An elderly parrot was nursed back to health by a kind animal carer after his previous owners were no longer able to care for him.<br /><br />Cracker the parrot, who's believed to be 40 years old, was dirty, had a lump on his back and an overgrown beak when it was given to Emily, an animal carer. <br /><br />Emily, who lives in Ohio, USA, said: "Birds are extremely intelligent and great at reading intentions, I think he could tell in his own way that I was trying to help him."<br /><br />The 37-year-old trimmed down the Craker's beak, which had become very overgrown. <br /><br />She also gave him a mist bath, which was clearly very needed, as he was covered in dirt. <br /><br />A vet had previously concluded that the bird had a benign fatty tumour on his back that should not be removed due to his age.<br /><br />However, upon investigating, Emily discovered that it was a burst air sac, a part of the bird’s respiratory system that inflates, helping them breathe.<br /><br />"Air sacs can be burst by rough handling of the birds, or a hard knock," Emily explained. <br /><br />"It's uncomfortable, it causes them to breathe differently, there's a lot of pressure in there."<br /><br />Cracker's recovery was very quick and noticeable, the condition of his feathers improved drastically.<br /><br />"I noticed the difference in his demeanour as soon as I put him down," Emily continued.<br /><br />"The biggest difference was after his bath, birds really don't like being dirty and I think he was very relieved."<br /><br />Cracker will remain in Emily's custody and now lives with two parrot friends. <br /><br />"They like to laugh, and Cracker does too, so they get in this circle of laughing, and of course that makes me laugh too.<br /><br />"It's really rewarding seeing animals have a turnaround like this, and to be able to see the relief in their eyes."
