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 Amazing Grace
 Gracie A Very Special Nanday Conure
This is Gracie's story, a sad story
because it occurs too often, but
fortunately for Gracie, one with a happy
new beginning. Gracie is a 1 1/2 year
old physically challenged Nanday Conure.
Her right foot does not grip properly
and she has a nervous condition which
makes Gracie's head wobble when
challenged with even a simple new
task. I first met Gracie at a local
pet store where her previous owner, had
just minutes before my arrival, sold her
and left. Her excuse was one that we
hear all to often "I just do not have
time for this bird any more". When I
first spotted Gracie she was clinging
franticly to the sides of her cage, sad
little eyes searching for the one who
left her behind. I removed Gracie from
her cage in order to offer her some sort
of comfort. That is when I noticed that
Gracie was not right. Her one foot did
not grip properly and her little head
wobbled when she tried to cling to me.
I spoke softly to Gracie and this
seemed to calm her. That day I left the
pet store in tears. Tears for Gracie
and all the other little birds that
unfortunately suffer at the hands of
people who just do not have time for
this bird any more. For about a month
I visited Gracie as much as I could. I
watched as people passed her by for the
"perfect younger birds". The only
information I could gather about
Gracie's history was that she was
purchased at a local pet fair (Corpus
Christi, TX) from a local breeder (Band
ID is JB tx 3) and was always fed a
standard parrot mix. I seriously doubt
that the breeder ever discosed Gracie's
disability to the unsuspecting buyer.
Unfortunately for Gracie she was
improperly raised by an uncaring,
unknowledgeable, out to make a buck
breeder who sold Gracie to an individual
who knew less than they did about proper
avian nutrition and care. Seeing Gracie
was hard for me, but I felt she needed
someone in this world who cared enough
to stop and spend some time with her.
The pet store owner and staff did all
they could do for Gracie, but with a
business to run, individual one-on-one
time for Gracie was limited. Gracie
needed a home. On 4 April 1998, Gracie
came home with me. I purchased a new
cage just like Gracie's old one and the
store owner gave me Gracie's toys and
her one short rope perch that she was
most comfortable on. After Gracie was
set up in her new home I immediately
went and purchased 3 properly sized
comfort perches for her. The old short
inadequate perch was removed and tossed.
I shaped the perches so Gracie could
better navigate from one to the other
with ease and could perch without
dragging and further damaging her once
long slender elegant tail against the
bars of the cage. Also, I gave Gracie a
comfort rope swing which she took to
right off. With her familiar cage,
toys, and decent perches, Gracie seemed
to settle in.
It was quite apparent to
me that Gracie was malnourished. Her
weight was not what it should be for a
Nanday of her age, her breast bone was
way too prominent, and she was in poor
feather. Gracie had further suffered
from the ignorance of the breeder and
previous owner. Each evening I bring my
flock (Congo African Grey
,
Quaker Parrot,
Nanday Conure
, and
Albino Ring-neck
Dove) into the kitchen, place them
on their play stands, and talk to them
as I prepare their meals for the
following day. I use this special flock
time to introduce new foods and give my
birds a chance to safely interact with
each other away from their cages.
Because Gracie was still in quarantine
she was given her own special kitchen
time. It became apparent to me at this
time that Gracie had never even seen let
alone eaten any fruits or veggies
before. Her little head wobbled as she
tried to take a bite of broccoli I held
for her. A reaction Gracie shows when
trying to perfrom an unfamiliar task.
Tears fell again for Gracie as I watched
her try so hard for that one little
bite. It will take some time and
patience on my part to familiarize
Gracie with good foods, but I am
determined that it can and will be
done. Due to the extremly poor
condition of Gracie's feathers I knew
she had probably never experienced a
misting or bath. I placed Gracie on a
play pen I had modified for her by
wrapping the perches with vet wrap so
she could get a better grip and feel
more secure. With misting bottle in
hand I gently misted Gracie from above
so the water would gently fall upon her
feathers. The look of sheer surprise as
Gracie looked up to see where the water
was coming from confirmed my belief that
Gracie had never experienced the feel of
water upon her feathers. After Gracie's
bath, I gently dried her and held her
telling her what a pretty bird she was.
As Gracie preened her newly cleaned
feathers, the shine becan to reappear,
even Gracie's tattered fanned out tail
feathers drew back to resemble that of a
Nanday. With more future mistings I am
sure Gracie will once again take great
pride in her appearance. In order for
me to further properly care for Gracie,
and due to her apparent physical,
emotional, and nutritional problems, a
visit to my Flock's Avian Vet was in
order. I as so nervous while I watched
Gracie being examined. Praying the
whole time that Gracie would have a
future to look forward to. Gracie had
already suffered enough in her first
year and a half of life at the hands of
greed and ignorance. A sigh of relief
came when no heart, respiratory,
bacterial, or yeast problems were
detected. Gracie was found to be
suffering from a common metabolic bone
disorder caused from improper nutrition
during hand feeding and further
complicated by her previous owner
feeding her an inadequate diet. My
Avian Vet prescribed 1cc/4oz of water of
Neo Calglucon be put in Gracie's water 3
times a week. Gracie will never be a
so called "perfect bird", but then
nothing in nature is. I am sure that
with patience, understanding, love, and
proper nutrition Gracie will blossom
from an ugly ducklng into a beautiful
swan. For those of us who truly love
birds, the story of Gracie is an all too
familiar one. Next time you want to add
another member to your flock, consider
giving a special bird like Gracie a new
beginning. Becky and Feathered
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