I'm Heart-Broken!! Murphy and Gabby - Rainbow Lories

Murphy and Gabby are Swainson's Rainbow Lories - Aside from their personality, they are absolutely identical. They've been with me for about 7 years. They are (were) inseparable. Shortly after I first got them, Murphy became incredibly sick. I was having to take her to the vet every week or so, for shots and weigh-ins. Gabby had to go along, because even separating them for an instant, triggered heart-wrenching contact whistles until they were reunited.

2 months ago, one of them - I don't know which - got hung up in one of their stuffed toys, and started screaming bloody murder. The other one jumped on the first, and they both proceeded in tearing each other apart. Unlike a lot of birds, there is no "beak-fencing" or "toe-jabbing" during an argument. Lories lock up hard and in a matter of the few minutes it took to separate them, both were badly bloodied.

Now I understood this fight, no matter how gruesome and upsetting it was. One was screaming, and the others' instinct for survival kicked in. Nature tells them to silence the one that is possibly attracting a predator.

I got out a travel cage, and put Murphy in it, and put Gabby back in the big cage after some much needed doctoring for both. I butted the travel cage up to the big cage so they could get close, but not actually get in contact. After about 2 weeks, I let them get back together, and after a little posturing, all was well. They groomed and cuddled more than any Lovebird pair I've ever seen.

All was well until 2 weeks ago. I was standing next to their cage, and they were rolling around on the floor, with this somewhat happy noise that I usually hear when they are bathing. As I stood and watched, to my horror, blood and feathers started flyin'. I scrambled to get into the cage and try separate them. They were at it so hard, I had to just grab one by the tail, and pull them both out together. I had to forcibly pry them apart. And no sooner would I get them apart, than they would run at each other again. Fortunately (for them anyway) I was the only one bit and bleeding this time.

I didn't understand this fight at all. There was no screaming; no cries of pain and fear. And Murphy, it turns out is the aggressor this time. Gabby, up until now, has always been the dominant of the two. I understand it even less, since after 2 weeks of separation, they still will not tolerate each other. I tried to let them get back together with no success. Murphy immediately goes for blood, and poor Gabby runs for his life. It just breaks my heart! They have always been such a loving couple of birds - they sleep together curled up in a hidey-hut, they feed each other, groom each other constantly - or they did - not anymore. The really sad part is, that while they are separated, the contact calls are constant. The same calls Gabby made whenever Murphy was being examined by the Vet and he was still in the cage. They sit - Murphy in the travel cage, Gabby in the big cage, facing each other - all the while chattering and whistling as if wanting to be together.

I will wait another 2 weeks and s try it again, but I'm afraid that if it doesn't work, they will have to be permanently separated. I can't sit and watch them 24/7, and the thought of them having another go-round when I'm not around to break it up physically sickens me. Though no more than them having to live permanently separate from each other. As I've said before, it breaks my heart, and brings tears to my eyes, even as I write this.

Thank you for visiting - if any Lorie Guru happens to read this, and has any thoughts on what is happening, I'd love to hear from you.

Flap happy,
Bobbi

"There is no greater delight than to watch two love birds, twittering and chirping merrily as the first rays of the sun appear over the tree-tops." ~Unknown

