Hello, all!

My name is Kim, and I think I might talk too much about my birds, so excuse me if I ramble. I have had parrots for 45 years, and I am a strong advocate for rescue / rehomes. I live very close to one of the most amazing parrot rescue / sanctuaries in the US, and have access to many exotic expos where I spend far too much money on supplies and toys.

We have 4 parrots - a female Yellow Nape Amazon named Belle, a female DYH Amazon named Paco, a male Congo African grey named Kya, and a female Congo African grey named Gracie. They are rotten!

Kya came to us almost 4 years ago, his previous owner loved him dearly, but developed some health issues her doctor blamed on his dander. He's 12-13 years old. He's definitely a daddy's boy, and would prefer I lived anywhere other than here. We've made peace over the past couple of years - as long as I don't sit near my husband, life is good.

Next came Gracie, she was adopted from the rescue I mentioned above. She is banded and is 23 years old. She was plucked naked when we got her, and terrified of everything. We have no idea how many homes that poor girl had been through. It took months for her to settle in, but she's happy and healthy and has the most beautiful plumage I've ever seen on a grey.

Paco came to us through the rescue, too. She is 8 years old, and just a beautiful soul. We've had her for two years. She came from a loving home, but divorce happened, and she was surrendered to the rescue. She's a typical zon, adorable and out of one thing and into another. She shares a 5' x 7' walk in with Belle.

Belle...Where to start? She came to us almost a year ago from the rescue. Her owner died inside the house with 8 birds and 13 Chihuahuas. She had no family, so someone called for a welfare check on her and they found all of the birds in tiny crates in the closet. She had apparently been ill for quite some time, and I am guessing she died of end stage lung disease, according to the cough Belle imitated. I saw her video posted by the rescue, and it was love at first sight. When I met her face to face, the connection was more intense than I could have hoped for. She was a mess. She was covered in nicotine, and had plucked herself. Her wings and tail were chewed off nubs, I didn't expect any of her feathers to grow back, I just knew there had to be follicle damage. But they did, every last one of them! She's the life of the party around here, and I know the greys wish she would just be quiet for an hour, but she has a lot to say, and she's the happiest sweetest Amazon you could ever encounter.

We also have 4 dogs, 3 of them were adopted from rescue, one was a surprise my son thought I needed! We have a Chihuahua, a terrier mix, an Australian shepherd, and that 110 lb white lab my son deposited on my doorstep.

I look forward to getting to know everyone!

Oh welcome! How fun! We love pics! My grey Kevin is also a rescue and they do turn out well after love and care. We’re still in the process.


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Hi Kim, Welcome to the Community!!!

Thank you for dedicating yourself to the welfare of birds, I wish there were a million other people just like you!!! I have been the Medical Liaison for a private Parrot/Reptile Rescue for a little over 8 years now, and unfortunately Belle's story is all too common, and believe it or not her story is one of the better ones we see and/or hear about every single day. We have a large network of Avian Rescues across the country who we communicate with (mostly on the East Coast, from New England down to Florida and out as far as Texas, though we've taken-in birds from as far away as California and Washington State in the past)...We're fortunate in that the owners of the Rescue do this full-time, all the time, and they inherited their parent's massive farm/property out in the middle of Amish Country, so there are no zoning-laws about Exotic-Animals, so we actually take-in quite a few other types of animals as well, from Livestock like Goats, Sheep, Chickens, Ducks, etc. to Exotic Pets like Monkeys, Lemurs, Galagos, Sugar Gliders, Hedgehogs, all kinds of Pigs who "were supposed to stay small", lol, etc. We have between 50-100 Parrots/Birds at any given time, and many more Reptiles and Amphibians...And again, I wish that there were many more people like you willing to provide loving homes to these poor Birds who did nothing except be purchased/adopted by people who have no idea what they're getting into, or what it takes to own a Parrot as a pet.

I absolutely LOVE Yellow-Napes, they're my favorite Amazons, such loving, affectionate, and extremely intelligent little guys...We get quite a few Yellow-Napes surrendered because they are one of the less-expensive species of Amazon Parrots, so more people can afford to purchase them as babies from breeders, and then they find out that just because they're one of the smaller Amazons that doesn't mean that they need less attention or love...Belle sounds like she's just a little sweetheart...And I'm so glad that all of her plumage grew back-in; it's amazing how horrible a bird's feathering (or complete lack thereof) can be, and yet most of the time, once the bird is living in a clean, smoke/chemical/fume-free environment and is eating even a semi-healthy daily diet, and has most of the extreme stress removed from their environment, their feathers just start growing right back in like nothing was ever wrong. Parrots are extremely sensitive creatures and are effected by everything that happens in their environment and their lives, and the lives of their Flocks, but they are also every bit as strong and resilient...

I'm glad you found us here at the forum, we love welcoming-in new members who are long-time bird owners and lovers, and who can add their own experience, education, and advice to our community...You definitely found the best group of Parrot people on the internet here in this forum; we have a group of long-time members who are all extremely experienced and most-importantly who put the welfare and happiness of their birds first...So please start adding your own, unique flavor to the boards!!!

Welcome Kim, thanks so much for the terrific introduction! You have worked wonders with rescues, much respect!

Welcome to you! Thank you for your great work!

Welcome! You and your flock sound like you belong here .

You're already one of us. I'll echo the thanks and kudos for doing the work you do! I am so glad you're here.