r/greencheeks

Hey all! I just made chop for my baby, it’s a mix of:
Yellow bell pepper + it’s seeds
Orange bell pepper + it’s seeds
Broccoli
Kale
Yellow Squash
Mung bean sprouts
And Carrot

I accidentally made a huge amount so I want to freeze it, how long can I freeze it for before it goes bad?

my bird is 6 months old, has the SAME birthday as me, brought him home yesterday, he got acclimatized VERY quickly, started going to the walls probably because he was curious about us, and he just stared at me when I was talking to him, on the wall closest to me btw, and he’s very comfortable, as he has been fluffing up and chillin on one foot, should i wait a week before starting to attempt to hand train him (i.e. letting him come up to my hand on the cage walls, feeding him sunflower seeds through the bars)? i don’t want to be too forward or break his trust and make it harder for us later on. last night, he didn’t mind my hand was in his cage (i was taking out seeds from his food bowl) but this morning, when i was changing his water, he got a little bit slick, but nonetheless, I just tried going slower and sure enough, he calmed down. also he’s been playing with his toys and throwing his food and talking a good amount. so, really, I have two questions

1: Are these good signs?

2: when should i start hand training/taming him?

P.S. he also is completely fine with going on the floor of his cage and likes exploreing the other various perches and toys he had that are lower down on the cage.

No judgment or mean comments, please; this is a hard post to make!

Unfortunately, my spouse and I need to rehome our green cheek conure after 11 years together. She is healthy, very social with people, and gets along well with other birds (it just takes her a little time to adjust to other birds since she's pretty neurotic). We're posting here because we're pretty desperate for leads on anyone who may want to adopt, or any local groups in CA where we might find her a good home.

If you have any information that could help, we'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

How we got here:

Late June, first vet, not a bird specialist. Prescribed meloxicam and Medistatin. Turns out the meloxicam was written at 10 times the correct dose and she’d been getting it for about 10 days before anyone caught it.

July 10, second opinion. That exam noted blunted choanal papillae — the vitamin A deficiency marker. Fecal direct negative, x-rays normal. Started Baytril, stopped the meloxicam.

July 15, first board-certified avian vet. Ten days of azithromycin. Cultures grew gram-negatives in her crop and cloaca. Those cleared, she had three good days, then it all came back.

August 5, second board-certified avian vet. Maropitant twice daily, apple cider vinegar in her water, minimum handling. We tried azithromycin again last week and stopped after two days because she vomited within hours of each dose.

Everything that’s negative: bornavirus, avian gastric yeast, fungal, no pathogen on culture, no inflammatory cells, kidney values, liver enzymes, blood sugar, proteins, white count. X-rays read as normal by both specialists.

What the cytology actually showed: heavy epithelial cell shedding with gram-positive overgrowth stuck to the shed cells, and no inflammation. The current theory is that whatever started this damaged her crop lining and now the vomiting and the damage keep feeding each other.

What it looks like: usually clear fluid with white milky bits. Sometimes whole seeds. Sometimes it smells like sour yogurt, sometimes nothing. Worst between 4 and 6am on an empty crop, and again late afternoon — both right when her medication is wearing off. Almost nothing during the day when she’s eating.

Stuff nobody has explained: she scratches at her face constantly, yawns a lot, and stretches her right wing over and over. In the last few days she won’t let me touch her belly, which she’s always been fine with, and she’s stopped wanting to use her poop stand. Droppings look completely normal though, every 20-30 minutes.

What I’ve changed: switched her to Higgins InTune about 8 weeks ago, fresh veg every day, seed down to a teaspoon. Cage cleaned daily, filtered water, nothing toxic in the house. Took away her PVC sleeping tube in case any of this is hormonal.

Still on the table: crop wash with culture and sensitivity is scheduled. Barium study was declined since her weight is stable. Heavy metals never tested. No prokinetic tried yet.

Has anyone been through this — daily vomiting, clean workup, normal weight — and eventually gotten an answer? What was it? Any help is appreciated.