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?
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?