Time to work on my manners.

I have never professed to be very lady-like. In fact, I think it's my tomboy attitude mixed with the love of good tea that originally charmed my husband.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that on Friday, when I happened to belch perhaps a bit too obnoxiously, that my little bird decided to chime in with his own resounding "Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaak!"

My husband about died from laughter. And I almost died from shame.

Results

Four vet visits.
+
Three blood draws.
+
Four weeks of medication.
+
Four different medicines
_______________________

23g of healthy bird

I don't mean to brag, but...

...Rex has gorgeous feathers.

Rex also has another appointment with the vet. I still don't think he's doing quite right. More blood work and another cytology at 5pm.

On the Subject of Toys

I'm truly amazed by how much information is in Kris Porter's books (from parrotenrichment.com) . I've read through The Parrot Enrichment Activity Book about three times now, and I'm still just in awe with how much information is in them. If you haven't read them, it's worth taking the time to scan them. They're free, available immediately online, and very informative. Plus full of great pictures of birds playing.

The Parrot Enrichment Activity Book
The Parrot Enrichment Activity Version II

The books cover many, many techniques to keep our birdies mentally engaged and active- and a good majority of the toys are inexpensive or DIY.

I love the fact that good toys for our feathered friends are relatively easy to make. And if the toys aren't perfect, it really doesn't matter. It's the act of destroying that Rex loves, not aesthetics.

One of Rex's all time favorite toys is the Parrot Piñata.

Dr. Foster & Smith

It's bright, makes an awesome rustling sound (it flails when he thrashes it around) and he LOVES to shred it. It's closer to the bottom of his cage, so he'll grab the top part with his beak, hold that part with his toes, then beak-grab further down until he has the whole toy at a right angle to the cage walls. I'm pleased that his favorite toy is one of the least expensive... at $1.69, I won't go into debt keeping the nugget away from boredom.

Sounds of Happiness

FYI, the sweet sounds of Rex munching on an apple (and the requisite apple flinging) make me happy. I don't even mind picking up the little pieces that have been flung outside of the cage.

Rings of Fury

With the warmer weather and still being mid-molt, Rex seems to have a bit more sass and verve. And we're still medicating him. Poor little guy.

Two things that have worked thus far:

1. Shredding/Foraging Toys: Food wrapped in unbleached coffee filters- I call these birdie dim sum- work wonders for a squawking bird.
   
2. Something to Boss Around: In Rex's case, those brightly colored ring toys that have a bell on the end work perfectly. He slams that bell around like he's Mike Tyson. These are his Rings of Fury. He gets a lot of aggression out on those rings.
   

Rex: Slayer of the Thumb

Rex bit the husband today. And not in the "Oh hi, let me climb on you" kind of bite. It was full on, not instigated, he's-not-gonna-let-go bite. The kind that draws blood. And draw blood it did.

I medicate Rex first thing in the morning- he gets his medicine, has an equal dose of scritches, gets placed in the shuttle for watching Humans-Make-Breakfast time. While medication isn't fun, he tolerates it, perhaps knowing that there's something awesome that happens next. The husband has night shift- he has to take an angry (and often determined and cranky bird) out of his cage, medicate him, then place him back. No fun. Only hassle.

It's been escalating, too. I'm kicking myself for not noticing that Rex's attitude towards the husband has been souring quickly. It looks like I'm going to have to be the bad sheriff in town for a little while, at least until we finish our antibiotics. The other sheriff will have to be the bringer of treats- hopefully his reputation can be improved.

Round Two: Fight!

Phew.

So the bird has been under the weather. I first noticed it June 3rd- and I took him into the vet's the same day. Nothing serious, just a nasal sounding chirp and his droppings looked off.

Everything looked fine, but we insisted on having a blood test anyway. Turns out he had a small bacterial infection and a gastric yeast infection. We tried a broad spectrum antibiotic.

I thought he was fine- he was chipper, with a good appetite and a sassy attitude. We followed a 10 day, 2x a day course. When it was done we brought him back in and he still had both infections- no worse than when he came in... but he clearly had them still.

So we opted to send out a culture to another lab to determine what exactly we're dealing with.. picked another antibiotic and started him on it.

I got the lab results yesterday. He had THREE different types of bacteria- and thankfully we're already on the right spectrum of meds. Only 8 more days of administering it, then another doctor's visit. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

But yay for catching it early! And yay for having an avian vet already picked out! It is such a relief knowing that we're on the right road to recovery.