Survival on Easter Sunday

Atilla has not been well.

She was fine on Easter Sunday morning & even had a chew of my blue, velcro rollers (my Easter treat to her).  However, around 1pm I noticed that she was not accepting Cagney’s regurgitated seed.  I observed her for a little while & found she was struggling to balance & was not right.

As the afternoon progressed, she got steadily worse.  She got very weak & several times perched on my finger but as she gradually slumped forward I put my other hand out until she was laying across my hands.  If she opened her wing she had no energy to close it.  I really thought this was the end.

Every so often she would shake her head & realise she was slumping & then sit up straight, only to gradually slump again.

Cagney was trying to feed her.  Sometimes I could see he was trying to prise her beak open to get some seed in.  She had no interest in eating or drinking.  That evening, I held her for about 2 hours in my hands, in the Manor, whilst she slept.  Coming up to bedtime she started getting restless & wanted to get to the seed pot (the bedtime routine).  I laid my hand out so she could climb over there but instead she threw herself on the pot, took a few moments to steady herself then forced herself to eat about 10 seeds.  She then settled on the perch to sleep.

I positioned my poang chair so I could see directly into the Manor & got ready for the night ahead.  I had a little doze & when I awoke, could not see Atilla… She had managed to climb into the loft area, make her way past the toyboys (on front swings) & was sat on the loft perch.  As she was at the back, I set the alarm to go off every hour, when I would turn the lamp on & check she was still okay.  I was actually amazed that she survived that day & that night.  What a strong-willed girl she is.