2 new unexpected arrivals!

labell

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So I will try to make this very long story short. A friend who lives a ways away from me called today to see if I would like to have lunch. I was thrilled as I don't get to see her as often as I would like. So we set a meeting place between her house and mine. Then I drove with her. She said she has a surprise for me so I assume it's going to be a great place to eat that we haven't been to before.
We start heading into a residential neighborhood and she begins to tell me about this lady she met who golfs with her husband. She goes on to tell me this lady is very much the socialite. Right away I am feeling let down a little as this is where it turns out we are going for lunch. I am a pretty down to earth gal and don't put much stock in hob knobbing but this is my friend and I love spending time with her so I figure I can remember to put my napkin in my lap and use the right fork for one afternoon anyway.

So the house is lovely, tastefully and expensively decorated. Greeting us at the door are two perfectly horrible, perfectly manicured lap dogs. Not sure what kind but moppy hair, smooshed faces with ribbons and painted toenails, and I think oh geez I am in trouble.

Now thankfully my friend told her I was a vegetarian so we had shrimp cocktail which I didn't have and a fancy salad. I was told at least twice that it would have been a much grander affair if I ate meat! Yeah okay!

Mean while I am shooting questioning daggers at "my friend". After lunch the conversation turns to parrots as my friend has 3 rescue birds and strict orders from her husband that 3 is a full house! I start talking about my eclectus and the woman says would you like to see mine? Of course! So we go into a room that truly doesn't look as if it belongs in the same house. Clutter every where and two beautiful male and female eclectus each in their own cage but I kid you not the cage is 12 inches across!! Only seed in the cages, filthy water, no toys and she had lined the bottom of the females cage with wee wee pads for crying out loud. The girl had of course torn them to shreds! So now I am freaking out and really trying to keep my temper in check, again wondering why my friend would want me to see this knowing how upset I would be.

So we are standing there and I am politely explaining the care that these birds need while periodically running my hands through my hair to make sure the horns I keep carefully hidden aren't showing. She proceeds to tell me that she saw them in a New York pet store and thought they would look so "pretty" in her living room. But they are messy and loud and she just doesn't have time. Mean while her yappy, pampered pedicured dogs are pulling at my pant leg and I am resisting the urge to give them a gentle nudge off my leg as one had humping on his mind!

So I tell her I will take them, at first she gives me the price she paid the pet store and wants me to pay for and take the cages. As kindly as I can I let her know the size is more appropriate to much smaller birds and I would have no need for them. I let her know I would not be paying pet store price and made a reasonable rescue offer, explaining that I would have to vet them to safe guard my birds, even though she insisted they were fine.

At first she refused, we left the room and was wrapping up saying our goodbyes, at this point my heart is breaking for these beautiful babies. They both just turned a year, have never been given fresh foods except the occasional bite of what they were having. I am not sure what they are though because they are much larger than my SI but smaller than my RS and I don't see the blue eye ring on her, there is some yellow to her tail but not truly like a VOS.
Anyway as we are leaving she takes my offer. So 2 makes a six pack of eclectus! I know I am crazy and my husband really should be nominated for sainthood. Turns out my friend kind of figured this would happen and since she couldn't take them knew they would have a great home with me.

The girl gave me a nice bite coming out of the carrier, the boy was scared. I made a big bowl of warm yummy foods and it was HOURS before they stopped eating, poor babies! She never taught them step up, the girl knows her name, Lola the boys name was not something I cared for so he will be getting a new one. She said she really didn't like him as much:mad:

I will get pics once they settle in.
 

Sterling1113

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Awwwwh what poor babies...!!! Looks like your friend really knows how to tug your heart strings, eh? I'm glad they have such a good momma. Sounds like the conditions my baby Yoshi was in, he's 3 years old and was in a 18x18 cage with seed mix too! Very nervous and unhappy.
I can't wait for pictures and to hear how they settle in with their new parronts and flock mates. :) Let me know if you need name ideas. I don't know the names for your other four, but I personally like the name Jackson for an Eclectus.. no idea why, but my boyfriend doesn't like the name Jackson or Jack, so we had to find common grounds elsewhere hehe.
Super excited for you!!! I'm sure they'll love you for the awesome food and better living conditions. Atleast they were separated, yknow? No babies hehe.
It's a shame how people like her are the reason birds end up in shelters. "Thought they'd look pretty in her living room, but they're loud and messy." Well yeah they're WILD PARROTS! Not decorations! For cryin' out loud! I bet she was in shock when she found out they poop and molt feathers and make sounds and I'll bet you it would have been one heck of a sight to see her even TRY to paint their toenails.. it's a pretty silly picture for me to imagine hehe. Anyway, rambling now, congrats again! I'm super excited for you, I love ekkies. :)
 

Pinkbirdy

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WOW!!! That day would have blown my mind away! Good thing they fell in your lap. I was just thinking how annoying it is . When people are getting rid of their bird [that they need exactly what they paid for it :(
 
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labell

labell

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They were in the matching small cages because when they were in her living room she said they looked great book-ended on either side of her love seat! It's a good thing it is illegal to randomly slap people!
 

Terry57

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I am so excited for you and ecstatic for the ekkies! Poor babies, they don't even know yet that the hit the lottery today!
 

Sterling1113

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Pfff... the difference between a parront and someone whose knowledge of birds goes no deeper than the colour of their feathers:
"Hey, those parrots would look nice in my living room."
and
"Hey, that would go nicely in my parrot room!" Hehe. :)
 
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labell

labell

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Yeah I laughed when she bit me drawing blood taking her out of the carrier thinking so that's the thanks I get! :p
The way they ate was SO sad, like it was their best, last meal. I softly assured them that everyday they would have yummy stuff from now on!
They have laughed and talked some. He reached for one of the toys but doesn't really know what to do with them as they had none in their small cages, not that there was room.:mad:
Beaks look great, feathers are not plucked anywhere, they could use a bath for sure, first one set for tomorrow, she said she sprayed them maybe once a month!:eek: The toe nails are razors though so that will need to be addressed.
 

