Sad news...
Added 2021-05-22 18:18:03 +0000 UTCSunny did all this within a week and a half. Environmentally speaking, nothing changed from when he allowed them to grow back in. He is still surrounded by the same birds he was.
All we can really do is focus on his liver health at the moment and really getting that back on track, along with his calcium levels. And test him 2x a year probably to see when (and if) he can ever come off the liver formula pellets. I worry if he stays on those long term that he won't get adopted just from a financial standpoint (they are $60/bag for a 2lb bag).
We were so excited he let the feathers grow in but he seems to wait for quite a few to be in before he takes them all out. This is exactly how he did with the imp-ed ones as well, ruining them all within a week and a half time frame. It's not every day, it's one day and then he waits about 5 days to do anymore, and then he waits about 5-6 days to do it again.
Comments
Try and identify if you see any “flashback” like behaviors before the distraction happens, you said it takes few days, I suspect he’s in a trauma loop that was once spread over 5 days, maybe the 5 days before he was rescued, maybe it’s something about the weather, maybe he’s sort of reliving the trauma subconsciously. The thing is, if you figure out the pattern, you might help him to redirect his tension, you might even be able to medicate him before the stressful fiasco of inflicting damage on to himself, and there for help him to calm down before the “flashback” (regression) happens. I’m no professional but from self experience with childhood (helpless) ptsd where you can’t exactly tell what’s going on before flashback is happening, there are effective ways to cope with those self distracting behaviors. even if you can’t directly tell what is the cause, and it seems all out of the blue when self distraction happens in relation to flashbacks, you can definitely track his patterns and find a creative way to work around it. I believe in you guys! You’ve gone far and beyond for him and he is appreciative of your help, even if he’s struggling.
Guy Goldstein K
2021-06-08 18:16:15 +0000 UTCDo you think there’s a change in your energy towards the situation? I know sometimes, we gotta step back and think about our motivation in the situation in order to tune into our prized goals. Also , I am pretty sure I already commented about consulting children ptsd specialist, if the self distractive situation is related to ptsd, treatment for self distraction is fundamentally different since it’s survival driven and the urge to distract is dissociative and continuous. In that case, only time helps. As long as he’s safe,confident and loved- this urge will get some what better. I’m sure you already know, but sometimes a different perspective from different fields than ours can help with goal tracking and motivation. I would really love to see this beautiful birdo gets to be confidently adopted, safe and loved. I’m sure it’s already on the way to get there even when the grind is hard.
Guy Goldstein K
2021-06-08 17:59:02 +0000 UTCThis breaks my heart. I send positive thoughts and energy to Sunny in hopes that one day he will put his past to rest and revel in the love that surrounds him now.
Kathy Surber
2021-05-23 10:05:01 +0000 UTCAvian body dysmorphic syndrome? Having been without those feathers for the majority (?) of his life, he may have the instinct to remove them...?
Susan Hopkins
2021-05-22 22:55:53 +0000 UTCAwww, poor Sunny. Maybe getting his health on track will help. You are doing the best that can be done for him. His life is so much better now. Don't worry about him being adopted. There will be a line of people wanting to give him a home.
Holden Kendrick
2021-05-22 20:10:20 +0000 UTCI'm sure it's frustrating for you guys to see them come in and feel like he's getting better only to be set back again!
Sarah Goninan
2021-05-22 19:39:02 +0000 UTCPoor guy! Im sure there is someone out there that can give him the right home.
Wendy Cottingham
2021-05-22 18:57:55 +0000 UTC
