Ralphie's Vet Visit

I took Ralphie into the vet at 10:30 this morning, his appointment was for 10...but I couldn't get him out of his cage and into the travel cage, and boy was he a bugger to get in his travel cage. 

It was so funny, if you can picture this:   I am trying to reason with this massively big bird to that could easily take out my eyes, ears, fingers...if he wanted to, to get into his cage.   He keeps lunging at me, he is determined not to get into that small carrier.   So, after 30 minutes, and at this point I am late for my appointment for him, I finally called the vet.   She told me to grab him by his feet and put my hand over his head.  I was like...."uh....I just got this bird, he is gonna eat me up!"  LOL  So at that point she tells me to throw a towel over him, grab him quickly and wrap him like a burrito (her words exactly...like a burrito, lol) and toss him, towel and all into the carrier.  So, I try to throw a towel on him while he is on top of his cage, he flies over my head, and smack dab into the wall.   If this were Cordy, I would just swoop her up with my hands and not worry about it.  Heck, Cordy doesn't get caged for trips in the car...she is quite different than this bird that is more than twice her size.

Anyhow, back to Ralphie, on the floor now, because he flew into the wall.  I chased him down two connecting hallways in my house, I yelled to dad..."meet me with the cage in the front room".  Ralphie is on the floor, running from me, I am in chase with a towel in  hand...Ralphie gets to the front room, where his travel cage is on the floor and runs right into the cage.  Apparently at that point...me and the towel were scarier than the travel cage.  It was quite the fiasco.  Definitely an America's funniest home videos moment.

Finally at the vet office, I check in, give them his info, tell him his old owners name, the lady had committed suicide.  And the guy I purchased her from told me that this was his vet's office...which was good because it is also Cordy's same vet.  So, I tell them the info...and Ralphie has never been seen there...they even have all the deceased woman's info there and her birds info.  Apparently the only two macaws she took in had problems...one was a feather plucker, and would never get its feathers back, they other was old/ancient as the vet said.  And Ralphie is a young bird.  They even called the Exotic Bird Clinic for me, because they knew that the deceased person also took her birds there as well...no records there either.

So, we are in the waiting room, the Vet tech comes in, and trys to get Ralphie out, he flies onto the tv.  She grabs a towel, puts it on her arm and gets him down...I tell ya, this gal showed no fear, lol.   She put him on the weighing perch and weighed him.  He sat there a good while before the vet came in, all the while I am talking sweet to him, only he and I in the room at this point.  So, I put my arm near him and say "step up".   He gets onto my arm...only the second time since we brought him home last night.  I am thinking...wow, this is way cool!  Then he proceeds to head up to my shoulder...oh no I am saying to myself, I try to keep my forearm down, he reaches up, and pulls himself onto my shoulder via my shirt.  Now on the inside, I am totally freaking out... but, I am telling myself, be calm...they smell fear.  LOL

I don't look him directly in the face, because I don't want him to break my glasses, and I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was eye  balling them.  I nervously open the exam room door, and call dad over to see what I have gotten myself into.  So, I sat with him on my shoulder for about 10 minutes, maybe a little longer til the vet came in.  She removed him for me, whew, my ears are intact! 

From that point, it was a routine well bird exam.  Blood tests, fecal tests, and vaccinations.  Since I have no proof of prior medical care, I had it all taken care of...and since I have no DNA test to prove that he is a boy, I had that done as well.  The vet told me she has a feeling ralphie is a girl because he/she is so big.  I guess males are smaller.  We will see :-)

He got back into the carrier with no problems, at that point, he wants to just leave the vet's office.  I can understand,he was poked and prodded!  But it was all necessary.  Once back at home, I was able to put my arm in his cage and get him out without any aggressiveness from him at all.  He was glad to come to me.  I held him and talked to him a bit, then put him in his cage. 

I can tell this big boy...or girl...will bring us years of joy!