Very concern about a Goffin cockatoo

[dmdonna196334]

Yesturday we did a rescue on 2 birds that the owner had past away on the 21st of this month
we met the attorney at this home and was led to a back bedroom.
when the attorney opened up the door
it was one of the most horrifing site i have ever seen
there was these 2 birds that were loose in this room.
and by the site of it.
it had been like this for many years.
one of them is a goofin cockatoo and the other i believe could be a bluefront amazon
the amazon is missing most of its feathers.
the goffin is plucked in the front and down its legs
there was sunflower seeds and inch think all over the room

now my concern.is the goffin is not eating or drinking
this morning at 10 minutes to 5 i dug out some hand feeding formula and tried to feed the bird.
to at least get something in it.
as soon as my vet opens this morning, Im rushing these birds in.
I have put bowls on the bottom of the cage, i have bowls in its holders.
Im trying to stay with the so called diet they were eating.till they see the vet.
also the goffin i dont think knows how to perch.
it hangs from the side of the cage.
its also so very nervous and I know this is all upsetting for the poor bird.

on the good side the amazon has been eating real good.it seems to want the attention.not like the goffin.
any advice would be great.....thanks donna

[birdlady49]

Wow, what a mess you're faced with. Those poor birds.

Since you think they've been used to living free in a back room for part of their lives, suddenly moving them to a cage must be very traumatic. That would explain, in large part, why they're not eating or drinking. You may have to offer a more gradual introduction to cage life if you can by allowing them to perch on top of the cages and letting them explore the insides when they're ready.

In the meantime, tubefeeding might be in order if they're not taking formula from your spoons. Being at your vet's doorstep the minute the hospital opens is the best and only initial step. You'll know how underweight they are and what you have to do to let them readjust to a new life.

Please please please keep us posted on this sorryful situation.

[Lisa B]

I agree. its prob stress. Amazons are more open to change then other species, so the too might take longer to adjust.
Please keep us informed.

[dmdonna196334]

thanks for the help.
I was at the vet at 9:00 this morning.i admitted the birds and will be back there today at 4:00 to hear the results and we plan on doing with the birds health wise....

Will let everyone know what turns out then we can go from there.
I just hate to see a poor bird in this condition.but will try to do everything i can to make them well........thanks donna

[Lisa B]

thank you donna for trying to help them!

[dmdonna196334]

thank for the support.
We went and picked up the birds from the vet.
the vet said physically amazing they are in good health.
But we havent ruled out internal
we have to wait till tomorrow for the CBC results to have a better idea what is ticking.
the vet said that what he did with the birds was to seperate them and then he put them together.
they seemed to get along better together.
so when we got home we put the birds together and guess what the goffin is eating.YEAH!
so for now the birds will be kept together until we can slowly seperate or maybe things will work out and they may just stay together.
they have been buds for this many years.
it may not be a good idea in the end to seperate the dual.
well will let everyone know tomorrow when i get the results back.............thanks again for all your help...........donna

[Lisa B]

thanks for the update Donna. I hope you get good news and they can rule out any problems......let us know the outcome.

[dmdonna196334]

Good morning, i thought I would post some photos of the goffin and the amazon.
these were taken Sunday after they first got here.
there not the greatest photos, but will try to get better ones now that they are together in a cage.
so far this morning they are doing good.
the only problem I see is the goffin wanting to pick the feathers off the amazon......thanks donna

[KimBear]

Once again, I must ask that members PLEASE LET ME RESPOND FIRST to questions that are posted here. For the most part I can get to the question within a day or so. I work outside the home a couple of days a week, and am doing the best I can. If people think that's not good enough, I am willing to step down.

This is getting extremely frustrating for me. I understand that members are eager to help, but THIS particular part of the board is supposedly a section where the questions are answered by the expert on the panel, which in the case for this page, is me.

I don't know what else to do. Sometimes I feel like I'm helping but other times I wonder. If everyone is posting, what am I here for?

[KimBear]

Donna,

What you're seeing with the Goffin, the reluctance to eat, the clinging to the cage, are signs of fear due to the radical change in the environment. It's highly unlikely that a parrot in good health would not know how to perch. Nervous parrots may hang on the sides of the cage or try to seek the highest ground possible. And it takes a parrot a fair amount of confidence to let down his or her guard long enough to eat, preen or do other things that take attention from the constant need to keep an eye on what's going on.

Judging from the photo, it looks like the Amazon may not recover the feathers on his chest. His head was obvioulsy plucked by someone else, most likely the Goffin, since that's who was in there with him. While it won't hurt to let them be together, keep watch to see if the Goffin continues to overpreen the Amazon. Given that they now have a better home, it's possible they can turn their attention to toys and activities with you, and not be so dependent on one another.

My guess is that in the next few months, you will start to have some challenges with one or possibly both of these birds as they start to acclimate to life with people. Neither of them may have had much in the way of training and may not have a sense of "rules" about how to act. What you're seeing now may not really reflect who these birds are because sometimes there's a period of adjustment when a bird acts much more subdued. Then, eventually the dam bursts!

If you start to see any signs that these birds are prone to biting people when they're afraid or nervous, you'll want to get a handle on that ASAP. Amazons and some cockatoos have a bit of a reputation for attacking people, especially in the face. Just be mindful when you're around them, and realize that emotionally they may be walking a very fine line between getting used to you and totally freaking out. I've talked to many clients who've rescued parrots in situations similar to what these birds have been in (neglect rather than abuse), and it's not uncommon for the birds to have real trust issues with people. A person doesn't have to hit or yell at a bird to "mess them up" mentally. Just letting the bird run amok without much interaction or guidance can force a bird to have difficulty adjusting to life in the "real" world later.

The good news is that I don't think ANY bird is beyond hope. With time and lots of work, even the most wild and out of control parrot can make progress and at least learn to tolerate people. The limiting factor is usually how much effort a person is willing to put into rehabilitation. Yours don't seem that far gone, and it sounds like the prognosis is good!

What you've done is wonderful. It's sad that there are many other parrots in situations like this that need better homes. Preventing this sort of thing would be a good idea. When people buy birds and they aren't prepared to care for them properly, why do they hang on to them rather than try to place them? If horses are being treated badly, someone sees this and usually alerts the authorities. Because parrots are indoors, poor care often goes unrecognized. At least you've been there for these two birds!