KATHY JOHNSON wrote in a message to DEBBIE WALKER:
 KJ> Tell me more about your lemon-yellow tiel. Does he have orange
 KJ> cheek patches? I'm curious, because there are several varities of
 KJ> I'm a bit envious of your roller canary! I've got a houseful of
 KJ> conures, and there are days when I dream about having a bird that
 KJ> makes sweet, pretty noises! 
Hi Kathy,
 Syd does have the vivid orange cheek patches.The only sign of lacing is on 
the outer edges of his wings.I'm sure he is a pied-lutino but in this neck of 
the woods thats a rarity.Breeders here stick with Greys and Lutinos, one of 
his parents must have had a recessive yellow gene.
   If I may take a few minutes (ok I rambled) I'll tell you about Crickets 
(canary)remarkable story.He came into my life in January 95',the manager of 
the pet store phoned me and asked if I could come up immediately he had a 
badly wounded canary.
That morning a woman who had purchased him there several months earlier came 
in and deposited him on the counter,he had been attacked by a Budgie.It seems 
that a few weeks earlier feeling that he might be lonely she bought a baby 
budgie and put them in the same cage.(highly intelligent)
 All seemed well. She went out of town and left them with her niece.The 
attack happened the day before she returned home, the niece seperated them 
but did not go to a vet.When the woman came home she also did not take him to 
a vet but waited 2 more days and brought him to the pet store.The canary was 
in bad shape, 2 toes had been bit off one foot and the other toes mauled.The 
other foot was okay but the leg was chewed so badly the bone was exposed.His 
under-carriage was also chewed up pretty bad.He wasn't eating and had already 
lost alot of weight.
   She told my friend at the pet store to do his best if he was too far gone 
to put him out of his misery.He told her to take him to a vet,she said she 
couldn't afford one.What gets me is she paid 150.00 for him but wouldn't pay 
27.00 to walk into a vet.Anyways she left him and walked out. This is where I 
step in.He couldn't stand so I bought him a nest,I forced high levels of 
antibiotics down his throat and small amounts of soft foods.I gave him liquid 
vitamins and Lacto Bacillius so he would not end up with a yeast infection, 
several times aday I bathed him in a solution of warm water and baking soda 
to draw out the infection in his legs.After a week I was beginning to 
consider amputating the chewed leg, but I thought I would wait a couple more 
days.Around day 10 the infection began to drain and he started to eat a 
little seed.
   At this time the woman finally phoned the pet store to see how her "poor 
little baby" was, my friend said last he heard he was dying,all she had to 
say was "ah thats to bad".We had already decided that if by some miracle he 
survived she was not getting him back.Anways two weeks after I brought him 
home I received a wonderful surprise, my husband had went to work very early 
so I decided to crawl back into bed.As I was laying there I heard this 
soft-strange sound it sounded like a cricket was in the place. I got up and 
followed the sound right to the canary,he was singing very quitely.
 I just started to cry-I knew then that he was going to be alright.He was 
also dubbed Cricket on the spot.Later that day I phoned the woman and told 
her that "her bird was no longer with us" I lied threw my teeth and had no 
qualms about it.As far as I was concerned her bird was gone, this one was 
mine.Today Cricket greets me every morning at sunup with a beautiful 
melody,he has learned to get around just fine with missing toes and a stiff 
leg.Believe it or not I was teaching the rest of the group the wolf 
whistle,they never got it but he did.He does an incredible wolf whistle.And 
one of his most favorite things is when the Budgies fly to his cage and sit 
for their daily visit.
 Gotta go it's time for the groups afternoon snack. 
    Deb....
--- timEd 1.10
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