CockatooCockatoo
In a previous article about my Double Yellow-head named Casey, I recalled how someone had given him to me. You think I would have learned from that experience. My second Avian Vet suggested that I could work wonders with a Salmon Crested Cockatoo, that was self mutilating. The owners were at wit's end. At the time, common sense prevailed and I declined the offer. Thanks, but no thanks. There's no room in the living room. I was so proud of myself for actually saying no. One Cockatoo was enough for me! But, over the next month I couldn't stop thinking about the parrot. I asked how "Peaches" was at my next visit. She of course, was doing worse. The collar had come off and she had really eaten herself badly. I asked the receptionist to let the owners know I was interested in adopting Peaches. So much for just saying no!
The owners were curious as to why I would adopt a mutilating parrot. I told them that I had managed a Nature Center at a Children's home. I was a vet assistant for six years. I had injured my back and was not working. I was planning on going back to school for a bachelor's degree in veterinary technology. I was home a lot and felt I had time to devote to another Cockatoo. I told them that I attended Parrot Symposiums and spoke to a number of behaviorists. I didn't tell her I had a soft spot in my heart for special animals, but I'm sure they knew that. I made arrangements to meet Peaches at the animal hospital (appropriately named All Creatures Great and Small). I told them if Peaches accepted me I would come and get her later that week.
The owners couldn't get Peaches out of her cage for the visit, so our first meeting was postponed. I knew this bird was in trouble. A Cockatoo should be easy to get out of a cage and if not, the owner must get them out, especially if the bird is bleeding. They also could not put the collar back on their bird. I knew that I was going to adopt this bird no matter what.
Peaches finally made it to the vet's office. When the owner opened her carrier, she ran right up on my shoulder. Bonding apparently wasn't going to be a problem! I questioned her veterinary record. Surely they knew her sex. No. Did Animal Medical Center test her for Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease? "What was that?" the owner asked. What was her blood chemistry like? How should they know? What did they do at the Medical Center? Peaches got a collar and antibiotics. I asked the vet when was her last gram strain? She had never run any gram stains. She had done many surgeries on the wound and given her antibiotics each time. This time, Peaches had her wound cleaned up. At least it didn't need stitches. I made arrangements to pick her up. The owners paid their last vet bill and I went home and tried to figure out where to get the money to pay for all the tests she would need.
I asked Peaches' owner when she had started mutilating. They believed it was when their stepson had come to live with them. She had not really plucked then much, but had gone straight for the flesh. They had treated her and the vet's advice was to put her on a healthy diet of fresh vegetables and pellets. The wife mentioned that they had gone to Atlantic City for the day and Peaches got out of her cage. She had eaten their leather couch and chewed all the knobs off their stove! I got the impression that they didn't find her actions amusing. Someone suggested that they get another parrot to keep Peaches company. I think it was the pet shop that sold Peaches to them. They bought an African Grey. Everyone knows how outgoing and affectionate they are around other birds, not! The owners were giving me Peaches and her $700 cage. Unfortunately, it was only 2'x 2'x 48". This size cage was more appropriate for an Amazon. Peaches was not in the bird room when I went to pick her up. The husband didn't want the Grey to be disturbed. He was afraid Peaches wouldn't come out of her cage. She did and came right over to me. I was amazed to find mirrors in every room of the house. The owners never mentioned them to any of the Vets they bad seen. But, I'm sure they would not have removed them for the parrots sake anyway. I asked if Peaches screamed. "No," he said, "unless you don't pay attention to her." He also told me that the Grey had a very off color vocabulary and used every obscenity known to mankind to tell Peaches to shut up. I gathered she must have screamed a lot or else their Grey is very creative. The cage was dismantled and Peaches put in a carrier. On the ride home, I told her we had no mirrors, only paneling on our walls.
Now that I owned a mutilator, I had to try to cure her. Peaches was on a good balanced diet. I tried spraying her with water often. I tried exposing her to natural sunlight. I set up regular times when she could come out and be cuddled. I did not play with her any more than I could realistically continue on a regular basis. I set limits for her and tried not to spoil her. I attended the Canadian Parrot Symposium and spoke to Chris Davis, who is an excellent bird behaviorist. I learned that curing a mutilator would be almost impossible, especially one that had been mutilating for almost two years. I took her collar off, but within a few days she had done sufficient damage to her skin that I had to put it back on. I had a gram stain done and she had a yeast infection. I wasn't surprised because antibiotics kill off the good bacteria and yeast usually takes over. I treated her yeast infection and gave her yogurt at the direction of the vet. The receptionist told me I was the only client they had who had fecals run on their birds and the vet had to took up the results in a book. It was time to try Avian Vet number three.
