Rescued Amazon- Very heart breaking

Hi Everyone,

This rescue and story will tear your heart out.

The other day, (FRIDAY) a friend of mine that dose furnace repair called me up and said. Hawk, you have to rescue this amazon, that these people have. It's in bad shape.

I thought, well I really wasn't planning on another bird. What's the problem I asked. He said, " If you don't get this parrot it will not last much longer. Here's the number, they will probably take a few hundred for it, bet you can get it for 200 hundred, cage included, but trust ne, you don't want the cage, you'll see."

So I made arrangement to have a look sunday morning. When I got there my first reaction was " holy crap!!!" they had 5 people in the house chain smokers with literally tobacco tar oozing off the walls. Ash trays over flowing onto the floor. A complete pig pen if you ask me. In the corner of house, cut off from heat, ( must have been 55 degrees in there) was a cage so filthy and poop build up so emense that the poop had poop growing from it, mold, water dish was a thick poop goo, food was so poop covered, and there basically was not one inch of space inside that cage that was not caked with at least an inch or 2 of poop, toys were virtually poop covered. There sat the sadest face of an amazon you ever saw. I was boiling over mad by now, but kept my cool.

I offered to take the bird, but not the cage as I have an extra one. My Parrots have 2 cages each. One in the all season sun room. This lady asked $1200 I said no, sorry. But knew I had to get that parrot so I stepped up my approach and said " this parrots conditions are classified as animal abuse" About that time this lady and a couple of their family members became very agitated and ask me to leave. I said not without the parrot. They told me to go to hell and get off their property. I said I'll call the cops and animal protective services and you will be arrested and won't get a dime for the bird. She took the $300 I offered and I left it at that.
It's been 36 hours now and the Amazon seems a bit more lively in a clean cage with fresh water and good fresh food. Poor thing ate like there was no tomorrow.

It needs a bath badly, as it smells real bad of cigarettes. I will have it checked out at the vet, and assess it before rehoming it.

Poor thing, it's not a bad bird at all, a bit cranky, but what do you expect in conditions it was in. My other amazon keeps saying Hi, to it and singing to it. I'll keep you all posted.
As for the people whom own this bird and treated it like this....May the gates of hell open up and slap you silly with it's fury!!!!

Hawk, you are so right, that is a truly heartbreaking story. Do you know how old the bird is or how long the poor thing had to suffer in those awful conditions? Thank you so much for rescuing that bird and giving it a chance at a happy future. The little guy must be overwhelmed to be out of there and in a clean environment. I can't imagine how it will feel to finally have clean feathers.

Very clever of you to make them an offer they couldn't refuse. I'm so glad you got the bird and I really hope those people get what they deserve.

How sweet that your Amazon is trying to make friends with the new guy.

Please do keep us posted. I want to hear the rest of this success story. Thank you for sharing.

I'm so glad you rescued this poor bird. How could they expose it to such terrible conditions?! I hope the bird is in relatively good health and able to recover from all that smoke and filth!

Aw, please post photos. It will be nice to see him go from "before" to "after".
What is his name?

I am so glad you had the nerve to stand up to them and rescue him.

Thank you for rescuing him/her. I feel so sorry for him. I know you have already provided better for him.


Seriously...what are people thinking?

Good Job! Glad he/she is safe and cared for now. Hoping for a swift recovery and a loving home!

Sadly, this happens far too often with these guys...

Thank you for stepping up and rescuing this poor creature.

What truly amazes me is that many times the cruelest of people are the first to scream about their human rights. I believe that someone who can this cruel to an defenseless animal did not act human in any way whatsoever.

I am so glad that he/she is now with someone with compassion. Hats off to you.

Please keep us updated?

Thank you for getting him out of there! I'm sure he thinks he died and went to Heaven!

Hawk said:

Hi Everyone,

This rescue and story will tear your heart out.

The other day, (FRIDAY) a friend of mine that dose furnace repair called me up and said. Hawk, you have to rescue this amazon, that these people have. It's in bad shape.

I thought, well I really wasn't planning on another bird. What's the problem I asked. He said, " If you don't get this parrot it will not last much longer. Here's the number, they will probably take a few hundred for it, bet you can get it for 200 hundred, cage included, but trust ne, you don't want the cage, you'll see."

So I made arrangement to have a look sunday morning. When I got there my first reaction was " holy crap!!!" they had 5 people in the house chain smokers with literally tobacco tar oozing off the walls. Ash trays over flowing onto the floor. A complete pig pen if you ask me. In the corner of house, cut off from heat, ( must have been 55 degrees in there) was a cage so filthy and poop build up so emense that the poop had poop growing from it, mold, water dish was a thick poop goo, food was so poop covered, and there basically was not one inch of space inside that cage that was not caked with at least an inch or 2 of poop, toys were virtually poop covered. There sat the sadest face of an amazon you ever saw. I was boiling over mad by now, but kept my cool.

