Replace toys?

[scottr02919]

No, didn't think I needed to because I just bought him and was so reassured that it was in perfect health. If it came with it's papers it would not have needed to go to a vet; right? Otherwise I would have to pay for a vet visit and cannot afford that right now.

You people are being so hard on me for doing this. I didn't expect such criticism. Is this what I should always expect if I do something that is contrary to the majority?

I asked about toys! That was the topic anyway, but I should start another one about bashing the guy that should consult a bird psychologist prior to making an informed decision on his own!

Thanks for making me feel like a piece of dung. Great way to start off the weekend.

[wildirish]

Just a word of warning, birds hide illnesses, even if a breeder/store told you or had proof of a vet visit, any new bird should still go to the vets for a full check up and blood work. What may not show up at one visit may show up later.

The reason everyone is upset is that you had so many problems with a 4 month old baby, then you give that one back and get an even younger one. You have fallen for the line that a younger bird will bond more to you if you handfeed. That is by no means always correct. You only kept the baby for 2 weeks, that isn't long enough for a bird to even get comfortable in a new place. Use the search feature on here and look up "Honeymoon period". It can take months for a bird to feel secure.

You were advised numerous times to go slow and not rush and to have patience. While you admited that you really didn't have the patience, that is exactly what you need with ANY bird. No one ever has a guarantee that any bird will like them. We have ones here that switched alliances after time.

The members here geniunally care for birds and have seen way too many people trade birds like baseball cards, and also way too many people with no handfeeding experience asperate and or cause crop burn/infections. I cannot imagine any true bird board out there not giving you the hard truth. Alot of bird people care more about the birds than the peoples feelings. It really is about trying to make sure the birds survive not the owner. They didn't have a choice as to whose home they are in. So try not to take things in such a way that you don't stick around and learn. But you really should expect some
critizisms due to your recent posts.

You also need to think about the fact that if you cannot afford the first vet visit, what will you do when there is a problem?

[stepht25]

Originally Posted by scottr02919

No, didn't think I needed to because I just bought him and was so reassured that it was in perfect health. If it came with it's papers it would not have needed to go to a vet; right? Otherwise I would have to pay for a vet visit and cannot afford that right now.

If by papers you are talking about a health guarantee - even if you buy a bird with a health guarantee - they are only honored if you take the bird to a qualified vet. in a specific amount of time. (usually within a week of bringing the bird home.) If you don't take the bird to a vet within that time period and it does get sick or die - you're health guarantee is useless.

[Monica]

Wildirish has given sound advice and information.

If the guy freaked out then you do need to mention the store to several people and explain his response and say that you think something is going on...

As for the toys... well there are varying degrees of opinion here... Some will say that if you disinfect and clean the toys they will be fine... others will say that you will need to get rid of them because you don't know if the first bird was sick or not, and you don't want to get the chick sick either.

But you'd really have to disinfect and clean your entire house including any air ducts incase the first bird was sick.

[Valo's Moirana]

Originally Posted by scottr02919

No, didn't think I needed to because I just bought him and was so reassured that it was in perfect health. If it came with it's papers it would not have needed to go to a vet; right? Otherwise I would have to pay for a vet visit and cannot afford that right now.

any bird has to see a vet - it's just precaution... you want to make sure the baby is healthy, no matter what the paperwork says. costs for a wellness-check is part of the initial expenses when getting a bird. not taking him to the vet is irresponsible.

Originally Posted by scottr02919

You people are being so hard on me for doing this. I didn't expect such criticism. Is this what I should always expect if I do something that is contrary to the majority?

criticism is how we grow as individuals - nobody does everything right and the perfect way in the eyes of other people; and we don't have to (which makes us individuals as you stated). however, everybody should be able to take criticism - especially if it is deserved.
also, there's a slight difference between situations - if you do something that only concerns yourself, you can just take another person's opinion and that's it. in this case, we're talking about a living being that depends on humans to survive in its current situation. what you did is something that a lot of people don't agree with since we have a different attitude towards the birds (see wildirish's answer for that)

Originally Posted by scottr02919

I asked about toys! That was the topic anyway, but I should start another one about bashing the guy that should consult a bird psychologist prior to making an informed decision on his own!

the toys should be disinfected and cleaned at least, as monica stated. since you don't know anything about the history of the original bird, you might consider a complete clean-up... it's gonna be a pain, but if you don't wanna risk anything, that's what you have to do. i don't know how many things you already have, but i got the impression you didn't have the original bird for long, so it shouldn't be that much stuff. you might want to get rid of it, and buy new toys and such just to be on the safe side (if you can't afford another cage, make sure to thoroughly clean it - the chew toys i'd definitely throw away).

also, i think this last comment was uncalled for....

Originally Posted by scottr02919

Thanks for making me feel like a piece of dung. Great way to start off the weekend.

i hope your weekend gets better.... if you spend a minute to think about where a lot of us here are coming from, you might be able to understand the responses a little better.
a lot of people here have adopted and/or rescued birds who were "thrown out" by their previous owner for various reasons. those people spend A LOT OF TIME gaining those birds trust and showing the birds that living with humans can be enjoyable. also, a lot of us see the birds as family members (and i don't get rid of my dad if he dosen't behave the way i want him to).
i just feel that you could have spent more time with the sunny instead of returning him. i understand your motivations for doing so, especially regarding the lack of documentation and leg band. however, if it was me in that situation all this would only motivate me to keep the bird, because with this starting point his chances for a nice home are not that great.

also, please make sure that you can afford the bird - vet expenses is part of owning a pet bird, and the vets are usually more pricey since most vets concentrate on mammals and birds are very different. it's something important to consider since you want to make sure you can provide properly for your bird if s/he needs it (if you search this board for threads on vet expenses you will see how many of us do it - keeping a credit card just for vet visits, having money saved up in case something does come up etc)

i wish you all the best of luck with the new baby, and i hope i was able to shed some light on the responses you found offensive. people here are not out to chase users with different opinions - all that matters here is the well being of the feathered friends in our lives.

