Posted by Carolyn on May 11, 19100 at 14:24:25:
In Reply to: loss of an egg-bound 5yr old red side posted by jeannette farquhar on May 11, 19100 at 11:02:12:
Hello Jeannette,
I am so very sorry about Athena, but you need not be afraid to get another female of any parrot species because of the possibility of egg binding. She obviously had not been properly cared for in the past. All females do NOT get egg bound. It does happen but it is rare in well-cared-for hens. Eclectus females mature sexually from the age of two to five years, depending on the subspecies. If you think that you would worry about it happening again with a new bird, maybe you would be more comfortable with a male parrot.
Whatever you decide, I wish you the best and am very sorry for your loss of Athena. I know that you did everything you could for her. Carolyn
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: I WROTE YOU A WHILE BACK RE;THE RESCUE OF A PET STORE ECLECTUS NAMED ATHENA WITH VERY POOR FEATHER CONDITION,AND WANTED TO SAY THAT WE LOST HER DUE TO A HEMMORAGE OF THE UTERUS,ATHENA WAS DOING GREAT SHE HAD A GREAT DIET ,SHE ATE EVERYTHING IN SIGHT.HER FEATHERS HAD THAT BEAUTIFUL SHEEN AND SHE WAS REALLY COMING AROUND.ON MARCH 20,2000 SHE WAS EGG BOUND WITH AN EGG 32mmWIDE X 42mm LONG WE SAVED HER FROM THAT ONE AND AFTER SHE RECOOPED FROM THAT SHE WENT ON TO TRY FOR ANOTHER,BUT THIS ONE WAS ATTACHED TO HER UTERUS AND THE UTERUS WAS BREAKING DOWN,THE VET TRIED TO BREAK THE EGG AWAY FROM THE UTERUS BUT SHE STARTED TO BLEED SO I INSISTED THAT HE GO IN FOR AN EMERENCY HYSTERECTOMY AND ATHENA CAME THROUGH THE SURGERY BUT THE VET SAID THAT BECAUSE HER UTERUS WAS BLOCKED BY THE EGG A SECOND YOLK WAS DEVELOPING AND GOT PUSHED BACK UP INTO HER INTESTINE. WAS ATHEA A CHRONIC EGG LAYER? THE ASSISTANT PUT SOME WARM FLUID UNDER HER SKIN TO HELP HER WITH DEHYDRATION BUT WHEN SHE DID THAT ATHENA REACTED AS IF SHE WAS DROWNING SO I HELD HER UPSIDE DOWN TO DRAIN THE FLUID THAT SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM HER LUNG.I THINK THE ASS. PUNCTURED HER RIGHT LUNG BUT SHE SEEMED TO BE DOING OK AND THE SHE STARTED TO GASP FOR AIR AND SHE WAS GONE.THE VET HAD ALSO SAID THAT ATHENA HAD EXTENSIVE SCAR TISSUE INSIDE BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND I KNOW THAT ATHENA HAD BEEN POISONED IN THE PET STORE WITH ANTI-FREEZE AND SHIPPED TO VANCOUVER FOR TREATMENT BUT I DON'T KNOW IF SHE WAS EVER EGG-BOUND BEFORE AND I'VE ASKED.COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE NORMAL SIZE AND WEIGHT IS FOR ARE SIDE ATHENA WEIGHED 456gr TO ME THAT SEEMS AWEFULLY SMALL FOR THE SIZE OF EGGS THAT SHE WAS TRYING TO LAY. AT WHAT AGE ARE THEY MATURE ENOUGH TO START REPRODUCTION? ATHENA WOULD HAVE TURNED 5 IN JUNE. DO ALL ECLECTUS FEMALES GET EGG-BOUND? IF I WERE TO GET ANOTHER I WOULD BE SO SCARED OF LOOSING HER TOO. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN TELL ME? I KEEP SECOND GUESSING MYSELF THINKING THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING ELSE THAT I COULD HAVE DONE, AT THAT AGE AND AFTER FINDING A GOOD HOME SHE DESERVED SO MUCH MORE TIME,I MISS MY LITTLE PRINCESS SO MUCH.
: THANKYOU,
: BROKEN HEARTED ECLECTUS
: OWNER,
: JEANNETTE