I feel horrible

[Crone]

The other day my friend called and said she had a parakeet in her yard and asked me to come and get it because she was scared of it. She left for work and I drove over. I found the "parakeet" on top of her barbed wire fence and it turned out to be a Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot, male. He was frazzled and I walked up to him and began talking to him saying "well honey where did you come from?" as I offered my hand and he walked onto it and then to my shoulder, burying his head under my chin. I put him in my car and he spent the day in my daughter's bathroom, after I baby protected it by locking everything away. I put out a few nuts, apple pieces and water, as that is all I had and I do not own birds and was not sure what he would eat. I left for work and when I got home he was happy to see me.

I got a huge cage from my house. I live without electricity or plumbing and was afraid he would not survive in the heat at my home. We got him set up and headed to Petco for toys, ladders, swings and over 100 bucks worth of parrot things. I also stopped and got strawberries, pineapples, grapes, melon, spinach, broccoli, peas, carrots, nuts, grains, parrot treats and more. We got him all set up and he was VERY happy. THEN....

1) I proceeded to check with all the vets in a 100mile radius to see if a parrot was missing, called all the shelters, checked all the lost pet listings, called for lost pet ads in the papers, ask all the neighbors and looked at every lost parrot site online. No one has reported a parrot like this missing in this area.

2) I went to my daughter's home after work yesterday and he started screaming when I walked in, meowing like a cat and when I opened his cage he could not wait to get on my hand, kiss me all over my face and sat on my shoulder while I petted him for hours. When anyone walked towards me, he growled at them. It was cute but....I am fastly falling in love

3) His beak is way too long in my opinion and his toenails as well. I am making a vet appt. as soon as possible to make sure he is OK and get those two things addressed.

So for the past few mornings he sits on my shoulder while I prepare his food. He makes little noises and rubs my face with his beak. He eats very well and drinks plenty of water. He enjoys the family and is very gentle.

I feel horrible because part of me does not want to find the owner and I intend to keep trying and checking. But I wonder at what time, if I cannot locate the owner, would I consider the parrot mine? I don't want to spend 6 to 8 months with this wonderful bird, go get the $300 cage I intend to get next week so he will be comfortable, and pay the vet bill to have his beak and toes checked and teach him certain words and then in 8 months someone pops up to claim him. What is the protocol on things like this? I do not intend to hide this bird from his rightful owner, so please do not think I am a horrible person that would do that. But I am secretly hoping that the owner never shows up and I know that makes me a horrible person in itself.

Regardless, I am horrible right?

 

[Mayden]

The other day my friend called and said she had a parakeet in her yard and asked me to come and get it because she was scared of it. She left for work and I drove over. I found the "parakeet" on top of her barbed wire fence and it turned out to be a Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot, male. He was frazzled and I walked up to him and began talking to him saying "well honey where did you come from?" as I offered my hand and he walked onto it and then to my shoulder, burying his head under my chin. I put him in my car and he spent the day in my daughter's bathroom, after I baby protected it by locking everything away. I put out a few nuts, apple pieces and water, as that is all I had and I do not own birds and was not sure what he would eat. I left for work and when I got home he was happy to see me.

I got a huge cage from my house. I live without electricity or plumbing and was afraid he would not survive in the heat at my home. We got him set up and headed to Petco for toys, ladders, swings and over 100 bucks worth of parrot things. I also stopped and got strawberries, pineapples, grapes, melon, spinach, broccoli, peas, carrots, nuts, grains, parrot treats and more. We got him all set up and he was VERY happy. THEN....

1) I proceeded to check with all the vets in a 100mile radius to see if a parrot was missing, called all the shelters, checked all the lost pet listings, called for lost pet ads in the papers, ask all the neighbors and looked at every lost parrot site online. No one has reported a parrot like this missing in this area.

2) I went to my daughter's home after work yesterday and he started screaming when I walked in, meowing like a cat and when I opened his cage he could not wait to get on my hand, kiss me all over my face and sat on my shoulder while I petted him for hours. When anyone walked towards me, he growled at them. It was cute but....I am fastly falling in love

3) His beak is way too long in my opinion and his toenails as well. I am making a vet appt. as soon as possible to make sure he is OK and get those two things addressed.

So for the past few mornings he sits on my shoulder while I prepare his food. He makes little noises and rubs my face with his beak. He eats very well and drinks plenty of water. He enjoys the family and is very gentle.

