Amazon update... Rosie, Kelly & introducing Helmet

So as you all know, I went over to the shelter today to hang with Victoria and birds for a little bit... and really mostly to meet Kelly, the honking big Yellow Nape or turkey Amazon girl

So, here is a video of Kelly... think this was my second attempt to talk to her. Not sure the video clearly shows her 'affections' for me - but there is eye pinning, neck ruffling and tail splaying all at once. There is also some almost hissing noise if you can hear her, but the dang blue crown is screaming in the background quite a bit, so you may not hear much over that, or your ears may begin to bleed, know mine were!!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Yfz8Mvq7o"]Kelly - YouTube[/ame]

So clearly not an instant love match with Kelly... she is a pretty girl, but think she will be absolutely beautiful once she is on a good diet and has a molt or two. She has been on seed, but girlfriend seems to be switching over! She loves Victoria (yeah, our own bird whisperer)... she loves Jeanne... she hates me, John (Jeanne's hubby), my hubby and young female shelter employee, so her affections are fairly well split.

Next we have some videos of everyone's favorite Amazon... Rosie man! He was being all goofy and silly, pulled out the camera and he went deer in headlights, not sure I actually got hot bananas, but do have another one I can't post due to language. Anyone want to enjoy a cursing bird, its uploaded to my youtube account, venture at your own risk, you've been warned....

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYVAwwP6JaQ"]Ahw(7) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjzMAoxtaw4"]Ahw(5) - YouTube[/ame]

And introducing the Amazon I am most likely to actually bring home... yes, he likes me... but even if he was somewhat indifferent, his story is a little heartbreaking and sad, least for me, I'm a big sucker especially for 'old' animals. This is Helmet, he was surrendered by a 'home' with multiple camel cigarette smokers, yes he has been exposed to cigarettes for not sure how long. The really sad part, he was sent to a shelter at the age of at least 60... yes, 60 years old and in my opinion tossed out like trash. I asked Victoria what she knew about him and she said he was afraid and/or aggressive with everyone. I stooped down to say hello and much the opposite of Kelly, there was no pinning, no fluffing, no splaying... Quite the opposite, he rather hesitantly took a step or two in my direction, made a bit of a clicking sound then proceeded to climb to the top of the cage and hang upside down for me. Then he climbed over to the corner where I was still stooping (think I was more stuck then anything!!). So I plopped my behind on the floor and sat and talked to him. He look half scared or sad or both. He talked to me more, then climbed up to a perch... about that time I videotaped Victoria and Max at that ungodly angle that put an easy 50 lbs on Victoria (she was wearing big baggy sweats and a guys XL tee, so baggy clothes).... when I stopped talking to Helmet, you might hear him in the Max video trying to get my attention back. So, I asked him if he wanted a treat, he took first couple things gently from my fingers and promptly dropped them. Tor suggested seeds, so I rooted thru the food bag and pulled out sunflower seed which he happily took and ate. I decided to risk the fingers and opened the cage, he did seem to tense, but I held out a peanut and talked to him, didn't shove it in his face, let him decide to take the step forward to reach it and he did He knocked one from my fingers, but think it was more a miss then anything else, so offered another and he took it. Sat back down on the floor and dug out more nuts, decided to shell the peanuts and give him just the nut to see if he would try for fingers, but he continued to gently take them and just sit there watching me eating away. It was not until later that I found out about his age and background. I told Jeanne I was making a new friend and she presumed Kelly, then told me Helmet's story... we are gonna talk next Saturday. Is heartbreaking to me to think after 60 years he'll spend his last years in a shelter... We shall see, but at the moment, its that reason why we all talked about with how things went with Rosie... could be wrong, but my heart tells me for a 60 year old Zon who has been breathing cigarettes for years to climb around and show off hanging upside down for me - well I compared it to a 95 year old man trying to impress a woman by tap dancing

Enough babbling... here's Helmet (I know, really bad name)....

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pu0PEtE1wU"]Ahw(3) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDIKz_aHvOU"]Ahw(1) - YouTube[/ame]

Kelly is a gorgeous girl! Xander does that same thing with his tongue that she is doing. He is the only one here who does, do you know what that means?

Rosie is so funny! But I now see why he didn't bond to you.
Helmut.
I can definitely see why you have fallen for Helmut. That poor guy, there is just something about the older ones that is heartbreaking. I truly hope it works out for you to bring him home with you. I felt the same way when we got Cally, not wanting her to spend her last years in that shed.
This may be what was meant to happen all along.

