27 Month Home For My Grey in CA

Hello,

I'm new to this forum and wanted to reach out to a community of bird owners as opposed to craigslist. I'm going to an intensive 27mth program for anesthesia where I'll be required to travel every 10 weeks for clinical rotations. I have a 3 year old, female, Congo grey (from Wendy's Parrots if you're familiar) who is the love of my life and given the situation I think it would be best to find a stable, temporary home for her during the program as opposed to not be home enough for her or moving her around. She's affectionate, smart (duh) and picks-up phrases within the day. She's never tried to bite (fingers crossed) and gets along with a lot of people once she gets to know them.

I'm currently located in Berkeley and need a to find a home for my lovely bird for 2 1/3 years (May 2014 to July 2016). Do you know of anyone that would be willing to take on a grey for that amount of time? It could actually be a fantastic opportunity for the right person since there's no start-up cost or 50+ year commitment. I'm willing to travel to meet the right person. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

My mitred conure came from someone in Berkeley..... I can see if his foster mom knows of anyone who could help?

My dear, 27 months is a VERY long time to board a bird with anybody. You do realize that the bird will most likely bond with the caregiver and feel abandoned a second time in a little over two years, don't you? I once cared for a pair of grays for 8 months and those birds suffered terribly when they went back to their owners...

Please don't take this the wrong way because I feel for you and realize that you are doing this because you don't want her to be lonely given your situation but, personally, I think it will be better for the bird if you just rehome her. Grays don't take well to change, it takes them a long time to get over one and what you are proposing is two major one in two years... she might start plucking.

MonicaMc - It would be great if your could follow-up with the foster mom. I'll be curious to hear what she has to say. My hope is by seeking out an arrangement well in advance I'll be able to find a workable situation.

Pajarita - I completely understand where you're coming from and I'm very aware that grey's are sensitive souls that don't like change. Knowing that I decided to forgo a career that required a lot of travel for this one where I could stay put all with her in mind. Grey's live for many years and I don't intend for this to ever happen to her again. I do believe she can handle a change of owner and readjust back to me 2.25yrs later. It will take time to rebond, but in the context of her entire life I feel it is doable. She's a particularly outgoing and social grey that has moved around with me for the past few years without trouble. Knowing her personality, I'm 95% confident she can handle it. I do appreciate your concern, but I don't want to rehome my baby where who knows what could happen down the road.

You have to really trust someone for that amount of time! Anything could happen still even though it's 2.25 years of time. Can your family not do it for that amount of time?

I wish I could help but that's a very long time, if it was only a few months I'd be up for it but not for 2 years

I hope you find the perfect person, good luck in your search

My RFM Valentino is from Wendy Craig. She is an awesome breeder and person. Wendy helped me though a terrible time when my Noble macaw died before Valentino was due to come home. I consider Wendy a friend not just the breeder of my RFM.

If you maintained a relationship with Wendy I would suggest reaching out to her. Maybe she would be willing to take back your Grey for you until you are done with the insane program. Maybe she knows someone who would be willing to take your parrot for that length of time that she trusts.

If you cannot find the right person to foster your Grey for such a long time I would consider doing your best to keep her. I have experienced lots of moving and strife in my life but my constant was my little Noble macaw and was able to weather all of the changes and moves because I was his constant. I know Greys are different parrot than a mini macaw but if your relationship is strong your grey might surprise you with how much she can and is willing to put up with to stay with you.

Consider reaching out to Wendy. She has that squishy side for Greys and RFM's and might possibility have suggestions for you.

I asked, and she doesn't know of anyone. I know she did some pet sitting in the past, but she has a lot of birds and is sensitive to dusty birds due to her asthma, plus she's going in for back surgery in November so is worried about her current flock. Sorry!

I do know someone else in the area, but he does fostering for Mickaboo.

As I said in your other post. Take her with you. She would adjust better then being pulled from home to home. You would know how she is being treated and could spend as much time as you could with her. I know that these training can be really lonely and homesick is a number one reasons for drop out. You would be doing both of you a fav by working out how to take her with you. Finding a camper and staying at a long term private campground can save money over a apartment or hotels.

To be honest, if the only issue is that you'll move to a new place every ten weeks, then I'm sure your little one wouldn't mind to come with you. If you let her have the same cage, and some constants like a few safe toys in every new place and the same food, then I'm sure she'd be fine - she seems quite well adjusted. I also think that she'd probably be ok with changing homes again after you've done you training, if you do rehome her temporarily. But if it were me, and if it was possible, if try to take her with me.