Terry57

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It breaks my heart when they go after the food like that...a few of our rescues had that same reaction:(
I can't wait to see pictures of them:)
 

MikeyTN

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It's sad to see such nice houses only to find them so ignorant on pet care.....thank goodness you were there to take them.
 

Kiwibird

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Congrats on your new additions! I know EXACTLY the kind of person you're talking about, and I'm sure they are in a much better place with you. Can't wait to see pics of your new babies :D

I don't know why the poor ekkies get the short end of the stick, but this is sadly not the first time I've heard this "story" :( I used to keep a picture of Kiwi above my desk at work (just like any proud mommy:09:) and one day a customer noticed and commented that she had a pair of female eclectus' for sale. I told her I wasn't in the market for any more birds, but she started telling me her "situation" anyways- Apparently, they had been purchased a few years before because they "matched the decor" and now that they had redecorated in a different style and colors (i.e., they no longer "matched") they no longer wanted the birds:mad::mad::mad:! Just because parrots are absolutely stunning creatures does NOT make them suitable as "decorations". No animal is a "decoration" for that matter. There are plenty of realistic looking statues of birds out there to "match your decor", so if you want to decorate with one, go buy a fake one! No noise, no mess, no care. Ok, rant done:21:
 
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labell

labell

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Oh yes, she was a piece of work. My friend and I were cracking up after we left over her snide comments about how much better it would have been if I was a meat eater. Yeah lady let me just toss my lifestyle and principles out the window so you can show off your culinary skills!
 
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labell

labell

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Oh I should admit at first I was really only interested in wanting the male, one because I have one bratty female who I adore and one that is sweet that I also adore but they do not play well together like the boys do, and because she actually said she hated the boy and never took him out! The female she grabbed out of the tiny cage with both hands and then literally mauled her all over petting her. The whole time I am thinking my Jillie would be biting my hands to stumps if I tried that business with her. My Jillie is my love but she is a diva and fits to a T all the typical eclectus girl traits. Then I felt that even though she obviously spent time with the female I couldn't leave her in that kind of care, while other than looking dirty they have no real outward signs of their neglect, I am certain it would have been a matter of time. The boy had to be put in the carrier using a towel but he wasn't trying to bite only get away, as in super scared. Even when I got home with them after she bit me he flew out (not gracefully) they are clipped but are growing some feathers back out. I was able to pick him up off the floor with no problem except that his nails are like razors and hit of course where she had bit me!:eek:
Anyway when I asked about just taking him she said no they are a matching pair! I did say I didn't plan on decorating with them just loving them. That was the one snide remark I just couldn't hold back.:p
So I am nervous after quarantine and results back from the vet how adding another female to the mix will be. Anyone have any ideas on the best way to go about that? They all will have separate cages of course but I do enjoy having them all out on java trees during the day.
 
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Allee

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Congratulations!! I am so excited for those birds and so glad your friend set you up. It's heartbreaking what some people do to animals. That's a new one for me, I've never heard of someone buying live parrots to match the current decor in their home. I'll stop before I start ranting. Can't wait to see photos.
 

drlisaort

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Wow, what a sad story with a happy ending! I so love my Eclectus (Oliver) as do all of us on this forum and to think people really exist out there that purchase for "looks" in their home is appalling. I wonder if her little dogs are for show as well...
 

Anne

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What a sad story but how good and nice that they have a great home now. I hope they start to enjoy it quickly.
 
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labell

labell

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Wow, what a sad story with a happy ending! I so love my Eclectus (Oliver) as do all of us on this forum and to think people really exist out there that purchase for "looks" in their home is appalling. I wonder if her little dogs are for show as well...

I am not sure about her dogs, I know she bragged about having them regularly groomed and that they had clothes, ribbons, nail polish and collars of different colors, that all matched of course.:rolleyes: I do know that they were completely untrained, they yapped pretty much the entire time, insistent food begging which she fed them from the table and the humping of my leg was not pleasant to say the least!
I am a dog lover don't get me wrong, I have a standard poodle who is about 72 lbs and a yorkie that is more my husbands dog. They are well cared for and well trained. I do my own grooming, let me tell you standards are not easy to groom, it is an all day affair but I refuse to pay for a service I am capable of doing myself even if it is a p.i.t.a....and I am alpha, there is no begging, no humping, no jumping and no yapping. I appreciate a warning bark if something is off, believe me hearing my boy bark from outside you would never guess he is a poodle.:eek:
 

JerseyWendy

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Many many congrats, and THANK YOU!!! You have a heart of gold, and it shines right through!! :D

LOVED the way you wrote how it all played out. I nearly fell off the chair laughing when you described how you touched your head, to make sure your horns weren't showing, BAHAHAHAH!

Those 2 babies are mightly lucky you agreed to that lunch. ;) Nothing beats a happy ending! :D

Can't wait to see pictures.

(PS. I laughed REALLY hard at your description of what you wanted to do to the perfectly manicured pooch who was about to go to town on your leg, too :54:)
 
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labell

labell

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So here are the promised pictures. Unfortunately I was prepared for one new addition and had this large cage but not for two so for a little while they will have to share this one. They were out together at the previous owners house and there have been no issues and certainly better than what they were in. There are enough very large bowls to feed them separate as well. They look MUCH better after bath time!
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getwozzy

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Ohmygosh I cannot believe people like that :mad: good grief.

Thank you for taking them!! Those poor babies :( so glad they're with such a caring and loving flock now!! :)
 

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