Species: Red lored (Amazona autumnalis)
Arrival Date: 13 July 2009
Approximate age on arrival: 5 years (hatched 2004)
Status: Still at Centre
 

13 July 2009
We recieved a call from a friend who had been contacted by her freinds regarding this parrot. Prico was left to them by a family who returned to the US and they were concerned for his well-being. He was listless and would appear to be asleep all of the time.
We saw that Prico had been fed a diet of hard yellow corn and peanuts: the couple that now looked after him occasionally gave him greens, but by and large were following the dietry instructions left to them by the family.
We were very concerned for Prico's health and were convinced that had the owners left it a few more days to contact us, Prico would have died.
Due to his limited diet he was suffering from a vitamin A deficiency which can eventually lead to blindness. For the first two days he ate nothing. we laced his water with vitamin supllements and rehydration fuids and we were contemplating force-feeding when he started to come around. He began to show interest in healthier vitamin-rich foods and slowly began to liven up and move around more although he would still sit with his eyes closed for long periods, and it was evident that he had little or no vision in either eye. Initially we had to guide him to his food before he learned the layout of his space. Prico's feathers are very yellow in colour: another symptom of a deficient diet.
 
16th July to 18th August
Prico went back and forth between the aviary and the house. He desperately wants to be with the other birds, but every time we let him into the aviary, he either can't see well enough to find food, or he's too excited to eat. Either way, after a day or two of insufficient vitamin intake his sight starts to fail again and he revert to his eye-shut catatonic posture.
 
September 2009
Prico settled into the smaller aviary permanently. He is in with Spike and they seem to be getting along and finding their own space. He's eating quite well now and has periods of total normality - but every so often we'll catch him with his 'leaning forward, eyes closed' posture. The jury is still out on a total recovery, but for now he seems happy enough. We plan to move him into the large aviary when we have released a few birds from there: it's a little crowded to add anyone else. Prico doesn't seem interested in flying and when he does make the occasional leap, we can't be sure he can see exactly where he's landing. Time will tell.

January 2010
Prico is still in the small aviary with Spike. There doesn't seem to be any further improvement in his condition, and it could be that his sight is restored as well as it's ever going to be. He is not releasable with this level of acuity. His feathers are growing in a little greener than before, but it could be that he needs a second moult to get full natural colour restored to his plumage.