Stumpy's story...very sad

[GorgeouslyJealous]

Found this on a website...so sad

Stumpy's Story

This is a story about a very special Cockatiel who is not only inspiring but one of the bravest and most gentle birds I have ever had the honor to meet.

Stumpy was born on the 16th June 2004. The first two chicks were born with the normal yellow down so it was a great surprise when the third was born with white down. I was happy and excited as this was my first White face but for some unknown reason the mother or the father attacked this little chick violently.

On the 18th of June I went to check on the chicks and to my horror I saw blood inside the nest box. I picked up the little white chick and was horrified to see her feet had been bitten off. I immediately rang the vet who said there was no hope of saving such an injured young creature, but the chick had different ideas. I decided to hand feed her and keep her warm, not really expecting her to live.

20th June and the little white chick was feeding well and gaining weight. I still didn't expect her to survive but she seemed quite content even without her feet. I really didn't want to fall in love with her without knowing if she would live but I soon succumbed to her charms and demands to be fed every two hours. I decided if she was going to fight for her life then I would do all I could to help her.

24th June and she was still feeding and gaining weight. Off to the vet we went for a proper check up to see exactly what her injuries were. As I expected, her feet had been bitten off and also a small part of her wing. The vet warned me even if she lived, she would be handicapped and would need special care for the rest of her life. I was quite prepared to give her all the care she needed. I first made certain she wasn't in any pain as I couldn't be cruel. Once I was assured she was relatively pain free I took her back home with me.

I named her Stumbalina or Stumpy as she is now known. Stumpy continued to thrive and grow and even though I think she missed her feet she never complained. In the beginning she lived in a guinea pig cage as she couldn't perch so height didn't matter so much. Stumpy was more then content to waddle along the back of the couch or be carried outside for little walks.

Stumpy loved nothing more than playing with fledglings probably because they couldn't do much either. She liked bossing them around as well. This is when I learned a valuable lesson.

Without thinking, I put the young fledglings in an ordinary cage and along with them went Stumpy. The young birds climbed to the perch and I saw her looking at them. My heart broke as I watched her face. I moved towards her but stopped and watched amazed as she used her stumps and her beak to climb to the perch. This was something I will never forget and the lesson I learned was to never under-estimate what a little bird with no feet can do.

Stumpy had a lot of trouble balancing on the perch but this was soon rectified by making a sort of verandah as a perch. My friend's husband made her a special ladder to climb. Stumpy was happy!

Stumpy is a permanent part of my family - she is the most affectionate bird and also the smartest. I adapted the play gym so she can get to the top and her cage is designed for her absolute comfort. When I'm feeling useless all I have to do is look at her and I feel ashamed of my thoughts. Well done Stumpy - you will never cease to amaze me with your strength and will to be part of everything!

Footnote:

Sadly Stumpy passed away on June 12th 2005. I will never forget her and she will forever remain in my heart. No words can express how I am feeling but I know she would be telling me to stop the tears and move forward. Stumpy was held lovingly until the end and was not alone. Rest in peace my dear friend.

[Cowgirl Chris]

That was beautiful. I am sorry for your lose. I hope that you at least of many pictures that you can remember stumpy bye

[Winged_Victory]

Wow! is all I can say......Thank you for taking care of Stumpy and giving her a chance. Tears in my eyes.

Gary

[GorgeouslyJealous]

I didnt take care of him...I found this story on a website and it moved me so I posted it here. I would have done the same though.

[Tiki]

There is something special about handicapped birds. They have such a will to live, even when they are stunted from birth. Joel is nursing a stunted baby Quaker now, several of us have had stunted baby cockatiels-me in Jan 2004, a member last year-Miabella had one and more recently Dayna. We have all been amazed by the fighting spirit of these little birds. Sadly, none of us have succeeded in saving the bird (Joel is still trying with his ).

[Cowgirl Chris]

Tiki, let me know how joel does with his ok....Birds have to be one of God's favorite in order to him to create such beautiful, caring, and spirited creatures