Hi everyone! I'm re-introducing myself because I haven't been on in a while and was only on a couple of times when I first registered (internet/life problems). But anywho, my name is Joleen and I have a beautiful redfoot rescue named Ember. Anyone that remembers me before may know I had a baby redfoot I rescued and was trying to rehab before (hence the name Redfoot chick(s)), but unfortunately she passed away from what my vet thinks was severe dehydration and kidney failure. My local pet store had given her to me to try to save because she came to them already seeming very ill. It still brakes my heart to think about her poor feeble little body. But as I'm sure many of you know, they can't all be saved. RIP sweet baby Blaze. Ember however is thriving and growing and is the center of my life. Her antics and the depth of her personality make me smile on a daily basis. She too came from a pet store, but not a good one. She was about eight inches at the time, being kept in a ten gallon on a bone dry substrate with no water dish and two heat lamps with no thermometer. She was severely dehydrated, gray all over, and due to a head tilt she fell to the side when she tried to walk. I immediately brought her home (after fighting with the owner) and put her in warm water in the sink and, I kid you not, she gulped water for an entire hour and a half. A vet check confirmed she had a respiratory infection causing the head tilt and after multiple rounds of oral antibiotics and little improvement she stayed at the vet for two weeks receiving nebulizer treatments. A short while after shhe revealed to me that she is in fact a typical redfoot piggy and almost two years later she demonstrates this point to me as often as I'll let her. So glad I found her that night. We live in central NY where we get outside as often as weather permits. We love the wealth of info and experiences on this sight and are glad to be here!
