BACKGROUND: SUMMER 2005
The cockatiels had boarded at PASO before, a couple years ago, at their old location in Oshawa. I felt that the birds came back extremely well-socialized and unafraid of things, so I figured that the PASO people must be very good with parrot behaviour. (Previously, I had probably given the birds a too "sheltered" kind of life trying to protect them from danger.)
However, when I picked the birds up, they smelled faintly of smoke. I asked if anyone in the household smoked and was told no. It was explained to me that a smoker had recently visited the home, so that this was why the birds smelled like smoke.
The woman also told me the cockatiels had been very sweet, and that C would enjoy cuddling up to her under her chin, while she pet him with her finger. I couldn’t believe it – C HATED being touched with hands/fingers and only tolerated being preened by B. When I seemed incredulous, the woman tried to demonstrate, and sure enough, C squirmed and tried to get away from her hand.
These things didn’t add up, but all in all, I felt PASO was a good place to board the birds, since the birds seemed very calm and peaceful when I got them back. I felt that the PASO people were very kind, helpful, and dedicated to parrot care, and so I just dismissed the inconsistencies as misunderstandings.
THE BIRDS – DECEMBER 2007Both cockatiels were aged around 23 years old and had been in our family for about 22 years. However, they had very different needs since Bird C was much less mobile. C has never been able to fly since we got him, because of a bad droopy wing. Because of that, he’s also had various physical health problems, and is not very strong or active, since he can’t fly. He has weak feet and the front toes are crossed on one foot. He is very cute with a round shaped body. His tail feathers are usually all broken, since he doesn’t pay attention to his tail when moving around.
Bird B is flighted and physically normal and healthy. B is devoted to Bird C, so B would walk along behind C instead of flying alone. B has a sharp hawk-like face with a protruding brow.
JANUARY 2008 – BEFORE PICK UP
When I got back to town in early January 2008, I called PASO to arrange picking the birds up the next day. I spoke to the man who said the next day should be fine, but that I should call again the next morning to confirm with the woman.
When I spoke to the woman the next morning, she informed me that one of my birds might be dead. She told me that my 2 cockatiels had arrived one day, and 2 other cockatiels had come in soon after for adoption, so she was not sure whether the dead cockatiel was one of mine. I asked her specifically if Bird C was okay, thinking that since he was so distinctive with the bad wing, etc., that C would be easy to tell apart. I thought that if I could ensure C was fine, then chances were that B would be fine, being the healthier one of the two. The woman just said she didn’t know and to come over.
My thoughts: Other than a desperate hope that both of mine were all right, the question running through my mind was: How could someone care properly for different birds without being able to tell them apart? The birds had very different needs, especially Bird C who was unable to fly, or climb, and was fairly weak and elderly. He probably wouldn’t be able to defend himself from an attack (from a healthy bird) and would need to be protected and cared for and adequately fed. Other than that, Bird C was especially distinctive in his looks, with his obviously bad wing, broken tail feathers, etc.
JANUARY 2008 – UPON PICK UP
BIRD B’s CONDITION
When we arrived there at PASO to pick up the birds, I found that it was Bird C who had passed. I won’t say any more about that, because I can’t know exactly what happened (I wasn’t there) and I can’t know whether it was simply Bird C’s time to pass on to heaven.
What did and still does concern me was what I noticed about Bird B:
- his right nostril was extremely swollen, so hugely that it looked like a big tumour
- the same nostril was clogged and clotted with blood
- skin was missing from the long front toe of his left foot & he was limping
- a chunk of feathers were missing from his crest, all coming back in as little pin feathers & the longest remaining crest feather had a crooked kink in it
- he reeked of cigarette smoke
I have posted photos so you can see the difference. The top photo along the left is B last summer, with a normal cere/nostrils. The second photo along the right is how he looked after he came back from PASO, with his swollen bloody cere.
There were no explanations initially offered for any of these conditions. I asked about the nostril, and the woman explained: B must have been attacked by a Quaker parrot that morning when the woman was talking to me on the phone. It seemed to be a theory, because the woman didn’t sound sure. She had seen the Quaker attack a bird, but apparently, she hadn’t known which bird got attacked, until I asked her how B’s nostril got hurt.
The smell of cigarette smoke stayed with Bird B for weeks. I brought him in to the shower, thinking that it would get the smell out, but after 3 showers in 3 days, he still reeked of smoke. After 6 showers, the smell had faded a bit for when he was dry, but when he got into the humid shower, he would smell like an ashtray again. It took about 3 weeks for the smell of nicotine to leave his feathers.
My thoughts: With different birds, I could understand not being able to keep watch all the time. So maybe it was understandable that B would get attacked by another bird. What was less understandable to me was why the woman wouldn’t KNOW that B had been attacked – why wouldn’t she care to check up on him, make sure he was all right after the attack? Besides that, I thought it was unacceptable that B reeked so deeply of smoke, which was clearly unhealthy and toxic for him. Even humans get lung cancer from secondhand smoke! I don’t know how much smoke he must have been living in, for him to smell so deeply of smoke, that it would take 3 weeks to clean out.
A BIG PROBLEM: NO FOOD LEFT
Additionally, there was no birdseed left in the birdcage. There was some parrot nut mix in the dish, but it was full of things that the birds never ate and wouldn’t recognize as food. It didn’t have any millet or small husky seeds that was their staple food for over 20 years, and pretty much the only thing C ever ate anymore. (C was a pickier eater than B.) I even saw Bird B picking at the food in the dish that day, looking hungry, but he soon gave up and left when he found nothing to eat there.
I had given PASO a large tub of birdseed for the birds, which should have been more than enough for 2 weeks. When I asked about the birdseed tub to bring back with me, the woman told me that all the birdseed had been used up, since other cockatiels and other parrots had got into their seed and eaten it up quickly. She did not explain why they had not acquired more seed so that my bird(s) would have something to eat.
OTHER THINGS – FROM MY PERSPECTIVE
It seemed to me that B looked rumpled and not very healthy. His feathers looked faded instead of lustrous. He just didn’t look very healthy to me. I was only away for 2 weeks.
The day I went to get B, the woman tried to pick B up a few times while we were talking about C’s passing. Not only did B not step up for her, but he flew away when she tried to pick him up, TWICE. This was very unusual for B, because he is not usually afraid of people, and if anything, he is more likely to bite than flee if he doesn’t want to step up. But besides that, in recent years, he has mellowed out and become much more calm and willing to step up easily all the time.
I didn’t think very carefully about all this at the time while I was there, I just gave the woman some donations and took B home – I hadn’t yet processed my grief over C’s passing. After a while, I wondered how well she could care for birds, who were not only afraid of her, but that she couldn’t tell apart. I think both birds had different special needs. C had obvious physical disabilities, but both birds were quite old, and despite B’s relative health, he wasn’t as strong as he was when he was 5 years old. He was clearly no match for whatever attacked him.
I have tried to keep this post as factual as possible so I can just report what happened and what I observed. I wanted to inform everyone about the conditions I found B in, which I think are unacceptable for anyone claiming to provide care for parrots. I don’t think I personally believe that the people at the PASO intended anything malicious, but perhaps, they are experiencing personal difficulties that prevent them from giving all the birds staying with them a smoke-free, healthy environment to live in. Based on my earlier experience in 2005 and the trust I had in them, I had recommended PASO to other parrot owners in the past. I can no longer recommend them, and I urge anyone who is thinking about leaving their birds there to consider carefully whether PASO really is still a good place to bring your loved ones.
