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Post by beccilouise on Mar 26, 2016 14:10:24 GMT -5
Typical! David is resisting this with every ounce of his being. I think we are going to rename her Maya, as the syllables are similar to Byron and it will therefore be easy for her to recognise. For those who own female birds, is there anything I need to do differently other than pay special attention to the calcium intake? She bathes regularly and I offer her a bath most days. I assumed that was important for all birds but someone suggested to me today that it was particularly important for females. Is that the case? We also have a UV light for her to help with calcium absorption into vitamin D etc. Her diet is pretty varied but she has a staple of kaytee's cockatiel rainbow mix, which the vet also said was fine for quaker sized birds. These pellets are 0.5% calcium. She also has a calcium block in her cage, I give her an almond every week or so and put some liquid calcium in her wet food once a week. Anything else I need to consider?
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Post by easttex on Mar 26, 2016 18:50:30 GMT -5
Congratulations! My husband could probably relate to David's issue. We have two female dogs, two female cats, the birds are 1 and 1, and he decided our two mice are males, trying to even things out, I think. Well, it became obvious recently that Jake and Elwood are in estrus. Besides the blood spotting, I have been catching some enormous mice in my traps (humane) in the laundry room, where I keep the two. (I hate frustrating everyone like that, but I just can't run a wild mouse breeding enterprise!) So it's down to him and Peppy, and we're not certain about Peppy.  I've never heard that females need to bathe more. Was any explanation given? I wouldn't worry too much about the calcium. Of course they need it, but at this stage Maya probably doesn't need any more than Byron did. It's really important when they're growing, and a female needs more for laying eggs, but you don't have to worry about that for a while. I'm not sure the mineral blocks and cuttle bones do much for them, calcium-wise. Even if they do swallow some, I don't think it's very well digested. As with us, it's best to get it from the diet. If she likes leafy greens, she's getting some there, too. |
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Post by Angela on Mar 26, 2016 19:56:53 GMT -5
Oh wow, welcome to Maya hahah! Love the name by the way. I of course have no advice as you've all had your birds longer than me lol! Best of luck though |
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Post by biteybird on Mar 26, 2016 22:18:39 GMT -5
You could always continue to call her Byron...probably it's just us humans who quibble about gender-specific names. :0
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Post by Jan and Shah on Mar 26, 2016 23:43:29 GMT -5
When I purchased Shah I was told he was a female. I called him Sharni (my mum named him Jade so he was called Sharni Jade). Then when I found out he was a boy, his name changed to Shah although I still call him Sharni Jade when I am cross with him. I also had a cockatiel called Mikey until he laid an egg. But I kept her name to Mikey. Biteybird is correct, it's just us humans that need to have gender-specific names. Maya is a nice name.
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Post by beccilouise on Mar 27, 2016 3:14:29 GMT -5
Thanks all! I know it's just me that is bothered about the name. Maya/Byron is unlikely to give two figs as long as she has food to eat and a shoulder to sit on. I like Maya though, and it sounds pretty similar to Byron, so when I call 'Maya!' in the same tone as 'Byron!' she still answers. The explanation for bathing was that it might help with potential egg-binding, although I felt at the time that this was bird-poo! Maya eats broccoli quite happily but is not so fond of spinach and kale. I will, however, keep trying and maybe just feed these two in her veggie mix occasionally to encourage eating. She also really likes dandelions. I bought Rosemary Low's book on Parrot nutrition recently, which has lots of recommendations, so may go to that to glean some more ideas for calcium intake for the future. Thanks again everyone!
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Post by easttex on Mar 27, 2016 7:10:09 GMT -5
I think it's a fine idea to change her name. When you can't tell gender by appearance, it may eliminate confusion. I just don't like having to explain things. I changed my female CAG's name to Allie from Einstein. She didn't seem to have a problem adapting.
I suspect the bath/binding connection is bird poo, also. It's not like they lie back and relax in the tub. To avoid egg binding it's important that they be able to contract their muscles properly, and calcium helps with that.