I decided to take Peaches to a Board Certified Avian Vet. Dr. McKinley, advertised in our newsletter, so I made an appointment with him. Peaches had done some extensive damage just behind her wing and needed surgery. She would finally have the veterinary work-up she had needed. I told Dr. McKinley I didn't expect her to be cured, but I wanted to try to help her all that I could. He suggested Harrison's Bird Diet. I had to cut her vegetable, fruit and pasta down to 20-40- of her diet. The small cage had to go. I had him run a blood panel, Giardia screen, Chlamydia screen, PBFD DNA probe, and a Polyoma DNA probe. She had a gram stain and culture done and he cultured material from her wound. I went home minus my savings account and tried to figure out how to get a bigger cage. Ray Datz helped solve my cage problem. All the test results were negative except a yeast infection, a bacterial infection in the wound and a low hematocrit reading. That meant she was slightly anemic and he thought that should return to normal. He dispensed Nizoral for the yeast infection, Ketoconazole for the bacterial infection, and Haloperidol for the obsessive compulsive behavior. First the surgery needed to heal. That took over a month. Dr. McKinley wanted her in the larger cage with lots of toys. The Haloperidol was started two days before the collar came off. I had to give her eight drops twice a day oraly. Luckily, she enjoys taking medications. For the first week, I had to maintain that dosage and by the end of the week, I could increase it or decrease it depending on her response. After her first dose, she tried to fly into the side of her new cage. She would lunge, crash and fall to the bottom of her new 3'x 4'x 6' cage. I steadied my nerves, hoping the Haloperidol would start to make her drowsy. But, she only became more agitated. Four days later, she got her head stuck in between a missing bar of her cage. Dr. McKinley was two hours away, so I had to call vet number 4. The local vet said, if you find birds alive and release their heads they will live. She did, and her neck returned to normal a week later. Now she had more scrapes and she started mutilating the scabbed over areas. The collar went back on. The cage had a new bar welded in place and I was back to square one. I spoke to Dr. McKinley and he said she couldn't take the Haloperidol. I just tried to give her a lot of love and toys and kept on researching behavior problems.
The Vet at the Barn was a guest speaker at our club. She claimed a 50- success rate with pluckers. Most research says less than 10- can be stopped permanently. I had to call and make an appointment with vet number 5. I saw Bea, who was Beverly King's associate. She advised me to try Bach Flower Essences. They sounded interesting and safe. I ordered a few that would help change the personality problems Peaches had. Walnut was for change and we wanted a change. Impatience was for irritability and that sounded good too. I also ordered cherry for cleansing, since you can never be too cleansed. Rescue Remedies is a mixture of Bach Flower Essences that can be found in any Health Food store, so I got that one also. You mix ten drops in their water. It smells like flowers. But, Peaches continued to eat her flesh. I tried the Rescue Remedy before my Chemistry midterm, and wasn't nervous at all, but I received the lowest grade I ever got on that test. Bea used cold laser acupuncture on her pressure points. The two treatments did seem to help, but my schedule won't allow for more treatments.
I spoke to Chris Davis again at the Midwest Avian expo in Chicago. She emphasized that pluckers must be loved and accepted by their owners. I told her that I didn't think Peaches liked her name. Chris felt that names were important to parrots and that care must be taken when naming your bird. You might end up with what the name infers. You could get trouble with a bird named Trouble. Chris wondered how Linda Wellington Jones' T-touch would work on birds. Ray Datz just happened to have a copy of the T-touch for dogs. I had attended a seminar on T-touch for horses. I started using the small circles on Peaches, but I can't say I see any changes. I will have to explore this further. I can see another article on this in my future. Now my dilemma is do I call an animal communicator or do I call Chris Davis for a telephone consult?
Diana Lafleur gave me information about Adult Pro-Bac Adult Maximize, sold by Avian Medicine Chest. They also make Bird Calm which is recommended for pluckers. Bird Calm has Bach Flower Essences in it. Diana asked the company if the alcohol content could cause problems in birds. I had stopped using the Flower Essences when my sister-in-law read the contents...26- alcohol. No wonder I was so relaxed. Don, at Avian Medicine Chest, said that it wasn't a problem because it was diluted in water and alcohol evaporates. Avian Medicine Chest recommends that both products be used togcther for maximum effect. The Pro-Bac encourages normal healthy bacteria to grow in the intestinal track of birds. Healthy bacteria prevent yeast and gram negative bacteria infections. This product also boosts the immune system, which is always a benefit. I called and ordered the large size of both products. I was laughing and forgot to ask how much the large size was. What is another $100 anyway and I will have enough to treat the entire Real Macaw Parrot Club. Don advised me to use the Bird Calm three times a day for a week. Thrn go to once a day at her worst time. The Bird Calm also goes in the water every day. The Pro-Bac is mixed in the water everyday for two weeks, then only two to three times a week for maintenance. Peaches has stopped chewing her legs (even with the collar on she can still reach her legs). Her poop is much drier than it has ever been. I have continued to feed Harrison's Bird Diet. Holistic approach is being widely accepted in Veterinary and Medical Medicine today. I think this is a great alternative to explore after traditional tests have been run on all animals. I personally would rather the holistic approach be used in conjunction with traditional medicine.
My recommendation for plucking and mutilators is to have a blood profile done. I would highly recommend a PBFD DNA probe. These birds need to have a Gram Stain done more often than once a year. If yeast or gram negative bacteria are found they should be tested after completing their medication. Peaches should have it done quarterly. These parrots should be misted often, depending on the wamth of their room. If it's too cold, don't spray them without warming up the room. I use a humidifier in the winter. They need lots of toys and appropriate attention. Don't make a fuss when you catch them plucking as you are then rewarding the behavior. Many parrots pluck to get your attention. Ask your vet for suggestions and have them evaluate your bird's diet. Try to see the world from your parrot's point of view. This can really be difficult. You could try calling a behaviorist like Chris Davis, Sally Blanchard or Liz Wilson. Don't give up too easily and continue with a change or a treatment for at least a month. There are no miracle cures. The most successful results are with parrots that have just started. Once the behavior becomes ingrained, it is more difficult to change. But, above all, love and accept your parrots for what they are. You didn't purchase them as a decoration, so why should you care what they look like. Don't blame yourself or take the behavior personally. This uses a lot of negative energy that is disruptive to you and your parrot.
The bottom line is...Peaches is still mutilating. She probably always will. I wouldn't put her in a breeding situation, because I wouldn't want her compulsive personality passed on. I would recommend that people adopt plucking and mutilating parrots only if they will be able to make a financial and emotional commitment to the bird. I would still adopt Peaches if I had it to do all over again, but it is definitely not for everyone.
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