Tragedy (barely) averted

Max could have died Saturday. 

Saturday timeline:

6:15-6:45 Max is just fine.  We have the greys out with us as we eat breakfast.  Around 6:45 we put them back in their cages as we have to run.

8:45 We return home from running.  Max is in the far back corner of her cage, playing with her rope perches.  She refuses to step up.  I think, "it took her 9 years, but Max is starting to show some more typical hormonal behaviors -- namely nesting with the rope perches and refusing to step up."

 8:45-11 We're at home; Max is the only parrot who won't come out of her cage.  She is really consumed with her rope perches.  I hope she's not forming an egg.

11-5 We're gone for the afternoon, volunteering at the parrot rescue.

5-6:30 We get home.  Although Max dances excitedly when she first sees me, she still refuses to step up and is playing with her rope perches.  We eat dinner and even that isn't enough to get her to come out of her cage.

6:30 After dinner, Thomas pulls Max's cage out from the wall to get a closer look at her and tell her to come out.  He realizes her foot is stuck in a toy!  That's why she hasn't been coming out of her cage -- not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't.  And it took us hours to notice anything was wrong.

Thomas got her unstuck and we surveyed the damage.  She is not herself.  We immediately give her a bowl of water and she drinks a lot.  She perches on the water bowl, tucking the leg that had been stuck close to her body.  She puffs up her feathers:


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