Baby Green Wing macaw refusing formula at 11 weeks old

[Pajarita]

Yes, formula is to become thicker and thicker as the bird gets older, especially after he gets to an age where he can eat by himself -at which point you need to feed with a spoon because you can't even suck the formula into the syringe, it's so thick.

I don't like the fact that he still has diarrhea, it's been way too long for him to have it. But the fact that you were feeding him liquidy formula might have had something to do with it. Personally, I would have argued with the vet when she said that he did not need blood work. I have to be honest with you, I've been 'doing' parrots since 1992 and have never had a single vet tell me that blood work was not necessary. Quite the contrary, they all insist on it because they know they can't tell anything from looking and touching a bird...

[chad84]

Hey guys.
Went to vet yesterday but she said the clinic was closed of this week. She said it was an emergency shut-down. she still looked at Robert for a minute and said he is active and bright and looking well. I managed to ask for her private number and she said no. Too many guys are talking to her inappropriately and other people send her 20 photos a day about their rabbit. So she doesn't wanna take any more risks. That was totally understandable. I told her I would check back next week and started packing up to leave. The I told her it's hard to come to clinic to set an appointment and then come back another time to see her. and when I come to set appointment, i still have to WAIT to set it. She said if I promise not to abuse the privilege she would give me her personal number for setting appointments and HOUSE CALLS! Didn't know she did those. I promised and we exchanged numbers. Told her I was married and she doesn't have to look forward to any inappropriate conversations.

So in the end of the brief meeting she told me she would do a faecal analysis to check for parasites, fungus and bacteria AND a x ray to check for blockages and tissue damage sometime next week. I am going to ask the other vet I met before her to do the same thing and compare their notes.

Last night I was really tired and I decided to retire early. My wife left Robert out sleeping on my worked desk. when I awoke this morning, oh the carnage! Destroyed my mouse, speakers, poop was everywhere. he went to town on the monitor. When I woke up and called for him, he screamed in shame and tried to hide. I reached out to touch him and he flew all over the house screaming out. I fed him, kissed him up and put him on the gate to dry off after I cleaned him up.

Below are the most recent pics of him.
Today he is 16 weeks old! Can't believe that months have passed already.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the wonderful world of parrots and their poor keepers' demolished homes! In the future, please make sure he goes to his sleeping cage at night - it's not only that your stuff will be safer, it's that HE will be safer in it, too (they chew on electrical wires and all kinds of bad things for them).

[chad84]

Hi all.
I bring you sad news.
Robert flew away from me at 7:30am this morning at the clinic. He landed on a 36,000 volt power line. It's 1:10pm, that's almost 6hrs he is sitting there in the hut sun with no water or food. I haven't moved. I am writing this in the open by the highway waiting for him to fly down. He is at the back of the vet office.

The electricity company said they cannot shut off the current for a bird. So the vet said he might get weak and fall. So I am here with him crying, he is crying too. Keep me in your prayers.

[Wolf]

OMG !! I really don't know what to say, this is horrible. Anything that you do or don't do to save him is likely to cause him to touch two wires or a ground. it would be better if they could send a bucket truck and try to scare him into flying to a tree, but even that is a big risk, I don't know what to do.

[Pajarita]

Chad, he will NOT come down to you. They never, ever do until they are too weak to hang on. You need to get something to get up there or close enough so he would fly to you (have something that he likes in your hand -like a nut or something like that). Have you contacted the fire dept? The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals? Offer them money!

[chad84]

I have Robert back safely in my care. He has sunburn and he is dehydrated. Gave him pedialyte and he fell asleep immediately after. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. Will update you later when I get to speak to the vet.

[Wolf]

Thank you for the update, I could not sleep last night, not that I ever sleep well, because of my concern about Robert. Please never take him outside without a harness on him or his being in a travel cage. Had I realized that you were doing this without a harness or cage, I would have cautioned against it from the beginning and so I feel that because I did not that I am partly to blame and have let you and Robert down.

[chad84]

Hi guys exhausted after 25 hrs of continuous calling, blazing caribbean sun, looking up and standing up. But it was well worth. Had a couple hours sleep and so did Robert.
We gave him 60 ml pedialyte with a quarter tsp of glucose twice (x2) about 3 hrs apart. Then this evening we made 60 ml of very thin formula mixed with 30 ml of pedialyte. He will have 1 more meal of formula and pedialyte then return gradually to thicker formula until we reach desired thickness.

Robert, after having pedialyte and glucose cocktail, became very active. He didn't want to drink the pedialyte. He complained and protested. I prepared the formula and something amazing happened. He started moving his head up and down slowly (begging) and then as soon as the food touched his tongue he bobbed his head so violently (feeding response) I could not keep the syringe in his beak. Was so relieved that his feeding response returned! He ate 90 ml of the pedialyte/formula mix and begged for more.

Two important things to note is that Robert did the feeding response AND he didn't regurgitate... not even 1 drop fell from his mouth! I have been struggling with those 2 for weeks.

Since then he is happily playing with us and back to his old destructive self walking around the house causing much damage.

The law of our country states that it is illegal to clip/cut/trim the wings of any Avian (especially parrots). I bought a travel carrier and an aviator harness for carrying my baby around.

So relieved he is back with us. Thank you again for your prayers and well wishes.

Below are pictures of some of the spots he went to during his 25 hr long trip.

This is where he landed when he first flew away. 70 ft tall 33,000 Volts.



Close up



The tallest object in the area he flew to. A cell phone tower. 100 ft tall. My wife and I climbed to the very top of the tower. We could not reach him at the last 10 feet as the antenna itself could not be climbed.



Close up.



On the roof top where the cell tower was anchored. We put his toys to entice him to come down.



Another high power wire he flew to after the roof top. 12,000 volts.

[Pajarita]

OMG, I think I would have died of a heart attack if any of my birds had flown to a high power cable!!!

Thank goodness he is safe now!

I second Wolf's comment - NEVER take it for granted that you would be able to 'control' a flighted bird. Sooner or later, something will happen...