taking these two in.


(Great picture, they look so happy just hanging out)


You give the injections yourself, whoa!
I can just about manage oral meds - did you get some special training for that?

 

[LoriS53]

Max is the fluffed one with yellow. He is ratting and moving better. I think the oral pain meds help.

As for the injections the vet tech gave us training before we left the office. Thankfully my husband is a NICU RN so is well versed with giving injections so I hold Max while Mike does the actual injecting. We did find a trick for oral meds, a small tube, like the size of 2 hairs that Mike got from a doc at work attaches to the end of the syringe. We just slip it in the side of Max's beak while he chews on a piece of cantaloupe and the pain meds go right in.

I will keep you all posted. Thank you all for your support.

 

[Laurasea]

With a fluffed sick bird, I would try and keep the house warmer,ime st 78, and really make sure no drafts near cage, maybe keep two sides covered. Extra warmth really helps sick birds. You can even put a towel on top of the cafe then a heating pad on top of that with a towel on top of it, as long as no way for bird to get to pad or cord, abd they have room to move away if it becomes to warm in that corner. But don't leave on if you leave the house, or at night when you can't be sure if something happens.....Iknow you are treating him with meds, and hopefully he feels better soon!!! But baby the heck out of him, fluffed is feeling pretty poorly. I know you are feeding healthier but make sure he is eating well, even if he needs some of those terrible sunflower seeds till he gets past his infection. If he he is eating great of the good stuff then no worries. But he is spending a lot of energy trying to get well. They naje radiant heat pannels that ha g outside of the cage for birds with a thermostat that turns on and off. I have one for my GCC andvsge always sits on the perch by it after a bath. And I like having it in case anyone ever gets sick.

 

[LoriS53]

I apologize for being AWOL for so long. Max had to go back to the vet again and things have just been busy with Max and the other birds. Turns out Max has a ruptured lung in his cheek so not only has he been fighting infection but his breathing has been compromised. I knew birds had more lungs than humans, they have 10. But was unaware they have one in each cheek. The swelling has been a mixture of air, inflammation and pus. My poor baby has been so sick. I have had the humidifier going, keeping the room warmer than normal and free from drafts. Thankfully the swelling is now starting to go down. They have tapped the cheek twice so hopefully they won't have to put a drain in. I have been getting up in the night to check on him. I want to get him and Hannah a bigger a cage but it is $500 and I don't want to traumatize them more than they have already.

Thank you for all your support! You all mean so much to me!

 

[Laurasea]

Poor Max!!!!! Make sure he is eating well.. you can offer soft foods like oatmeal, brown rice cooked, quinoa cooked, fresh corn cut off the cob, red chilli peppers and baked sweet potato bith have a lot of vitamin A, and I'm sure he needs foods high in vitamin A help immune system... Poor guy, and I know you've been stressed. You got to this parrot in the nick of time!!!!!

 

[LoriS53]

I have been making him cantaloupe juice and blueberry juice and offering it to him along with his water in case he doesn't feel like eating to make sure he is getting his vitamins. I use my food processor to make the juice for him.

I will make sure and add those foods you suggested!

 

[Laurasea]

You need to be careful about juice, abd fruits, too much natural sugar. There us a great thread on here about healthy foods. I envy you the food processor! I'm not smart enough to add links. But some of the brainiacs are sure to. You might have good luck with warm cooked foods, like squash, broccoli, peas, carrots. Be careful with juice, I'm not a 100% sure but I think it's a no no, at least any more than one sip..