I feel horrible because part of me does not want to find the owner and I intend to keep trying and checking. But I wonder at what time, if I cannot locate the owner, would I consider the parrot mine? I don't want to spend 6 to 8 months with this wonderful bird, go get the $300 cage I intend to get next week so he will be comfortable, and pay the vet bill to have his beak and toes checked and teach him certain words and then in 8 months someone pops up to claim him. What is the protocol on things like this? I do not intend to hide this bird from his rightful owner, so please do not think I am a horrible person that would do that. But I am secretly hoping that the owner never shows up and I know that makes me a horrible person in itself.

Regardless, I am horrible right?

He has obviously been someones pet as he's so cuddly tame. But no, you definitely are not a horrible person - you went out of your way to help a bird that was lost/in trouble, brought him into your own home and spoiled him bloody rotten.

Leave it a month or so before calling him your own, if someones lost their baby they should have rang all the shelters they could possibly think of by then, some people might have just given up when they found he'd gotten away. Keep trying for about a month to find his owner, as much as you love him you have to remember that he might have been very very much loved by his other family.
(However if someone had found my Toko I would have let them have him as they've been so kind to take him in, etcetc. All depends on the people I guess)

I personally hope that the family who lost him were just careless and don't really care for hunting down their long lost bird, for your sake and his as he's obviously being looked after very well with you and seems to have settled.

Good luck with the new baby. xo

 

[Crone]

Well he is certainly being spoiled rotten right now and seems to be enjoying it. I know he was tame and loved dearly because my fingers have been all around and in his beak and he has no desire at this time to crunch down on them. I am learning his little qualms as he learns mine. If he does not want out, he will push my hand away with his beak and turn his head. He comes right to me as soon as I approach the cage if he wants out to socialize. His wings are not clipped. He sleeps well at night and when I uncover his cage in the morning, he screams real loud and wants on my shoulder. I would love to take him to my house, but like I said, I actually live with no electricity and right now it gets almost 100 in my house and in the winter when I am at work it can get down to freezing, so it is not possible for me to keep him there. My daughter enjoys him being at her house, because she gets the joy of having a parrot but does not have to clean after him, feed him or buy him anything lol.

I will keep checking around for the owner and know I will cry when I reunite them. But it is best and I know that. HOWEVER....if that never happens, I certainly will not be very upset about it. He cracks me up when he is on my shoulder and growls at my fiance' when he comes towards me.

 

[suebee]

personally, if nut got loose an some1 found her an took that much care off her i would foot all the bills and more! (except cage)

so in my mind it would not be un-reasonable to ask for what ever you have paid for the bird, so keep bills etc

also you need to look at an ekkies diet as there needs differ from our birds, nothing rich

when at vets ask them to see if its been micro chipped, the bird sounds pretty much bonded to you, but it must have been well treated in its own home for it to be so trusting

your not being horrible, your just bonding with the bird but bear in mind some birds have a honeymoon period, when there really sweet an then wham lol they get over it, but it canbe fraustrating when they get that way out

please keep us up dated an welcome to the forum

 

[Nakiska]

Awwww....how lucky you are!

I had this same thing happen to me in a round about way. My very first cockatiel flew down to my father in law, he put up signs and ads in the local lost and found and after 2 weeks, no one called to claim this wonderful bird. So he called me, said he didn't want the bird and offered him to me.

Chaco was the best cockatiel ever! I always told him "boy...who ever lost you must miss you something terrible"

I say after a couple weeks, people tend to loose steam on finding what ever they lost.

And don't feel horrible, this bird had definitely bonded to you for saving him...and you never know...maybe someone let him go, because he didn't get along with a member of the household. Sadly, this kind of thing DOES happen.

Good luck and definitely keep us posted!

Toni

 

[suebee]

I will keep checking around for the owner and know I will cry when I reunite them. But it is best and I know that. HOWEVER....if that never happens, I certainly will not be very upset about it. He cracks me up when he is on my shoulder and growls at my fiance' when he comes towards me.

that is not good?? is the ekkie flighted?? when he does you need to check that kinda behaviour, do not encourage in anyway, the bird see's you as a mate and will defend what he considers his, or he just does not like men

the reason i ask if birds flighted, nut is an she does fly an attack ppl me included, sorry to be jump in so sternly, but as sweet as these birds are, they canbe just a vicious, and i would imagine an ekkie bite to cause alot more damage then a sene's

 

[Molcan2]

