Lou

Lou, an African Grey, joined the Brook-Falls animal ambassador team in August of 2021 when her owner, and long-time Brook-Falls client, passed away. Parrots can make wonderful, talkative pets, that bring laughter everywhere they go.

Unfortunately, parrots often outlive their dedicated owners and need a place to go when this happens. Thankfully, the history of being Brook-Falls patients left Lou and her sister Mumbles with a soft place to land. Lou has a lack of feathers and wings due to an undiagnosed corn allergy that caused a lot of skin inflammation. This uncomfortable inflammation made her pluck all the feathers out from her skin. When there were no longer any feathers to pluck, Lou turned to self-mutilating her wings. In order to stop her from harming herself, Dr. Bloss amputated her wings.

It is important for pet birds to have a healthy balanced diet that can include “people” food like eggs, bread, and veggies. Seeds and nuts are very high in fats and should be only given as treats. Many mass-produced, balanced diets are available in pelleted form for those of us without culinary skills. Birds also require a lot mental stimulation in the form of enrichment toys and time with their favorite people. Examples of enrichment toys might be wooden blocks for chewing, stacked toys and puzzles to hide treats in, or varying sized perches.