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MEET CLIVE
Many of you have read the story of Clive, the 22 year old Patagonian conure that was adopted by a dedicated Foundation volunteer: I have the privilege and honor of caring for Clive when her dad is away for brief business travel.
I was at The Birdbrain the day she was brought from the aviary in Elizabeth, for transfer to her new forever home. Everyone wanted to hold her but were afraid to touch for fear she’d break. She was almost painful to look at with the majority of her feathers gone including her tail, and what feathers did remain on her wings looked as though they’d been through a hail storm. Her legs revealed no feathers at all and her large Patagonian feet tilted upwards toward her head, from severe arthritis. She could be picked up in a small blanket so her bare skin had only softness to touch, but she was unable to perch at all and occupies only the padded bottom of her cage. It seemed to be very painful for her to stand for any period of time and she would lay over on her side when she needed rest, which seemed often. Walking was almost out of the question.
Now, 10 months later, she sleeps standing up with her head tucked into more ‘full’ wing feathers. Her dad has purchased a ‘pad of magnets’ that has seemed to help her arthritis and she doesn’t exhibit the fatigue that would quickly overtake any earlier activity.. She’s sprouted new feathers on her legs and chest and has many new feathers that extend from the back of her head onto her back. She even has a few new tail stubs. She gets what we call ‘physical therapy’ by placing her in the center of a large rug and putting an almond or other treat at the corners. She now almost runs for her treat, something that was out of the question months ago, and she is ‘on the move’, from the original place on the carpet where she used to begin her physical therapy, to traveling down the hallway and into another room! She’s also become very vocal and says ‘hello’ and ‘I love you’ in her delicate ‘inside voice’. Of course she also has a distinctive ‘pay attention to me’ voice as well. Clive recently began playing with toys that hang at beak level in her cage, or are loose on the cage bottom, and different toy styles are offered regularly to be sure she doesn’t get bored.
When Clive comes to visit, my favorite thing is to scoop her up in her baby blanket and let her ‘rest’ on my chest while I recline slightly and watch tv. I think she would sleep like that all night if I’d let her! She is given special meds twice a day to help with her stiffness and inflammation, but with the love of her caring parront, I’ve seen a 180 degree change in her overall health, physical ability and her interaction with humans, not to mention an incredible will to thrive.
This is a remarkable bird that was given a chance to have a loving, caring, healthy life, from a dedicated and loving human. I am so very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a small part of her amazing life. There is absolutely no stopping her now!
-Andrea Frederick
TGF DOES NOT BREED BIRDS, regardless of the species (nor will we place adoptive birds in breeding situations). We make every effort to provide a living environment that does not encourage breeding behaviors. Should eggs be laid, every effort is made to alter the environment and remove the egg(s) as soon as possible but discourage repeated laying. Eggs are never allowed to mature to hatch. Very few birds are housed male with female and careful attention is paid to these birds. Should breeding behaviors be observed, careful assessment of the situation is undertaken and every action is implemented to change this behavior.
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