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Max

Posted by Diane on 5/27/2025, 10:30 pm

Max is getting quieter and quieter. He's still eating the avicakes and he is eating his seed from the cup. I'll start giving him brown rice, spaghetti. I just order two new items that Harrison's is carrying - one is called megabytes and the other is jump start. I'm making an appointment with a vet for next week. I really don't want to do this because I don't want to manually grab him to get him into the case and I don't want to dramatize him. He eats the avicakes out of my hand but he flies very little and now he stays in his cage more and more and when he sees me looking at him he actually turns his back to me. My next step is I'm actually going to talk to him more. I'm in the room with him but I'm basically working, reading or sleeping. I just feel so bad for him.

Re: Max

Posted by Gina on 5/28/2025, 7:20 am, in reply to "Max"

Oh, Diane...Do I understand how hard it is to watch their grief. I HOPE it isn't the same with Max, or that there isn't another issue lurking. In Bailey's grief, he just never got over losing Snickers. He moved very little and always sat next to his yellow mirror. As I had to free him recently due to health issues and to be with his bud, I have been doing my own grieving by reading on sites dealing with pet loss. Someone put it like this: Seeing their pets FADING, the SPARK SOFTENING. For me, that perfectly (albeit panfully) expresses what I watched for too many years. Keep us posted on that appointment, Diane!

Re: Max

Posted by Cathy on 5/28/2025, 12:43 pm, in reply to "Re: Max"

They grieve just as deeply as we do.

Cathy

Re: Max

Posted by Diane on 5/28/2025, 6:34 pm, in reply to "Re: Max"

They are flock animals unless they attach themselves to you. Willo and Dorian loved me like that so it would have been a lot easier for them to adjust. Max knows me but he's just not attached. I hold either an afidake or a cup with his food in the morning and hand feed him. I think he likes that. He was going to my head and he was calling for me when I left the room. Now he's not.

I did some research and it said it's practically impossible for it to change at his age. Just move slow around him and don't force anything.

I definitely can't get another bird at my age and living in this apartment.

Re: Max

Posted by Cindy AZ on 5/28/2025, 1:39 pm, in reply to "Max"

I hope everything checks out ok at the vet. It’s heartbreaking seeing a bird mourn or decline.

Re: Max

Posted by Cecilia on 5/28/2025, 7:24 pm, in reply to "Max"

Besides talking to him, try whistling to him. I can't whistle well but my tiels really perk up when I whistle to them. They will whistle back. Keep talking to him also.

Re: Max

Posted by Seesthru, TC advisor on 5/28/2025, 9:48 pm, in reply to "Max"

I hope he turns around, and starts warming up to you more. You're a good bird mom. I hope the vet can figure out what is going on with him. It seemed like he was warming up to you, then this. Just keep talking to him, playing music or birds or anything he likes. I hope he handles the vet trip okay. I was surprised, every time I thought a bird waas going to freak out or be traumatized, they did better than expected. I hope this for Max.

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