Oct 29, 2016 20:51:29 GMT
anastasia
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by anastasia on Feb 6, 2018 8:58:53 GMT
Hi guys, I'm excited and happy but also in a fluster to report my mum announced this morning she is bringing home ANOTHER bird from ANOTHER of her care home residents who can't keep them anymore - that's also how we got Biddy, my budgie and first and only pet bird, some of you might remember. This time it's an Indian Ringneck (at least, that's what she looks like from the photo - the man we're taking her from called her something else but I looked it up and there doesn't appear to be any such species name).
I'm currently on my way to work, and my mum is bringing the parrot, her enclosure, food etc. to our house early this afternoon, so I've got just hours in which to phone her with instructions re: introducing a bigger parrot species to a home that's already got a SICK budgie living in it.
Yes, Biddy still has respiratory symptoms that are still being treated with anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory medicine, and the vet still cannot give us a definitive diagnosis, we are just operating on the assumption that it's probably a fungal infection but might also involve plaques or something else. At the vet's instruction, I've obtained a nebuliser and nebuliser medicine, and am just awaiting the arrival of a plastic pet carrier I've ordered that has a convenient hole for a water bottle that I can put the nebuliser tube through. The plan is, if her symptoms don't go away after a course of nebulization, we have to decide if it's worth risky procedures like X-rays to get a diagnosis or if her quality of life isn't being impacted enough to justify putting her through it, and just carry on with the medicine regime indefinitely.
That's my number one concern right now - disease control. Can Biddy transfer whatever she has to a ringneck, or are they too different? The man has had the ringneck for only a few months, after getting her from a friend who sells birds - is that long enough for us to be confident she doesn't have any diseases herself that could be spread to Biddy?
If there is a risk of contagion, what measures do we need to take - is putting them in different rooms enough, or do we need to do more like wash our hands before entering and leaving the rooms they're in, avoid giving the new bird any of Biddy's old toys, or any other possibly necessary precaution I haven't thought of?
I have researched introducing birds to each other but this is a fairly specific situation - two different species, one with a known illness, the new bird having lived with somebody for months already without appearing ill - so I don't know how much of the generic advice is applicable.
Thank you very very much in advance, fingers crossed this will go well! :
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Post by helenmat on Feb 6, 2018 9:04:49 GMT
I don’t know about your specific situation but I would always air on side of caution and separate rooms for a month. Someone with more experience will hopefully know more.
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Post by clt80 on Feb 6, 2018 11:03:24 GMT
I am of the same opinion as Helenmat.
I only have experience of budgies when it comes to birds. But I would also quarantine too, especially when you know your budgie is currently sick. Just not worth the risk of infecting another bird.
Would love to see photos when your new bird is settled. It's lovely that you and your mum are taking the newbie in.
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Post by Hezz on Feb 6, 2018 19:48:56 GMT
Definitely keep them apart. You may need to always keep them apart, and I wouldn't be looking to give the new bird any of a budgie's toys. Is the other bird perhaps an alexandrine? They do look similar to an indian ringneck, but bigger .. or an african ringneck? Both are much too big for what would usually be considered budgie toys.
Your sick budgie does not need the stress of being hassled by a much bigger bird. Perhaps when he is healthier you might be able to bring them together, but certainly not until you know what the nature of the other bird is like, and then still being very watchful.
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Oct 29, 2016 20:51:29 GMT
anastasia
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by anastasia on Feb 7, 2018 6:28:18 GMT
Thanks, she's here and in a separate room, very quiet and Biddy doesn't seem aware she's in the house yet. So far so good. I've looked up images of the two other species Hezz mentions, and out of those I lean towards African ringneck (partly because of how quiet and passive she has been so far, although the man said she's moulting at the moment so that might be why), but even that doesn't seem quite right - I had no idea how many similar-looking parakeet species there are before I looked them up, and I suspect she's one of the more obscure ones or even a hybrid, because she doesn't look quite like any I've found photographs of so far. At four years old*, she's tiny, and has a short tail - possibly just damaged? Her proportions remind me more of a parrotlet than any kind of parakeet, but her beak colour, slight neck ring and larger size suggest ringneck. Is a ringneck/parrotlet cross possible? These are the best photographs I can get without scaring her before she's had a chance to settle in: postimg.org/image/sk35i8r5h/postimg.org/image/44uxhp7th/*Edit: actually this might be wrong. My mum says she can't specifically remember being told she's four, so she doesn't know where she got the idea from - could be memory confabulation. Hopefully she'll have a chance to speak to the resident man soon and ask him questions from me. There is probably some Chinese whispers going on - whatever the resident was told by his friend has gone through the filter of an aging man's interpretation and memory, which has then gone through the interpretation and memory of my mum before it gets to me.
