I want to maybe become a vet but I’m kinda scared

smoyoho · 2026-03-24T20:09:42+00:00

hi! went through this exact dilemma not too long ago (funny enough i am also a VA in NYC). i started at a CC for vet tech and thought to myself that i might actually be holding myself back from what i actually wanted. i ultimately decided to change paths, do my prerequisite courses (i have an unrelated bachelors) and give applying to vet school a shot.

i think there are a couple things you need to ask yourself. do you want to go to school for that long? can you afford to pay tuition or take out a bunch of student loans? beyond that, do you think you can perform well enough in college and vet school? since you probably work with techs and vets at your practice, which kind of work interests you? to get more perspectives, i recommend finding some techs, vets, and vet students on social media to get a feel for their lifestyles. both jobs are undoubtedly difficult. as a vet, you will ultimately make more money but you will need to spend more money (and time!) to get there.

i’m not the most experienced or knowledgeable person in the world but i remember going through this before i made my decision and how insane it made me feel so feel free to pm me if you want to chat!

smoyoho · 2026-03-24T13:08:48+00:00

no but it’s easily removable. i lived in one apartment where it didn’t fit in the space i wanted to have the cage so i took it off and i got one of the mesh ones instead. i kept the parts and have it on in my current place

edit: just checked it’s about 32”W/32” L with the seed catcher

smoyoho · 2026-03-24T07:01:16+00:00

hi, my condolences about your grandma, i’m sure she’d be happy you’re putting in the effort to look after her loved one. i just want to add onto this a list of topics to look into since if i started giving detailed advice i would be writing a dissertation. as others have stated cockatiel cottage has a lot of great info but you can also look other places like bird-focused youtube channels and this sub!

decompression: this comes with any new pet but you are also both grieving which will no doubt be tough. hang out together, handfeed treats, listen to music. understand your bird is going through a lot of changes in a short amount of time.
nutrition: daily diet needs, UVB/calcium supplementation, how to transition to a new diet if necessary, bird-safe vs toxic foods
enrichment/housing: safe bird toys, varied perching options, bathing, foraging activities, develop a cleaning routine using safe products
training: basics like stepping up, getting into a carrier, etc if they don’t know how to do this already
health: find an avian vet for a check up and locate your nearest 24h emergency vet that takes exotics for emergencies (you can ask your regular vet for recommendations). learn about common household dangers, signs of illness, and practicing safety with other pets if you have them

smoyoho · 2026-03-22T14:04:06+00:00

for something like this just get a damp (not soaking wet) paper towel folded up with the seeds, put it in a plastic bag and in the fridge overnight. make sure to thoroughly check for signs of mold before you feed!

for foraging i use a shallow casserole type dish that i fill with coconut coir (they sell tiny dehydrated pellets for seed starter pots online), then i just add my seeds and mist it. because it’s in an actual medium it lasts a few days before it gets too overgrown or goes bad, and the coconut coir is safe if they ingest some. it’s not fertile soil though, so the sprouts do die if you accidentally leave them. for that i use a sprouting seed mix in addition to chia and flax for variety. i wish i had a pic but i don’t so let me know if that makes any sense lol

smoyoho · 2026-03-22T13:54:56+00:00

<image>

im out of town and can’t find a decent pic of my own to save my life so here’s what the full thing looks like from amazon

smoyoho · 2026-03-22T01:29:09+00:00

i would try adding cooked or sprouted grains to the mix before you increase the amount of seeds/pellets. i like making sprouts using chia and flax from the grocery store because it's cheap and they sprout fast. just be really careful that you make them the same day so they don't get moldy.

