Dear Parrots magazine,
Beware of the sun!
I would like to warn parrot owners of the hazards that hot weather can bring. I have seen warnings in this magazine about the potential hazards of hot weather, but such problems can be so easily overlooked. It was on one occasion last year that we took our Blue-fronted Amazon, Bluey, into our conservatory at the back of our house. We quite often spend a lot of time there with Bluey, and our Labrador, Mitzi.
But this occasion was different as Mitzi, we think, got a bee sting so had to take her to the vets very quickly. In a hurry, we left Bluey alone in the conservatory, as the sun had not gone around to shining in. Normally it takes until after lunchtime and we had to leave some time before that, so thought we would be back in plenty of time, as the vets is only a few minutes drive away. But panic set in when the visit was delayed and we both had to stay with Mitzi. Time went by and Mitzi recovered well enough that we could take her home. But when we arrived home, the sun had moved around and inside the conservatory was very hot. Bluey appeared to be gasping and we panicked. However, after we took him back into a cooler room, he quickly recovered and all was finally back to normal.
My point in writing is that circumstances can very quickly change with sometimes fatal results when the sun is strong. We must all be aware and not to be caught out.
Anita Fellows, by email