Xylon

[littlecharlietoo]

We also have a special abled parrot. Xylon was not born with any handicaps. He was born into the forest - a beautiful, perfect male citron-crested cockatoo. When I tracked his band, they told me he came in 1979 and was an adult at the time. From there, I have no idea where he went or exactly what happened - since he does speak a little and enjoys human touch I assume he was someone's pet for a while but he eventually ended up as an unwanted breeder bird. When I met him at a bird fair, he was circling a filthy, galvanized cage. His face was mangled, his wings pointed out at odd angles, he was missing toes, he wheezed with every breath and STANK. He caught me looking at him and hissed weakly. His price tag was piteously low - another red flag. For just a second our eyes met... there was no hope, only fear and pain. I walked away. My husband quietly told me that this bird was obviously very sick and probably would die soon. We talked, and decided at the very least he deserved a swift and painless end.

We brought him home, put him in quarrantine and waited for Monday when our vet's office opened.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/little...c3.jpg&.src=ph

I left instructions to euthanize if they thought it was best - not wanting to get attached, I just put an "x" for his name. He spent the next week in their avian ICU battling multiple bacterial infections, being treated for parasites, having blood tests and x-rays done. He has had most of the bones in his body broken - including a 'back water' pinion... they simply broke the last bone in each wing, he's missing 3 toes and a large portion of his upper beak. He has nerve damage to his face(mainly around his eyes) and is nearly blind. How he escaped contagious diseases and severe liver damage I will never know. From day 1, he was non-aggressive. He would hiss and shake, but never approach or offer to bite when we changed his food, water and papers. We thought about turning him over to a rescue, but after a few weeks of debate, we decided there was room at the inn. We were concerned about our other birds (male cockatoos have a bad reputation for aggression) so we converted our guest bedroom into another bird room specifically for him. We named him Xylon which is greek for "man of the forest". After a brief period of strengthening his atrophied feet and legs, he was able to use a normal cage. We have only had to make 3 "special" provisions and they were no bother at all. We leave his perches in the same location due to his limited vision, removed his grate (he likes to stand on the tray to rest his feet) and refrained from equipping his cage with a water bottle since his damaged beak would make it difficult to operate. As you can see, he's a very happy boy now... his physical challenges haven't gotten in his way at all!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/little...r=e59d&.src=ph

He is a wonderful old guy and probably the most laid back cockatoo I've ever met. One of the best days of my life was the day he stepped up, spread his poor broken wings and laid his head on my chest while I scratched him.

[Imagemneye]

You are an Angel for giving this poor Bird a second chance at a Happy /healhy life! Kudos to You And As Happy as I am that He is doing SO MUCH better-I'm also SO Darn MAD that anyone could let a bird get that bad to begin with!!!!It Just makes me fume when I read about this kind of neglect and abuse:( Give him a good Scritch for Me OK!

[wildirish]

I have followed Xylons story for a while on another board, and remember how excited you were the day he stepped up for you!

I am sure there will be more times like that!!!!!

[wildirish]

I have followed Xylons story for a while on another board, and remember how excited you were the day he stepped up for you!

I am sure there will be more times like that!!!!!

[CALVINS MOM]

Oh - what a sad but beautiful story. Why would someone abuse this poor baby like this? Kudos to you for all you have done for Xylon!

[littlecharlietoo]

Why would someone abuse this poor baby like this?

I can't speak about anyone but his last owner and it was very clear that he was only worth as much money as he made and since we wouldn't "prove" for them he wasn't worth a dime. They were surprised that anyone would want "worthless" stock. Some of his injuries (beak and toes) probably came from another bird - the others are more typical of a bird that is thrown or hit. The wings, of course were done intentionally.

WI, it's good to see you around! Yes, Xy is our very special boy. He's gotten to where he'll come out with me most nights. He's OK as long as I hold him close while we walk to the aviary or chair or whatever... being carried is pretty scary, but he'll endure that for scratches and a little quiet time. Once he settles in and finds a good spot he really enjoys a bit of a massage. He doesn't like Danny too much and will hiss if he gets close while I'm holding him. He still doesn't bite... he just takes your finger (or whatever) and holds it in his mouth making eye contact. Then he releases you. He CAN bite (and has only when very badly frightened) he just doesn't. He's an absolute love.

[grandma]

What a beautiful story. How long have you had him?

[Ringneckmom]

Jennifer - reading his story again just makes me cry again.

I am so glad that you gave him another chance at love and life.

[littlecharlietoo]

He's been with us nearly 2 years now. Not a whole lot of time considering his age.

Hey RNM, good to see you around! I saw Skye's story here... didn't know that anyone had a forum for disabled birds. How are the other ringies doing?

[Ringneckmom]

Originally Posted by littlecharlietoo

Hey RNM, good to see you around! I saw Skye's story here... didn't know that anyone had a forum for disabled birds. How are the other ringies doing?

They are doing fine. "Suffering" with not as much time out since mommie is on crutches, but otherwise doing great.
How are the rest of your FIDs?

I didn't know of one either (except on Yahoo and that one is pretty dead), but I love this. It is so nice to be able to talk about our Special babies with others that know just how wonderful they are.