Incident Report #506, Form 42E:
In LA they charge $12 in Calabasas to trim Tuco's nails, file his beak, and clip his wings. Never had one incident. The only place that will do all three, the avian vet up here, charges $45!!! But there's a pet store that will do wings and nails for $5. "Why not the beak? you've already got him wrapped up right there?" "oh no, we don't touch the beak, too dangerous"
Took him in, he was all kisses and Hiiiiii!!! charming everyone from inside his travel cage and a few people gathered around to watch "Isn't he cute!". I said he's a little hard to handle.... The two women who do the work said oh we have 45 birds its no problem. They tried to towel him, (wrap around everything except head and feet so they can clip) and he fought so hard they couldn't catch him in a 2x2 foot cage. Then he fluttered out and escaped into the back stock room.
I said maybe I better do it. So we went into the back and I cornered and got him (I don't want him to associate this trauma with me, that's why I don't do it myself) handed him off to her, and he got his feet loose. He tore up this woman's arms like they got shoved in a wood chipper. His nails are like razors. (I have to wear a sock on my arm when I carry him around if he's not clipped for a while)
"Its okay! the woman says shakily, we do this all the time, it happens...." and I'm grimacing at all the blood and some of the watchers say god how can you keep a bird like that, do you ever get to let him out of his cage? What a terror! I said oh my god no-- to me he is a sweet little feathered cutie,
we sit together all day with him on the back of my chair, puts his head on my shoulder, he's bonded to one person. When he feels threatened he protects me or himself. And the clipping lady said yeah, the Amazons are known as the pit bulls of the bird world.... and I thought about it and said yeah, maybe she's right....the strength of his bite (they have something like 300lbs of bite pressure, more than a lot of bigger birds), his short temper, the protectiveness, the damage he can do.
So finally that was done and he's back on top of the cage seemingly settled down singing "La la la!!!" but it was his nervous singing and I see his eyes are pinpointing (he's saying very clearly "I will bite you") and a girl reaches over to pet him "he doesn't seem so bad now" and before I can say "Don't!" he chomps down on her arm and won't let go and shes screaming and shaking her arm I said "don't scream he loves it when you scream!"
I finally put him back in the cage and paid them $20 for the brutalisation. Probably not welcome there anymore I would imagine.
Incident Report #507, Form 86G + special use of Team 6 McGyver Tactics:
I was jerryrigging Tuco's cage for the cold months with his electric heater and this tarp tent so we don't have to heat the whole house for the little skeezix. I finished and went off to type on the computer, not noticing I left my sewing box on top of his cage, I come back later and see all the pins, metal, buttons, scattered all over the floor, the cage, and I think oh god, not this again:
So ever since the above picture I've had the local off hours emergency vet cel phone number in my phone so I dial it up and explain-- he says take away all his food immediately so if he did injest something it stays in his crop, its much easier to get out if its not pushed down in his stomach, I ask are there some home remedies I can try? "Yes, get some milk and something really sour like lemon juice and force it down his throat with a little eyedropper or something, he will feel sick and throw up, hopefully ridding himself of anything he ate.
Well, I had no milk, no lemon, no eyedropper or anything similar. So I got out yogurt, mixed it with some vinegar, and quickly unscrewed a ballpoint pen taking out the guts so it was hollow. Got him in a towel with his little head sticking out and since I had to hold him with two hands, I put the hollow pen in my mouth, sucked up the yogurt and vinegar so the pen was full, and everytime he opened his mouth to yell I spit it gently into his throat.
It went everywhere, he was spitting and shaking his head, I was spitting and gagging, finally he looked so sick I let him go sit on his cage and he threw up a few minutes later. Couldn't tell if he ate any metal, but the home remedy sure worked.
I stayed up all night watching him in terror, but he just sat there, sullen, covered in yogurt, probably so humiliated. Next morning I gave him a shower and he was singing good morning to you and after that everything was fine. GOD!!! I loved that vet I've got to go meet him.
In LA they charge $12 in Calabasas to trim Tuco's nails, file his beak, and clip his wings. Never had one incident. The only place that will do all three, the avian vet up here, charges $45!!! But there's a pet store that will do wings and nails for $5. "Why not the beak? you've already got him wrapped up right there?" "oh no, we don't touch the beak, too dangerous"
Took him in, he was all kisses and Hiiiiii!!! charming everyone from inside his travel cage and a few people gathered around to watch "Isn't he cute!". I said he's a little hard to handle.... The two women who do the work said oh we have 45 birds its no problem. They tried to towel him, (wrap around everything except head and feet so they can clip) and he fought so hard they couldn't catch him in a 2x2 foot cage. Then he fluttered out and escaped into the back stock room.
I said maybe I better do it. So we went into the back and I cornered and got him (I don't want him to associate this trauma with me, that's why I don't do it myself) handed him off to her, and he got his feet loose. He tore up this woman's arms like they got shoved in a wood chipper. His nails are like razors. (I have to wear a sock on my arm when I carry him around if he's not clipped for a while)
 |
| Tuco looking nuts |
 |
| Tuco look of love |
we sit together all day with him on the back of my chair, puts his head on my shoulder, he's bonded to one person. When he feels threatened he protects me or himself. And the clipping lady said yeah, the Amazons are known as the pit bulls of the bird world.... and I thought about it and said yeah, maybe she's right....the strength of his bite (they have something like 300lbs of bite pressure, more than a lot of bigger birds), his short temper, the protectiveness, the damage he can do.
So finally that was done and he's back on top of the cage seemingly settled down singing "La la la!!!" but it was his nervous singing and I see his eyes are pinpointing (he's saying very clearly "I will bite you") and a girl reaches over to pet him "he doesn't seem so bad now" and before I can say "Don't!" he chomps down on her arm and won't let go and shes screaming and shaking her arm I said "don't scream he loves it when you scream!"
I finally put him back in the cage and paid them $20 for the brutalisation. Probably not welcome there anymore I would imagine.
Incident Report #507, Form 86G + special use of Team 6 McGyver Tactics:
I was jerryrigging Tuco's cage for the cold months with his electric heater and this tarp tent so we don't have to heat the whole house for the little skeezix. I finished and went off to type on the computer, not noticing I left my sewing box on top of his cage, I come back later and see all the pins, metal, buttons, scattered all over the floor, the cage, and I think oh god, not this again:
So ever since the above picture I've had the local off hours emergency vet cel phone number in my phone so I dial it up and explain-- he says take away all his food immediately so if he did injest something it stays in his crop, its much easier to get out if its not pushed down in his stomach, I ask are there some home remedies I can try? "Yes, get some milk and something really sour like lemon juice and force it down his throat with a little eyedropper or something, he will feel sick and throw up, hopefully ridding himself of anything he ate.
Well, I had no milk, no lemon, no eyedropper or anything similar. So I got out yogurt, mixed it with some vinegar, and quickly unscrewed a ballpoint pen taking out the guts so it was hollow. Got him in a towel with his little head sticking out and since I had to hold him with two hands, I put the hollow pen in my mouth, sucked up the yogurt and vinegar so the pen was full, and everytime he opened his mouth to yell I spit it gently into his throat.
It went everywhere, he was spitting and shaking his head, I was spitting and gagging, finally he looked so sick I let him go sit on his cage and he threw up a few minutes later. Couldn't tell if he ate any metal, but the home remedy sure worked.
I stayed up all night watching him in terror, but he just sat there, sullen, covered in yogurt, probably so humiliated. Next morning I gave him a shower and he was singing good morning to you and after that everything was fine. GOD!!! I loved that vet I've got to go meet him.
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