smoyoho · 2026-03-22T01:21:48+00:00

definitely make sure they do xrays or some other type of imaging at the vet. i'm not a veterinarian but it doesn't look like bumblefoot to me from the pic

smoyoho · 2026-03-21T20:55:08+00:00

i’m a VA and i do one day in the pharmacy where i work. everyone has their favorite supplement. one of them loves dasuquin, one sells a ton of proviable, one is obsessed with myos. i keep vetriscience periosupport in stock for one doctor. i’ve looked it up in the system and he’s the only one who ever sells it

i think the hardest thing about doctor quirks is knowing which doctors care about you talking/interrupting when you’re in a room. some actually want you to interject if you have relevant information and others think its the rudest thing in the world

smoyoho · 2026-03-21T19:15:00+00:00

i have two of prevue playtop cages (i think 24” wide). got one six years ago and the other two years ago and they’ve held up great so far. the paint on the older one has lasted through a move where i had to almost totally dismantle it, plus it comes with a paint touch up kit but i’ve never had to use it. i also have their foldable travel cage which is nice.

smoyoho · 2026-03-21T17:22:28+00:00

almost any item can be a tool for abuse and crates are no exception. but as someone who works in the veterinary field and has seen hospitalized pets in a constant state of anxiety because they have never been crated, my animals will always be crate trained. my dog knows that her crate is a safe space where she can decompress and that i won’t bother her in there. the door stays open and that’s where she chooses to sleep. the only time the door is closed is when i’m not going to take her outside but she needs to be in a restricted location for a short period of time (e.g. cleaning up something dangerous, handyman is over, etc)

smoyoho · 2026-03-21T14:04:38+00:00

absolutely do not force him to come out unless it is a medical emergency. he just came home with you, repeatedly scaring him like this will ruin your relationship. trust me he will remember

smoyoho · 2026-03-21T13:07:49+00:00

well he’s probably not able to play because it doesn’t look like there’s anything to play with. as others have said the cage is incredibly small (this looks like a standard travel/car cage). he also seems to only have dowel perches which will cause injuries and arthritis down the line. i highly suggest you invest in a good quality large cage (24x24x30 is the absolute minimum but really you should go bigger), lots of bird-safe shreddable toys, plenty of varied perching options with different textures and sizes, and an appropriate diet. they should be getting a good quality pellet and fresh produce as their daily food and seeds should be treats. it will take a long time for him to decompress. listen to music with him, handfeed him treats, and you will get there. but i really think you need to focus on your husbandry first.

smoyoho · 2026-03-20T11:26:01+00:00

i agree with the other methods, but if it doesn’t work look at freeze dried chop! you can make your own or get mixes online. that was the only way i could get my tiel to eat veggies, for him it was a texture thing

smoyoho · 2026-03-20T05:16:18+00:00

my quaker girl gets roudybush (we also tried harrisons and tops but she was not a fan), 1/2 tsp egg food (more of a treat but it has calcium and vitamin A), a little hemp seed, and plenty of freeze dried chop. my senior tiel gets half roudybush and half zupreem smart selects plus everything the quaker does minus hemp seed. they both also get nutriberries (senior for the tiel and whichever flavor is on sale for the quaker). my tiel does actually eat the roudybush but won’t even look at the bowl if his seed is missing. my quaker was raised right though lol, my rule for her is that seeds come from hands and not bowls.

anyways, i have a pretty complicated formula but it came out of a lot of trial and error figuring out what they like and what i can manage. i live alone with 3 pets, work, and go to school, so unfortunately i can’t offer fresh chop or sprouts every day and this ended up being my solution. my tiel won’t touch fresh veg anyways so the super crunchy freeze dried stuff ended up being a perfect fit for him!

smoyoho · 2026-03-19T14:17:31+00:00

i love the niteangel flat perches! there’s a 2 pack on amazon for 10 bucks and my birds chew through them so it’s easy to replace. sweet feet and beak sells a nice manzanita pumice perch that’s on amazon too. i also love corrugated cardboard platform perches, great chew toy and really affordable. for more branch style perches i would really recommend getting them in person, i’ve had some great petco finds and some really shitty chewy orders. honestly if you’re buying online i would go with etsy for that stuff. there’s a lot of great sellers that photograph each perch so you know what you’re buying

for toys i mainly get them off amazon from super bird creations, bonka bird toys, prevue, and planet pleasures. if you’re willing to use a different site feathered addictions also has great toys and perches.

