Hi all, this is my first post to the parrot forums, but I'm reaching out because I am in need of help in finding my beloved bird a new home, and timeline is short. He/she (never sexed, doesn't matter to me) is a Green-cheeked conure, 13 years old, about to be 14 in April, and has been my constant companion for all these years. This will be a long post, so brace yourselves.
The Reasons:
I've always done what was necessary to take care of Grouch, and for the past 13 years, I've always shifted my schedules around with my bird as my main priority. At the moment, I may be gone for 10-12 hours a day on the weekdays, but try to spend time with my bird in mornings and on weekends. Although I feel a bit guilty I can't be home more, The Grouch seems to be well-adjusted.
There is some uncertainty, but I need to start planning for the near future, which will be one of two paths: (1) my new job will demand that I am gone from home up to 8+ consecutive days at a time, camping in wilderness. That type of schedule is definitely not appropriate for proper bird-care. Or (2), I will move into Government housing, where I definitely will not be able to house a companion animal with me. I simply can't afford to pay to have my bird watched for such a long time period. At the moment, when I am gone from home for more than a day, I have family members watch my bird, but they are also moving away soon, so that option will not be available anymore. Also my family and friends are not 'bird people.' They don't even feel comfortable changing out the water in the bird cage =/.
To rehome The Grouch, who has been my constant companion for the past 13 years, is one of the hardest decisions I've been faced with, but I only want what's best for The Grouch. And I have to admit to myself when I can no longer be the one to provide the best care.
The Grouch:
Despite the name, my green-cheek is actually well-socialized, sweet, and gets along well with a lot of people, even strangers. He/she can meet someone for the first time, climb up on a shoulder and be happy to just sit there. He/she enjoys baths, coming into the shower with me, mist showers, cuddling and snuggling, assorted fruits and veggies, looking out the window, good conversation; dislikes are tissues/paper towels, and traveling (gets car sick).
Ideally I'm looking for bird people to adopt him/her, someone who is patient enough to learn my bird's unique personalities. Because despite his usual sweet demeanor, my bird can hold an attitude at times and get nippy when he/she is too excited. It takes a bird person to really understand this. I'm sure you all know what I mean when I say that to get along well with a bird, it's not so cut and paste as it is with dogs or cats.
He/she suffered an accident a couple years ago and is now 90% blind in the right eye. As a result, he/she prefers to stay in its cage most of the time now, and most of my interaction is indirect. I'd say in a 12 hour day, he may spend only 1-1.5 hours out of the cage. I now let him/her tell me when he/she wants to come out, and I don't force it. Sometimes when I ask him to step up, he just doesn't want to, and that's perfectly fine with me. I've also reduced the number of toys in the cage (there are still some), and rotate them around less frequently so there is more familiarity with his surroundings.
Despite the hardships, he's quite well-adjusted. He/she has never had an issue with plucking, even when I'm gone from home for most of the weekdays, maintains a good appetite, knows how to play with toys by himself, grinds his beak contently all the time, and his feathers appear very healthy. In the past, when I've had to leave him/her at the Avian vet for days at a time while I'm unable to care for him/her, I've been told he/she's always been friendly with the staff, and is content to just sit in the cage next to the other conures and looking out the window. I've attached a picture of him enjoying a banana, one of his favorites.
Conclusion:
I first reached out to friends, in the hopes that they may know someone who was thinking of adopting a companion bird, then I reached out to vet clinics and some non-profits (Mickaboo) but time is running out, so I am reaching out to the forums. I currently live in California, in the Sacramento/Roseville/Rocklin area. Everything would be provided of course (cage, lighting, heat lamps, toys, etc.), granted I find the right home. At this point, I really don't see myself as the best care provider anymore. If I somehow found a way to keep him, I would feel very selfish, for the bird would remain with me, but would be suffering a LOT of neglect.
Now, I do have some prospects. Good news is, there is a friend of a friend of a friend who has adopted several birds up to this point and she may be interested. I'm still waiting to hear more on this, and it may lead to a successful adoption, but the reason for this post is that I really want to make sure I cover all my bases. The worst case scenario would be still not being able to find my bird a new home 3-5 weeks from now. I would greatly appreciate any advice or constructive criticism, but please be gentle because this feeling is worse than losing a girlfriend, it's like giving away MY OWN SON.
