Bird Hunger Strike??!!

[kimbo]

im so sorry for your loss. you must be devastated. i dont think you did anything wrong, not much consolation but parrots are very good at hiding illness.

[pabeth]

Thanks everyone. I have been just been heartbroken. Luckily I did know to keep my birds separate when I got her, so they were across rooms and never shared anything, thank goodness. I washed everything down and I will probably do it again when I get another one.

SO Now I have a question. When I think about getting another parrotlet, I am now torn between getting an older bird-- closer to a year old or to get another baby. My parakeet was a baby when I got her, seven years ago, and she was fine, but parent-raised; and then my other birds over my childhood were babies and hand-fed, but my dad is really good with birds. Maybe I need an older bird that has a better immune system but then again, they have been eating on their own and sort of stop caring about people as much, especially when they are all just hanging out with other birds. Where as babies still remember being hand fed and are more impressionable and trusting. But I'm scared to get another baby because then maybe the same thing would happen again. My sister said to get the older bird, but my dad says that I should get a baby.

What do you guys think?

[kimbo]

i dont think that getting another baby is wrong. you cant compare what happened to what might happen.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I think whenever we let another into our hearts, be they bird or cat or dog or horse or even human, we take the risk that we will suffer loss. With our shorter-lived pets, we may be more ready to accept it as they age, but anything can happen at any time. It seems that a young bird might be a slightly higher risk than an older one from what others have said, but even if you adopt an older bird, the first few months the risk of something going wrong is higher due to both the stress of change and the fact that you weren't in control of the previous environment.

My advice, for what it is worth, would be to decide what you really deep down want the most, without considering risk factors, and do that. In either case, you might want to insist on a well-bird checkup prior to closing the deal to acquire the bird, which should increase the odds of heading off a problem. I don't know how often that's permitted, but I've read advice to do it, and it is certainly typically a large part of the purchase process when buying a horse!

Most of all, be kind to yourself and let yourself heal. If getting a new bird right now seems stressful, maybe you can wait for a little while?

[pabeth]

Yes, I am going to wait some time, but trying to make a decision. It was 3 years of searching before I found some here and the ones that they have now are 10 months old, he says they don't really sell well so he doesn't even know if he will get more. The breeder I emailed said he stopped breeded them too (maybe it was their supplier?). The store I got Kiwi from says they don't know when they will get them, maybe a month or two or maybe not for a while, but then I wasn't too sure about the health of those birds. The other store said if they do, it will not be for three or four months maybe. The store who is selling the 10 months old said it wasn't that old, but they have been ween probably for over 8 months, and they were soo flighty and freaking out because they never interact with people, except to get their food and water changed, which probably they do in a hurry and scare them more. I know that the bird can come around, but I am also afraid that the bird might not come around (my parent raised parakeet didn't) because he's been with only birds for so long. If I wait longer to see if the other places will carry new babies and they dont', those 10 month olds will get older without human interaction. I don't need one NOW, but I know that I don't want to miss my chance and have to wait another 3-4 years before I see them again. I have seen online they ship birds, but that is just something i don't want to do. Even I get uncomfortable and stressed traveling... a little bird shouldn't have to do that.