You are not a horrible person. If my bird got out I would hope that someone like you would have found her. At least you are kind enough to feed, protect, and offer love to a bird that isn't yours. If not for you then the bird could have otherwise starved or been killed in an accident. You are also actively searching for the owner. Its hard to say a time frame. And its hard not to get attached. Keep in mind that the bird could be a number of things: turned loose (due to econimic times) or gotten loose. The owner of the bird may be very far away (birds can travel great distances to try to find their home), on vacation (unknowing that their bird is even loose), in the hospital or in jail (and who ever may be watching the bird hasn't posted that its missing). I would not put up flyers. I had an incedence where someone's horses came to visit my house, I put up a flyer. The owner showed up with prof of photos and coggins that the were hers (plus they whinnied when they saw her) and the neighbor that accidentally left the gate open. I obviously gave her back her horses but I got a call later that afternoon from someone who seemed shady claiming that they were missing horses and would not give me a description of what their horses looked like but said that they would have to see them in person. Be careful as these are expensive birds and unfortunately not everyone is honest.

The Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot has very special diet needs, so go to the pet store, tell them what you have and get the proper food for him. Don't get seed, get a pellet type diet. Fresh veggies and fruit are very good for them but they also have to have the pellet food in order to have a complete diet. Don't give Avocados or chocolate these are toxic. Don't give any pits (i.e. peach pits, cherry pits, apple cores...) these are toxic as well.

Good luck, I'm sure he is very appreciative for the care you are giving him, he sounds like a fabulous bird.

 

[Molcan2]

Oh, do you live in central Florida by chance? My parents have a neighbor whose male Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot got loose about 6-8 months ago. Her birds get loose all the time (actually all of her animals get loose all the time), usually she looks for them but when I asked if she found him (this was about 4mo ago) she told me no that she hadn't been looking and that he probably just got eaten by something since he hasn't come home. Some people have more than what they need and when some of that burden is lifted they prefer not to bring it back.

 

[Crone]

Oh he is not mean to my fiance',maybe "growl" was not a proper term. My fiance' sits right down and he hops over to his shoulder and starts giving him kisses as well. By "growl" I mean a noise he makes like growling. But he shows no aggression and goes right to him.

I have spent 2 days now reviewing the diets and foods and such that are poisonous. I know about the Teflon and scented candles and such. I am totally new to the bird but made sure to review basics from several sites before caging him and preparing a safe environment. I am actually buying my daughter new pots and pans today because all she had was teflon pans.

I plan to spend as much time as possible, while I am at a place I can access electricity and internet, reviewing these forums and other sites to learn everything I can. Even if the owner shows up, knowledge never hurts.

We had some horrible tornadoes in this area April 27th and I wonder if that is where he came from. I am not sure how long they can survive out like that. I will keep looking for the owner, meanwhile I have a vet appt with someone who specializes in parrots to have the beak and feet checked and his overall health. I guess I will keep loving on him and see where it takes us. I made sure to get good organic grains and feed that has no salt and artificial coloring. I figure I don't like to eat that stuff and it could not possibly be healthy for him. He seems to like everything in the variety of food I provide, except the grapes. He throws them at my daughter. He seemed to like the greens from my garden and the melon form the garden as well.

I will keep studying, learning and taking care of him. Is there any way to figure out how old a bird like that is? What is the best way to teach them to talk? How often a day should I feed him? Right now I feed him twice and make sure each time I clean all dropped food out of the cage so he won't risk eating anything not fresh. I give him his treat before I leave of a morning and then a fig or something before he goes to bed. He has snacks hanging in the cage and the perches I got are supposed to be good for his feet and beak. I clean his ladder and stuff every night before he goes to bed and I figured they need baths so I let him take a shower with me yesterday. He did not complain and appeared to really like it.

Thanks for all of your advice and input from everyone so far. Every drop of information is so much appreciated. I just want him happy and healthy!

 

[mtdoramike]

Well, it's called doing the right thing here, which you are doing and I applaud you for it. Now, if it were me, I would take the bird to the vet, it might be micro chipped or they may know whose bird it is. If mine every got out, I would hbit every vet office within my general area and leave word. They may have doen this.

Secondly, if you still have him after that, go ahead and invest in a cage. Now, if the owner appears a few weeks or a month down the road, I would strongly suggest to them that I be compensated for my expenses for caring for their bird. Most animal owners would gladly pay to get their pet back home safely. I know I would.

I know when I worked at the Police Department, our time limit on found property and YES, an animal is classified as found property was 90 days. Then after that if not claimed, it could be claimed by the finder. You could also check with your local law enforcement office and see if anyone has reported a bird missing.

