Quarantine - Part 2

Quarantine 

Part 2 - The Countdown to Freedom

When we sent the birds to quarantine, or should I say, when our birds were forced into quarantine, I sent them with instructions.  Something like 13 pages of Indy & Xia how to's.  I gave information about each of their personalities, their likes, dislikes, preferences. There were pictures of how their rooms are usually set up. How to prepare their food, etc.  

My biggest concern was for Indy.  She is naturally a very shy and cautious little girl.  She is also very sensitive.  When we moved in the past there was one week that we didn't have much time to play with her.  We still fed her and so forth, but she didn't have time out with us for almost a week. We still talked to her, albeit briefly when we fed her. She became so depressed she refused to eat.  We thought she was sick and took her to the vet, all tests were negative. I knew what was wrong.  She felt neglected.  I sang to her.  I loved on her.  I babied her. I begged that little sweetie to forgive us, and slowly she snapped out of it.  I promised her then, that I would never make her feel abandoned again...

Now she was in quarantine.  I can't even describe what that did to me.  

Xia is a gregarious girl. A natural clown.  She is super out-going and chatty. The only concern I had for her was that she might pluck if she wasn't given attention.  I didn't feel that she would die in quarantine, as long as she was taken care of.  She would be happy to greet new people and kind of just goes with new things.

In my instructions to the handler, who's name is Rena, I explained Indy's shy personality.  I told her that she likes to be hand fed her food, and she likes to be greeted by dancing and singing.  I know most people would be like - "You are a crazy bird person."  Yes, that is true, but really if you want happy birds you have to understand their needs.  

Rena gave us her private cell phone number to text her for updates and to check in.  I couldn't personally text her, as I could not stand the thought that she might send a message that Indy was dead to my phone.  Irrational, crazy fear maybe, but I couldn't do it.  Todd texted with Rena for me.  

She was actually super accommodating and patient.   Indy and Xia had never shared a cage before.  They hang out all day with each other, but they have their own space.  Often they will bicker and I have always worried that they would fight if they were locked up together.  I was left with a huge dilemma send them to quarantine in their own isolette or have them share one.  Isolation or share space with a friend that you might fight with?  I decided that mentally it would be better for them to share space.  They were each other's constant.  They would be less lonely if they had each other, and I was hoping less likely to feel abandoned. Rena gave them a very large cage to share and set it up just like the pictures.  She also held two cages that were next to each other, just in case they started to fight, so she could separate them if needed.

This is one of the pics of the birds she sent a few days after they landed and put in quarantine.

It was the first time we were able to see them after they landed, even if it was just a picture it was a relief.

During the 31 days the bird girls were in quarantine, I cried all the time.  

 I couldn't even buy Mangos cause well they are Indy's favorites.  Kayla pointed out that is why I couldn't buy them.  I didn't know what was wrong with me.  

We also had to take Honey to the vet and try and get her fixed up. I asked them to give her injectable antibiotics, as the oral ones were awful with a broken mouth.  The vet said it looked like her jaw was broken, but was healing well, after the antibiotics.  A few of her teeth were knocked loose.  He said that she really should have all her teeth removed.  She has always had bad teeth, a pomeranian issue we have been told over the years. She is now almost 12 years old.  We still have to schedule the surgery for her teeth.  It is about 3K, so we have to save up for that, after all the expenses of moving and all.  We have been feeding her soft foods and she seems to be back to her normal self, so it isn't urgent. Happy and sweet.

Also, I had to get Krystin ready to go to Florida for college, which psychologically I was really not up for. I just barely got everyone back together!  Oh, and to make things more interesting, Krystin and Logan ate at one our favorite restaurants a few days before they left Hong Kong and got some bad meat.  They were very sick. Poor Krystin was right in the middle of finals.  Well, she was still not feeling 100%, so I took her to a GI to make sure all was well.  She was healthy, thankfully, and the doctor just said sometimes these things take a while to run their course.  Still stressful.

For 31 days, I got up, got dressed and took care of what I needed to, but was constantly crying.  I couldn't sleep at night.  I was so overwhelmed, so sad.   I really thought my baby would die or be mentally broken forever.  I know I sound dramatic, but I have loved this baby bird from the very first moment she came in to my life.  She had no feathers.  She was naked and only 10 days old. She is now 11 1/2 years old. Todd and I hand fed her and loved on her from the time she was tiny.  She knows us as Mom and Dad. She is my baby.  Period.  Imagine having your small child taken from you and put into a quarantine.  They would not be able to understand what was happening or why or that they would ever see you again. That is what it felt like to me.  

I know that Indy would not have made it without Rena.  Rena is such a blessing to the NY USDA quarantine recipients. A truly wonderful human being. She read my notes about the birds personalities.  She cared.  She noticed that my Indy wasn't eating, so she hand fed her.  She noticed that she was shy, so she danced for her.  She took the time to win Indy's love and trust, which is not the easiest.  She is very shy, cautious, at first.  Rena would go to the organic food store and buy them tons of fruits and juices as well. Half way through, she sent a pic and Indy looked 'skinny' to me, so she weighed her.  She had lost about 10 grams, which is a lot for her, so she bought a bunch of foods that I told her were Indy's favorites and made her a 'feast' as she put it, and Indy ate.

Finally, on July 28th my family would all be home and safe.  Todd drove the 87 miles to the quarantine location with me to pick up our bird girls.  The people there were really the greatest, most genuine people.  

During the 31 days while I waited,  I distracted myself by making the birds toys....

and bought them new rooms

With the horrible thought in the back of my mind that they might not needed them. :(

But really my fears were unfounded, because of one very special person.

Rena!

Isn't she beautiful?

She actually looked like and said she was going to miss the girls.

And I couldn't stop crying as I kissed my FREE baby in America!

A moment I didn't think was possible.

This times tears of relief and joy.

We love you too Z!  Xia gets nervous in the car (and jumps for it), 

so she was in the kennel for the ride home.

Don't worry, she got lots of love and kisses too.

and was chatting up a storm.

No greater joy than Freedom, for both of us!

So, that is our Journey Home!  

It has taken me a few months to recover from all of it.  I am still a bit shaken, but I am left to think that maybe there is order or reason in the chaos.  Even though I would not allow myself to see the hope or possible light in the situation, maybe, just maybe the Powers that Be were really trying to help. We would never have even considered flying the birds to New York, we really thought LA quarantine was the only option, and if not, that the other quarantines would be all the same. Why wouldn't they be?  I would not ever sign up for that experience again, but I am grateful, now, to be on this side of things with my happy, sweet and super feisty baby on my shoulder in America.  

I think I am going to go outside right now with my baby bird, 

so we can both go enjoy the clean, fresh air and open skies that I love!  

It is, finally, good to be home.