Gumby are you ok?

[sindy_tech]

Hi everyone,

Gumby our 4 month old brown head parrot has been with us for about 2 months now. 5 days after we brought her home we wanted her to be seen for an exam at the vet. She had a scab on her nose. During the exam the vet noticed she was very small and After a series of xrays, stool analysis and all that fun stuff... we found out that she was REALLY SICK! She had yeast and bad bacteria which was resistant to most antibiotics and a stomach twice the normal size. The vet herself working with avian for yrs couldnt believe how sick she was and how WELL she was hidding it! Gumby was hospitalized for about 4 days and for the past month and a hAlf given antibiotics, pain killers. Due to this the vet recommended we wait to wean her. Gumby has been weaned fir about 1wk and a half now. so i guess you can imagen how much we've invested in her in the last 2 months. We love her sooo much ! This near death experience has made the bond soooo much stronger! However! Now i find myself monitoring her all the time it scares me! Ive seen her hang out twice in the past two days hanging out at the bottom of the cage. She is eating well however she has always. Her weight is the same everyday! Her stools look good. She scratches a lot but we just did a full treatment for mites... Should i take her back or am i just being a worried mom?

[cml]

You sound like a great parrot mom !

Its hard to tell since we dont know the history, but if you're worried, take her in. Better safe than sorry.

I dont know if browns spend time on the cage floor. My parrots dont in this cage, but its 6 foot tall (and almost 7 wide ^^), and there is no perch lower than about 3 foot, so they really not interested in climbing down. In an earlier cage I had for a short time when we first got Stitch, a wide flight cage, he climbed down on occasion.

If everything is normal though, I wouldnt worry too much. You're bound to be extra worried now after this. Keep monitoring stools and weight. If you are worried, take her to the vet =).

[janetafloat]

I can really relate - my Senegal Alfie was sick within a couple of weeks after I got him and then had a reoccurrence a few weeks later so, all in all, had three rounds of antibiotics. As a consequence it has taken me months to stop worrying about every little thing and seeing things that weren't there. I would go into panic mode over him all the time. I'm feeling a lot better now but still little things can start it up again! As far as being on the bottom of the cage goes, Alfie quite often hangs out on the bottom of his cage. He runs around on it and sometimes throws some big round beads around and chases them. Senegals & Brown Headed parrots are very similar aren't they? He also, I have to say, is going through his first moult and is super scratchy - I call him 'the itchy and scratchy show'!
Try not to worry...if she's eating well, her poop is right and you're not seeing any other signs of illness then the chances are she's fine

[sindy_tech]

Thanks you guys!!! Great advice! I havent seen her at the bottom since ! She seems to be in a great mood since our move yesterday! She has been showing even more interest in toys and trying new fruits nd veggies! Her poop is normal and she s eating very well! What amazing pets these little guys are! We had friends over last night and she was so happy to get scratches from everyone.