BTW, I kind of like that Blue Crown noise

I'll box up and ship that dang blue crown to you... she bit me twice today too!! I kept saying we needed to find a blanket and just cover her up, thought she was gonna make my head explode... but so pretty...

Yep, thought the same thing... we shall see what next weekend brings. He is still in quarantine and not sure if he's had the thorough vet check and blood work done yet. Definitely need it on a guy his age... Not terribly worried about contagious disease with him being in a home as long as he has, but definitely want to see a full blood panel on him so we know what we're really dealing with healthwise. Won't change my mind, just know what special needs he may have.

I don't know if the video shows it, but his beak has a weird almost kinda ridge on each side, don't know if its age related or not...

Max..................

riddick07 said:

Max..................

Click to expand...

how heartless could you be to turn on your back on such a sweet old guy like Helmet... his name might be awful, but if we don't bring him home, you could be sentencing him to a fate of spending his last days in a shelter... so much noise.. he'd be so confused and not understand why the nice lady in the purple (that all the other birds hated) just left him there, all alone and unloved...

Yeah right... once he sees all the other amazons he'll be fine.... Or you can use my middle cage for him if I get Max....

Hot Bananas indeed! Rosie talking in that video made Kiwi say a crystal clear "Hi" in a woman's voice He says "hello" when he wants something and used to say something that sounded suspiciously like "f-u" and a couple other garbled almost-words, but I have never heard him says "Hi" before. He doesn't really talk. Sorry, but that was an absolutely crazy surprise! Perhaps Kiwi used to be a talking parrot at some point (just so long as he has decided to be a quiet one now).

As for Helmet- What a sweetheart and a charming old man. Perhaps it was fate you didn't take Rosie home. Old Helmet deserves a loving home for the last few years of his life, and I bet I know *just* the person

Jen, now I wish I hadn't bullied you before! If I had a vote, I understand if you're still bitter, but if you've forgiven me , my vote is for Helmet. His story is so sad, make his last years happy ones.

Helmet looks like such a sweet old man! Watching all of these videos and reading about everyone's zons has made me want one too! Maybe when i get a bigger place though.

My vote is definitely for Helmet! He needs to live out the rest of his days with a nice mommy like you jenphilly!

Thanks for the vids. Are you sure Kelly isn't a boys name?? he sure looks like a boy.

Aw Helmet is cute! At first I though the double yellow head was Helmet, as I can sort of see that with a DYH's color haha.

60 wow... We hear about Amazons being fed sunflower seed all their lives, in a cigarette smoking house, exposed to chemicals etc. and still live to be really old. Surprising. They must be a hardy species.

Aww, the poor OLD MAN needs a good home Jen... I hope it works out where you can get him

Wow! At least you guys have proper shelters. Back here, birds are treated like commodity. Often, once their owners got tired of them, they would offer them at a discount to new bird owners whom does not know what they are getting into. They are just interested in Zon's talking capabilities and the tragedies begin.

Due to high work commitments, many were chained 24/7 on stands and basically spend years on it until they died as their owners are too tired to handle them daily. Actually, it is part of the sales tactic of bird shop owners as they claimed that the birds do not need special care. Just cheap seeds and nuts and a stand with chain will do. I came across some with over clipped wings that had died hanging on their chains as they are unable to get back to the stand due to over eating and lack of exercise.

This is the reason why I took up parrot rescue in the past. Can't bear to see these things happening to them.

NNNNAAAWWWW!!!! What a sweet thing to see early in the morning!!

I agree with our Capt about Kelly looking mighty "boyish". :54: And I don't think he was pinning at you, Jen, I think he was pinning at the recording device.

Helmet is incredible! WHAT a sweet Red Lored. Reading his story made my eyes sweat a little.

I like Helmet. But then I like old birds, old dogs, old cats, old horses, old cars. Helmet seems to be very calm.

JerseyWendy said:

And I don't think he was pinning at you, Jen, I think he was pinning at the recording device.

Helmet is incredible! WHAT a sweet Red Lored. Reading his story made my eyes sweat a little.

Click to expand...

Really sweet thought that Kelly wasn't pinning at me... but he was... he did that from the moment I walked in and he looked at me, long before the phone was pulled out Each time I came back, he did the same thing, but was fine with Victoria. So, yep believe it was me

We were not sure if he was Red Lored or Lilac cause he was missing alot of feathers on top of his head, they were just starting to come in, he had lots of pins. But looking at pics, he doesn't have any of the lilac on the side of his head, so Red Lored makes more sense