[2horse]

You asked about toys? Well if the first bird had questionable health I would advise throwing out all toys, too risky. The cage the metal parts can be disinfected but all wood MUST BE BAKED, or thrown away.

To want to buy an unweaned baby just for the sake of handfeeding, and most especially with limited finances for vets, is a seriously bad idea. Any health guarantee that you get for the new baby will only be in regard to a positive illness, there is no guarantee on any problem arising from feeding. It would be best for the baby to be fed by his breeder. Also consider that mixing formula by inexperienced person usually causes wastage, you can't save this mixed formula till the next feed as you will surely make the baby sick. Please re-think this if you have limited finances. A weaned baby makes a far better pet with regard to bonding than an unweaned one. You have more chance bonding to a baby you did not hand feed than one you did as babies don't bond with a parent they leave the nest and find mates elsewhere.

With regard to bands appearing on the other birds feet, I am curious to know how this could have been accomplished as closed bands can only be put on when the baby is very young. I doubt that these birds were the same you saw the first time or they had open bands put on.

[Copper]

Perhaps it would be best to have a cat or a small dog than try for another bird. You did mention that the Sunny was 'causing' you to take more klonapin for your bipolar problems. A cat or a dog will cuddle, they may not talk as we do, and some of our birds do, but they do respond well to human interaction.

[Eliza]

Originally Posted by scottr02919

After paying $350 for a bird that I don't know if it is sick or smuggled, then after getting bit and a mild infection I'd rather not take the risk.

Do you know for a fact that the bite wound was infected BECAUSE of the bird or because of the care of the wound? It is very important to establish the difference. I had hedgehogs and on a few occasions, I'd end up with a skin prick from the quills. It happens to the best of us However, two pricks on the palm of my hand when from teeny little bumps (think of a tiny pimple or ingrown hair) to lesions that took up my entire palm. In a week's time I consulted with my physician and two dermatologist. My physician was about to HAVE ME QUARANTINED AT A HOSPITAL (I am not kidding) when the the derm came back with a diagnosis of a variant strain of ringworm. Since no one in my home or office had ringworm I had to take not one by 5 hedgehogs to the vet for testing. The one I got pricked by indeed had the same form. I was treated, the hedgehogs were treated. Thankfully, it was really something rather silly. While I'm not saying that you need to run to an infectious disease specialist b/c you were bitten by a bird, it's important that you not out-right blame the bird for the infection unless you know for a fact that the wound was infected due to the bird's health.

Originally Posted by scottr02919

...I would have to pay for a vet visit and cannot afford that right now.

One of my favorite animal welfare slogans is this: If you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet.

It is very important that you realize how absolutely, 100% essential it to be able to afford veterinary care for any creature in your care. For birds in particular, diseases can be easily transmitted, no matter how clean the store is or how well-kept a breeder's home may be. Whether I dealt with a store, a rescue or a breeder for any of the various animals I have care for I was ALWAYS told to take that animal to a species-specific vet within 72 hours. Part of that has to do w/ NJ's 72-hour-contract law but the other part is to establish a baseline level of health in the case of emergancy. No, veterinary care is not cheap, just as human health care isn't. I'm sure that you are well aware of that.

It's not fair to an animal to deny it care because you cannot afford it. If you cannot afford the initial vet visit (in my area it's $200-$300 for an avian specialist; that includes bloodwork, fecal exam and gram stain) then my suggestion is this: set aside the next year or three to REALLY learn about parrots (or other companion animal you might be interested in). Visit forums, read the literature, visit shops or breeders or rescues. All the while set aside money each week to create an emergancy fund. It's a little peace of mind for you as a future pet owner.

Please understand: no one here is trying to hurt your feelings, to question your well-being or your intentions. We are merely trying to help. Pets, like children, are something that people are passionate about. Keep in mind that we are all reading words on a screen. There is a lot to be said for face-to-face communication. You do lose that while interacting on-line.

Best wishes,

-e-

[Zoe's Mom]

a lot of people here have adopted and/or rescued birds who were "thrown out" by their previous owner for various reasons. those people spend A LOT OF TIME gaining those birds trust and showing the birds that living with humans can be enjoyable.

I spent over $2,000 after cage, food, toys and bird. Not to mention the last 7 weeks of time energy and patience with many more to come. I still cant, and may never be able to, walk up and pick up my dream bird! However I would NEVER think of bringing him back. I know he came from a bad place and it will take him a LOT of time to learn to trust me. I was aware of this from the start and chose to bring him into my life he did not choose to come into mine. Its like having a child. You chose to have one, they don't ask to be born. You are the provider and care giver and thats that! No exceptions to the rule. Perhaps maybe a different species of animal would be more suitable for you.

[Valo's Moirana]

Originally Posted by Zoe's Mom

I spent over $2,000 after cage, food, toys and bird. Not to mention the last 7 weeks of time energy and patience with many more to come. I still cant, and may never be able to, walk up and pick up my dream bird! However I would NEVER think of bringing him back. I know he came from a bad place and it will take him a LOT of time to learn to trust me. I was aware of this from the start and chose to bring him into my life he did not choose to come into mine. Its like having a child. You chose to have one, they don't ask to be born. You are the provider and care giver and thats that! No exceptions to the rule. Perhaps maybe a different species of animal would be more suitable for you.

holly, if the world was populated by more people like you it would be a better place...