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Post by farseeker on Feb 27, 2007 7:49:27 GMT 10
Well, Summer is pretty much over and I've been trying to think of what to do with Squee come Winter. He's lost a lot of feathers over his moult, so he won't be able to be just left 'as is' during the colder period. However, he hates being inside for long periods of time, so I'm trying to come up with ways to keep him warm without him having to become a complete 'inside bird'. Has anyone kept any birds with any kind of feather loss problem, and how did you get them through Winter in relative comfort? I have a few ideas floating around but they're not fully formed yet, so I thought I'd check with those more experienced than me.  |
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Post by Jane on Feb 28, 2007 12:03:51 GMT 10
I'm really not to sure but they do knit those little cardigens for penguins that have been in oil spills and for cockatoos with pbfd, maybe someone who is really handy with knitting could make a mini cardigen? The other thing would be those triangle padded things that shops sell for birds to snuggle in.
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Post by farseeker on Feb 28, 2007 15:51:24 GMT 10
Unfortunately I don't know anyone who is good with knitting. ^^; I was thinking about that the other day though and thought maybe socks might be a viable substitute? Cut down to the right size and with holes for the head and wings... Of course, that leaves the trouble of getting the thing onto him. |
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Post by Jane on Feb 28, 2007 19:31:39 GMT 10
Yep, that's the fun part  But good idea a kids sock might be the answer. |
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Post by silvercloud on Mar 1, 2007 10:47:28 GMT 10
The 'cardies' for birds with PBFD are called Sock Buddies. Have a look on ebay or somewhere like that. You may be able to buy them.
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Post by farseeker on Mar 3, 2007 9:44:53 GMT 10
I've found one on Ebay, so I'm thinking about getting it. I'm also looking to getting a credit card with a very small limit on it, so I can get these things easier and so I have sort of an 'emergency' thing besides my safety amount in my bank account for if something happens.
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Post by vankarhi on Mar 8, 2007 11:46:31 GMT 10
ok is his feather loss a molt?? or is it more serious??? If it is a molt his feathers will grow back before winter time anyway. My birds have been having very big molts this summer and they seem to lasting sooooo long now too. Shrekie has finished though now and is looking almost pristine again and so is Takoda, but Skye is still pinny on the head at the moment.
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Post by farseeker on Mar 8, 2007 13:37:14 GMT 10
It's not a molt - he has PBFD.  That's why I've been so ehhhh over getting another bird, but every person I've talked to including vets has said it'd be good for him, and that there's only a small chance he'll pass it on since they aren't sharing nests etc. At the moment he still has a lot of his grey underfeathers, but a fair amount of his coloured ones on his chest have gone, and you can see a small piece of skin along the edges of his wings where feathers should be. I'm not really even sure if I should try to get him through Winter or say goodbye to him. =/ So I'm saving up to have him checked over by a vet and see what they recommend - just thinking of what we could try so I have some ideas for when I take him in. |
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Post by vankarhi on Mar 10, 2007 9:53:00 GMT 10
ok, I thought it might have been PBFD. If it were me I wouldn't get another bird just yet but that is me and I have read some stories about the disease being really contagious and having to clean the house out and sterilise the house and bird cage and accessories etc before getting another bird (actually they threw all the bird stuff out and bought new stuff). That was on some US forums and I have to admit sometimes they are just so over the top sometimes over there.
But then on the other hand I have a friend who is a vet nurse and she said the same thing your vet said. That the disease is spread by the down feathers and by very very close contact. But I just wouldn't risk getting another bird and risking getting the disease again........but maybe I am just overly cautious and maybe I have read too much US hype also.
Good luck with whatever you do and if you do decide to say goodbye to him........big hugs in advance.
Oh just something I remembered I had a young lorikeet given to me but I was told he might be a runner and that he might have PBFD. I didn't want to risk giving it to my other birds so I took him to the vet who rang a wild life carer up and she came and took him because she cares for these types of birds until their end. Apparently none of her personal pets have contracted the disease yet either. Just another avenue you could think about.
