Birdy Blues

My daughter has a little Quaker Parakeet named Oatey (get it?). We've had him for almost a year, and he's been a great little bird. Quakers are about the size of a Cockatiel, but a bit leaner. On a recent visit to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (a pretty cool place with a pretty lame website) in Colorado Springs, I learned that these guys are the only parrots that are hardy enough to live in the wild in Colorado's climate (though those that do are often abandoned pets). They had a pair that had been taken in after being discovered nesting on a power pole.

Oatey isn't so tough, however. A few months after we got him, we discovered that he has a liver problem. After several visits to the vet, some medicine and lots of tender care, he seemed to recover fully.

In the past couple of days, however, we've noticed that his feathers are looking a bit rough like when he was sick and he doesn't seem to spend as much time grooming himself as he normally does. We're going to keep a close eye on him to make sure he's eating enough and getting enough attention.

(Quaker Parakeet Photo Credit: PionusParrot.com)