Jump to navigation
The Finster Log
Watching
Posted on: 07/31/06, 23:12:47
I finally took Peanut to get some of his flight feathers trimmed about a week ago. The minute I let him out of his travel cage after the trim he flew here, and there, and back again, just to show me he could still fly AND NO WING CLIP WILL CHANGE THAT. EVER. In this photo, you can see him near the top of the Finsterium, looking to see if I'm watching so he can sneak inside.
The thing is, since the clip, Peanut has seemed less active than usual. Now, there are a couple of external factors in play. First is the clip itself: I'd been lazy and didn't keep up with the trim, so he had a lot of time to get used to zipping around, flying loops around the living room, flying on top of the Finsterium, and other potentially dangerous things. So the clip could still be a bit of a shock. Second, we had a house guest for a few days, and while she was nice (and brought presents!) she did change everybody's routine a bit. I also cleaned Peanut's house, and may not have gotten all the perches and things back in the exact same spots as before. These are enough new things to suggest a behavioral change, and not a physical one.
Still, he is Master of the Universe, and all, so I took him to the vet's office for a checkup this morning.
After some very rude poking and prodding, and a weigh-in — he was up 1 1/2 grams to 24: still less than an ounce, but we may need to cut back on the sunflower seeds (AS IF) — the vet declared him fit and healthy. He's eating well (obviously) and his poops look good, so we decided I'd keep an eye on him for a few days, and see if his behavior gets back to normal, or if I find more physical cues. Despite his weight gain, he's still too small for a full blood work up, and possibly too small for any tests at all — so apart from giving him antibiotics "just" "in" "case," waiting is about the best choice.
Of course, the minute I let him out of his travel cage after the checkup he flew here, and there, and back again, just to prove that was feeling much better, now, and clearly wasn't dead yet, or anything like that. But then he took another nap, so it's a little hard to say. Still, when he is active, he does his normal things, including flying (only once so far) on top of the Finsterium. So I'll try not to worry.
And that wing feather trim? He's already molted one of the clipped feathers.
The thing is, since the clip, Peanut has seemed less active than usual. Now, there are a couple of external factors in play. First is the clip itself: I'd been lazy and didn't keep up with the trim, so he had a lot of time to get used to zipping around, flying loops around the living room, flying on top of the Finsterium, and other potentially dangerous things. So the clip could still be a bit of a shock. Second, we had a house guest for a few days, and while she was nice (and brought presents!) she did change everybody's routine a bit. I also cleaned Peanut's house, and may not have gotten all the perches and things back in the exact same spots as before. These are enough new things to suggest a behavioral change, and not a physical one.
Still, he is Master of the Universe, and all, so I took him to the vet's office for a checkup this morning.
After some very rude poking and prodding, and a weigh-in — he was up 1 1/2 grams to 24: still less than an ounce, but we may need to cut back on the sunflower seeds (AS IF) — the vet declared him fit and healthy. He's eating well (obviously) and his poops look good, so we decided I'd keep an eye on him for a few days, and see if his behavior gets back to normal, or if I find more physical cues. Despite his weight gain, he's still too small for a full blood work up, and possibly too small for any tests at all — so apart from giving him antibiotics "just" "in" "case," waiting is about the best choice.
Of course, the minute I let him out of his travel cage after the checkup he flew here, and there, and back again, just to prove that was feeling much better, now, and clearly wasn't dead yet, or anything like that. But then he took another nap, so it's a little hard to say. Still, when he is active, he does his normal things, including flying (only once so far) on top of the Finsterium. So I'll try not to worry.
And that wing feather trim? He's already molted one of the clipped feathers.
Comments
no comments yet