Squeeing_Onion
Active member
- Oct 10, 2018
- 134
- 162
- Parrots
- "Bongo" - Green Cheek Conure
“Echo” - Indian Ringneck
"Chicken" - Sun Conure, rest in peace, my precious friend.
I thought I would share the story of my experiences adopting, living with, and caring for, my first bird - Chicken.
1. The Research, and Deciding
I thought long and hard about teh decision to adopt a bird. I spent weeks pouring over article after article, reading a few books I was able to get my hands on, and in general trying to cram into my head all the mind-boggling information that is the world of parrot husbandry.
"Be prepared for hormonal behavior - a lot of parrots are disowned because they could not or were not prepared to handle it..."
"Their diet is expensive! Fresh vegetables, fruit, and a quality pellet and seed mixes are a must..."
"...attention needy - you're life will be overtaken."
"Choosing to live with parrots is choosing to take on an entirely new lifestyle."
"So many things that can kill your bird! Some you would not even have thought of!"
And the information dumps when on, and on, and on...
...Finally, I decided that it wasn't just an impulsive choice, or something I was half-hearted in. The nittiest, grittiest stories didn't scare me off birds. In fact, such stories only tended to serve to increase my interest and drive me to want to further understand our avian companions so I could provide a safe, healthy, and engaging home.
Heart set - I began researching what species might be the best fit for my lifestyle. There were so many species! It was overwhelming.
In the end, I tentatively settled on wanting to meet-and-greet some Timneh and Congo African Greys. I was highly intrigued by their intellectual nature, even amongst their avian kin, and their behavior, demenour, and general acclaimed mood struck me as appealing - I even found the fact they are inclined to be a One Person bird to be acceptable. I wasn't looking for a family pet, I wanted a companion for me.
That said, I also made the decision to keep my mind open. I was well aware that not all birds fit their 'general' and 'average' species' attitudes, and that I may even find a bird of a different species who I connected with.
At the time, I was living by myself in my own one-room house on my father's property, which I rented.
Cue rescue researches! At last, I located a rescue that happened to be only a half an hour away from my house... what kind of amazing luck is that?
~~
2. Entering a World of SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK and SCREEEEEEEEE!
At this point, though I had my own house I rented, and a happy job as a waitress, I did not yet have my own car. My father came with me to the rescue.
His face screwed up the moment we walked through the doorway, not unlike the expression of biting into bread only to realize afterwards its moldy. We had been immediately greeted by a cacophony of Macaw, Cockatoo, Conure, 'Grey, Amazon, Budgie, Finch, and many, many other species' loud vocalizations. I'm sure you can imagine the noise!
Credit to him, he didn't say anything against it, and let me go explore! I chatted with the rescue's owners about birds.
Today, I had come in to meet a few African Greys they had: l I was simultaneously disappointed and delighted to find that a few had been adopted before I arrived, and they had one remaining. She encouraged me to go walking down the rows of cages. I also, of course, was here to meet other birds, and find out for myself if I could handle the mess, noise - and yes, the biting beaks!
I saw big birds, tiny birds, noisy birds, sleepy birds. I even met a macaw who had been there for many, many years, the poor dear. He'd been terribly abused by his previous owner, who had locked him in a closet and lit his feathers on fire when he made noise. I do believe that feathery bundle has been since adopted.
I still remember the first time seeing Chicken as fresh as if it were yesterday. I walked around the isles, seeing many beautiful birds - but none of them had really stood out to me. I never even made it to the African Grey I had come to meet.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a quiet bird looking at me with one wide, round black eye. I had never even seen a photo of this type of bird before - he was so colorful! All bright yellows, oranges, and greens. He hoped from his perch to the side of the cage and turned his head fully to look at me, quiet at first. Then, he let loose a Sun Conure's tiny cheep-screech. (y'know, one of their supremely rare quiet sounds!) Something about the way he regarded me struck me as very different from the other birds in the room. I couldn't explain it; it was just... different.
I stopped in my tracks, some unknown force attracting me to this little cheepy thing I didn't even know the species of!
I asked the owner about him, and she opened up the cage to take him out for me to meet. I remember being a bit uncomfortable at first - a little intimidated by that sharp looking beak - and feeling bad for him because he was, at first, very adamant about not wanting to leave his cozy cage. She explained that he was not trustful of hands yet, but did not generally mind stepping up onto a towel. His previous owners had surrendered him because they had not the time for him.
Once he was out of his cage, Chicken - 'What a terrible name for him,' I remember thinking at the time, disliking the name - calmed greatly. We looked at each other, assessing, then I offered him to step up, and he daintly walked right onto my hand.
