Hello from Boulder, CO

[kathis]

My name is Kathi. My husband and I have a 6-year-old Senegal parrot named OG. She is my first bird, but my husband has had birds for most of his life. When we were married six years ago, he had a 22-year-old Cockatiel named Humphrey. Humphrey was more than a bit set in his ways and did not like new people. He died of complications from cancer not long after we were married. Jack, my husband, was heartbroken as he and Humphrey had been together for more than 21 years.

We decided to get another bird, and I have to admit I was a bit nervous as I had never been a bird person, and Humphrey never wanted anything to do with me. We did quite a bit of research and decided to look for a Senegal as we lived in a condo and Senegals were not as loud as other parrots. We visited several aviaries and met many young Senegal parrots, but we fell in love with one instantly. We didn't know if she was a girl or boy at the time, but we knew we belonged together. We took her to our vet for an exam and blood work. She was a bit of a runt, but healthy. So we drove back to the aviary and purchased everything we needed to take her home with us that day.

We still didn't know that she was a girl, but wanted to name her right away. The DNA test wouldn't be back for days, so we tried to come up with a fairly generic name. Jack suggested OG (for orange and green). It had a nice ring to it, so OG it was. For the first few days OG did not make a sound. She was adjusting to the new environment. Her cage resides in our home office, so she was with us almost all of the time.

I was so new to the bird thing, I didn't really know what to expect, but I could not have asked for anything more. OG was the perfect bird. She filled our lives with so much joy. Not long after we brought her home, Jack had to go out of town for about a week. While he was gone, OG and I bonded. I started teaching her tricks and within a couple of days she knew how to wave hi, shake hands, turn around, high five, and most impressively stretch on command. Jack was amazed when he returned home and his little girl put on a show for him. Teaching her tricks was not difficult as she only gets seeds when she does one, so she is always ready to show off.

We were told by many that she would bond with one of us over the other, but that was not the case. OG has enough love to share with both of us equally. Every morning we bring her down to breakfast with us, and she would usually end up on one of our cereal bowls to share our food.

We sell rocks and have quite a few small tumbled stones around the house. OG was so drawn to them, we ended up filling a small bowl for her to keep as her own. She would pick up the rock from the kitchen table and run with it to her playstand, as if she was getting away with something she wasn't supposed to be doing. Of course, once she got the rock to the top she would drop it and we would watch her climb back down to go get another rock and start the process all over.

We were also warned that Senegal Parrots tend to go through a bit of a mean stage at about 3 years old. We waited and waited for OG to be mean, and it just never happened. The meanest thing she has every done is "bark" at us when we first come home from being out for a while.

A while back we noticed OG was becoming more and more clumsy, often falling from her perch, and tripping over her own feet when walking on a flat surface. I feel horrible about this now, as we didn't think much of it, we just thought she was not the most graceful bird in the world. Her falls started happening more and more often and she was landing harder and harder. When sitting on our fingers we noticed she didn't even seem to try to grip. We also noticed she was not playing as much with her toys and not as vocal as she used to be. After she fell from her perch the other day, she looked dazed and was "stargazing". We took her to the vet the next day and the news was not good.

OG has lost between 6-10 grams. Her x-ray was somewhat unremarkable. Blood was drawn and tests were run for several things, including beak and feather disease. Only part of the results are in, but because her lymphocytes are off and she is low on albumin and calcium, her doctor is leaning towards a diagnosis of PDD. We are still waiting for the results of the beak and feather disease test, and if negative, the doctor wants to do a barium swallow.

We have made several alterations to OG's environment so that if she does fall she will have a soft landing. She sleeps in her carrier in our bedroom at night, and we keep her with us almost constantly. She is visibly weak and tired, and only seems to eat when we are present, so we are constantly providing her with different things to keep her eating. We are anxiously awaiting news about the rest of the lab results and are hoping and praying that she has something treatable, not PDD.

If someone had told me 7 years ago that I would cry nonstop over the thought of losing a bird, I would have said they were nuts. I never dreamed a bond could be so strong between people and a little parrot. She has made us smile and laugh everyday since she came into our lives and all I want to do right now is find some way to make her better. She is our baby.

So I guess I have rambled on enough background about us. I was happy to find this forum, to talk about the love I have for this precious bird to people who "get it'.

Thanks for reading,

[Mr.Darcy]

Wow! I am sorry to hear that about your bird and will cross my fingers for her and hope for the best!! This is a really great forum with many knowledgable bird owers and lots of Senegal owners.

I hope your little bird is going to be alright
Marlies

[sllywbbt32]

Hi there

Oh my do I ever *get it* as I myself have shed many tears over my wonderful feathered friends in the past that Im surprised there is any left in me but here I sit shedding some for your situation.

I will keep you and your OG in my thoughts and send positive vibes your way hoping that all is well. Please update your post as you learn more from the tests please as I will be checking to see what is happening.

My fingers are crossed for a positive outcome for OG!!!

Ami