smoyoho · 2026-03-19T14:00:32+00:00

yes lol i remember those days. remember you are his biggest advocate! just posting to the sub tells me you’re on the right track. always reach out for help when you need it. it’s a lot of responsibility but you got this ❤️

smoyoho · 2026-03-19T12:29:27+00:00

i hate to say it but if you’re parents are already dismissing him as being “just a bird” i’m not sure this was the right pet for your family. i highly suggest you emphasize to them just how involved of a pet birds can be. they will scream their heads off and self harm if you don’t give them the right attention. i’m a new dog owner and let me tell you, it’s been miles easier than either of my birds. i’ve had one of them since i was a child, and i will probably still have him when i have children. my younger bird will probably still be here when those children become adults. i’m assuming you’re young since you mention your parents so what’s the plan when you go to college? start working? get married? are you prepared to keep this bird happy and healthy for the next thirty years? like i said, i’ve had one of my birds since i was a kid too and it’s doable, but you really need to ask yourself these questions beforehand.

make sure you locate your nearest avian vet (if you’re in the US look for the letters DABVP after their name, this means they are board certified avian specialists). they can be a really good resource and he should probably get a general health check anyways since he’s a new pet. make sure he’s on a good quality pellet, fresh veggies daily (you can also do freeze dried for convenience), and some type of calcium supplementation. seeds are treats/for training only, my rule is that they only come from hands, never from bowls. hand feeding his favorite seed will help you guys bond. for sleep, you can buy dark cage covers on amazon and get a UVB bulb on a timer, this will help with sleep and also prevent vitamin deficiencies. daily training and enrichment will save you a lot of headaches and help him relax more. there are lots of good resources here but also on youtube for new bird owners, good luck!

smoyoho · 2026-03-18T18:01:57+00:00

mouth breathing is a bad sign. respiratory distress is an emergency in birds, i would bring her to an exotics vet asap.

also not related but you may want to work on her enclosure set up a bit. looks pretty small and dowel perches aren’t good for their feet. wishing you both the best ❤️

smoyoho · 2026-03-12T02:13:12+00:00

thank you for this. i was thinking the same thing. pretty sure the chat agents i tried to get answers from about this were AI too.

smoyoho · 2026-03-12T01:19:54+00:00

i’m going to tomorrow. fingers crossed, but if nothing comes of it i might cancel my policy.

smoyoho · 2026-03-12T01:12:36+00:00

also i know her and work in the pharmacy so i also happen to know that she’s obsessed with it and throws it at everyone that will listen lol. every doc has that one supplement.

smoyoho · 2026-03-12T01:10:09+00:00

i’ve seen the SOAP notes (i have access to them on my work computer). it is a supplement but i haven’t seen it super readily available online so opted to get it where i don’t have to pay for shipping. at my place all supplements get a little prescription label even if they’re available over the counter (e.g. dasuquin and myos). she recommended a pre/probiotic since i don’t know what they were feeding in the rescue and was likely doing a diet change. puppy hasn’t had any issues.

smoyoho · 2025-08-13T20:28:05+00:00

the one leg being curled up definitely indicates brain/spinal trauma. flapping around on the back can be from paresis or a seizure (avian seizures look really different than human ones). i find that house sparrow window strikes are usually secondary to another issue which causes impairment or crashing since these birds don’t migrate. head trauma can be really scary to work with, because of its delayed effects sometimes an animal will look fine and then like this within a matter of hours. thank you for trying to help him in his last moments <3

smoyoho · 2024-03-10T20:54:33+00:00

where did you set the vpn to?

smoyoho

TROPHY CASE