One Lucky Bird

This is Dusty. He is a 30 year old Blue and Gold Macaw. When his mom acquired him, it took her six years to gain his trust enough for hands-on contact. Now Dusty and his mom are very close. Dusty has been through some nasty challenges. He had a stubborn case of Aspergillis and has finally gotten rid of it. However, the result is very apparent.







When Asper takes hold...it can be brutal. This photo should be warning to all of us to do our best to keep the air and surroundings as clean as possible for our birds. They have complex respiratory systems and aren't meant to breathe the many particulates in our homes.

Every bird home should have a hepa type air cleaner near the cage. The filter should be cleaned frequently. The practice of placing stacks of newspaper at the bottom of the cage and then removing only the top sheet should be banned. Yes, it makes life easy...but the dust, dander, poop and food particles that accumulate create a dangerous fungal situation. The bird flaps his wings and the dust and particles swirl up into their delicate bodies. Parrots have many air sacs throughout their entire body.

Dusty has come through this ordeal with flying colors. He is a gentle soul who enjoys the simple pleasures of life. He obviously loves sitting outside on his pool-side perch! Wild caught parrots seem to have a confidence that makes them mellow. Of course, this comes with being old and wise too.

Take a good look at Dusty's gaping hole and decide to keep the cage environment clean. Aspergillis spores are everywhere and usually don't manifest themselves this severely.