Dear Parrots magazine,
Dodgy toys
I want your readers to be aware of the vast number of parrot toys that are for sale and to be aware of those that can lead to a lot of trauma. I suppose I made the mistake of looking on the internet for some toys for my beloved Orange-winged Amazon, Motzi, who is a very important part of our family.
The toys I found looked good and were very reasonably priced, but be aware. And the supplier was not a company I recognised but like an idiot, I went ahead and bought some. At first, I was a bit wary, but thought if they were being sold on the internet, they should be okay. How stupid I was as it turned out!
Motzi was also a little wary at first and wouldn’t go near them, but I have read that sometimes, parrots can be naturally suspicious of new items put into their cages, but after a while, they will accept them. This did seem to be the case and all seemed good, but a nightmare was to follow.
It was a few days after I put one toy in Motzi’s cage that I could see something was wrong. He was very subdued and not eating. I spoke to my husband and we agreed to keep an eye on him. After a few hours, and approaching night time, we became increasingly concerned, as he just sat on his perch with his eyes closed at times. Panic then set in and we decided to contact a vet, but a that time of the day, there was only an emergency vet available. So off we went with Motzi, luckily not far away.
Although the vet was not a bird specialist, he was very good with Motzi and suspected there was something stuck in his crop, so took an x-ray. This needed for Motzi to be anesthetised, which was another concern, but we had no alternative. The x-ray showed a small metal object that appeared to be stuck in his crop, which the vet said would need an operation. We were both beside ourselves knowing what would have to be done. We had no choice and agreed to go ahead. We had to leave Motzi there as the vet had to ask one of his nurses to come in, so we went home.
It was some hours later, around three in the morning, that the vet called to say he had removed a small metal object that had broken off the toy and that Motzi was doing fine. We hadn’t got any sleep up to that point, but were much relieved that Motzi was OK and we could collect him later the next day after he had rested and recovered from the anaesthetic.
Boy, were we relived to see him perk up and a lot more alert. After we got him home, he was showered with treats and is now back to his usual energetic self. I daren’t put in writing what the bill came to, but worth every penny to get Motzi back to good health.
I implore anyone buying toys for their birds, only go to a reputable supplier you are confident with, like some that advertise in this magazine. The rule is, if in doubt – don’t buy!
Amelia Trenton, by email