Nikki went home to God early on Sunday, May 14th (Mother’s Day). She will always be my little miracle because she was not supposed to live as long as she did. She survived anesthesia from her wing amputation surgery and fought some kind of respiratory infection which I later learned was due to her liver. Though Quaker Parrots are prone to Fatty Liver Disease, Nikki did not have this as she was always on a good diet. However, earlier this year, her labwork showed abnormal values in terms of liver function, and an ultrasound revealed that her liver was very small. She was diagnosed with Chronic Liver Disease and received supportive care for the rest of her life.
During the last few weeks I had the privilege of taking good care of her, administering oral supplements through a syringe and for 14 days administering antibiotics through a nebulizer. Nikki would chirp happily inside the nebulizer chamber I created out of the bird carrier. After the nebulizer treatments were finished I was feeling hopeful that she would continue to improve, however, she never recovered 100%. Unfortunately, I think that whatever infection she was fighting off was just too big for her little body to handle. The necropsy showed that she had liver damage and inflammation.
Nikki will always be my little miracle and favorite outlaw as Quaker Parrots are illegal in some states. Thankfully, I live in New York where they are legal.
I am grateful to God for the extra time that He gave me with Nikki. She couldn’t have very well died on January 25th of last year when she went into cardiac arrest when she had her wing amputation surgery. However, He gave her more time to spend with me and her big sister, Sunny. Thirteen months may not seem like a long time, but I did my best to make every moment count. Nikki not only celebrated her 18th birthday but she also celebrated her 19th birthday. She, Sunny and I spent lots of time together. On nice, warm days we went outside. Nikki learned a few tricks. She learned to target, turn around, shake her head “No” and wave. She did a couple of cute behaviors that I also put on cue. One was what looked nodding her head yes and the other looked like she was taking a bow.
We had a wonderful Christmas together. It was her first Christmas as a wing amputee and of course, she and Sunny got extra Christmas gifts. We even spent Easter together.
Nikki was fun, talkative, and had a big personality. She adjusted very well to being a wing amputee. She was the same naughty girl she always was. I can still remember when she managed to pull off several keys of my Chromebook while I wasn’t looking. Sunny just sat there and watched.
I think about Nikki every day and remember all the good times we shared. I will always remember her saying, “Hi buddy!” to me every morning.
Sunny has been a big help to me during all this. We have been leaning on each other. Nikki was my first bird, and I obviously never lost a bird before. Yes, I had budgerigars growing up, but they were the family’s. They were never out of the cage. I never got to hold and pet any of them. The bond I have with both Sunny and Nikki is very different. Nikki and I especially had a very close bond because I had her since she was 11 weeks old. She introduced me to my great love of birds, and then, Sunny came along. She was almost 14 months old when I brought her home. I always say that there would never have been a Sunny if it weren’t for Nikki.
Spectrum 
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