My Little Emerald (Emma, for short) is a peach-faced lovebird I bought from a breeder as an unweaned baby 17 years ago. She (well, probably "he" since Emma has never laid an egg) has been a fun, cheery little companion ever since. No, she doesn't talk (although she used to perfectly imitate the beep of the microwave we used to have!), but she likes attention and will chirp back when I talk to her. I've always left Emma's wings unclipped so I could let her out of her cage to fly around. Gotta watch the papers and books, though -- lovebirds LOVE to "hole punch" paper!
This winter Emma had a health crisis of some sort, rendering her less coordinated and unable to fly. I took her to an avian vet who examined her, exclaimed over her age (apparently pet lovebirds live an average of 4-6 years, even though they CAN live to 30), pronounced her healthy in every other way, but had no answers. Since then, she seems to have completely lost her sight, suggesting a brain tumor or other neurologic problem that's progressing. Still, she's eating well and is so comfortable with her cage environs that very few people would notice anything. It's sad that she can no longer come out and fly about, but she's still a beautiful little emerald of a bird, so as long as she's not in distress, I will continue to be blessed by her presence.
That's it for now at . . .
4 comments:
Thank you, Michelle...
Your picture and story of Emma started the day off on a cheery note. :) Emma is beautiful! How nice to have a friend and companion like Emma - may she live well for many more years.
I wonder if birds can get high blood pressure caused blindness the same way as Zuzu, the Cat, causing sight loss almost overnight?
Now I have a face to the chirpping when we talk! Thanks for this!
Hugs from the SW...
Are you snowed in again?
The forecast says we may wake up to snow in the morning. I'm praying we don't, as the Moores are still planning to come west with Valentine tomorrow and I don't relish the thought of getting a pickup and horse trailer down our hill to go get her. We'll see....
I have my fingers, toes, feet, arms, and eyes crossed that the weather holds for the "Valentine Connection"!
Post a Comment