Frist vet visit experiences

[Katy]

I took my babies to the vet the first time about 2 weeks after I had got them. They seemed to still not be very fond of me. They'd sit on my shoulder, and that was about it. So I got them into their bird box, and drove them to the vet for a check up.

I brought them to Parrots to Ferrets and when the vet came in, he picked them up in a towel, looked in their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and then looked at their wings. As soon as he put them down, they both flew right into my chest and hid in my hair. If they could talk, they would have said something like "mommy get us away from this scary man :( " I thought it was so very adorable that they came to me right away. That was the first time they came to me on purpose. It made me feel good, because I now realize that they are choosing me over another person. My bond with them has significantly improved since then. They are very shy around any other people except for me.

Anyone else have stories of vet visits?

[bellarains]

Katy,

They sure are glad to get back to their familiar person after a vet check. It is adorable, and it does show the trust you've developed with them:)

[shylevon]

Four of my birds are wild lovies, wild as the wind, but if I am the only familiar thing in the room, they cling to me like a life preserver. It does make one feel good to know they see you as a savior, even when they treat you like an ogre every other moment of the day.

[sdgilley]

Katy,
That's so cute! I took Peter to the vet for grooming, and my vet always checks them over. He trimmed Peter's wings and Peter fluttered to the floor showing us how much flight he had. Now Peter is a dedicated hand biter. It's not war, it's sport. Peter bites lightening fast and very hard. BUT once he was on the floor in that office - without thinking- I scooped him right up. He was happy to sit in my hands for a minute before I put him in his carrier. He was relaxed and looked for a second like a different bird than my biter-bird. He viewed me as protecting and so I did. :)

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Anyone else have stories of vet visits?

My birds have no fear at the veterinarian's office. She said that it shows how well adjusted my birds are because they are willing to visit new people and explore new environments. But it gets embarrassing, especially when one of them is hanging from the vet's stethoscope by one toe, with her head in the vet's shirt pocket.

My birds have:

Pooped on and chewed up their charts.
Landed on the vet's head.
Stood on the vet's shoulder and SCREAMED.
Bitten the vet on the nose. (This vet still said Milo is the sweetest lovebird he's ever seen.)
Climbed up the vet tech's shirt and nested in his armpit.
Chewed on the vet tech's pen while he was trying to write.

[kimsbirds]

Sir George tried to pick something out of our vets' nostril.....followed by a nice high pitched contact scream in his ear...

My other birds are mainly 'tolerant' of the vet....they'll step up as a last resort and make all their 'training' look obsolete...LOL

Gotta love 'em...

[mjm8321]

Our George likes to sit on the vet's shoulder and watch whatever she is doing; writing, getting meds or examining another bird. Most ot the tame little ones love the attention. "Wild" hens bite, males scream and wriggle like worms. Shiloh asks insistently "Whadda you doing?" and Ripley, who will bite hard, when fully wrapped in a towel says "I love you". The vet said that's first time she's ever been told that by a bird she's toweled. :lol

[Cooper]

We recently had Cooper at the vet and were asking about getting her wings clipped. Before the conversation progressed too much the vet had to leave the room briefly. She came back in to me and Bryan trying to coaxe Cooper down from the top of the cupboards and the vet said "so you'll be getting her wings clipped then."

Other than flying about the little room and landing on any available perch (vet's head) and giving off constant "death chatter" when being held in the little rag for exams and toe nail clipping Cooper's pretty good at the vets. I can't even use my hand to pick up Cooper from anywhere other than the floor, but the vet reaches right into the little carrier and Cooper calmly steps right up without hesitating. I guess she's not used to strange people being so confident or the vet has telepathic abilities with bity hens.

[BarbieH]

I like it when they view me as the protector. :) Tim tries to play the devil's advocate and tells them Mommy took them to the vet, but they don't seem to hear that part.

Today Gracie was scared by the evil handle of a Swiffer carpet cleaner. She flew into the bathroom and landed in the sand of a little Zen garden. When I got her up on my shoulder, she went and hid behind my hair -- first time ever! So much for the big bad birdy! :lol

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Today Gracie was scared by the evil handle of a Swiffer carpet cleaner.
It's the same in this house, Barb. If you want to watch two little bitty birdies scream and scatter, just pull out the Swiffer.