Male Senegal - Vicious dive and attack

[Pajarita]

Oh, Lord, yes, I had my fourth pneumonia in April (both lungs) and I have never felt so sick in my entire life! I was so weak I couldn't stand up without my head going round and round! I had to do the birds a few minutes at a time and go sit on the toilet seat when I couldn't stand up any longer (the bathroom is next to the birdroom) as well as stopping and sitting down on the stairs on my way up THREE times for a mere 16 steps!

The box I mentioned is not only for the treat but also for him to hide inside. My male adores spending some time in them and is always bothering the hens that have laid eggs in theirs (I put out a number of boxes during breeding season). Right this morning he was sticking his head in the quaker's box (there are no eggs in it, the quaker uses nests all year round) and I could hear her scolding him from it which prompted her mate (a male jenday) to fly from my shoulder (he is very affectionate with me) so he could 'scare' him off -LOL

Yes, it will be hard at the beginning but the only way to cure his aggression is to keep him at a solar schedule, reduce protein and let him out for hours and hours so you will have to be very careful, very creative, very observant and, sometimes, just bite the bullet. Try target training and more one on one at the beginning until he calms down some.

[GatorsMom]

Hi Wolf, I am so glad you are doing well again. I have started the antibiotics and with only 2 pills i was able to feed the birds and dogs with just a little effort, though that effort did exhaust me and sent me back to bed.. but then an hour later i was able to get up and water my organic veggie garden and spend 15 min. or so in the back yard with the dogs, but i could not stand so just sat there with them giving them company.

Pneumonia is very scarey, you wonder if you might die before you thought you would. I hope i continue to get better, just the little extra energy i had today was invigorating. It makes me feel that i want to appreciate things more, and get rid of all the baggage, and learn to live more simply.

Thank you for your great information. I will get better lighting for Gator, when we seem to be getting along i often would put him in his smaller cage and bring him outside for several hours a day. So a good alternative would be to improve his lighting. I like your idea of making the box with the treat inside in front of him while he is in his cage to show him what i am doing... and maybe he will be calm when i finally do it in front of him outside of his cage and not bite me. Thank you to the both of you for all your good info and kindness and understanding. Going to sleep again for a while...

[Harpmaker]

Get well soon, GatorsMom!

Natural sunlight is even better for birds than the fancy lights. My Corsair still doesn't like her harness much, so I take her outside in her travel cage and put her in the shade where we can see each other and the cats can't bother her while I pull weeds. I am fortunate to live where we have parrot-friendly temperatures almost every day, but I realize most people don't have the outdoor option in the winter. Still, use it while you can.

[GatorsMom]

Hi Pajarita and Harpmaker, thanks for the get well wishes, and Pajarita, i am so glad that you made it through that terrible pneumonia, yes what a terrible thing to go thru. The body weakness is the worst, if a friend hadn't insisted on my going to a doctor, i think i very well may have died. I feel about 25% better and here's hoping it continues.. I was actually able to get the strength to have a shower for the first time in 5 days, as it hit me like a hammer within 24hrs. and put me down for the count. I think it was a virus that turned into a bacterial pneumonia. I wondered if when Gator bit me 6 days ago if he may have given me the sickness? Do you know anything about that? I even wondered if he gave me the bird flu? I hadn't eaten until today as i had absolutely no appetite for the last 5 days, but i drank plenty of water... today I had a few care packages of good food dropped off at my door, so i ate a little and Gaiter had some too, a spoon of rice, 2 macaroni noodles, fresh greens, I think he feels more loved with a good variety of foods. Though i don't give him sweets, or ordinary bread, but did find a very good bread lately that i love but don't eat too often 'chai bread' with a high content of chai, so i will once or twice a week give him a small piece of the crust that is covered in chai seeds. Well i seem to be rambling, so i will get some rest.. I just realize talking to you all, is the only activity i have done all week until today. Thank you for all the wonderful advice and support.

[Wolf]

Nope you didn't get it from Gator.

[Pajarita]

No, the only thing you can get from him is chlamydiosis (which used to be called psittacosis), the symptoms are similar but not identical to pneumonia plus you would not feel better with a few days worth of antibiotics (the treatment is 45 days long).