Macaw parrot on the road to recovery
A resident notices a bird in distress during one of her visits to the pet centre.
Being a parrot owner means Dr Renate Schubert often frequents pet shops for specialised food and toys for her beloved pet.
The Lonehill resident knows all the pet shops that have the perfect food for these South American natives. One of the reliable sources in the area is the Family Pet Centre. During one of her visits to the pet centre around August 2022, Schubert noticed a new arrival but the bird was in poor condition.
According to Schubert, as time went by, the bird looked progressively worse with every visit until she contacted the Sandton SPCA in February, to alert them to the issue. But unfortunately, there was no immediate response.
Steven Maila of the Sandton SPCA was contacted on April 20, and told the Fourways Review, “On March 30, our Inspector Xolane Mncube inspected the Family Pet Centre Fourways. Upon arrival, he met with the store manager, Chantel, and observed a young macaw that appeared to be in fair physical condition.”
Further to his inspection, he noted that the bird had access to food and water and that there was sufficient environmental enrichment for stress control and stimulation. The inspector was informed that the bird was under veterinary treatment and observation after they had noticed a few days before that the bird’s tail was broken. A beak and feather (psittacine) test was conducted by the store and came back negative, according to the veterinary report that was forwarded to the inspector upon request.
Francois Botha, general manager of the centre said, “We were also concerned, but we understand that with every living thing, adapting is a major step. We feel the bird is slowly adapting to its new environment. We have vets at the store ready to assist and everything seemed fine. The report was also sent to the SPCA. The patient is responding well to the treatment and her feather condition has much improved since.”
According to Bryanston Avian, Exotic, and Small Animal Clinic’s Dr Perushan Yenketsamy, “A sick bird will usually have ruffled feathers standing up off the body and not flat, sleek, and shiny. Inappetence and not drinking water is a clear indications of sickness as birds eat and drink throughout the day.
“Parrots carry certain diseases we should be aware of, mostly the beak and feather disease which is much like Aida. It destroys the fastest-growing cells (beak and feather) – these birds usually look very tatty. However, much like HIV, you cannot detect this without testing.”
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