The Continuing Capers of Companion-ing Cotton

[Ria.345]

The lights are dimmed in here so I can't get good video, but I wish you could see him investigating the sweeter heater above his cage

Put a new toy or perch inside, no worries, checks out immediately with glee! Put a nondescript white box above head: WORRIES

Inspection passed. Phew!

Also, for those of you wondering if your bird who is terrified of snakes more than anything in the world will react to seagrass being pulled out of the cage bars in case too close to heater -

What was I thinking?!?! I had no idea it would be so LOUD for one thing but DUH it looked just like a snake striking would! Cotton tried to fly across the cage but thank goodness I hadn't removed anything once he was starting to hop and he just skittered across the tops of toys and perches!

It's so silly how we (me) can think I'm being so careful, talking through everything I'm doing, and making sure I'm wearing long sleeves to hide my hands, then SNAKE ATTACK!

He has forgiven me and chattered a little from across the way. Eegads.

Ooooh! Birds do tend to forgive and forget sometimes and others can be quite stubborn about it! Normal thing.
I mess up way too many times with both my birds but I'm still living it up with them!

 

[Laurasea]

Welcome to the poop watching club!

 

[Cottonoid]

There's a family of wild birds nesting in my covered patio roof, and currently at 630pm they are chattering like crazy outside the window, with raindrops plopping on my 1950s tin awnings, and Cotton readying for bed, grinding his beak and beeping/trilling softly here and there, and the dog snoring.... My word, this is heaven.

Edited to add - the wild birds this year have made their nest just at the point I have string lights attached to the patio roof/frame, just at the one point I can see through to the back of the house from where I sit in the living room. Every time they come in or out the lights swing wildly It's a little birdie alarm system!

 

[Cottonoid]

Modern Minnesota equivalent of putting a pot of water on the woodstove to help w humidity - hot water bowls and pots scattered all about. While my son was growing up it was a ritual to pick out which herbs and citrus rinds to put in the nightly pot (Cotton sadly just gets Eau du River Mississippi)

 

[Ria.345]

Modern Minnesota equivalent of putting a pot of water on the woodstove to help w humidity - hot water bowls and pots scattered all about. While my son was growing up it was a ritual to pick out which herbs and citrus rinds to put in the nightly pot (Cotton sadly just gets Eau du River Mississippi)

View attachment 38123

I really like the cage setup. Suits him well and his needs.

 

[Cottonoid]

I really like the cage setup. Suits him well and his needs.

Thank you! It's a work in progress, for sure. The good thing about him removing most of his feathers is that I don't have to worry about the cage being too crowded for a little while!

 

[Cottonoid]

I made an appointment for Friday with a veterinarian I used to work with. I reallllly hope Cotton improves and I won't need to try to capture him :/

If he gets worse (knock on wood) I'm going to see if I can get an appointment with the avian vet that does housecalls. They currently require you bring your pet out to their mobile clinic parked outside your house so I'd still need to catch him, but at least it wouldn't then be a car ride too.

When I've checked in on him, he's playing with toys and still chewing feathers, but at least he's not just resting.

 

[StormyPica]

I really hope all goes well, Cotton, and I really hope he doesn't need the vet to come to your home because it's that bad.

 

[Cottonoid]

I really hope all goes well, Cotton, and I really hope he doesn't need the vet to come to your home because it's that bad.

I wish they were doing actual housecalls where they came in but they stopped due to Covid. He's so terrified of being touched.

I thought about trying to make a scale from a hanging toy and one of those scales you can use for luggage but they don't do grams lol - I'm tempted to ask the grocery store if I can have their produce scale

 

[Cottonoid]

Cotton this evening after dinner

How the sweeter heater is set up (the bowl is on the other side of the cage with warm water to help humidity

I might turn it tonight so the end is over top the perch he's sitting on. Thoughts? He sleeps on the boing in the front so he wouldn't be sleeping directly underneath. He also really likes a new perch high up on the opposite side of the cage for daytime preening (chewing), so I think he'd still have good options? It would be about 7 inches above him; right now it's more like 14 when he uses the back perches.

