comabereni
1000+ Head-Fier
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Warning: This isn't a funny story.
Five minutes after my family left for the movies last night, I closed a bedroom door only to discover 'Sky", our cute family parakeet, had fallen asleep sitting on top of the door. I heard a 'thunk' and watched the solid pine and glass door spring back open, then a frantic flapping of wings. My heart sank. I found poor Sky flapping around the bedroom aimlessly, barely able to land upright. My desperate thoughts raced back and forth between "please be okay," and "if you must die, please let it be quick and painless." I tried to reach my wife on the cell phone, but heard it ringing next to me--she had forgotten it. So I was on my own to face the most sad and anxious 2.5 hours I've had in a long time.
I put Sky back in her cage--she was obviously in distress, ruffling her feathers and rubbing her beak on her perch. I inspected her closely--no apparent damage, at first. Then she began bleeding out of both nostrils. I was heartsick. I stood by and kept close watch on her, speaking softly to her and praying. Then she jumped down to the cage door as she is prone to do when she wants out of her cage. I lifted the door and she hopped out onto my finger and up on my shoulder. She then moved onto my collar and put her damaged face against my neck and closed her eyes. Poor Sky just wanted to be with me, her desperately sad accidental abuser.
After awhile, I decided I didn't want my family to return from the movie only to watch Sky pass away, and that Sky could use a quieter place than our home to recover, if indeed she could recover. I decided to take her to my in-laws to watch over her and then returned to break the terrible news to my wife and kids. Ughh. You have to understand that this little bird spends all her time on our shoulders and playing with us, she can speak her own name and mimics the telephone ring and lots of other sounds. The affection she shows is obvious.
Morning came and Sky was still alive. More good news followed: she was making normal sounds and hopping from perch to perch. But could she eat? Her face was badly bruised and there was dried blood everywhere. We decided to bring her home and hope for the best. As the day progressed, Sky showed an appetite and actually visited her seed feeder several times; eventually we heard the familiar sound of tiny seeds cracking and our spirits lifted. Then she chirped to us and spent a little time playing with her mirror and hanging bells. Lucky bird, it looks like she will survive.
Just thought I'd share this little tale of the near-death of a family pet. It's amazing how a creature that we see lying dead all over roadways and lawns every day in the wild can grip a family's emotions so completely for an entire day when it is a pet. This experience has given me a new appreciation for the simplest forms of life.
-coma
P.S. I attached a photo of Sky to a message down-thread.
P.P.S. Sky has had a vet consult--jump down to post #29 to read about it.
Five minutes after my family left for the movies last night, I closed a bedroom door only to discover 'Sky", our cute family parakeet, had fallen asleep sitting on top of the door. I heard a 'thunk' and watched the solid pine and glass door spring back open, then a frantic flapping of wings. My heart sank. I found poor Sky flapping around the bedroom aimlessly, barely able to land upright. My desperate thoughts raced back and forth between "please be okay," and "if you must die, please let it be quick and painless." I tried to reach my wife on the cell phone, but heard it ringing next to me--she had forgotten it. So I was on my own to face the most sad and anxious 2.5 hours I've had in a long time.
I put Sky back in her cage--she was obviously in distress, ruffling her feathers and rubbing her beak on her perch. I inspected her closely--no apparent damage, at first. Then she began bleeding out of both nostrils. I was heartsick. I stood by and kept close watch on her, speaking softly to her and praying. Then she jumped down to the cage door as she is prone to do when she wants out of her cage. I lifted the door and she hopped out onto my finger and up on my shoulder. She then moved onto my collar and put her damaged face against my neck and closed her eyes. Poor Sky just wanted to be with me, her desperately sad accidental abuser.
After awhile, I decided I didn't want my family to return from the movie only to watch Sky pass away, and that Sky could use a quieter place than our home to recover, if indeed she could recover. I decided to take her to my in-laws to watch over her and then returned to break the terrible news to my wife and kids. Ughh. You have to understand that this little bird spends all her time on our shoulders and playing with us, she can speak her own name and mimics the telephone ring and lots of other sounds. The affection she shows is obvious.
Morning came and Sky was still alive. More good news followed: she was making normal sounds and hopping from perch to perch. But could she eat? Her face was badly bruised and there was dried blood everywhere. We decided to bring her home and hope for the best. As the day progressed, Sky showed an appetite and actually visited her seed feeder several times; eventually we heard the familiar sound of tiny seeds cracking and our spirits lifted. Then she chirped to us and spent a little time playing with her mirror and hanging bells. Lucky bird, it looks like she will survive.
Just thought I'd share this little tale of the near-death of a family pet. It's amazing how a creature that we see lying dead all over roadways and lawns every day in the wild can grip a family's emotions so completely for an entire day when it is a pet. This experience has given me a new appreciation for the simplest forms of life.
-coma
P.S. I attached a photo of Sky to a message down-thread.
P.P.S. Sky has had a vet consult--jump down to post #29 to read about it.