And immediately scampered up to my shoulder!
And thus began my first lesson in managing a parrot; learning how to safely remove a bird from thy shoulder when bird desires NOTHING to do with that nonsense! Renee had me practicing with him in the small bathroom (a nice safe, smaller space) by leaning my body to encourage him to step up or walk up my arm. His wings were clipped, I noted.
When asked about it, I learned he had come to them fully flighted, but they clipped all the wings of rescued birds for their safety; the room of the rescue was very large with high ceilings, and they did not want to risk them getting up there and being irretrievable. They did not required boarding birds to have trimmed wings, but it was at the owner's risk. (they have since moved to a new facility, with much shorter ceilings, and a really nice settup!)
The bond I had with Chicken was pretty instant; he didn't want to get off me, and I felt inexplicably drawn to him.
I left the store thinking that he might just be the bird I took home.
~~
3. What do you mean, he's been adopted?
It was a pretty quick decision for me to adopt Chicken. Once I returned home from the rescue, I spent the next several days cramming research into my head after work. What did they eat? What was their general behavior? Did they have any unique dietary requirements, or were they known for a particular activity? Yes, yes they were. Being expressively LOUD and even more than that - shrill. Oh, boy. Chicken had been very quiet when I met him. What did his loudest screech sound like? Could I handle that in my tiny house? So many people cited surrendering their bird because of the noise level being unbearable.
I think it was two or three days of Sun Conure-specific research before I wrote up an email to PAEP saying I would like to consider adopting Chicken; could I arrange an appointment to meet with him again? I felt almost feverish making the choice; a little dizzy-headed, even! I was in a bit of a rush to decide, because I had been warned he'd already had several people considering him for adoption.
That evening, my heart crumpled in despair.
I got an email reply letting me known that they were so sorry - Chicken had been adopted literally right before the owner checked her email and found my message. (let that be a lesson, folks; phone calls are much faster!) Someone had called to adopt and pay for him with a credit card, as well as the African Grey he had come into the rescue with. Both had come from the same home.
I was heartbroken.
I thanked her for the time and for letting me know. I felt so saddened at the thought it was not meant to be, for I had really become quite attached to the little Sun Conure, and heart-set on having planned ways to integrate him into my life.
Oh, well. I would resume my search... After I licked my wounds for a bit.
~~
Continued in the next post!
1. The Research, and Deciding
I thought long and hard about teh decision to adopt a bird. I spent weeks pouring over article after article, reading a few books I was able to get my hands on, and in general trying to cram into my head all the mind-boggling information that is the world of parrot husbandry.
"Be prepared for hormonal behavior - a lot of parrots are disowned because they could not or were not prepared to handle it..."
"Their diet is expensive! Fresh vegetables, fruit, and a quality pellet and seed mixes are a must..."
"...attention needy - you're life will be overtaken."
"Choosing to live with parrots is choosing to take on an entirely new lifestyle."
"So many things that can kill your bird! Some you would not even have thought of!"
And the information dumps when on, and on, and on...
...Finally, I decided that it wasn't just an impulsive choice, or something I was half-hearted in. The nittiest, grittiest stories didn't scare me off birds. In fact, such stories only tended to serve to increase my interest and drive me to want to further understand our avian companions so I could provide a safe, healthy, and engaging home.
Heart set - I began researching what species might be the best fit for my lifestyle. There were so many species! It was overwhelming.
In the end, I tentatively settled on wanting to meet-and-greet some Timneh and Congo African Greys. I was highly intrigued by their intellectual nature, even amongst their avian kin, and their behavior, demenour, and general acclaimed mood struck me as appealing - I even found the fact they are inclined to be a One Person bird to be acceptable. I wasn't looking for a family pet, I wanted a companion for me.
That said, I also made the decision to keep my mind open. I was well aware that not all birds fit their 'general' and 'average' species' attitudes, and that I may even find a bird of a different species who I connected with.
At the time, I was living by myself in my own one-room house on my father's property, which I rented.
Cue rescue researches! At last, I located a rescue that happened to be only a half an hour away from my house... what kind of amazing luck is that?
~~
2. Entering a World of SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK and SCREEEEEEEEE!
At this point, though I had my own house I rented, and a happy job as a waitress, I did not yet have my own car. My father came with me to the rescue.
His face screwed up the moment we walked through the doorway, not unlike the expression of biting into bread only to realize afterwards its moldy. We had been immediately greeted by a cacophony of Macaw, Cockatoo, Conure, 'Grey, Amazon, Budgie, Finch, and many, many other species' loud vocalizations. I'm sure you can imagine the noise!
