Green cheek conure

[Maxie]

I agree 100% with a vet appt and a quarantine period of at least 30 days.

I?ll have to ask about a trial period but I?m not sure if they?d go for it. Doesn?t hurt to ask.

I?ve seen a few strange birdie ?couples? too.

I will definitely let you know!

Thanks for all your advice. ❤️

[linda040899]

I'm really hoping this will work out, as this GCC can sure use a fantastic home. I've taken dogs from the Humane Society on a trial basis for a week and none were ever taken back. Keeping my fingers crossed for success.....

[Maxie]

Ok. So, I asked for a picture of Lily?s (the green cheek conure) poop.

Here it is...

https://link.shutterfly.com/HOnd5WlrClb

It doesn?t look normal to me. What do you think? Apparently she eats Tropican pellets.

[linda040899]

I would like to see more feces and less urates but the color looks good. I'm not a fan of pellets. Instead, I use Higgins Sunburst Gourmet Conure Mix. My 2 love it. I also give them pieces of shelled organic walnuts and, of course, homemade cornbread! If you take Lily and make a vet appt, ask for a gram stain to check for any infections. Chewy (Quaker Parrot) and my Tiels will also eat the Conure mix.

[Maxie]

I thought the exact same thing about her poop.

I agree about pellets. My gang eats all lafebers nutriberries....all kinds, avi cakes which have some pellets and Higgins sunburst. Of course veggies and sprouts too.

I?ll keep you posted on Lily.

[linda040899]

I'll keep you posted on Lily.

Please do. If she can get along with the lovie trio, she will be a great addition to your flock. I love my conures, but, then again, I love my entire flock!

[Maxie]

I contacted the humane society and told them about her droppings. The urates are chalky white and more than what it should be which may be indicative of an infection or kidney problem. I asked them to have an avian vet do at least a fecal gram stain. They said they will have their vets look into this and get back to me.

I have a feeling she may have had a bad diet which is causing her droppings to look like this. I?m with you on pellets. Too many pellets can cause too many vitamins in the system which can cause kidney problems.

Before I brought my Gabe home from there, I had them do all his bloodwork which I paid for but I wanted to be sure before bringing him home to Max that he was healthy. I still quarantined him for a month before introducing him slowly to Max.

With Raphiie I didn?t. I kept her quarantined for two months away from my boys and I had my vet check her out. She showed signs of being sick the first day though. Sneezing, breathing from her mouth and even clicking sounds when she breathed. I?m surprised they didn?t see this. If I hadn?t adopted her I?m sure she would have died in there. The antibiotics and a very warm room cured her. It?s soooo important to quarantine new flock members.

I?ll let you know what happens tomorrow.

[linda040899]

Smart decision, even if you have to pay a vet bill for the Humane Society. Lily would be new to your flock and you need to protect the ones that currently live with you. Hopefully, if there's a problem, it will be minor, as Lily really needs a good, responsible home and you can give it to her.

Update later, please!

[Maxie]

Here?s the update on Lily....I just did a copy and paste of the email...

(Hey Jenny,

Sorry for the delay, we consulted an avian vet and here is what they had to say: "Sent photo of feces to exotics specialist- agrees that the stool in the photo could indicate high urates however this could be due to the consumption of fruits or liquidy food. If one off, not of concern but if occurring every bowel movement recommends blood work."

So the plan is to monitor her stool over the next few days and test some of her blood to rule out any underlying problems. We have her on no treats right now and we will keep a very close eye on her! This means the adoption will likely have to be pushed back until next week, is that okay with you?

Thank you for your patience, let me know if you have any other questions!)

[linda040899]

agrees that the stool in the photo could indicate high urates however this could be due to the consumption of fruits or liquidy food.

To the best of my knowledge, it would seem eating fruits or liquidy food would show more urine, as each contains fluid. In their natural habitat, conures eat seed, fruit, nuts, berries and other vegetation such as leaf buds. They do eat some insects and have been known to raid the crops of farmers. Pellets are made from seed, yes, but it's concentrated nutrition with a lot of other things added. My own thoughts are that pellets are the culprit and if you mostly eliminate the pellets, the droppings will slowly return to normal appearance. My own avian vet agrees with me (or should I say I agree with my avian vet) and I feed very, very few pellets. All you can do is be patient.