Fagan: On the Mend.

We’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding Fagan and his story. Sometimes, a bird comes around that touches the lives of many. We know he has touched ours; so we thought we would take a moment to share him with all of you.

Fagan & Tilly came in as happens with many pet birds- their owners had become too old to care for them.  In this case dad passed away and it was found by their daughter that the home was un-inhabitable.  The daughter called us and asked if we could help so she could take mom back home with her. 

Now before we get into all of the details, it was obvious these birds were loved. They were kept for 25 years by their family and these are both terrific birds. Very friendly, sweet and as well behaved as our feathered companions can be.  Their family did something right. They were obviously much loved- if not correctly cared for in many ways. That’s what makes it so sad. More educational resources in the way of birds could have very well circumvented this from ever happening.

The owners smoked- it appears quite heavily. Both Tilly and Fagen were discolored and stank of cigars/cigarettes.  Their cages were coated in it. When they first arrived we bathed both birds and our hands came away yellowed and stained with it.  Birds respiratory system is different than ours. They inhale twice: once to fill their lungs and the second inhalation fills the airsacks. Then they exhale twice. Their respiratory system is up to 70% more efficient than humans. Smoking is a HUGE no-no.  From what we can gather they lived in this smoke filled environment for 25 years and their family didn’t even know how horrible this was for their pets.

Add to this very poor caging, lack of enrichment (toys and foraging opportunities) and a poor diet you have all of the ingredients for a birdy disaster.

Fagan began plucking at a very young age and was collared.  When we he came to us he had a quarter size mutilation on his tummy.  He had chewed through the collar.  He was seen by Dr. Orosz and it’s believed he hasn’t been mutilating for long. The wound is shallow and there is no scar tissue.  He had serious infections in his throat and lungs, a hole in his belly and a diet that is not compatible with life.  Then he began 5 days of seizures.  These were determined to be from nicotine withdrawal by our avain vet. He is not the first documented case of nicotine addiction in parrots- the effects on birds from smoking is well documented.  He had to be driven to the vet to be tube fed for days and we spent about 7 days giving him midazolam injections to keep the seizures and shaking under control.  His very blood cells were toxic. His medications consist of a microderm patch, Sulfatrim, Nystantin, Midazolam, vitamin C , Tramadol, and DMSA.

We took in Fagan and we drove Tilly to Trace with Fine Feathered Sanctuary.

Fagan is doing great.  He’s been a challenge. Getting him to eat on his own, getting him to play and most importantly right now keeping him from his belly is all a day by day struggle.  It’s also been a joy! Tilly has found a new home.

Fagan

Tilly

Pass the word- smoking and birds don’t mix! If you must smoke go outside and wash your hands and face when you come back in.  Wear a smoking jacket or shirt you can leave at the door. We choose to live with our parrots, they never choose us. We owe it to them to look out for their best interests.

If you would like to make a donation towards Fagan's care and the other birds here at FFOM please visit us on our website at www.featheredfriendsrescue.org  for a list of ways you can help make a difference for a parrot in need today!