 

[Crone]

Oh no I am not in Florida and I hate to sound rude but how can you lose a pet and NOT look for it like that? Especially one that has little chance of survival on their own. That is horribly sad to me. Poor little thing.

I am one of those pet owners people roll their eyes at. All of my animals get special treatment, I take in strays and even am certified to provide respite for wild animals who are injured and lost. I recently raised possum babies when I found them attached to their dead mother on the road. I named my favorite Road Kill and released her when she was 6 months old and able to start a life on her own. Broke my heart and I cried like a baby when I let that sweet thing go, but she was ready and needed to start a family on her own. Animals are my family and are in need of and deserve our care, especially something that cannot take care of itself.

 

[Crone]

Well, it's called doing the right thing here, which you are doing and I applaud you for it. Now, if it were me, I would take the bird to the vet, it might be micro chipped or they may know whose bird it is. If mine every got out, I would hbit every vet office within my general area and leave word. They may have doen this.

Secondly, if you still have him after that, go ahead and invest in a cage. Now, if the owner appears a few weeks or a month down the road, I would strongly suggest to them that I be compensated for my expenses for caring for their bird. Most animal owners would gladly pay to get their pet back home safely. I know I would.

I know when I worked at the Police Department, our time limit on found property and YES, an animal is classified as found property was 90 days. Then after that if not claimed, it could be claimed by the finder. You could also check with your local law enforcement office and see if anyone has reported a bird missing.

Yes I have an appointment, I am having to take him almost an hour away as there are no vets less than 60 miles away that will see birds. I live in a rural mountain area. But I do want him checked out and if they find the owner then fate played out like it should. I am not looking to be reimbursed and will likely just donate all the things I bought to a bird sanctuary or shelter or halfway house for birds or something. I just wanted him to have plenty of things to keep him happy while I am at work.

 

[Nakiska]

I was going to mention that same fact as well...this bird may have been living out in the wild for months and months already and for what ever reason, decided he wanted to be pampered again.

I really think, in most scenario's - lost birds are rarely reunited, they can travel far and wide and can be amazingly resilient and if they don't want to be caught, they won't let you.

So you never know, I say, you already did what you could to find this birds rightful home, you had no luck, in a couple weeks, if no one comes forward, then I'd say, Congratulations! - You got yourself an ekkie!

Also, it's not like male ekkies have many unique distinguishing marks to identify a specific bird, I mean...unless the original owners taught this bird something specific or there is a leg band to identify this specific bird, or he readily acknowledges his name, how would you know that a prospective owner is HIS original owner?

Toni

 

[Crone]

There he is, as I was putting him to bed last night.

 

[Nakiska]

My gosh, he's BEAUTIFUL!!

 

[Molcan2]

I don't know how someone wouldn't look for pet, esp since I consider all of mine to be family. However that particular person is extremely overwhelmed and cant handle what they have. I was hoping that he was the same ekkie and found a loving home deserving of him. Its bad when your not the owner, but you care and worry more than they do.

Love the pic, he is a very pretty bird.

 

[Crone]

This is actually a better picture and I will not post more so I won't take up too much bandwidth with them. Just wanted you all to see how handsome he is.

 

[merlinsmom13]

He is really beautiful. His beak does need a trim, but he looks to be in pretty good shape. Could he possiblly be out on his own for a long time? I would think he would be malnorished if he had. Wonderful what you are doing for him, I hope you get the resolution that you want, whatever that is. Good luck.

 

[Nakiska]

Golly he's beautiful! I don't know much about ekkie's, but I have to agree with you, I do think his beak is long. I looked up some photo's on the net and I didn't see any with a beak that long, so you are probably right in having his beak trimmed.

I'm thinking he's been on his free spurt for a while now...

Love the pic's!

Thank you!

Toni

 

[suebee]

He is really beautiful. His beak does need a trim, but he looks to be in pretty good shape. Could he possiblly be out on his own for a long time? I would think he would be malnorished if he had. Wonderful what you are doing for him, I hope you get the resolution that you want, whatever that is. Good luck.

beautifull an i agree with merlin, if he had been out all that time on his own malnorished and possibly near feral, well good luck and glad to hear his makin kissy sounds not growls lol

his lucky you found him, an vice versa, knowing my luck if i found a lost parrot, it'll be another fruit loop like nut! all beak lol but we love them either way :10: