It was early when
we arrived home (5:30pm) with our beautiful Blue Masked Lovebird, but for
him it was nearing his bedtime. His cage was cleaned, food dishes
prepared and all things he would need was placed in our downstairs bathroom.
He was now in quarantine where he would stay for at least 30 days.
He didn't have much interest
in going to bed he wanted to be held and loved on. He was not "hand
shy" or have any fear of human handling. He was the opposite
he demanded it.
The breeder told me he was
weaned eating seed and pellets. But he was crying as an unweaned
baby would do. He had no interest in the seed or the pellets.
I was very upset thinking he was not totally weaned and I had no idea what
he needed. I planned to give him baby food for the first few
weeks, but I was concerned he still required his formula.
I sent Jerry to the store
for baby food and cereal. Simon was very picky when it came to eating
off the spoon and kept crying. This was very upsetting because I
was so afraid I would lose my beautiful new baby. I placed his seed
and water dishes on the floor and removed all perches from the cage.
Before long he was settled
in for the night. The following day Jerry returned to the bird
show for more toys and perches. I asked him to stop by the
booth where we got Simon to make sure he was totally weaned.
He was assured that he was
weaned, but I thought maybe it was too soon. The breeder was
not sure about his exact hatch date, saying it was around Mother's Day.
If this were the case he was no older than 6 weeks at the most.
The following day was vet
check. Dr. Hall, as I've said before, is great with all our
parrots. The first thing he said was "Don't tell me....please say
its not the bird show." He had the unfortunate experience of treating
some of the sick birds from the bird show several years ago.
Since that time several new
requirements were added making it less likely of getting a sick bird, but
there is always the chance one could slip by.
Simon was given a full exam
including a test for sexing. Dr. Hall said he was in good feather
and looked healthy, but of course we should keep an eye on him until he
comes out of quarantine.
I prayed that he was in fact
male because all other small parrots were male and the last thing I wanted
was a female in their midst.
Making visits to our bathroom
quarantine was not easy. The bathroom is not that big and I've taken
advantage of the space for bookcases removed from the living room to make
room for cages. Bird people know what I'm talking about. :-)
I visited with Simon throughout the day, getting him out to play on
the floor and climb on me. I was also able to see him from my computer
desk making sure he was eating and playing safely.
I am a "poop" watcher so when Simon's started to take on different colors
I became concerned. A vet check was prompted and more tests were
taken for my benefit. Dr. Hall thought he was all right, but for
my own satisfaction thought the tests would be best.
Thankfully all tests showed no signs of any illness or disease and when
the call came confirming Simon was in fact male my parrot world was great!
Click on Next to read about
Simon's introduction to his brothers. :-)
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