Blind gouldian, after rehab, his plastic "wife"
Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 7:10 pm
I've never spoken of my little guy Midget. He was a lone juvie (out of a handfed bunch last year) who flew into a wall last breeding season. He was stunned.
After the accident, he followed his clutch to the pipette (by sound I assume), took his feedings like the rest. It wasnt until I relocated the juvies from the smaller weaning cage to the bigger flight that I noticed he just sat on the floor of the cage and didnt explore with his siblings. He waved his head around trying to make sense of the environment, but just sat there for hours. When I waved my hand around him, he only responded when it created a "shadow". I realized quickly he was almost blind. I immediately moved him into a 18x18 cage so I could observe how/what he could see. I placed VERY shallow bowls, with a puppy pad on the floor. And I noted he could bump into things and locate food and water.
Perches........that took about a month. Seems he can see colors and shapes. So perching took practice and a LOT of over-hopping and missing before he memorized the exact placement of the perches. I observed him all day for weeks and weeks, as he sits on my office desk while I work my full time job.. I noted he can see blurs of color, so I added TOYS, most with bells he could ring and use sound to entertain himself ( he loves bells and the clanking of objects). The last few weeks I noticed something SPECIAL, he has bonded with one toy in particular. He loves, sings, mounts and sleeps by "her" always. Here's Midget with his "woman" we call his "Woogy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgpnHBJ-8ZU
After the accident, he followed his clutch to the pipette (by sound I assume), took his feedings like the rest. It wasnt until I relocated the juvies from the smaller weaning cage to the bigger flight that I noticed he just sat on the floor of the cage and didnt explore with his siblings. He waved his head around trying to make sense of the environment, but just sat there for hours. When I waved my hand around him, he only responded when it created a "shadow". I realized quickly he was almost blind. I immediately moved him into a 18x18 cage so I could observe how/what he could see. I placed VERY shallow bowls, with a puppy pad on the floor. And I noted he could bump into things and locate food and water.
Perches........that took about a month. Seems he can see colors and shapes. So perching took practice and a LOT of over-hopping and missing before he memorized the exact placement of the perches. I observed him all day for weeks and weeks, as he sits on my office desk while I work my full time job.. I noted he can see blurs of color, so I added TOYS, most with bells he could ring and use sound to entertain himself ( he loves bells and the clanking of objects). The last few weeks I noticed something SPECIAL, he has bonded with one toy in particular. He loves, sings, mounts and sleeps by "her" always. Here's Midget with his "woman" we call his "Woogy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgpnHBJ-8ZU
When I knew he got one perch perfected I added another and so on.