 

[Laurasea]

Is it just me or do his eyes look a litter better! ❤

Did your heater come with any instructions?
It takes them awhile to learn to sit by it when they want more heat.
I just hold my hand about where they sit and try sbd judge how warm my hand gets and adjust. He is strong and mobile so he can shift if he gets to warm.
My budgies sleep on top of mine when it's chilly its hung facing sideways so only their butts hang down over the heat panel.

And after a bath the others sit right next to, but mine is 20 years old im not sure it puts out the dsne heat as a new one.

 

[Cottonoid]

Is it just me or do his eyes look a litter better! ❤

Did your heater come with any instructions?
It takes them awhile to learn to sit by it when they want more heat.
I just hold my hand about where they sit and try sbd judge how warm my hand gets and adjust. He is strong and mobile so he can shift if he gets to warm.
My budgies sleep on top of mine when it's chilly its hung facing sideways so only their butts hang down over the heat panel.

And after a bath the others sit right next to, but mine is 20 years old im not sure it puts out the dsne heat as a new one.

The instructions say 6 inches above baby chicks, or tilt it so they can choose closer or further from end to end. I always think it's hard to tell with infrared - like in saunas. Give me steam on rocks next to a frozen lake any day My hand laying on top of his cage felt warm but not hot after a minute so I think I'll leave it here tonight and see what he thinks.

He woke me up at 430am this morning; hopefully he doesn't repeat that so that I can see where he's sleeping by morning

I'm very hopeful his eyes are less red/swollen.

 

[Cottonoid]

I *think* he looks a tiny bit better today? 3rd day of antibiotics this evening so 48 hours of being in his system. He's been active normally when I checked on the pet cam.....and is starting to copy the dog's whine when it's close to the time I get home from work

I can't get a weight but I've been making his food with the same ratio of each part and if he's eating about the same things still, he's eating the same amount daily, about 13g average of mostly seeds but hopefully some pellet mash, stray pellets, and mouthing red palm oil on his seeds. His body condition is easier to see now that he's naked and he's still such a little guy.

This morning:

This evening - sorry for the toys in the way!

 

[Laurasea]

I feel like I can see his pupils better?
Less wetness around nose?
Love all the blue on his sweet head
Come on Cotton!!!
How are poops?

 

[Cottonoid]

I feel like I can see his pupils better?
Less wetness around nose?
Love all the blue on his sweet head
Come on Cotton!!!
How are poops?

Yes, eyes! I can almost see the iris distinct from the pupil. I think less wetness around his nose too.

Poops this evening didn't look too abnormal to me - I forgot to take a photo. They were all consistent though.

This morning (so also from overnight) looked a bit all over the place:

 

[Cottonoid]

A very big debt of gratitude to @Laurasea who talked me through my anxiety over catching Cotton to put him in his carrier for the vet!

It didn't seem as traumatic for him as past times I've watched people handle him.

He is also waaaay more active in his carrier than when I brought him home! He jumped down from the perch then was looking for a way to climb back up, so I put a ladder in - he came straight toward me and hopped up on the edge of the opening! (To escape) !!! My whole body and my arm were right there and he was about to step up on my arm to get outta there!

Before he was so scared he just got as far away into the corner as possible and cried.

 

[Laurasea]

good luck with the veterinarian!!! Great job with Cotton! And Cotton sounds like you are being brave!

 

[Cottonoid]

Auntie Laura look at my eyeballs in the sunshine!

(We are waiting in the car for the vet; they're still no contact appointments here)

 

[Laurasea]

Auntie Laura look at my eyeballs in the sunshine!

View attachment 38287


(We are waiting in the car for the vet; they're still no contact appointments here)

Omg! He is going to end up with blue eyes!!!! Great job doxy.

He us so tiny that travel cage is first class roomy

That poop between food bowls is a perfect example of a gorgeous normal poop!

 

[HeatherG]

A very big debt of gratitude to @Laurasea who talked me through my anxiety over catching Cotton to put him in his carrier for the vet!

It didn't seem as traumatic for him as past times I've watched people handle him.

He is also waaaay more active in his carrier than when I brought him home! He jumped down from the perch then was looking for a way to climb back up, so I put a ladder in - he came straight toward me and hopped up on the edge of the opening! (To escape) !!! My whole body and my arm were right there and he was about to step up on my arm to get outta there!

Before he was so scared he just got as far away into the corner as possible and cried.

Poor baby Cotton…