fourfeathers wrote:
Name: Miss Peepers
Breed: Golden Pheasant
Age: 2 years old in May
How she got her handicap: One sunday, a friend who is also a vet assistant phoned me at home and said, "There is a chick at the farmstore that can't keep her head up and the others are being mean to her, can I bring her to you?" I said sure, and that was the start of my rescuing of the special needs ones. Peepers didn't really have limberneck that could be corrected, but had an orthopedic condition where her neck was curved in a fixed S position. I tried splinting, exercises, Alan Stanford's formula, etc. but because it was an orthopedic condition, she remained with a upside down head. She also has motor coordination problems similar to that of a person with Cerebral Palsy and her movments are very jerky. The first few days, I got up every 3 hrs to hand feed her a watered down mash, held her and loved her. At 2 weeks, I had to literally teach her how to stand and walk on a nonslip foam shelf paper, one step at a time. She got stronger and is able to get around now in the house, but never goes terribly far because she circles to the right most of the time. Her hobbies are playing scrabble (she helps peck and select letter tiles), picking up puzzle pieces, getting in the middle of paperwork if it is one the floor (she recently 'helped' do my taxes-I was so tempted to sign her name as the Preparer). She calls for me if she wants something, makes a laughing sound when talking to me and she loves to cuddle at night on my chest while we watch tv or sit in her own recliner in a fleece blanketed dog bed. She cannot fly (kind of resembles a helicopter crashing) but I have learned not to be too over protective of her when she tries to get down from the recliner by herself. She has to be kept on a blanket or towel in her big cage because a wire bottom would be too rough and she eats by scooting her head on the blanket to scoop up food. I give her iceberg lettuce to keep her hydration up because she cannot drink on her own. We use a rabbit bottle and I hold her head twice daily to give her a drink from that should she wish. She gets out of her cage when I am home and either rests in her chair or moves about on the carpet in her bird diapers. During our big ice storm in KY, I was so worried that she would get cold that she slept in a quilted kitty cube next to my pillow for 12 nights until our power returned.
Why is she special? She is so special because she has overcome such odds to live a life. Some may see her pictures and here her story and wonder about her quality of life, but when anyone meets her they see what a happy bird she is. She truly is an inspiration and a joy to anyone who meets her and they never forget her spirit. Although she isn't living the typical pheasant or chicken life, she seems happy and knows no difference. She does have friends although they are furry as you can see in the pictures. She is the light of my days.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v356/bawkbawk4me/peepers529.jpg
Peepers as a baby.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v356/
3007-a.jpg
Peepers and her 2-legged cat friend.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v356/
1-08-1.jpg
Peepers and the grand old dog of the house who accepts and is kind to all.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v356/bawkbawk4me/peepers6-15-2.jpg
Peepers reclining.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v356/bawkbawk4me/11-10Peeperswalking.jpg
Peepers taking a walk....oops! Without her pants! Ah, well, that's what rug cleaner is for.
is that even a chicken. if it is shes very beautiful and i NEED to get one!!!!! :]
ETA : nevermind i see shes a golden pheasent. duh x]
