Bird

[NoodleCats]

You know you had to circle fry etc. for me before...Now I need dish ID too, lol. I need new glasses!

I used to share a few bites of dairy (cheese, yogurt, etc) w/my very spoiled quaker. "Want some?" & he'd try just about anything. When he first came home I had to decide he didn't need to be out when we ate our dinners...or land on our plates. He was a wonderful pet in many ways...except for that year long "hormonal rage" thing, he bit hard! I didn't know how to handle that very well & thought we might not be able to keep him. But he eventually mellowed out. I was the preferred person mostly, but he purred to both of us if I was not available for petting/snuggles/food.

No worries no worries haha I should wear my glasses but I've gone my whole life without and learned as an adult I'm too far sighted and should wear glasses. But feels weird to me, so I often forget lol. I'm not about to judge

My female cockatiel loves cheese too lol its okay as a rare treat, there's not enough lactose in cheese or yogurt to hurt as an occasional treat or as a medical benefit. But no good to give all the time. But heck, a little bit of brick cheddar and she's a happy bird.

I feed all sorts of things though. Especially bird-safe wild flowers. Mine go bonkers for native asters.

Went and dug up some photos for you

Some of the flowers we feed. Hibiscus, chicory, asters, marigolds, clover, thistle, and mint.


Asters are the favourite.



Lilacs also are enjoyed on nice warm spring days


Made them milk-free omelets with a little bit of cheese to enjoy.


Or they just steal from us anyways


Birdie bread is another hit.



And i hear you about those hormonal bites!

 

[fishorama]

Fantastic flower eating birds! I never thought of that. Thank you for the pics. Such a pretty presentation too, no wonder they love them! I never made bird specific treats but I did make 2 kinds of discus food. I remember sucking the nectar out of lilac flower bottoms as a kid. There were only a few good books for bird info in the olden pre-internet days. But like old fish books there were a lot of old wives tales (no meat for parrots! It'll make them mean). & what is safe for wild birds isn't always safe for others. There was a hornbill in a NA zoo that ate pokeberries growing outside it's aviary & died. Poison ivy berries, meh, even if they're safe there's no way!!

My lovebirds mostly liked veg & fruit but didn't like lima beans in mixed veggies. They'd throw them down with a loud thunk. I couldn't blame them, I don't like them either. I offered other people foods but they weren't often too interested. A bit of peanut butter toast, pasta or scrambled eggs was as adventurous as they got most times.

The quaker would eat almost anything. He could only say a few things clearly but he tried "want some?" all the time. We knew what he meant. He could also poop on command! Before taking him out of the cage, I'd tell him Poop! Good boy! I also kept a newspaper by my chair for potty breaks. Since he couldn't say Ps it wasn't very clear either but again we knew by his dancing around too, like a little kid. Sometimes he'd fly back to his cage but not reliably, there were accidents. I had a friend with an Amazon & he was perfectly potty trained to his cage. I was jealous!

 

[NoodleCats]

Fantastic flower eating birds! I never thought of that. Thank you for the pics. Such a pretty presentation too, no wonder they love them! I never made bird specific treats but I did make 2 kinds of discus food. I remember sucking the nectar out of lilac flower bottoms as a kid. There were only a few good books for bird info in the olden pre-internet days. But like old fish books there were a lot of old wives tales (no meat for parrots! It'll make them mean). & what is safe for wild birds isn't always safe for others. There was a hornbill in a NA zoo that ate pokeberries growing outside it's aviary & died. Poison ivy berries, meh, even if they're safe there's no way!!

My lovebirds mostly liked veg & fruit but didn't like lima beans in mixed veggies. They'd throw them down with a loud thunk. I couldn't blame them, I don't like them either. I offered other people foods but they weren't often too interested. A bit of peanut butter toast, pasta or scrambled eggs was as adventurous as they got most times.

The quaker would eat almost anything. He could only say a few things clearly but he tried "want some?" all the time. We knew what he meant. He could also poop on command! Before taking him out of the cage, I'd tell him Poop! Good boy! I also kept a newspaper by my chair for potty breaks. Since he couldn't say Ps it wasn't very clear either but again we knew by his dancing around too, like a little kid. Sometimes he'd fly back to his cage but not reliably, there were accidents. I had a friend with an Amazon & he was perfectly potty trained to his cage. I was jealous!

Fruit and vegetables too. Fresh herbs are another. My male loves fresh rosemary.


I went and bought some supplies to prepare moving Wing's cage outside.
To prevent neighbors from fiddling with him and the rats getting to him, I am opting to hang the cage outside our window (I'm a 2nd floor unit). I tarped up half his cage for water proofing and draft reduction for shelter from the sun, rain, and wind.

We also got a window bird feeder for his dry foods so we can put it up on our back window for him to come to for food as he wants it.

The door is a slide up door as well, so we tied some rope to that so when the time is ready, we just have to pull open the door so he can choose to start exploring outside

 

[fishorama]

Sounds like a good plan!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Dang Noodle, your birds eat better than I do ? But then so do my fish.

 

[NoodleCats]

We had put his cage outside since I last updated, and we let him get accustomed to the outdoors and the scene outside to prepare him for his release. Tomorrow was going to be the big day the door was opened for him. The weather was going to be consistently beautiful for 3 days after tomorrow, perfect weather to explore in case he didn't come back to the cage for shelter if the weather was bad, you know?

The cruel irony, and the fickle part of trying to help wildlife is things don't always end happy.

I checked him this morning and unfortunately the little guy had passed sometime during the night last night. I'm not sure why, but without a necropsy I just wouldn't know.

The day before his release too


This was the last photo I had gotten of him, just a few days ago.



Thanks for following along his journey, and sorry to update with unhappy news, but that's the way it works with wildlife. You are not always successful. He got a chance he wouldn't have had at least.

 

[dudley]

Sorry for your loss! No matter how hard we try, some things are just beyond our control.

 

[Adorabelle]

Oh Cass, I'm so sorry! You're right that that's how it goes sometimes with wildlife rescue - and you gave him a chance he wouldn't have had otherwise, but it's still so sad and I know you must be upset after all the work and love you put into trying to save him. Sending love and cyber hugs.

 

[NoodleCats]

It stings, but that's the way it works out many times. Usually losses are the first week and then significantly reduce by time they're older but realistically, juvenile birds have a very high mortality rate naturally. It was also pretty hot yesterday and today, that could have played a part in it, but nothing I could have done differently would have helped. Taking him inside wouldn't have helped him adjust to the wild, but obviously leaving him out didn't end well either. He was in a South facing location with shade and fresh water but no helping it.

For all I know, something internally could have been wrong all along, whether injury from falling from his nest or genetic.

 

[Adorabelle]

It stings, but that's the way it works out many times. Usually losses are the first week and then significantly reduce by time they're older but realistically, juvenile birds have a very high mortality rate naturally. It was also pretty hot yesterday and today, that could have played a part in it, but nothing I could have done differently would have helped. Taking him inside wouldn't have helped him adjust to the wild, but obviously leaving him out didn't end well either. He was in a South facing location with shade and fresh water but no helping it.

For all I know, something internally could have been wrong all along, whether injury from falling from his nest or genetic.

All very true! And you're handling it well. It seems so cruel of nature/the universe for this to happen the day before he was due to be released But I've had my share of rescue critters, and I know how attached you get even as you try to keep your distance so they stay wild. it's still rough to lose them, and he was adorable. You're right, there could have been something wrong internally before he even fell from the nest, and you did everything you could for him. Hope the next one will have a happy ending!