ScottinSoCal
Member
- Sep 7, 2019
- 66
- 73
- Parrots
- Had a Blue Front Amazon. Now have an African Grey (CAG)
It's long. Enter at your own risk.
In 2003, I visited my local parrot rescue, with much research under my belt, looking for I don't remember which breed of parrot. While I was there, a Blue Front Amazon picked me and wouldn't take no for an answer. They told me she was named Boopsie, and had been released to the rescue by a woman who said she was vicious.
Once the new bird was home, the name got corrected for me first; Boo, not Boopsie. Then he let me know he was male. He also wasn't vicious - unless you were a blond woman. He was sweet, gentle, never bit me, independent, smart, and only talked when he was upset. He potty trained himself, then trained me to recognize the signs that he wanted to go back to his cage to poop. He couldn't fly. His vet said one wing had been broken and not properly set, and she (the vet) guessed he'd spent a long time in a smoker's house, because both sinuses were almost blocked by scar tissue. She said she'd only ever seen that in parrots that lived with smokers. Four years ago, he lost his grip on his cage, hit the seed guard on the way down, and broke his back in 3 places. He never got his full mobility back, but his vet said he wasn't in pain, and he coped, so we did, too. About 6 months ago, I went up to his sleep room and found him dead in his night cage. His vet said he'd probably had a stroke. Over the next few weeks, I realized how much life in my house revolved around Boo. Getting an apple for a snack? Cut off a little piece for Boo. Getting some cheese? Cut off a little piece for Boo. Coming in from the garage after work? Whistle a hello to Boo. An hour before my time to go up and get ready for work, time to go wake up Boo, for breakfast and cuddle time. So that's me, and my experience with parrots.
I've visited the parrot rescue the last couple of weekends, spending time with some of the birds there. Today I met Scooter. Also reported as female, African Grey (Congo). Obviously a feather picker, because her chest is completely bare. Also with an injured wing, although she can manage a controlled landing. I'm told she was the bird of a couple in their 80s, who can no longer take care of her. Scooter and I spent a couple of hours together today, during which she went from ignoring me completely to cuddling under my chin and grooming my nose to (without any warning) deciding it was time to be up on my shoulder. When she let me know it was time for her to be back in her cage, the SO and I walked down the street for lunch, and then I stopped back into the rescue to ask a few more questions about Scooter. As soon as Scooter saw me, she was off her perch, hanging on the cage door, whistling to me. The rescue volunteer said "I guess she likes you, she's never done that before."
It looks like I've been picked again, and I'm OK with that, except I worry about her being left alone during the day while I'm at work. She's already a feather picker. Is being left alone going to make that worse? And, from what I've written here, does my house seem like a good fit for an African Grey?
In 2003, I visited my local parrot rescue, with much research under my belt, looking for I don't remember which breed of parrot. While I was there, a Blue Front Amazon picked me and wouldn't take no for an answer. They told me she was named Boopsie, and had been released to the rescue by a woman who said she was vicious.
Once the new bird was home, the name got corrected for me first; Boo, not Boopsie. Then he let me know he was male. He also wasn't vicious - unless you were a blond woman. He was sweet, gentle, never bit me, independent, smart, and only talked when he was upset. He potty trained himself, then trained me to recognize the signs that he wanted to go back to his cage to poop. He couldn't fly. His vet said one wing had been broken and not properly set, and she (the vet) guessed he'd spent a long time in a smoker's house, because both sinuses were almost blocked by scar tissue. She said she'd only ever seen that in parrots that lived with smokers. Four years ago, he lost his grip on his cage, hit the seed guard on the way down, and broke his back in 3 places. He never got his full mobility back, but his vet said he wasn't in pain, and he coped, so we did, too. About 6 months ago, I went up to his sleep room and found him dead in his night cage. His vet said he'd probably had a stroke. Over the next few weeks, I realized how much life in my house revolved around Boo. Getting an apple for a snack? Cut off a little piece for Boo. Getting some cheese? Cut off a little piece for Boo. Coming in from the garage after work? Whistle a hello to Boo. An hour before my time to go up and get ready for work, time to go wake up Boo, for breakfast and cuddle time. So that's me, and my experience with parrots.
I've visited the parrot rescue the last couple of weekends, spending time with some of the birds there. Today I met Scooter. Also reported as female, African Grey (Congo). Obviously a feather picker, because her chest is completely bare. Also with an injured wing, although she can manage a controlled landing. I'm told she was the bird of a couple in their 80s, who can no longer take care of her. Scooter and I spent a couple of hours together today, during which she went from ignoring me completely to cuddling under my chin and grooming my nose to (without any warning) deciding it was time to be up on my shoulder. When she let me know it was time for her to be back in her cage, the SO and I walked down the street for lunch, and then I stopped back into the rescue to ask a few more questions about Scooter. As soon as Scooter saw me, she was off her perch, hanging on the cage door, whistling to me. The rescue volunteer said "I guess she likes you, she's never done that before."
It looks like I've been picked again, and I'm OK with that, except I worry about her being left alone during the day while I'm at work. She's already a feather picker. Is being left alone going to make that worse? And, from what I've written here, does my house seem like a good fit for an African Grey?