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Post by Phill on Mar 10, 2007 10:32:48 GMT 10
sorry to hear about your bird  i hope everything goes ok. |
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Post by farseeker on Mar 10, 2007 10:45:02 GMT 10
ok, I thought it might have been PBFD. If it were me I wouldn't get another bird just yet but that is me and I have read some stories about the disease being really contagious and having to clean the house out and sterilise the house and bird cage and accessories etc before getting another bird (actually they threw all the bird stuff out and bought new stuff). That was on some US forums and I have to admit sometimes they are just so over the top sometimes over there. But then on the other hand I have a friend who is a vet nurse and she said the same thing your vet said. That the disease is spread by the down feathers and by very very close contact. But I just wouldn't risk getting another bird and risking getting the disease again........but maybe I am just overly cautious and maybe I have read too much US hype also. Good luck with whatever you do and if you do decide to say goodbye to him........big hugs in advance. Oh just something I remembered I had a young lorikeet given to me but I was told he might be a runner and that he might have PBFD. I didn't want to risk giving it to my other birds so I took him to the vet who rang a wild life carer up and she came and took him because she cares for these types of birds until their end. Apparently none of her personal pets have contracted the disease yet either. Just another avenue you could think about. Yeah, I've read some of those horror stories too. On the other hand, every actual person I've talked to has said that it should be okay, and budgies are one of the species that are more resistant to it and it has less of an impact on than, say, cockatoos. At any rate, I just posted about the little budgie that I picked up last week - it was rather more of an impulsive decision than I'm usually comfortable with (particularly considering the sorts of impacts it can potentially have) but if the way the pet store handled it's unwanted birds the way the ones I was used to growing up with did I figured it'd be better to give Anath a shot at a good life rather than leaving her to have it possibly ended in a couple of days. So in this case I think I made the right decision. It's good that you're so cautious. ^^ And if I had been in any other situation I probably wouldn't have chosen to keep Squee or get Anath, but I do think I'm doing right by both of them. And thank you for your well wishes Phill - I've had a lot of time to get used to the idea of Squee having this illness and what it can entail. We've had quite a few pets over the years that have had special circumstances though, so I'm used to having to go a little beyond what is considered 'normal' in caring for them.  |
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Post by AussieBirds on Mar 10, 2007 14:03:33 GMT 10
I have a lorikeet that has PBFD she is around seven years old and as bald as a badger so to speak except for her head, she lives in the kitchen and is as happy as can be just to sit in her cage and play with her toys. We also have a number of cockatiels and a Sulpher Crested Cockatoo that all have the run of the house, as a matter of fact the cockatiels do the house work with my wife, usually perched on her shoulder this includes cleaning out the Lorikeets cage every morning, so they have pretty close contact with each other, the cockatiels show absolutely no sign of the disease, nor does the Cockatoo or the pair of Canaries that are located about 5 ft away from her or the special needs budgies that are close by. It is my opinion that PBFD is not contagious via the air and indeed some birds may even be immune to it. Just my opinion by the way so don't jump all over me for saying it but i can only go by my own experiences with this disease.
John
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Post by farseeker on Mar 10, 2007 19:22:48 GMT 10
Hey John :3 I'm glad to hear about your lorikeet, and I've heard stories like that as well - I think it all just depends on the bird. *shrug* Considering you live in Sydney, how do you go about making sure that your little baldling doesn't freeze?  |
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Post by AussieBirds on Mar 11, 2007 8:39:15 GMT 10
Hey John :3 I'm glad to hear about your lorikeet, and I've heard stories like that as well - I think it all just depends on the bird. *shrug* Considering you live in Sydney, how do you go about making sure that your little baldling doesn't freeze? It's not that cold in Sydney ;D and the cold, as it is, doesn't bother her she is inside at all times and along with the other birds cope quite well with our winter. We have flocks of lorikeets here in Sydney and as my backyard is planted to attract birds we are entertained all year long with visits from native birds, the most prevalent being Lorikeets. John |
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Post by vankarhi on Mar 11, 2007 13:02:40 GMT 10
well that surely is interesting. Jacki also told me that it is not as contagious as we are led to believe...........it contagious, but the vet she works for believes it is in the down feathers that is contagious.
As I said in your other post farseeker............anath is very pretty and congratulations too. ;D
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Post by silvercloud on Mar 11, 2007 23:44:10 GMT 10
I'm assuming you keep Squee inside so maybe you could have a blanket that covers 3 sides of the cage to reduce any drafts during the day and can cover the cage completely at night, and keep him in a room that has heating.
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Post by snakman89 on Mar 19, 2007 16:47:06 GMT 10
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Post by silvercloud on Mar 21, 2007 11:09:06 GMT 10
That explains things easily, thanks for the link.
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Post by snakman89 on Mar 21, 2007 14:03:02 GMT 10
anytime  |
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But good idea a kids sock might be the answer.
That's why I've been so ehhhh over getting another bird, but every person I've talked to including vets has said it'd be good for him, and that there's only a small chance he'll pass it on since they aren't sharing nests etc. 
i hope everything goes ok.
