Do I look like the Orphaned bird lady or what?!

[OwnedbyMacaws]

OMG! You folks aren't going to believe this! I went out to run errands this morning as I usually do and when I came home there are two birds in a cage under my garage!! I kid you not. No person around or anything, just the cage and the birds. Oh, but there is a note. It says :

Their names are Mickey and Mallory. I've driven by your house and seen your birds out in the the cage so I thought maybe you might like to have them or at least know where they can find a good home. I can't take care of them anymore.

Its like something out of a sappy movie only they left me birds instead of a baby. I have never in my life heard of something like this happening to anyone else.

So, after getting over my initial shock and terror, I try to get a good look at these birds. I think its a Greenwing and a Military, but it's hard to be sure because there are very few feathers left on them. Also because when I approach the cage, they both attack, even through the bars. Best I can tell right now, the eyes look clear, and no sneezing or anything, but who knows.

There is no rescue near here or breeders (my friend the breeder lives two states over) and obviously I'm not going to find a home for these guys in the state they are in, and then its going to be a hard thing considering they seem to think humans are evil. These birds tried to get to me when I tried to put fresh water in their bowl, which was OUTSIDE of the cage. My best bet is going to be the Vet, but I know him well enough to bet he is going to try to say no and make me keep them until they're healthy, although I am sure he will help me find them a home afterward.

I called and they can't see us until Thursday since it's not an emergency. He was kind enough to get on the phone with me and remind me to quarentine them from the girls and assure me that it would be ok when I was about to burst into tears on him.

Now, I could spend the rest of this post wondering how someone could do something like this to these poor birds, and to poor me, cause trust me when I say I am mad as you know what, but instead I am going to ask for help from you guys.

I am ashamed to say I never quarentined any of the girls when I got them. And I definately should have done so with Bonnie and Lola. But I got lucky and we were all fine. Also, I've never dealt with such angry birds. Bonnie was angry when we got her, but she had been handled before and she wasn't nearly as nasty as this. For her it was a matter of learning who was the boss and that it wasn't her. These guys act like they've never been handled at all.
As I sit here and type this they are sitting in my kitchen hanging on the cage bars closest to me hissing. I have no idea how to even begin to start.

And I'm going to have to handle them some. The cage they are in is much too small, about 28X20x maybe 60. Definately too small for one macaw, much less two. A friend at the pet store is going to loan me one of their display cages for a while.

So can you guys help me? Tell me what I need to do until I can get to the vet on Thursday? I've got a call in to my breeder friend for help as well, but I don't know when she'll be able to get back to me.

I saw what looked like dried up fruit in the bottom of the cage, as well as seeds and pellets in the bowl so I guess I should just feed them a normal macaw diet?

And I'm gonna have to handle them to get them into this other cage. How to go about it with the least amount of stress for them and the least amount of danger for me?

Anything else I need to know between then and now?

Help!

Signed
Dana who's going to kill the person who did this if she ever finds them

[Rue]

Good Grief! What a thing to have happen! In this case I'd be quite concerned about a proper quarantine (ie. changing clothes after handling the birds) and would make a vet visit a priority.

Can you post a picture?

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

Wow Dana!

If the weather is warm enough in your area, I would keep the macaws in your garage, a screen house, or the like. Without knowing WHY they are nekkid ( tho I would suspect the boob may have had them in the same cage trying to mate them) you should keep them away from your fids at all costs. I would NOT try to put them in another cage just yet, unless you can figure out a way to put their current cage IN the new cage and let them come out on their own. The other choice would be to don a long sleeved sweatshirt and physically remove one of them from the cage..depending upon the size of your loaner cage, which ever will fit 'best'..I know it sounds drastic and will no doubt cause stress to you and the birds, but in the long run it will smooth itself out.

I have no doubt they are angry and very protective- esp. of each other. I wonder if maybe you have a pair of females or vice versa..

Please try to post pics, and where are you located...maybe somebody on the board can help!

[OwnedbyMacaws]

Originally Posted by Rue

Good Grief! What a thing to have happen! In this case I'd be quite concerned about a proper quarantine (ie. changing clothes after handling the birds) and would make a vet visit a priority.

Can you post a picture?

I hadn't thought about changing, thanks. And I am going to do my very very best to talk the vet into keeping these two. I am not qualified to handle this size of a problem. I don't even know where to begin.

ETA: I missed the pic request. I wish like the devil I could! If I ever get me #@!$& digital camera back fro mthe shop....

[Rue]

...I had looked into importing a bird from the US...and in order to do so our place had to meet the following quarantine restrictions:

Quarantine building 400 m. from building with other birds in it (which is a weird one, because how do you do that in the city? Even on our acerage it's difficult, but we could have set up in a room in our barn - with inspection approval).

Change of clothes AND shoes. Clothes (i.e. coveralls) and shoes were to remain OUTSIDE the quarantine room except for frequent laundering - and was recommended to launder at a laundrymat or someone else's place (with no birds!).

Dishes needed to be washed at Quarantine site.

Quarantine was to last 90 days.

Although it was doable, I decided against importing a baby parrot. I thought it would be overly stressful for the bird. If I was importing more than one, so that they had each others company - I may have tried it.

[DocT]

Wow Dana what a situation to be put in...the nerve of some people never ceases to amaze me. Well at least you are going to get them to the vet and thats the most important thing right now. Hopefully your vet can help you find homes for them. If they are in way too small of a cage that could be some of the plucking problems they have. Where are you located Dana you can pm me I know a few people in rescue who could possibly help you out. This is an awful lot of extra work for you and the problem of being sure your own birds are protected ((sheesh)) bonniet0211@hotmail.com
Good luck and just take one day at a time.

Bonnie

[dlaonivcee]

I have no Macaw knowledge, but I want to wish you the best of luck dealing with these guys and finding a home for them!

[BirdzRmylife]

Oh man Dana thats extremely rough! However, I think these birds are extremely lucvky to have reached your loving home, where they will be able to be care for, and placed properly into a stable loving home.

I once was given a budgie, four years ago... whom lived in a carrying cage. This little bird was the devil/ is the devil, and was ovbiously abused. She too would go out of ehr way to travel along her cage to where a human finger was and BITE. Peaches has gotten alot better, however she's still a little biter.

I wish you the best of luck

[t3sillyquakers]

wow, i can understand how you feel, i have had kittens dropped at my stairs and boy i was kitten clueless. I put them in the bathroom, put a gate up and went and took a nap.... Yea Right, next thing i knew the kittens where on the couch napping with me, turned out they knew how to climb. On another occasion i came home to a bunny in a box. If you can, talk to neighbors perhaps someone saw or knows who dropped them off. I would then insist they help out, at the very least with some $$. Afterwards kick her /his butt. This person probably thought they were doing a good thing, but they dumped their headache on you. Shame, shame, shame on ppl who cant figure out how easy it is to call a rescue or ask for help.
I wish you the best of luck

[birdyland]

Wow. The nerve of people. Not to leave you the bird, that was the "right" thing to do.... but the nerve of them to let the birds get to that condition.

You are capable. If not to keep them, at least to get them into a better situation. I applaud you in your realization that you may not be capable to keep them. BUT that being said, take it one day at a time, they may be traumatized, and might, at least, calm down a bit.

Good luck. Please tell us your location so that we might be of some use. I know if I were close, I'd be right over to help, you don't have to do it alone!