Poor S'mores

[antoinette]

Ratzy beat me to it

 

[apatrimo94]

I was wondering, and lately, I've wanted to do this for a while, should I get her a cage companion? I've read stories of animals that go blind and they're given companion partners to help them get comfortable and get around with their blindness. Plus, I want to get her a companion for her just for enjoyment.

 

[Spiritbird]

Dr AP I think keets are very social birds. If done correctly another one for company may be a good idea. What do the rest of you think??

 

[Ratzy]

Yes, that would be great, but.....remember quarantine. I think she is female so try to get a male, two females don't like sharing branch space usually. Males are more docile. Females don't regurgitate food either and S'mores would be defenceless.

 

[apatrimo94]

Oh, I'll definately qurantine if I get her a companion. I'll start looking into it.

 

[charlotte]

Thank goodness you picked it up, high five to you, for being so observant and taking quick action.
Soon we will be calling you Dr ap I kind of like that
What a scare for everyone concerned.
Praying all goes well.
Keep us posted

How do you know when a bird has a fever??
Char

 

[Aussie Ben]

What a horrible scare for you Ap. Even though being blind in one eye isn't great news, I'm glad the diagnosis wasn't any worse. I am sure you will find a way to help S'mores adapt a little better, you're pretty darn smart.

 

[Birdamor]

Birds do get fevers and, when they are high, you can notice the difference in their beaks, heads (around the ears) and feet but I think one notices several things at the same time: higher temperature to the touch, lethargy, a look of dejection to their stance, fluffed up, less appetite, etc.

Ap, did your vet say a cold or a respiratory infection? Because, as far as I know, birds are physically incapable of getting any of the cold viruses. But this is for the human cold viruses, I don't know of any viruses that birds can catch that would give them a cold that are not the human's ones (I am not questioning, I am just asking out of curiosity and for future reference).

As to her going blind in her other eye, yes, it's not only entirely possible, it is likely. At least, that is the way it goes with dogs, cats and people, and I know of one lovebird that went blind that way, too -first one eye and then the other (she was old by the time it happened and she lived for another two years completely blind). And yes, it is highly likely it is genetics because the greatest majority of the unusual color mutations have genetic problems.

 

[HRH Di]

Ap, I'm glad she got a clean bill of health. Most animals adjust to the loss of sight/hearing/appendage better than people do. Sounds like she already has. I really don't have any advice on the cage mate thing or whether she'll lose the sight in her other eye.

 

[apatrimo94]

Birds do get fevers and, when they are high, you can notice the difference in their beaks, heads (around the ears) and feet but I think one notices several things at the same time: higher temperature to the touch, lethargy, a look of dejection to their stance, fluffed up, less appetite, etc.

Ap, did your vet say a cold or a respiratory infection? Because, as far as I know, birds are physically incapable of getting any of the cold viruses. But this is for the human cold viruses, I don't know of any viruses that birds can catch that would give them a cold that are not the human's ones (I am not questioning, I am just asking out of curiosity and for future reference).

As to her going blind in her other eye, yes, it's not only entirely possible, it is likely. At least, that is the way it goes with dogs, cats and people, and I know of one lovebird that went blind that way, too -first one eye and then the other (she was old by the time it happened and she lived for another two years completely blind). And yes, it is highly likely it is genetics because the greatest majority of the unusual color mutations have genetic problems.

Hey, I was hoping you'd say something on this thread.

He did say repiratory infection, he said it's like a cold. When I was typing the post, I was so tired, I didn't feel like typing out the whole thing, lol.

And I really want you're opinion on this, but should I get her a companion? Look at one of my previous posts that explains my question further.

Thanks

 

[bogo1]

I am impressed that you are so attuned to your keet that you knew something was wrong. That is the outcome of your interactive relationship. ......that you could tell something was off. For one person's bird it might be heat (or not) in the feet. For another's it might be change in droppings or a faint raspy edge to breathing in a bird tucked against your neck. But to sense it early and recognize its significance is all about knowing you bird as a unique creature and that takes time, observational skill, and a love for your pet. Congrats on a job well done and well keep fingers crossed for your little friend.
Barbara

 

[Ratzy]

Birds do get fevers and, when they are high, you can notice the difference in their beaks, heads (around the ears) and feet but I think one notices several things at the same time: higher temperature to the touch, lethargy, a look of dejection to their stance, fluffed up, less appetite, etc.

Ap, did your vet say a cold or a respiratory infection? Because, as far as I know, birds are physically incapable of getting any of the cold viruses. But this is for the human cold viruses, I don't know of any viruses that birds can catch that would give them a cold that are not the human's ones (I am not questioning, I am just asking out of curiosity and for future reference).

As to her going blind in her other eye, yes, it's not only entirely possible, it is likely. At least, that is the way it goes with dogs, cats and people, and I know of one lovebird that went blind that way, too -first one eye and then the other (she was old by the time it happened and she lived for another two years completely blind). And yes, it is highly likely it is genetics because the greatest majority of the unusual color mutations have genetic problems.

In budgies mutations most are fine and don't actually lead to problems due to genetics. I think that inos are more likely to go blind though. Good input.

 

[Birdamor]

In budgies mutations most are fine and don't actually lead to problems due to genetics. I think that inos are more likely to go blind though. Good input.

It depends on how closely related the parent birds blood lines are but, in reality, all human-bred budgies are screwed up. All of them. They just don't last. They are old and rickety by the time they turn ten. You might find one exception every now and then that manages to live a good long life (like Charlie, for example, who lived to be 29) but the truth of the matter is that they have been over and inbred for so many generations that even when you start off with a real good healthy pair of completely unrelated birds and your husbandry is impeccable, your birds would still produce baby budgies that are nowhere near as healthy as the wild ones. And do you know what was the motivation behind all this inbreeding and overbreeding? Color mutations!

 

[Birdamor]

I was wondering, and lately, I've wanted to do this for a while, should I get her a cage companion? I've read stories of animals that go blind and they're given companion partners to help them get comfortable and get around with their blindness. Plus, I want to get her a companion for her just for enjoyment.

IMPO, all parrots should have mates or, at least, a companion. Mates are better for handicapped birds because they do compensate for whatever the handicapped bird is lacking. I have several handicapped budgies (two severely splayed, two who cannot fly due to irreparable wing injuries and one with only one eye) and, although not all of them have mates, the mates of the ones that do go out of their way to make their life easier (one of the splayed legged ones has a perfectly healthy mate and he flies off, picks up food and brings it back to her even when it's not breeding season). I also had an amazon who had terribly deformed legs (she had to have surgery because she had both legs broken when she was a baby -she was 20 years old, one of them healed crooked -but it healed- but the other one never did) and one of them was much shorter than the other (the one that had the surgery -they had to cut off a piece of the bone so the ends would knit back together again) and her mate would stand on her bad side so she could lean on his chest.

Besides, even if he doesn't help her with her handicap, he would still provide a better quality of life for her. Budgie hens love to have a husband. The males don't care so much and some of them don't even pick a mate, preferring, instead, to help out other males in feeding their female but all the little girls want a husband very badly -I guess they never heard about women liberation -LOL

 

[apatrimo94]

ok, I'll start looking into maybe getting her a mate.