I'll continue to update this as I find out more. Thanks all.
Sincerely,
Neil
The Reasons:
I've always done what was necessary to take care of Grouch, and for the past 13 years, I've always shifted my schedules around with my bird as my main priority. At the moment, I may be gone for 10-12 hours a day on the weekdays, but try to spend time with my bird in mornings and on weekends. Although I feel a bit guilty I can't be home more, The Grouch seems to be well-adjusted.
There is some uncertainty, but I need to start planning for the near future, which will be one of two paths: (1) my new job will demand that I am gone from home up to 8+ consecutive days at a time, camping in wilderness. That type of schedule is definitely not appropriate for proper bird-care. Or (2), I will move into Government housing, where I definitely will not be able to house a companion animal with me. I simply can't afford to pay to have my bird watched for such a long time period. At the moment, when I am gone from home for more than a day, I have family members watch my bird, but they are also moving away soon, so that option will not be available anymore. Also my family and friends are not 'bird people.' They don't even feel comfortable changing out the water in the bird cage =/.
To rehome The Grouch, who has been my constant companion for the past 13 years, is one of the hardest decisions I've been faced with, but I only want what's best for The Grouch. And I have to admit to myself when I can no longer be the one to provide the best care.
The Grouch:
Despite the name, my green-cheek is actually well-socialized, sweet, and gets along well with a lot of people, even strangers. He/she can meet someone for the first time, climb up on a shoulder and be happy to just sit there. He/she enjoys baths, coming into the shower with me, mist showers, cuddling and snuggling, assorted fruits and veggies, looking out the window, good conversation; dislikes are tissues/paper towels, and traveling (gets car sick).
Ideally I'm looking for bird people to adopt him/her, someone who is patient enough to learn my bird's unique personalities. Because despite his usual sweet demeanor, my bird can hold an attitude at times and get nippy when he/she is too excited. It takes a bird person to really understand this. I'm sure you all know what I mean when I say that to get along well with a bird, it's not so cut and paste as it is with dogs or cats.
He/she suffered an accident a couple years ago and is now 90% blind in the right eye. As a result, he/she prefers to stay in its cage most of the time now, and most of my interaction is indirect. I'd say in a 12 hour day, he may spend only 1-1.5 hours out of the cage. I now let him/her tell me when he/she wants to come out, and I don't force it. Sometimes when I ask him to step up, he just doesn't want to, and that's perfectly fine with me. I've also reduced the number of toys in the cage (there are still some), and rotate them around less frequently so there is more familiarity with his surroundings.
Despite the hardships, he's quite well-adjusted. He/she has never had an issue with plucking, even when I'm gone from home for most of the weekdays, maintains a good appetite, knows how to play with toys by himself, grinds his beak contently all the time, and his feathers appear very healthy. In the past, when I've had to leave him/her at the Avian vet for days at a time while I'm unable to care for him/her, I've been told he/she's always been friendly with the staff, and is content to just sit in the cage next to the other conures and looking out the window. I've attached a picture of him enjoying a banana, one of his favorites.
Conclusion:
I first reached out to friends, in the hopes that they may know someone who was thinking of adopting a companion bird, then I reached out to vet clinics and some non-profits (Mickaboo) but time is running out, so I am reaching out to the forums. I currently live in California, in the Sacramento/Roseville/Rocklin area. Everything would be provided of course (cage, lighting, heat lamps, toys, etc.), granted I find the right home. At this point, I really don't see myself as the best care provider anymore. If I somehow found a way to keep him, I would feel very selfish, for the bird would remain with me, but would be suffering a LOT of neglect.
Now, I do have some prospects. Good news is, there is a friend of a friend of a friend who has adopted several birds up to this point and she may be interested. I'm still waiting to hear more on this, and it may lead to a successful adoption, but the reason for this post is that I really want to make sure I cover all my bases. The worst case scenario would be still not being able to find my bird a new home 3-5 weeks from now. I would greatly appreciate any advice or constructive criticism, but please be gentle because this feeling is worse than losing a girlfriend, it's like giving away MY OWN SON.
I'll continue to update this as I find out more. Thanks all.
Sincerely,
Neil
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