As some of you may know 2007 has been quite unkind to us. I have lost two of my beloved pets over the summer. One being my maltese-dog, Sasha, and the other my little cochin pullet, Lucy... well, as it is said, bad things come in threes and it seems like the third death of our family is about to happen soon.
My parakeet, Pikus (pronounced Pee-koosh) isn't doing so well. Granted he's a very very old man and should have passed away about 4 years ago (we had him for 16 years), it's still sad to imagine the house so quiet without him.
When I was much younger and in Pre-K, I remember we had to keep journals and write/draw what came to our mind every morning. I found this journal and every other entry was about Pikus. I wrote that he was my boyfriend and that I love him so much. It's true, this little bird was my partner in crime and I even threw him a "birthday" party one year.
At the beginning of this past summer is when we noticed a big chance in him. His muscles in his wings started to go and he could no longer do his flying laps around our kitchen... it was scary... he'd fly and then manage to flip over in the air and like a fighter jet crashing, he'd nose-dive to the ground and end up landing on his back. He was still able to crawl/climb around and sill seemed very cheerful and chirpy. I resorted to taking him outside so he could soak in the warm sun. He loved it... until the chicks came over to investigate him.
Now, things took a drastic turn for the worse. He no longer has a steady balance. We had to move his perches down so he wouldn't fall so far and occasionally we have to place him upright because he tends to tip over and bend his neck to the point where he can't breath. He doesn't drink unless you place him on the stand of his waterer. Eating-wise he's still ok, but it's nowhere near as much as it was - he only eats those brown seeds that come in those stands (the "treats"..he no longer eats his regular food). He's not happy at all anymore. He squawks and bites. He can barely crawl/climb... he does manage to slither around a bit, but it takes so much energy out of him. He use to be a "chunky" little thing, now he weighs absolutely nothing. I can't even feel him in my hand when I hold him.
I'm not sure what to do. The other night I took so many pictures of him and me just "hanging out" - he fell asleep on my chest and we cuddled.
Right now we're trying to make him as comfortable as possible. He bring him to his food and water... I give him warm water with some Gatorade in there... I'm hoping that could give him a little more energy. We also made a little "bed"/nest for him to cuddle into....
I keep expecting to find him dead, but this "little man" is still kicking. He's a true fighter. I'm going to miss this little guy so much.
I'm sorry this post is so long... I just needed to vent and prepare myself for what is coming. I'll post the pictures of him later.
My parakeet, Pikus (pronounced Pee-koosh) isn't doing so well. Granted he's a very very old man and should have passed away about 4 years ago (we had him for 16 years), it's still sad to imagine the house so quiet without him.
When I was much younger and in Pre-K, I remember we had to keep journals and write/draw what came to our mind every morning. I found this journal and every other entry was about Pikus. I wrote that he was my boyfriend and that I love him so much. It's true, this little bird was my partner in crime and I even threw him a "birthday" party one year.
At the beginning of this past summer is when we noticed a big chance in him. His muscles in his wings started to go and he could no longer do his flying laps around our kitchen... it was scary... he'd fly and then manage to flip over in the air and like a fighter jet crashing, he'd nose-dive to the ground and end up landing on his back. He was still able to crawl/climb around and sill seemed very cheerful and chirpy. I resorted to taking him outside so he could soak in the warm sun. He loved it... until the chicks came over to investigate him.
Now, things took a drastic turn for the worse. He no longer has a steady balance. We had to move his perches down so he wouldn't fall so far and occasionally we have to place him upright because he tends to tip over and bend his neck to the point where he can't breath. He doesn't drink unless you place him on the stand of his waterer. Eating-wise he's still ok, but it's nowhere near as much as it was - he only eats those brown seeds that come in those stands (the "treats"..he no longer eats his regular food). He's not happy at all anymore. He squawks and bites. He can barely crawl/climb... he does manage to slither around a bit, but it takes so much energy out of him. He use to be a "chunky" little thing, now he weighs absolutely nothing. I can't even feel him in my hand when I hold him.
I'm not sure what to do. The other night I took so many pictures of him and me just "hanging out" - he fell asleep on my chest and we cuddled.
Right now we're trying to make him as comfortable as possible. He bring him to his food and water... I give him warm water with some Gatorade in there... I'm hoping that could give him a little more energy. We also made a little "bed"/nest for him to cuddle into....
I keep expecting to find him dead, but this "little man" is still kicking. He's a true fighter. I'm going to miss this little guy so much.
I'm sorry this post is so long... I just needed to vent and prepare myself for what is coming. I'll post the pictures of him later.
Last edited:
