FEATURE


beside her, shaking violently. The vet gave her an antibiotic injection and instructed me to give her syringes of antibiotic for the next five days. The two puncture wounds on her back, at least 5 centimetres apart, seemed too wide for a rat. ‘The next 48 hours are critical, ‘the vet said.


I took both Amazons indoors. Lena appeared shocked, clinging to the exterior bars of the King Cage. I heated the room, hoped and prayed. At noon she ate a beakful of warm scrambled egg. The vet’s prompt intervention


must have stopped the wound going septic. By the next morning, she was no longer clinging to the bars and perched normally. After forty-eight hours, the immediate danger seemed to have passed.


The old Amazons appeared to enjoy their time indoors. I kept the cage top open and Archie took a few exploratory flights to perch on the windowsill and watch wild birds outside, flying back immediately to Lena if anyone entered the room. I made the mistake of walking through with Casper on my arm. Archie flew over and bit my


BIRD SCENE 37


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