Credit to him, he didn't say anything against it, and let me go explore! I chatted with the rescue's owners about birds.
Today, I had come in to meet a few African Greys they had: l I was simultaneously disappointed and delighted to find that a few had been adopted before I arrived, and they had one remaining. She encouraged me to go walking down the rows of cages. I also, of course, was here to meet other birds, and find out for myself if I could handle the mess, noise - and yes, the biting beaks!
I saw big birds, tiny birds, noisy birds, sleepy birds. I even met a macaw who had been there for many, many years, the poor dear. He'd been terribly abused by his previous owner, who had locked him in a closet and lit his feathers on fire when he made noise. I do believe that feathery bundle has been since adopted.
I still remember the first time seeing Chicken as fresh as if it were yesterday. I walked around the isles, seeing many beautiful birds - but none of them had really stood out to me. I never even made it to the African Grey I had come to meet.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a quiet bird looking at me with one wide, round black eye. I had never even seen a photo of this type of bird before - he was so colorful! All bright yellows, oranges, and greens. He hoped from his perch to the side of the cage and turned his head fully to look at me, quiet at first. Then, he let loose a Sun Conure's tiny cheep-screech. (y'know, one of their supremely rare quiet sounds!) Something about the way he regarded me struck me as very different from the other birds in the room. I couldn't explain it; it was just... different.
I stopped in my tracks, some unknown force attracting me to this little cheepy thing I didn't even know the species of!
I asked the owner about him, and she opened up the cage to take him out for me to meet. I remember being a bit uncomfortable at first - a little intimidated by that sharp looking beak - and feeling bad for him because he was, at first, very adamant about not wanting to leave his cozy cage. She explained that he was not trustful of hands yet, but did not generally mind stepping up onto a towel. His previous owners had surrendered him because they had not the time for him.
Once he was out of his cage, Chicken - 'What a terrible name for him,' I remember thinking at the time, disliking the name - calmed greatly. We looked at each other, assessing, then I offered him to step up, and he daintly walked right onto my hand.
And immediately scampered up to my shoulder!
And thus began my first lesson in managing a parrot; learning how to safely remove a bird from thy shoulder when bird desires NOTHING to do with that nonsense! Renee had me practicing with him in the small bathroom (a nice safe, smaller space) by leaning my body to encourage him to step up or walk up my arm. His wings were clipped, I noted.
When asked about it, I learned he had come to them fully flighted, but they clipped all the wings of rescued birds for their safety; the room of the rescue was very large with high ceilings, and they did not want to risk them getting up there and being irretrievable. They did not required boarding birds to have trimmed wings, but it was at the owner's risk. (they have since moved to a new facility, with much shorter ceilings, and a really nice settup!)
The bond I had with Chicken was pretty instant; he didn't want to get off me, and I felt inexplicably drawn to him.
I left the store thinking that he might just be the bird I took home.
~~
3. What do you mean, he's been adopted?
It was a pretty quick decision for me to adopt Chicken. Once I returned home from the rescue, I spent the next several days cramming research into my head after work. What did they eat? What was their general behavior? Did they have any unique dietary requirements, or were they known for a particular activity? Yes, yes they were. Being expressively LOUD and even more than that - shrill. Oh, boy. Chicken had been very quiet when I met him. What did his loudest screech sound like? Could I handle that in my tiny house? So many people cited surrendering their bird because of the noise level being unbearable.
I think it was two or three days of Sun Conure-specific research before I wrote up an email to PAEP saying I would like to consider adopting Chicken; could I arrange an appointment to meet with him again? I felt almost feverish making the choice; a little dizzy-headed, even! I was in a bit of a rush to decide, because I had been warned he'd already had several people considering him for adoption.
That evening, my heart crumpled in despair.
I got an email reply letting me known that they were so sorry - Chicken had been adopted literally right before the owner checked her email and found my message. (let that be a lesson, folks; phone calls are much faster!) Someone had called to adopt and pay for him with a credit card, as well as the African Grey he had come into the rescue with. Both had come from the same home.
I was heartbroken.
I thanked her for the time and for letting me know. I felt so saddened at the thought it was not meant to be, for I had really become quite attached to the little Sun Conure, and heart-set on having planned ways to integrate him into my life.
Oh, well. I would resume my search... After I licked my wounds for a bit.
~~
Continued in the next post!
My Cytrynka does it to me, the ringing afterwards is awful! 
