Michael wrote:I have never comfort fed Truman and it always worked out fine. He'd scream like a baby but eventually eat his pellets. In fact I even changed him over to a different pellet. It's just now all this stress and trauma may have caused him to regress.
pfinarffle wrote:one big question i had that i haven't read a hint about elsewhere is whether or not you have been having second thoughts about having truman flighted, at least at his current age, given his tendency to go for the window etc.
Michael wrote:Please don't mistake the moral of the story and think the answer is clipping your parrot. I am not suggesting that one bit and I will not be clipping Truman. The important thing to remember is not to contribute to a stressful situation your parrot is in whether flighted or clipped. It is important not to evoke the fight or flight response because then the parrot is in a panic and not thinking clearly which can lead to things like this.
Michael wrote:Actually I think clipping his wings at this stage would be the most pointless thing to do. It's already been over two weeks since the break and the leg is already beginning to look better. A few more weeks and he should be able to walk on it. By having his flight he can stabilize himself and take weight off when he needs to. When he does take off, he is able to land very gently. I've felt how he lands on my hand. He keeps flapping and slowly eases the weight down. I think stepping up is more difficult for him than just flying onto my hand. He also flaps when he wants to turn around on a perch. If anything I think flight is helping him out for the most part. If I were to clip him, he'd still try to fly but just end up crashing and probably hurt himself more. By the time he would realize he is clipped and shouldn't fly, the bones would be healed anyway. He's not flying that much and he doesn't seem to be hurting himself in the process so I think it's alright.
Michael wrote:One more update. Truman didn't eat anything else on his own since I got back and his weight was still a bit low so I hand fed him. For the first time he actually seemed to want it and enjoy it. He was leaning in toward the syringe and pumping a bit. He ate the full 6cc's out of the syringe and barely dripped a drop. So not only does it look like he's starting to eat on his own but also it looks like he's starting to develop an interest in food. Just overall, for the first time since a week ago, he appears to be on a path of improvement.pfinarffle wrote:one big question i had that i haven't read a hint about elsewhere is whether or not you have been having second thoughts about having truman flighted, at least at his current age, given his tendency to go for the window etc.
I wrote about this in one of my earliest updates:Michael wrote:Please don't mistake the moral of the story and think the answer is clipping your parrot. I am not suggesting that one bit and I will not be clipping Truman. The important thing to remember is not to contribute to a stressful situation your parrot is in whether flighted or clipped. It is important not to evoke the fight or flight response because then the parrot is in a panic and not thinking clearly which can lead to things like this.
I also said this:Michael wrote:Actually I think clipping his wings at this stage would be the most pointless thing to do. It's already been over two weeks since the break and the leg is already beginning to look better. A few more weeks and he should be able to walk on it. By having his flight he can stabilize himself and take weight off when he needs to. When he does take off, he is able to land very gently. I've felt how he lands on my hand. He keeps flapping and slowly eases the weight down. I think stepping up is more difficult for him than just flying onto my hand. He also flaps when he wants to turn around on a perch. If anything I think flight is helping him out for the most part. If I were to clip him, he'd still try to fly but just end up crashing and probably hurt himself more. By the time he would realize he is clipped and shouldn't fly, the bones would be healed anyway. He's not flying that much and he doesn't seem to be hurting himself in the process so I think it's alright.
BTW he has never flown into glass. I've just been irritated cause he lands on my window shades a lot and then poops a cascade down them. Interestingly he has barely gone up there since his return so while an unfortunate outcome it does appear that he has learned his lesson. He used to fly up there whenever he had nowhere else to land. and after some time fly back to his cage Lately he aims for it, then changes his mind, turns around and lands on his cage instead. I am much happier with his new choice of landing site. Basically I was overly zealous about trying to scare him off of flying onto those shades. This tactics have worked extremely well with Kili but unfortunately he wasn't prepared for this and it led to a terrible outcome.
As for regression/getting a second opinion. Besides the fact that he's developing an improvement tendency lately, I don't think another vet would be particularly helpful. The simple fact is they really can't do anything about the injury. It's something that will heal on its own but simply needs time. The vets role has been to survey his situation, advise a recovery plan, provide medication that might help achieve it, and to give him emergency feeding if necessary. The vet had no way to fix the injury and all of the stress and difficulties are stemming from the injury. As the injury improves, so does Truman's mental state. Vets can debate over what medications are most suitable all they want but what it really is coming down to is having the patience to wait things out until this heals itself and Truman feels better.
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