Fred - Bare-Eyed Cockatoo

Hmmmm, where do I even begin with Fred. First off, he's a Bare-Eyed Cockatoo, and the reason I almost didn't get BabyDoll. Fred is definitely a rescue. He had 3 homes and 2 stints in a pet shop before me. When I got him, he had been in a pet shop (the second time) for about a year.
I blame his first home for many of his worst issues. From what I could find out, they took young Fred home, placed him in a nice enough cage set up in the family room. One very important thing they forgot was to put up a gate, at least temporarily, to prevent their 2 very large dogs from running up to the cage any time they felt like it. To compound the issue, the cage was fairly low, putting Fred at eye-level with the dogs. People's stupidity, or if you prefer, ignorance astounds me. It is amazing how many "educated" adults fail to realize and acknowledge a parrots prey mentality. Unless you prove otherwise, they view just about everything as something that is going to eat them. Nature has programmed them that way for survival.
After about 3 months, Fred's first owners brought Fred back to the pet shop, and begged them to take him back. Even though they shared their dogs intense interest in him, they couldn't understand why Fred SCREAMED non-stop. Now if you never heard a Cockatoo scream in distress or fear, it is a blood-curdling noise comparable to fingernails on a blackboard magnified 100 fold.
Fred didn't fair much better in his next 2 homes. They both had dogs, and though they didn't allow the dogs to inspect Fred at will, they both went with the opposite "faux pa". Every time Fred screamed, they came running - "awww Fred, poor Fred". Bad move..... Now I'm not saying that should completely ignore a distress call, but running to it every time it screams, only teaches it how to call you to come. Both of those 2 homes did seem to really care for Fred, but were over-whelmed with a large 'Too with emotional issues.
When I met Fred, his screaming had been reduced to a minimum, being there were no dogs in the pet store. Now I have 2 dogs - an English springer, and an African Mastiff, but I felt confident (or cocky depending on your point of view) that I could help Fred overcome is early bird-hood trauma. That coupled with the fact that it was painfully obvious, he would have no other choice than to live his life in my friend's pet shop. I just couldn't stand that thought..
After a trip to the vet, standard fair for new arrivals in my home, Fred was introduced to my already abundant "Noah's Ark". I'm not sure, but I think the presence of all the other birds in my house was somehow a small comfort. When we got home, I kept his travel cage covered for a bit, to lesson the trauma of a new and strange environment. The cage I had set up was (is) huge. Its actually a double meant for multiple Macaws. he now lives in one half - Laci my African Grey, his next door neighbor. One big plus for Fred is the cage is very tall (almost 8'). He can get well above head-height if he chooses (not something I'd recommend for every bird, but that's another post).
After he got settled in and comfortable and happy enough to munch some lunch, I let the dogs out of the bedroom. Now my birds have their own room with a gate; the dogs can only walk by, not go in the room. By the way, my dogs, unlike most, have no interest in the birds whatsoever, except for the occasional treat that the birds fling at them. Fred's initial reaction at seeing the dogs was as expected - he started to scream. I responded in a very "matter of fact" tone of voice that it was okay, and quietly ushered the dogs outside. Fred almost immediately quit screaming; he actually seemed confused at the dogs lack of interest in him.
Over the next week or so, the routine was the same - if Fred saw the dogs, and screamed, I simply (not all gushy) reassured him it was okay, and took the dogs outside. When Fred saw the dogs and didn't scream, I rewarded him with his favorite treat, warm carrots and honey. Amazingly the screaming stopped (where the dogs were concerned) fairly quickly.
It took Fred nearly 6 months to fully settle into the house and the daily routine. Now Patches (my Springer) has NO interest in the birds whatsoever - the walking marshmallow could care less, even if one flies to the floor. Suie my African Mastiff's only interest is the bird's food - including seed. In the beginning if she ventured to close to the gate in her never ending quest for goodies, and Fred became upset, I simply (gently) scolded her and ushered her away from the gate. It didn't take long for Fred to figure out that Suie's only interest was his flung food.
These days Suie is a constant source of entertainment for Fred. Fred will deliberately drop seed, peek over the bars to see if Suie is picking them up, and them grab a foot-full of seed and pelt her with it. Her being startled by this, amuses Fred and he starts laughing. if she won't come over on her own, Fred actually calls her - "come here, Suie, Suie, come here". She gets pelted with seed if she actually falls for it - which she does, every time. The other favorite entertainment? Fred waits for Suie to lay down and dose off. Fred has learned, that if utters a certain screech, Suie will jump up, run to the front door and bark. Fred being so high up, he can see the driveway and anyone it long before the dogs - that's actually how that started - now when Fred is bored, he gets amusement from sending Suie to the front door barking. At that point Fred and several of the other birds start barking, and Suie just wonders off to the bedroom to sleep.
Fred has lots of other issues - he is after all a 'Too - but I've rambled enough for one day.

Thanks for visiting
~Bobbi
"You can learn many things from your children. How much patience you have for instance." ~Franklin P. Jones