There's a lot written about parrots (and especially Greys) finding change difficult, but to be honest, I don't really believe in it as a generalisation. There will obviously be individuals who naturally dislike and can't cope with change (just like some humans do), and there will be (a lot of) individuals whose previous circumstances have made them insecure or unused to changes and they're therefore not able to cope with changes well. Sometimes it might just be that they've never had to experience change in a safe way and therefore freak out whenever someone changes the curtains... But, I do believe that parrots as a whole, in general, are very very adaptable. In the wild (and parrots in captivity aren't domesticated, so they're still "wild animals" even when tame), they deal with change all the time. They move from place to place, the food they have access to changes from place to place and from season to season, and new birds are added to the flock and old birds die. So, in general, if the parrot is secure in itself, I think they're naturally very well equipped to deal with change. Much more so than many other animals!

I remember reading that a few individuals in every flock are "hardwired" to be "lookouts" and are therefore instinctually much more sensitive and "paranoid" about change than the others - and that this still applies to some individuals in captivity. I don't know if that's true or not, though. But there will obviously always be individuals who have had the best upbringing and life possible, but who still finds change difficult. So who knows.

If I was in your place I would take your grey along, as long as she has her cage and her human she will eventually get used to the moving.

I agree with those who say take her along. It will give you a feeling of home, and will keep her from being shuffled off to a new home only to adjust and bond and then be shuffled back to you.

I understand your reasoning for wanting to do it, and honestly if I was in CA I would consider helping you out, but in the long run it might be easier on her for her to be with you, moving or no.

Thank-you to everyone for your thoughtful replies. I really do appreciate the wisdom of the parrot community.

A camper sounds like a bright idea, but the rotations are in states all over the US so driving place to place would not be feasible.

I'll look into travel cages and I already have a carrier that works for planes, but it will be difficult to find short-term sublets with a parrot. Of course there are hotels, but I'm not rich.

I guess I'll do more thinking and if anyone else has a bright idea or thinks they may be able to take her on for a while let me know.

orbea said:

Thank-you to everyone for your thoughtful replies. I really do appreciate the wisdom of the parrot community.

A camper sounds like a bright idea, but the rotations are in states all over the US so driving place to place would not be feasible.

I'll look into travel cages and I already have a carrier that works for planes, but it will be difficult to find short-term sublets with a parrot. Of course there are hotels, but I'm not rich.

I guess I'll do more thinking and if anyone else has a bright idea or thinks they may be able to take her on for a while let me know.

Click to expand...

You may have some luck contacting my avian vet. She does bird boarding, although it would be a fortune for so long she might be able to refer you to someone she knows.

Bird Hospital and Supplies ? For The Birds DVM ? Avian Vet
For The Birds
1136 South De Anza Blvd., Suite D
San Jose, California 95129
desk# (408) 255-1739

At this point I think I'm going to start looking hard for good collapsable travel cages and perches. I could put her in the carrier I already have for the airplane and use the travel cage and portable perch where ever I end up staying. Has anybody done this before and if so, what brands of transportable cages/perches do you recommend?

I have used a nice wire dog kennel. They fold down great and when set up have lots of room. Look for one that has smaller wire openings they are out there.
This is how to make a portable stand out of a tripod!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuk8S9m73LU]Daniel Walthers provides instructions for building your own parrot stand - YouTube[/ame]

You can also make a PVC playstand that you can break down and put into a travel bag then set back up when you get there. Just use some electrical tape inside the joints to help hold it together. Then wrap it with vet wrap and you are good to go!

I would definitely take him with you. My grey has been through a lot of change including me having 2 kids and getting no to little interaction when my kids were first born. But he was loved, not forgotten, given lots of toys and he has me back now! He dealt with it well and is a happy bird today! Good luck.

The carrier needs to be the approved kind for air travel (basically, you have to be able to see through it and fit under the seat). You will also have to purchase a 'pet' ticket and make reservations early (most airlines only allow one pet per trip) as well as having health certificates issued (each state has different requirements and expirations -meaning the exam needs to be conducted within a certain period prior travel).

I already have a fantastic air carrier (it's a cat carrier with added amenities for a parrot), but was looking for a cage for once we land that's easy to transport from place to place via air. A collapsable dog crate sounds like the best idea so far and I'm assuming it will just count as a piece of luggage. I forgot all about having to go to avian vets for health certificates.....

I'm hoping I can work it all out, but this is getting complicated and expensive. I know I'm going to be stressed out beyond my max during this program, which brings me full circle to finding a temp. foster with the option for rehoming at the end if the new bond is too strong.

I'm still up in the air about which way to go...

Midwest makes collapsible bird cages... not a big fan of them, but hey, if they work, they work!

MIDWEST - Birdcages