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Post by Anita on Mar 22, 2009 21:32:42 GMT -5
I am heading off to watch some TV and put a binding on a lap quilt. I stayed busy all day long and yesterday we had company all day and cooked out on the grill even though it was cold. We cooked out, but ate in, but it was great anyway.
I also have to go take care of my baby. Poor little Daisy, my 18 year old Cockatiel is getting very unsteady on her feet. Of course she has that deformed leg that is refusing to work anymore, and I think she has gotten arthritis in the rest of her little body because she keeps falling off her perches. The other night she fell and broke a big feather, and it bled. It happened in the middle of the night and I didn't hear her fall, but when I got up there was blood everywhere. Geez, she could have died. We are going to have to put her in a 10 gallon aquarium and put some low perches in for her so when she falls she doesn't hurt herself anymore. The perches will be like a small play area with a ladder or two, and then the bottom of the tank will have bedding on it to make her falls less painful and dangerous. She is to the point of not really wanting to be played with much anymore. When she does come out with me she just sits nestled in my arms on my lap and naps.
I am really not looking forward to her passing as I have raised her from her shell. She was born on April 19, 1991, so she will soon have her 18th birthday.
I will see you all tomorrow. Sleep well and have pleasant dreams.
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Post by neophyte on Mar 22, 2009 21:45:55 GMT -5
Wow. She's lucky to have you for her birdie mom. Good idea about those low perches. Niters. I'm off as well.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2009 21:51:56 GMT -5
I am so sorry about your birdie. I am glad she has you to take care of her. We had a Cockatiel we raised from a tiny, featherless thing. She was precious and she became paralyzed in her legs as she got older. When she first started having problems, Bob built the floor of her cage up so she could still see out. She still climbed on her ladder but would not get on her perches. We were devastated when she died. My heart goes out to you. Get some rest. You have been one busy lady. Hugs, Sandy
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Post by Anita on Mar 23, 2009 7:46:09 GMT -5
Sandy, I never thought about doing that. It would save money buying a tank, and then when I am done with it, it would have to go as I don't have anything else to put in it, nor do I want to either. lol She spends most of her time on the bottom of the cage, or the bottom perch. I think because she knws she is going to end up down there anyway. Last night I heard her flapping around all night. I felt so bad for her I finally got up and get her out and just help her, falling asleep on the couch with her in my lap. I woke a few hours later to a happily sleeping birdie. lol
I will have to have John work on that so we can keep her in her own home. I know she would not be happy out of the cage she has called home for the last 18 years. Thanks so much for telling me about that. :-)
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Post by pippilongstocking on Mar 23, 2009 15:38:26 GMT -5
Oh bless her, Anita What a feather baby she is to have you as a Mum x I hope the solution comes easy for you all.. I know the worry of looking after elderly pets xxx Big hugs! Mandy :)x
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Post by silk on Mar 23, 2009 16:53:54 GMT -5
Anita what a feat raising a bird from the shell. That is dedication and of course Daisy is one of the family. Adorabe and clever birds." They flock in the hundreds where I lived in the dessert... cockatoos are a part of the scenery, we woke to the screeching of them and our large trees were covered in them.
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Post by Anita on Mar 23, 2009 22:53:49 GMT -5
Silk, that would be amazing to wake and see that. I think of the parrot family, besides my Daisy, the Cockatoo is my favorite bird. I love the ones with the coral and also the yellow feathers under the white. They are such beautiful birds. To actually live where they roam free would be amazing to see.
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Post by Huronna on Mar 23, 2009 23:59:41 GMT -5
It's amazing what we do for our wonderful companions. Anything to make their time more comfortable.
18 is a really good long life for a Cockatiel isn't it, I think the cockatoo lives a long life like a macaw right?
I think it was so sweet of you to hold Daisy and allow her to fall asleep with you. What a comfort you are to her
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Post by Anita on Mar 24, 2009 10:10:16 GMT -5
She is like a child Huronna, just as you would comfort a human child when they are sick, or a human parent when their time is drawing near. Some people just don't get the concept of when you take another living breathing thing, whether it be human or animal, you have to make their last days comfortable.
Daisy has outlived all of our expectations. Not because of her age, but the fact that even the vets didn't give her but about 6 months when she was born. Her clutch mate was deformed also and no matter how hard I tried, he/she died before ever getting a full body full of feathers. Cockatiels live to 25+ years if they are healthy, so Daisy has done really well for her deformity.
Cockatoos can live upwards of 100 years if healthy. Same with the Macaws and other large parrots.
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