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Post by helenmat on Feb 7, 2018 8:11:44 GMT
Ahh she looks terrified at the moment. My grandmother had a normal ring neck and it was much bigger than your little one. She looks like she could be an Indian ring neck parakeet or I agree some kind of parrotlet. If her tail stays stumpy I would lean towards parrotlet, unless there is something medical going on with the feathers. I have known Budgies mix with parrotlets but I would never leave them together unattended. Forgive me for mentioning it but I would be fearful of all the tangled tassels hanging in the cage. Edit: whereabouts are you in the uk, I know of an exotic pet centre around Nottingham that may be able to help identify her.
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Post by Hezz on Feb 7, 2018 9:05:47 GMT
Definitely looks like some sort of parrotlet. There are some many different types and mutations of those types, it would probably be hard to ever pin it down without the owner's contribution. At least she is not a huge bird who will scare the budgie.
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Oct 29, 2016 20:51:29 GMT
anastasia
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by anastasia on Feb 7, 2018 20:54:45 GMT
She seems much too big to be a parrotlet (the photographs make her look smaller than she really is) and also squawked this morning, which I've read that parrotlets don't do.
After some googling for "green parrot" "red beak", I'm 95% sure she's actually an Abyssinian lovebird. If you look up photographs and videos of this species, she looks a lot like the females - darker green on the back, ringneck-like head, white line above the beak, parrotlet shape, etc.
Do you all see the resemblance too?
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Post by flightfeathers on Feb 7, 2018 23:48:13 GMT
Almost looks like a baby Indian Ringneck? Congrats on the new bird! She is very cute and pretty!
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Post by Hezz on Feb 8, 2018 1:35:18 GMT
Yes, I do see the resemblance; does the size sound about right? Around 16cms (6.5 inches)? Wikipedia does say that they are an uncommon pet. Any chance of getting some info from the previous owner?
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Oct 29, 2016 20:51:29 GMT
anastasia
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by anastasia on Feb 10, 2018 8:33:15 GMT
Yes, I do see the resemblance; does the size sound about right? Around 16cms (6.5 inches)? Wikipedia does say that they are an uncommon pet. Any chance of getting some info from the previous owner? Yes, and she has just positioned herself against the side of the cage closest to me, not obscured by any toys, and I could clearly see exactly the same dark brown wing markings and yellow tail tip that's in photographs of the Abyssinian lovebird, so I'm now absolutely certain that's what she is! At least now I know what species to research for basic things like diet, lifespan and natural behaviour!
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Post by clt80 on Feb 14, 2018 19:41:57 GMT
How are things going ?
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Oct 29, 2016 20:51:29 GMT
anastasia
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by anastasia on Mar 5, 2018 10:02:29 GMT
It's going well! She is still very hand shy, and while in her cage is jumpy and avoidant of anyone standing right next to it, but when she walks herself out of the cage will choose to stay out for at least several hours and is relaxed with us being that close. Despite a lot of vocal protesting, she will step on to an outreached perch and then let's me carry her short distances on it before flying away, and with persistence I can get her to hold on long enough to get taken to the cage door, where I usually have to nudge her firmly but gently to get her to agree to go inside. She crawled up off the floor up my back and on to my head when I was sitting next to her two days ago, and seemed relaxed as I took her for a ride around the house on my head, then yesterday flew across the hall to land on to my back as I was listening to music on the stairs, and eventually crawled up on to my shoulder after these were taken. I was planning to have her hand tame before trying head and shoulder tame, but she had other ideas obviously!
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,800
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Mar 5, 2018 14:35:54 GMT
Sounds like she's getting on well. Seems quite curious
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Post by helenmat on Mar 5, 2018 16:51:55 GMT
Sounds like you are making excellent progress! Well done.
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