I offered to take the bird, but not the cage as I have an extra one. My Parrots have 2 cages each. One in the all season sun room. This lady asked $1200 I said no, sorry. But knew I had to get that parrot so I stepped up my approach and said " this parrots conditions are classified as animal abuse" About that time this lady and a couple of their family members became very agitated and ask me to leave. I said not without the parrot. They told me to go to hell and get off their property. I said I'll call the cops and animal protective services and you will be arrested and won't get a dime for the bird. She took the $300 I offered and I left it at that.
It's been 36 hours now and the Amazon seems a bit more lively in a clean cage with fresh water and good fresh food. Poor thing ate like there was no tomorrow.

It needs a bath badly, as it smells real bad of cigarettes. I will have it checked out at the vet, and assess it before rehoming it.

Poor thing, it's not a bad bird at all, a bit cranky, but what do you expect in conditions it was in. My other amazon keeps saying Hi, to it and singing to it. I'll keep you all posted.
As for the people whom own this bird and treated it like this....May the gates of hell open up and slap you silly with it's fury!!!!

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We understand completely how you feel. We recently rescued Gizmo from a tiny trailer home with 3 chain smokers. We've had him for almost a month now and the cigarette smell is finally gone. He was also in a poop covered filthy 2x4 cage where he could not even fully spread his wings. Fully flighted bird that had not been let out of a cage in 3 years. He's doing amazing now. Thank you for standing your ground and saving that little guy.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies.

This Amazon is also a Blue fronted one, much like Poppy The 7 yr old one I have. Took her to the vet this afternoon, and they did a blood draw, it was close to 5 pm, so i won't get the full results until tomorrow. Along with DNA sexing. The amazon dose have a wheeze when breathing, not a good thing. I gave it a bath, placed it into the shower where I have a perch, and heck climbed in with it, gave it a good soaking. A shower mist bath. It loved it.

Not eating much at all, and sleeping quite a bit, which is presumed from the stress of a new place, so I'm stepping back and giving it a few days to settle in. My African Grey is quite a good boy. Climbed over to it's cage just to the edge and was trying to talk to it. "whatcha doing Boo-Booooooooo"....." want to play? want to play??"....So had to get greyson and tell him to leave the bird to rest. By the way, It's name is Vinny.
The Vet says it's around 5 or 6 years old. The cruel people had it for 2 years, so not sure where it was for 3 to 4 years before that. I haven't had a chance to get any photo's taken yet but rest assured I will.
I think I might end up keeping this Amazon, it grows on you, and I constantly monitor and play with my parrots. I went from building aircrafts and space crafts ,nuclear parts for reactors and missiles to now staying home and working from home.

I will also dig up the photo's of the Hawks and Owls I've rescued and nursed back to health. Some other animals including a Black bear, a woodchuck, a racoon, A cougar ( that we hit by car when it ran out in front of us), All recovered and either turned back to wild or are in an animal sanctuary now. The black Bear was a very young cub, mother was killed by poachers so I kept it for a while, then turned it over to Oswald's bear rescue sanctuary in the upper Michigan.
This past summer I rescued a Falcon, but was a bit too late, the beautiful bird didn't make it, and buried it in back yard with an angel.

Vinny, the Amazon I noticed has drainage from the nostrils, could be from the smoke it was around constantly, could be a cold, not sure. Once blood test come back we'll go from there. I've added a drop to 2 drops of detox to it's water and has been drinking that. Not touching much of anything else yet, though when I had a piece of cheese it walked up to edge of cage wanting some. So it knows what that is, an tells me it hasn't had a good diet. My birds get a piece of cheese now and then, but it's a small rare treat.
Vinny doesn't bite and is very good attitude. I think it will be fine once Vinny gets a good diet into him/her.

It's probably not a good idea to let your other birds anywhere near it or even in the same room. If that zon is sick it could pass that illness right on to your other birds.

Hopefully the test results come back with good news.

thekarens said:

It's probably not a good idea to let your other birds anywhere near it or even in the same room. If that zon is sick it could pass that illness right on to your other birds.

Hopefully the test results come back with good news.

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Hi karens,

The vet, a good friend, and owns one very nice exotic bird store, said it wouldn't be a problem to have the New Amazon in same room, just not in contact with it. It would do the Bird good, as it appears it hasn't had a lot of social contact.

The blood results came back, and they were within normal range. I'm pleased. They were a little elevated in a couple areas, but basically her new diet will bring them down. Yes by the way, Vinny is a female. Her drainage from nose has stopped and vet said it may just be a reaction to stale air, and smoke. She may clear up. The reason placed her in the room with my parrots is that I have an air purifying system and lights that resemble that of natural sunshine. She has perked up quite a bit today and had a nice breakfast of steel cut oats, raisins, Papaya, apples, walnuts, and a bit of corn bread. The look in her eyes as she ate.

She is a bit under weight, and a bit dehydrated, (that explains the amount of water she has been drinking which is good because I added a few drops of lily of the valley detox to her water.

