Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 11/25/2006

Question

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

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Could you give me a range of weight for a lovebird
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Hi, Garry.  Thanks for posting!

What age is the bird?  

Chrys
Hi, Chris, My Friend got Taylor as a rescue bird . We do not know her age. This little Lovebird is sick. She has had several seizures. She shares her cage with another lovebird who cares for her: She feeds Taylor who still eats and drinks by herself, but very little. Taylor was taken to an avian vet who told my friend to take the bird home. He told her that the bird is not suffering and that nature should take it"s course. I myself don"t share that opinion and believe that Taylor should not have to suffer this way unless there is a medicatin that could prevent these exhausting and harmful seizures. I told my fried to take the bird in for some comprehensive bloodwork done to rule out any existing problems.If Taylor must endure such poor quality of live, I have her put down...just because she loves her. Do you agree? I"d appriciate your answer.Thank you, Chris. By the way the bird supposedly weighs 60 grams. Happy holidays to you.   Annegret

Answer
Hello again.

I agree that putting a bird down is necessary if the bird is sick and their quality of life is poor with no chances of getting better.  However, seizures don't necessarily mean a bird is sick.  Some birds have seizures as a result of too much stress and aren't sick otherwise at all.  In other words, some birds seize when in a situation where they can't handle the stress of that particular situation.  Could this be what's happening with this bird?  If so, perhaps putting the bird down should be a last resort.  What about eliminating stressful situations for this bird and allowing the bird to regain it's health via a good, healthy diet, proper lighting, human attention/affection, etc.?  Since this bird is a rescue, perhaps the seizures come from situations in the bird's past that it could not handle.  I do agree that bloodwork should be done in order to see if there's an underlying medical reason for the seizures (tumor, pending organ failure, disease, etc.).  

60 grams weight - This might be good, might be bad, depending on the bird's age and overall stature.  I've seen large peachface lovebirds and I've seen small peachface lovebirds.  Is this bird's keel bone protruding?  If so, s/he is underweight.  If not, then it's not underweight.  What type of daily diet is this bird on?  How long has your friend owned this lovie?  

Is the bird under stress from being with the other bird?  Often when with other birds, another bird will act differently than if it were in a cage by itself.  Have you tried keeping the new lovie in a cage by itself?  Did s/he behave any differently?

Chrys