old Patagonian conure

Question
I have a Patagonian conure who is at least 26 years old; he is a feather-plucker, can no longer fly, and cannot keep his balance on us, so he never wants to leave his cage, though we do move it around the house so he can be in the same room with us.  He sits on top of it most of the day or huddles on the floor under his papers, which he's been doing for a few years especially during nesting season, but he is gradually becoming less and less active.  He is still eating normally and is verbally responsive to us, but he is sleeping most of the time.  The cage is large and cumbersome and it is very traumatic to attempt to get him away from it.  I am unable to find a vet who will have a telephone conference with me (I am willing to pay the price of an office visit) to give me some advice about how I can make him more comfortable.   I do not want to cause him unnecessary stress by an office visit if he is simply winding down.  Is his behavior natural for an old bird and can I do anything for him to perk him up or make him more comfortable?  He does not appear to be in any pain; he is not shivering or puffed up; he just seems tired.  

Answer
Hi, Sheila.  Thanks for posting.

I recommend you get this conure in for a medical evaluation.  You need to find an avian vet, not a cat/dog vet, but an exotic animal vet who is trained in birds (see www.aav.org/vet-lookup/ or www.birdsnways.com/birds/vets.htm).  This bird may have medical conditions for some of his behavior.  Since birds hide their illness until they can't hide it any more, it's important you find out what's going on inside this bird.    

You will likely have to modify his cage in order to make it comfortable for this bird and/or make a special cage to accommodate his physical abilities.  

Although this bird is 26 years old, you can't just go on age to determine how old this bird really is.  In other words, I have a 43-year old amazon that is just as spry and active as my 20-year old amazons.  So it's not just a matter of calendar age, but how hard a life this bird has led and whether there are any medical conditions affecting his/her behavior.  You need to start out with a physical exam from an avian vet just to see how much of this bird's limitations are from age and how much is from routine.  A bird vet needs to physically see the bird in order to perform certain tests, evaluate the overall bird, etc., so this might be why you can't find one to teleconference with you.  If one you choose won't even talk with you by phone, find a different bird vet.

After you find out whether this bird is suffering from any medical conditions (or not) that affect his/her behavior, then you can work on areas to keep him comfortable.  If this bird has medical problems that can be treated with meds, then you wouldn't have to modify things/find ways in order to keep him/her comfortable.  The bird vet visit should be the first thing on your TO-DO list for this bird.

Chrys