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[Harpmaker]

Your vet scares me. Everything I've heard says that by the time you can see a bird is sick, you may not have "a few weeks" to treat it. I would look for a new one before poor Monty is too sick to test.

[Angie]

Kind of odd really.. Don't understand why they wouldn't get these things done if vomiting isn't a 'normal' thing amongst birds. Guess I should either demand to get these tests done or check the vet who's a lot further away from me.

[Wolf]

This is the hardest area, to me, of keeping birds. We have no choice but to use vets when our little friends are sick and It seems to me that there are a lot of vets who are in it for the money and don't give a damn about our birds. They take undue advantage of their status while we foot the bill for sub standard care. They seem to think that just because we don't have the medical degrees that we are stupid. And then on the other hand we know that avian medicine is still in its infancy and that there is a lot that they don't know. Even human medicine is still largely trial and error. But I still think that they could do a better job than they do.

The only recourse really that we have is to learn as much as we can and to demand better medical care for our birds. I really do hate playing vet hop scotch. OK, time for me to get off my soap box, before I stick my foot in my mouth.

[Angie]

I will soon study to become a veterinary assistant. Looking at these so called avian vets just makes me wanna study more to become a vet myself and have my own practice. I would hate to find out that these people I go to are just in it for the money..

I will give them another call after this weekend and if their answer wont please me, I will go to the avian vet in Amsterdam and ask them to give Monty the care she/he deserves.

[Pajarita]

I can't really tell you what is wrong with Monty but vomiting is never good news for birds. Or, at least, that's what I understand from reading because I've never had a bird throwing up even though I've cared for hundreds of them, and some of them pretty sick, too. Personally, I would want, at the very least, a CBC (to see if there is an infectious process somewhere) but also a choanal swab with culture (takes about 5 days to do a fungal one) because, often, fungal infections don't make the white cell count rise.

If he's pooping normally there is no obstruction, and that's good because, if there was, it would mean surgery.

Do you weigh him regularly? If you don't, please start now because if you notice weight loss, that would be another symptom to add to the vomiting.

[Angie]

I've been trying to look for reasons of what could cause vomiting, but I can't find anything that would make it normal for a bird either. Might've found one post about eating something that didn't really sit well, but just the one post doesn't convince me to not take any actions. (I did make her try some new food that day, but I doubt that was why she was vomiting)

I weigh her every 2 or 3 days and I don't notice any major weight loss; 145 to 150 grams. (read somewhere that a caique weighs between 138 to.. something)

But I definitely want to get these tests done and I will call them after this weekend to make an appointment as soon as possible.

[Pajarita]

You are taking the right approach, in my personal opinion, because many bird problems are curable as long as you catch them early enough. It might have been just a fluke but better save than sorry!

I always tell people you need to observe birds twice a day, every single day. This doesn't mean the usual cleaning, feeding, watering, kissing, cuddling, etc. It means just standing there looking and making mental notes for a long while. Is the bird perching/moving/reacting/interacting normally? Is it eating with a good appetite or just picking? Are the eyes wide open and bright? Sneezing? Shaking the head? Too much scratching? Worrying the feet with its beak? Favoring any part of the body? Does it become inactive, sleepy or fluffed up after breakfast? Is the bird flying as frequently and with the same strength it usually shows? And, although I mentioned this last, it is actually the BIG one because, in my personal experience, the very first symptom is ALWAYS weakness/awkwardness in flight/landing or a sudden desire not to fly as much or at all (usually, the very, very first thing you notice is the change in vertical flight -when they fly up from the floor, for example- because they don't quite make it all the way up and stop halfway) -- and also why clipping is so dangerous for them (it robs the owner of the first inkling that something might be wrong).

[Angie]

I check her quite often because I wanna make sure she's fine and all, so I'm doing okay on that department.

So far she's eating very well. She was clipped when I got her, but she has been able to jump to me from the table to the couch (which is quite far), she's very VERY VERRRRYYYY active. Quite a handful, a little bundle of energy!

But there are a few things that worry me, the sneezing. I've read that caiques scratch themselves quite a bit and have this habit of putting their nail in their nose and then make themselves sneeze, which I suppose is okay when it's a normal sneeze... but sometimes they're wet sneezes. So she really needs to get these tests done.

Also when it comes to flight, I am a bit scared to grow back her flight feathers. She's sooooooooooo clumsy and hyperactive. I've put her tree in front of the window to let her know that there's something blocking her way, but when she's in her playful mood... It's like she took a stupid pill and just does whatever she likes without thinking. xD

I appreciate the input, learning quite a bit from you guys!

[Wolf]

I would most definitely watch the sneezing, it worries me. I can't say for sure, but I think that I read somewhere that this species of bird may be more prone to respiratory issues than others. I just can't say for sure as I don't remember where I read it.
I really think that her clumsiness will disappear with the return of her flight capabilities.

[Pajarita]

I agree with Wolf, don't worry about her clumsiness, she will be an ace of the air in no time at all once she has gotten back her primaries and has had some time to practice - and worry about the sneezes. A baby bird should have no reason whatsoever for them UNLESS she is kept in a room with VERY dry air (they need quite an amount of humidity in the air).