She's coming back to life physically, and there's less drainage to day from nose. Next step is improving her social life. One step at a time.

Hawk said:

thekarens said:

It's probably not a good idea to let your other birds anywhere near it or even in the same room. If that zon is sick it could pass that illness right on to your other birds.

Hopefully the test results come back with good news.

Click to expand...

Hi karens,

The vet, a good friend, and owns one very nice exotic bird store, said it wouldn't be a problem to have the New Amazon in same room, just not in contact with it. It would do the Bird good, as it appears it hasn't had a lot of social contact.

The blood results came back, and they were within normal range. I'm pleased. They were a little elevated in a couple areas, but basically her new diet will bring them down. Yes by the way, Vinny is a female. Her drainage from nose has stopped and vet said it may just be a reaction to stale air, and smoke. She may clear up. The reason placed her in the room with my parrots is that I have an air purifying system and lights that resemble that of natural sunshine. She has perked up quite a bit today and had a nice breakfast of steel cut oats, raisins, Papaya, apples, walnuts, and a bit of corn bread. The look in her eyes as she ate.

She is a bit under weight, and a bit dehydrated, (that explains the amount of water she has been drinking which is good because I added a few drops of lily of the valley detox to her water.

She's coming back to life physically, and there's less drainage to day from nose. Next step is improving her social life. One step at a time.

Click to expand...

The thing is this new bird can be a carrier and yet asymptomatic for so many things. Alternatively, unless you have done all the health testing your flock could be carriers. While they aren't sick, Vinnie with her compromised immune system from the horrid life she's been living can get sick from them. Even if the bloodwork has already come back perfectly normal you still haven't gotten disease testing results back so you just don't know.

I'll give a perfect example. I brought home a new macaw a few months ago. My Zon had tested negative for all the nasties and his bloodwork was perfect. I ran full bloodwork and a disease panel on the new girl. Once everything came back clear I shortened the quarantine. Fast forward a couple months and my girl has just been diagnosed with giardia. So now I have to treat them both. There is very little chance it was contracted after either of them landed in my home. So, either she already had it and brought it here or he is a carrier without symptoms and gave it to her.

This could have been different had I done a full 90-day quarantine. A) If he was a carrier, she probably would not have had a suppressed immune system from the move by the time they were introduced and therefore very well may not have contracted it. B) If she already had it symptoms would have shown up and he would not have been exposed. Therefore I wouldn't have to treat both. Also, it would have cut done on my sanitizing work load tremendously because I wouldn't have to treat the full birdroom.

Good point,

My birds had a full check up in late August and all have a great bill of health. However your right, I haven't gotten the desease testing back yet, but my vet has 12 birds of his own, and owns a very respectable exotic bird store. He won't get his birds from bird mills rather half are rescued and personally checked and certified. The rest are hand raised from egg and carefully cared for by his staff. And they really bend over backwards for these birds.
I should have results by tomorrow, however based on the blood tests which he choses to do very extensive tests on birds, he says certain areas would be elevated a bit to indicated a concern for disease. These were not elevated, a couple areas were, but was not something that would indicate a disease, rather lack of vitamins in diet and slightly dehydrated, other than that, I too am surprised considering the condition the bird lived in. I am cautious as well, and your right I should have the separate from the others, and she was for the first day and a half. I gave her a long bath, which she Enjoyed, then moved in in with other birds. She's doing good, just a bit anti social, but making progress.

She is very pretty. Is she flighted? Even if she's clipped, I would be so nervous to take a new bird outdoors unrestrained! Heck, it scares me to bring Kiwi outside, and his likelihood of getting lost is very low because he's bonded to us, clipped, used to the outdoors and not much scares him. How'd she respond to fresh air?

Well here's an up date....Vinny has a clean bill of health, I'm glad considering the nasty conditions she was in. She's a bit under weight. But that shouldn't take long as she is a chow hound. She's coming out of here shell now some and is quite affectionate. Couple times I gotten nipped, but not hard, more like a " leave me be", nip. Not a big talker as my other amazon Poppy. But did here her say up up, and hello, not much else, a few mutters of words I can't quite make out.

All in all she's become a lovely bird. I do think she's a bit afraid of the dark when it's bed time. So I have to experiment with what makes her happy at night time. I do have a good friend that his wife is looking for an Amazon, and will be coming over frequently to get to know the bird. I won't give her to just anyone, it has to go to a good home, and this one is everything a parrot could want.
Plus I get to see how she's doing over time, and I like that.

Is that pic Poppy or Vinnie?? Very beautiful whichever it is!

Hawk said:

The amazon dose have a wheeze when breathing, not a good thing.

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Hopefully this will clear up, but if it doesn't it isn't the end of the world. I got my Boo from a parrot rescue place and he has a whistle in one nostril - always has. His vet says he had a long term sinus infection at some point that created scar tissue, and it's partially blocked that sinus. He's still a happy bird and he gets along just fine.