Thursday, February 10, 2011

Meet Holly

Meet Holly, a severe macaw that was among the 18 birds discussed here.

Holly is considered special needs. She has pretty severe arthritis in her legs, for which she is currently receiving pain medication, as well as a dislocated hip. Our vet thinks that this hip was dislocated a long time ago; sadly there is nothing we can do for her now.

However, because parrots are extremely resilient, Holly has adapted well to her disability. She loves to hang from the top of her cage, and fell in love with a swinging perch we placed in her cage. When she perches on you, it seems more comfortable for her to also hold your hand. She does not grip as well as other parrots, so you have to walk slowly and be more careful when she's perched on you. She does not need any cage modifications at this time.

Holly is not quite ready for her forever home, as we need to work out her medication/arthritis issues with regards to necessity and dosing.
Of all of the birds rescued from that home, Holly appears to be the oldest -- probably around 30 or so. However, this is just a guess based on her condition.

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