[FoxersArtist]

I really don't like the way this year has been going with the birds. Bhodi was killed when his new owners used a teflon pan, then we lost little Easter to an acute onset of Fatty Liver Disease from years of a poor diet with her previous owner. I do not blame myself for losing them but am very hurt over their losses.

Last night I went into the aviary to say goodnight to everybirdy as I do every night. I noticed that Orbit had not touched his food, which is usually mostly gone halfway through the day. His poops were mostly urates. I thought that was odd so I took him out. His grip was really light and he was wobbling. He has been losing a little bit of weight since his diet change, but I figured it was likely due to the fact that the nectar they are now on has less filler in it than their old stuff and he has not been underweight.

I brought Orbit in the house and warmed him some nectar and tried to handfeed him. He wouldn't take any. He was cold, so I wrapped him in a warm towel and held him. He got a lot weaker as I held him and I panicked since it was too late to see any vet who deals with birds. I did not know if the size SS tube I have is safe for him so instead I got the idea that he might eat something really sweet, which would also help his blood sugar. I chose agave nectar because it has a considerably lower glycemic load than regular sugar since it is from fruit and has some nutritional value. Orbit licked up almost a whole cc and I watched him bounce back to life a little. I put him in an incubator with a heating pad and prayed he would live until this morning when I could get him to the vets.

I checked on him every hour to make sure he was ok. My vets office was closed, which I always dred and when they are closed, another vets office is on call for them. I was able to get Orbit in this morning to see another avian specialist who did a CBC, gram stain and examined him. His gram stain showed lots of gram negative bacteria and the vet thinks he has a GI infection. I crumbled when I heard the result but felt relieved that maybe it isn't something uncurable. I feel unimaginably guilty. Was it my fault? We always wash bowls with hot soapy water, and change waters twice a day. He has not been exposed to fresh food that sits. Should I have been changing his water more often? The vet said that the bacteria could have come from anywhere - carried on fruit and veggies, most likely, or onset by too much stress, even though nothing has really changed in the aviary recently. Now I'm worried about Mars too, since she eats a lot of the same things.

The vet did not have any type of lory powder or nectar to tube feed Orbit, despite him being really weak. I have heard that baby bird formula is ok, but would not want to irritate an already very unhappy GI system. The vet would not give me the right size tube for fear that I might kill the bird since they do not normally work with me or know me, but indicated that the tube I have will work, even though it is small enough to fit down both holes in his throat with ease. I got Orbit back home, gave him his antibiotic and some more agave nectar to give me a little time to pull myself together. It has been several years since I tube fed Tiki (a sick/emaciated cockatiel someone brought to me) and Orbit is so near to my heart that I would never forgive myself if I hurt him. He's my baby. I ran over to a friends to get a bigger feeding tube, one that might have less risk of sliding down the windpipe, but when I got there, I quickly realized that it is way too big. My friend was able to offer a lot of support, which was probably exactly what I needed.

I came home and mixed his nectar. I felt the tube on my finger as it went in and let out a big sigh. I felt an instant relief to know that he has a full crop at least for a little while. He is standing a little taller and even went over to pick at some of the nectar in his dish in the incubator.

Please keep my baby in your prayers and pray also that I would have the nerve to continue to care for him at least over the weekend until my vets office opens again. I know that I would never attempt feeding him unless I was sure the tube was down the right side, but it is still really frazzling when it is one you are so attached to and you know that accidents happen sometimes.
-Anna