Hi, my name is Quasimodo, but you can call me Quasi. As you can see I am a cockatiel. I was born around the middle of September, mom says my birthday is September 16th. I was born at an aviary that was run by a, not so nice, lady. I was born with deformed feet ( one foot completely mangled and the other with only 2 working toes) and a crocked beak.  The lady didn't care for me properly and I also became malnourished and not too human friendly. When I was old enough and the lady had had enough of me she took me to another house and dropped me off. This was at my mom's friend's house that also has an aviary, but  not cockatiels. The lady told mom's friend that if she didn't take the bird it would be killed. So mom's freind took me even though she really didn't want me or have the time or money that needed to be put into me. She picked me up and I was so scared I bit her real hard and all my feathers fell out from being malnurished. She put me in a cage by myself and let me be. She changed my diet to pellets to help with my nurishment. After about 2 months with her I was looking a bit better but still wasn't too friendly. I also needed to go to the vet badly. Mom came to take care of her friend's birds and watch the house while she went away for a week. While mom was taking care of the birds she was also trying to get to know me more and get my trust. She would feed me and clean my cage and I would run away. I had such a hard time to run away because of the shape of my feet but I would try my hardest. After a couple days mom started putting her hand under me so I could get away from her easier. I liked this, I could climb right up the bars with her hand under me. After a few days of this I started being a little more secure around mom and stoped hissing and trying to bite. By the end of the week mom had me out and was able to give me quick head scratches before I would try to nip. When mom's friend came back home she saw how much mom liked me and since she wasn't going to keep me anyway, she told mom she could have me. She gave mom an old, spare, large budgie cage to use temporarily and some pellets and off we went to my new home. Mom had me home for about 2 hours and a vet appiontment was already scheduled. Mom was worried that something was wrong, I was sneezing a bit and I seemed sickly. Always on the bottom of the cage and her friend had told her that she thought I had a respitory infection or something else. So off to the vet we went. I got a beak trim, a toe nail trim, and a wing clip. Mom found out that I was sick. The vet treated me for an upper respitory infection. I got some meds there and a week of meds with mom. I had another vet appiontment for a follow up, and go back in another 4 weeks to see if I have gained any more weight. I was with mom for about a week before the first vet exam and you would not have known I was the same bird that came home with her by the time of the appiontment. I am now so lovable and loooooooove my head scratches. I will even beg for them and put my head down for mom to scratch. It is so much easier for her to do it for me. My feet give me trouble sometimes. Mom thinks I am so cute. When she comes home from work if she doesn't come in the living room and say "Hello Quasi" I will squeek until she does. I have bonded well with my mom. :)  I was put into a very large 3 story hamster cage when I first came home, it was bigger than the budgie cage. I know it sounds small (a hamster cage) but really it was big for a special needs, sick tiel. It is 24x10x16 (lxwxh). Only the with was not that great. I only stuck to the bottom of the cage like I did at Paule's. After my meds I started perching on the floor perch mom gave me and after another week I was perching on a stable swing that mom set up as a low perch. I even started sleeping off the floor of my cage and on the swing perch. Mom was so happy. Must have been the meds and the extra heat mom gave me. I am finally in a normal Cockatiel cage. It is not quite the same as a cockatiel cage but pretty close. Mom tried this method first to see if it would work. In a week I have already started going to the second level perch all by myself. I even got out the door once. It is hard to keep my balance there though. So now mom put a vegie dish there for me and I can use it to help me out of the cage. :) My second vet visit went really well, I am doing much better, no more sneezing, I look more alert and vibrant. I am a bit more perkie and my breathing is great. I also have better fecus samoles and the vet was all around pleased with my apperiance. I gained a little weight. Mom had hoped I would gain more, but the vet told mom to bring me back in in 4 weeks to see if I gain any weight. We may do some blood work at this time to rule out any other diseases or illnesses. I will keep you posted on my next vet visit. Thanks for coming and learning about me and my story. Have a birdie-ful day.                                                                                              Quasi.

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