Sunday, December 29, 2019

Sunday afternoon Marco update

Marco is a bit better this morning. I was alarmed when I first woke up and checked on him, because his eyes were crusted shut. But once he woke up and got his eyes opened, he showed several good signs:

1. He's eating and drinking. Birds that are dire straits don't show interest in food. He's not eating a lot, mind you, but he immediately devoured a small slice of apple first thing today.

2. He's spoken a couple of times and even let out a half hearted screech once.

3. He felt well enough to be slightly inappropriate with his favorite toy (aka his girlfriend).

So for now I'm holding off on a panicked trip to Columbia and keeping a close eye on the little guy instead. A steamy bathroom seems to perk him up some so I've been taking him in there and turning on the shower. I'm also keeping him warm and quiet, tempting him with favorite foods, and sitting with him by the windows to get him some natural light (so crucial to birds!). Unfortunately it's a cloudy, rainy day today without much UV, otherwise I'd take him out to the back porch for some sunshine (it's been warm this week). Maybe tomorrow will be sunnier. Hopefully he'll continue to improve (or at least not get any worse).

Thanks for all the encouraging words and good thoughts....keep 'em coming, please!

Sitting in a steam bath with an under-the-weather bird.

17 comments:

  1. Jennifer! You are beautiful. And Marco loves you. Can birds get colds? I know nothing. Whatever is going on with him, I hope that he responds to your love and care quickly.

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    1. Thank you Ms. Moon. Birds (parrots, at least) are not susceptible to common viruses like human colds or flu. They can pick up bacteria that's harmful to them from people, though. Avian medicine is highly specialized and difficult to find....and expensive. If it wasn't such a long drive (which would be stressful to him) I'd have taken him to the vet already. Plus, Marco was born (hatched) with some problems and has always had a runny/stuffy/sometimes gooey nose on one side and they couldn't figure out why. Possibly even a structural anomaly up inside his nose/beak on that side. He's a tough guy and has always been able to manage. I hope this is just a temporary worsening of that.

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  2. Aww honey, how scary for you. Hope Marco improves quickly.

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  3. So much love and concern Marco gets from you, it will surely help him.

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  4. c'mon marco! mommy needs her lil birdie buddy to keep her happy. and we like to see how cute you are! (and how pretty mommy is)

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  5. He know his person is near and that is worth alsot. Hope he keeps improving and being his own naughty but enduring self soon.
    parsnip xx

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  6. Good, I'm glad he's feeling better. Sometimes we tend to take our pets for granted, and then one day realize, sometimes too late, that they get sick the same way we do.

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  7. That's encouraging. The photo is a good one of both of you.

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  8. Keep doing what you know is best for him. Three cheers for Marco. Hip, hip hooray!

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  9. I don't know many women who'd look as beautiful as you in a steam bath! It's a great idea and I can imagine really helpful with Marco's illness. Like I said in my previous comment, he'll soon be right as rain (!) again, I hope.
    Even on cloudy days, there is still plenty of UV around, or at least that is what we've been told.

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  10. Could you please expand upon the term "slightly inappropriate"?

    Marco is in good hands with Nurse Barlow.

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  11. Such a relief. I hope his recovery continues at a good pace. That steamy photo is so filled with love.

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  12. It's a good sign that he is eating. I hope that he will feel better fast.

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  13. I didn't know UV light was essential for birds. Interesting! Hope he continues to get better.

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