Peanut and I say HI ALL!

[Wolf]

Well their body like ours does in fact use sugar as fuel but most of this sugar is converted from other foods and not just fruit. Example of this is carbohydrates which the body breaks down into its components of which at least one is sugar.

[Pajarita]

Yes, all kinds of things are written in the internet but, as they say, the proof is in the pudding and, aside from parrots' dietary ecology, I've been feeding my parrots fruits every day for 23 years and the only ones that are a bit overweight are some (not all, mind you) of the severely handicapped ones which can't fly or even move much. The others are all in good weight so, obviously, eating fruit doesn't really make them fat. And I'll tell you something else, I had a boss years ago that was a bit overweight and did a diet where he only ate fruits until 12 noon every day and he lost all the extra weight just by doing this. Fruit is mostly water and fiber so, when you take this into consideration, you find that most of them have a low glycemic index plus they fill you up!

[karenkc1994]

Thank you guys for all your help. So, I booked an appointment for next week to have Peanut checked out just for a general exam. However, plans changed when he started to look sick yesterday. Puffy feathers, droopy tail, closed eyes, lack of noise and balance, etc. So I got him squeezed in for today at the vet and I have terrible news... The doctor said it seemed like there was a problem with the central nervous system, however, he couldn't really conclude anything because he is still so so young. So basically, Peanut has a very low chance of making it through this illness and I am so heartbroken right now. There was nothing he could do, except tell us to just keep feeding him well to keep his energy up. He said blood work would be the only helpful thing he could do but at such a young age and being so skinny, taking the blood sample may kill him so he didn't recommend doing it. I can't believe this poor baby has to suffer so early in life... For now, I will keep feeding him from the syringe. I made a nest out of a towel for him. I put heating pads on top of his cage and blankets over it as well to keep his space warm. Any other suggestions you guys think will help?

[Pajarita]

Oh, no! What terrible news! Get him a small, cheap cage (he won't chew on it while he is sick), put the heating pad UNDER (heat rises so putting them on top doesn't heat up the cage under it) and cover the cage (so you keep the heat inside the cage) on all sides except for the front (he needs some light but don't shine a light on him). Add some white wheat or rice flour to the formula to try to fatten him up but why is the doctor saying he is too skinny? Wasn't he eating enough before?

What does he mean, exactly, by a disease that attacks the nervous system? Is he talking about toxicity as in metal or some other kind of poisoning? Did he take XRays? Did he prescribe antibiotics, just in case? If he is fluffed up and lethargic, there is a fever which means infection and that requires antibiotics but they are also good for fattening them, you know.

You do realize that, most likely, this is something that he got at the breeder's - have you call him/her asking if any other bird is sick? Could it be psittacosis, maybe?

[karenkc1994]

Thanks for the tip! I actually do have a small cage in handy so I will do that. Well I tried not to overfeed him so he would try and eat his own food but I still fed him 3 times a day. I'm not sure but he said he was all skin and bones from feeling him :s

Well, he said he is too young to really tell exactly what is going on with him. So he couldn't really do much or prescribe anything. He didn't say exactly what he meant by that. All he said was there is a possibility that his central nervous system isn't functioning properly. This is because he noticed that Peanut is limp, rolls on his back all the time, doesn't grip with his feet very well, doesn't balance well, and is calling out randomly like he doesn't even know it. I thought this was pretty typical baby behaviour, such as not balancing very well. But I guess not...

And yes, I believe now that he was sick already when I bought him. I am planning on calling them and bringing him back either today or sometime this week. I'm afraid it will stress the bird out more though because it is an hour and a half drive.... But the breeder told me that the place has been tested for 4 major diseases (can't remember which off the top of my head) but the birds were not individually tested, just the place as a whole.

[karenkc1994]

Update: He can't stand anymore...

[liz]

Don't take him back to the breeder. The breeder will either put him down or neglect him until he dies a long death.
Do the very best you can for him and make sure he is getting enough liquids. Juice would be adding nutrition while adding fluid. If he won't drink use a dropper and give him one drop at a time. Every little bit helps. Emotional support is important too.
You have documented his illness with the vet. I wonder how many others he sold that got into this condition.
I feel so sorry for the little one. He is probably scared as well as sick. Birds try to hide their illness and he can't anymore. I feel sorry for you with what stress you are going through with your baby.

[Pajarita]

Yes, the poor baby had symptoms that would have raised a red flag in everybody with experience but, of course, you not having any point of reference, did not notice anything. This happened to a member of this forum who got extremely offended when I said he must have missed symptoms, insisting that he had not (his bird died at 5 months of age). But I wasn't blaming him, I was merely pointing out that, like you, he thought that everything was OK and normal when, in reality, they couldn't have been but, as he had never had a baby bird before, he missed the symptoms. And this is one of the reasons why I think that for first timers, getting an adult bird from a good rescue is the best and safest way to go because you are starting off with a bird that has survived infancy, has been vetted and evaluated PLUS you can always go back and ask them questions which they will answer in the bird's best interest (breeders would not).

Please don't take the bird back to the breeder! See if you can't find a good rescue run by somebody with experience caring for sick birds and ask them if they would take the baby in, he needs intensive and expert care and I don't think you will be able to provide it -I am not putting you down, mind you, it's that this requires experience...

[karenkc1994]

I never thought owning a baby bird would be any harder than owning a baby dog. I got my dog when he was roughly 14 weeks and he was okay but obviously, they are hardier animals. I've watched most of my budgies get sick and die within days (I never thought about taking them to the vet at the time), plus I have done some research, so although I do recognize most of the signs and symptoms of a sick bird, it was hard to tell with a baby, which was exactly what the doctor said too. I am in no way an expert on parrots but if the doctor couldn't tell what was wrong with him, I don't think many people can. I also don't know anyone in person who does own a parrot, which is a main reason why I am here. I need information from people with personal experience and I am so glad I have all you guys to get us through this.

Liz, I decided to check out the reviews for this place out of curiosity. Although there were very few, most people were happy with their birds. However, I noticed a bad review saying their parrot got sick within 2 weeks of purchase and died very soon at the vet's office. Their problem seems very similar to mine as that customer complained that he sold him an unweaned baby, claiming that it was weaned, and soon enough, the bird got sick...

I didn't get a chance to bring the bird back to the breeder anyways, mainly because I didn't have the time after work to make it there before they close. I didn't want to anyways because I know they wouldn't want to keep a sick bird around with all their other birds. I took the doctor's advice and bought hand-feeding formula instead of using the grounded up pellets that the breeder told me to feed him with. Because Peanut is so skinny, I thought this would fatten him up a bit and give him some more energy. We fed him this last night for dinner and this morning he looks a lot better!! So there may still be hope for him! He's been climbing around his cage, eating the seeds I left in one of his bowls, just overall, seems like he's doing better. I don't want to get my hopes up but I really really hope he will recover from this and that his illness is just due to malnutrition and nothing more.

[liz]

I am so glad that you are optimistic. Don't let up. Malnutrition could be the problem. Even a fat bird (or person) can be malnourished.

Keep up the physical care. Emotional care at this time will help him get stronger and even increase the bond between you.