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Post by julianna on Mar 27, 2016 13:20:43 GMT -5
Congratulations.... it's a girl!!!!
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Post by beccilouise on Mar 27, 2016 16:13:37 GMT -5
Thanks guys! Had to take her to the vet today for this ongoing sneezing problem. Blimey, I'm glad she's insured! The bill was nearly £500 for all those tests! Sent it STRAIGHT to my insurance company and only have to pay about £50 excess, which I'm really pleased about. I was really worried the constant sneezing might be psittacosis, but she tested negative. Just waiting on the bacterial results now, and she's got some Baydril just as a precaution. Having complete paranoia that something is going to go wrong with the insurance and they are going to refuse to pay, but I set up a direct debit, as far as I'm aware, payments have been going out every month and I've received no notices to say anything is wrong, so I'm sure it's just the anxiety talking. Still, I could definitely do without THAT falling on my head! Poor girlie  |
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Post by Angela on Mar 27, 2016 20:13:03 GMT -5
Poor thing, hope she's ok |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Mar 27, 2016 21:51:37 GMT -5
Aaah yes, insurance. Wish I had got it for the birds. I have it for the dog and will get it for the pony but too late for the birds as they have "pre-existing" conditions which isn't covered by insurance. Hope they can track down what is happening with Maya so it can be fixed. Let us know what shows up.
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Post by beccilouise on Mar 28, 2016 6:50:13 GMT -5
Thanks all, the vet says he wasn't too worried as she was eating well and is still a typical quaker (loud, demanding, cheeky, greedy) and he said her husbandry was very good, which made me feel pleased he said he highly doubts it's anything more than a nasal infection or an irritation in the sinuses. They flushed her sinuses out yesterday using a saline wash and she's been a lot less sneezy since. She's not enjoying the twice-daily baydril drops but if it keeps her healthy she's just going to have to deal with it! Will keep you all posted, but at least she (and David and I) are not all going to die of parrot fever! He said it was a good idea just to eliminate the possibility as obviously it can be serious for birds and humans if not treated, and I wanted to make sure she didn't have it. |
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Post by Angela on Mar 28, 2016 8:55:28 GMT -5
Glad to hear she's ok!
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Post by aaron on Mar 28, 2016 9:50:31 GMT -5
Wow! I'm glad to hear little Maya is okay-- and the one thing we are really strict about with Cupcake because she's female is not ever having access to nest-like areas, which I know you already don't allow. That should go a long way.
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Post by beccilouise on Mar 28, 2016 13:16:50 GMT -5
Thanks aaron! Yes, Maya has no birdie huts or hideaways in her cage or in any other place. The only think she does have is a birdie blanket tied to the side of the cage by her sleeping perch, but its just a flat piece of material for her to snuggle up to and isn't an enclosed space. If she starts getting broody around it though, we'll take it down. We're getting on really well with the training though and she put her head all the way through the harness today three times! She pulled it straight back out again, but it's MASSIVE progress. She's become really fearful of the aviator harness, so I bought her one from leathers4feathers, which is really good. It's a clip-lock harness so easier to put on than the aviator but, arguably, not as escape-proof. However I have pulled and messed with it as much as possible and found it to be pretty secure. They're made by a lady who sells them for charity. I'm wary about recommending them for now as I've not got Maya into it properly. I reckon, from general inspection, that it'll be fine as a harness to take birdie for walks, but would not necessarily be a good flight harness. Anyway, it might at least function as a good training harness for those looking for an alternative to the aviator and I've been really pleased with mine. I bought two so we've always got one spare. She customises them to order and I asked for mine to include elastic on the leash so that Maya wouldn't hurt herself if she bolted. Mine is yellow with a pretty little metal star stamp at the back, and it was only £17.50, so significantly cheaper than an aviator! Again, I hesitate to recommend it for flight as I haven't fully had a chance to test in on Maya yet, and wouldn't want to take her outside in it until I have properly tested how she goes with it, and how effective it is INSIDE where there are no consequences to mistakes! But I've been pretty impressed with its durability so far |
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