Saddly rehoming Willow

[Tashia]

Well my husband and I had a long talk last night about Willow (many of you were involved in the chat yesterday about what kinds of Amazon she is) And we decided that after talking to several breeders and friends with large birds that we would like to rehome Willow and continue our search for a Goffins Cockatoo (we were looking for a Goffins when we came across Willow and knew she needed to get out of the situation she was in immediately) I do not feel like I have the experience or knowledge to properly rehabilitate her after all she has been threw. We are in no real rush and will be very picky when finding her just the right home! we know that she is bird friendly so I wanted to put it out there incase any of you would like to ad this special spirit to your home. If you are interested please e-mail me at mouse979@yahoo.com or pm me on here for more specifics It really hurts to do this but I feel it is best for her.

 

[Wulfgeist]

Too bad you aren't in Wisconsin. There were some birds taken from a home recently and are housed at the local animal shelter. There is a possibility that they will be put up for adoption and I believe the list included a couple Goffins.

 

[Tashia]

Wow I would love that. I'm not against rescue animals! Infact i have fostered for several different animal rescues. I am just very aware of my skill level and dont feel i can provide what willow needs.

 

[paulhanlon]

I don't feel that you need to re home her she looks to be in good shape I think with abit of training she will be perfect for you just give it a try you will be amazed at the results give her time to settle in as well remember your new faces to her she's going to be scared

 

[Tashia]

The problem isn't entirely her. My husband is scared of her. he will not handle her and is scared to go too close to the cage. I dont want a bird in our home that we cant enjoy as a family. Also he and I spoke in length for the last 3 years about getting a bird and over that time we did a lot of research about what kind of bird would be best for us and decided on a Goffin. This also will be his first large bird (I have been around birds sense i was a small child) So he is very inexperienced and I dont want to start him off on a bad foot.

 

[Adinafloyd]

The problem isn't entirely her. My husband is scared of her. he will not handle her and is scared to go too close to the cage. I dont want a bird in our home that we cant enjoy as a family. Also he and I spoke in length for the last 3 years about getting a bird and over that time we did a lot of research about what kind of bird would be best for us and decided on a Goffin. This also will be his first large bird (I have been around birds sense i was a small child) So he is very inexperienced and I dont want to start him off on a bad foot.

Well, not to sound negative, but it will not be a sure thing that another bird will be friendly at first either. Even if they are they do change their minds. What happens if you do rehome willow, your hubby gets his too and the too decides it doesnt like everyone either? Toos have a good size beak themselves. Will that mean another rehome and try again? Im sorry if that sounds harsh, I dont mean it to be. We just bought a baby eclectus, and she bites the tar out of my hubby, We dont know why, he tries really hard. She is his bird, he is not giving up, he will continue to love her and hope she warms up. If she doesnt, its ok she is in her forever home. I hope you are able to find Willow a great home, sounds as if she has been thru so much. I am glad you got her out of a bad situation. Im sure she is thankful to

 

[paulhanlon]

I agree and if your husband is showing fear towards her she will be picking his fear up which will cause her to bite I think your husband should do some training with her to build trust and as adina said cockatoo's have big beaks as well and even if you get it from a baby what's to say that its going to like your husband or you in that matter I really think you should give willow some time I bet she would make a good family pet once you and your husband have gained her trust give her time I'm sure she will settle in just fine with some training.

 

[Tashia]

Ok I have heard everyones concerns and very valid points. At this point Willow is not going anywhere. I am going to start working with her on "clicker training" and my husband has agreed to do the same. Our only remaining concern (and this is with any bird coming into the house) are our two young boys (ages 3 and 4) But they are strangely the only ones in the house that willow seems genuenly happy to be around. (the boys were dancing in the living room today and Willow very happily joined in.) I still have my reservations about having an Amazon vs a Cockatoo but that is the loyalist in me. After fostering several Cockatoos for different animal rescues I may be a little partial. When I bought Willow in my mind she was another rescue as I was in search of a Goffins when i came across her, and I'm still not fully comfortable with the amount of training she will need. I'm not sure my skills are up to par and that i'm going to do things the best way for her. So any help would be great. For now as I said I'm doing alot of research on clicker training and plan to just play things by ear.

 

[Tashia]

The problem isn't entirely her. My husband is scared of her. he will not handle her and is scared to go too close to the cage. I dont want a bird in our home that we cant enjoy as a family. Also he and I spoke in length for the last 3 years about getting a bird and over that time we did a lot of research about what kind of bird would be best for us and decided on a Goffin. This also will be his first large bird (I have been around birds sense i was a small child) So he is very inexperienced and I dont want to start him off on a bad foot.

Well, not to sound negative, but it will not be a sure thing that another bird will be friendly at first either. Even if they are they do change their minds. What happens if you do rehome willow, your hubby gets his too and the too decides it doesnt like everyone either? Toos have a good size beak themselves. Will that mean another rehome and try again? Im sorry if that sounds harsh, I dont mean it to be. We just bought a baby eclectus, and she bites the tar out of my hubby, We dont know why, he tries really hard. She is his bird, he is not giving up, he will continue to love her and hope she warms up. If she doesnt, its ok she is in her forever home. I hope you are able to find Willow a great home, sounds as if she has been thru so much. I am glad you got her out of a bad situation. Im sure she is thankful to

Besides his fear (which we have talked about and he understands that he will have to work threw with any bird especially willow. You cant move forward unless you resolve the past so starting tomorrow he is doing one of her 20 minute "training sessions" each day that he is home.) Another part of his concern is that we did alot of research breed vs breed and we both felt that a Goffins was more of what we are looking for. We took Willow on a whim (yes I know a bird should never be an impulse buy, but she was a i'm taking her so she doesnt die buy) We will continue to work with Willow as long as she is with us as i have done with any and all animals that have come into my house (i have worked with several rescue organizations and have had anything from Golden Retrievers to Ferrets as foster animals) And he is not going to get out of this by claiming fear. The man has been to war i'm sure he can work threw tension with a bird. We are not taking any of this lightly and I have lost sleep over what to do. I am still not fully decided but we will keep doing research and if i do find a person whom I feel is better equipped to help Willow I will way the options again at that time.

 

[Remy]

I haven't had an an amazon or a cockatoo, but I hear neurotic horror stories about both species about equally... just saying...

Thank you for taking Willow out of a bad situation, even if you do end up rehoming her.

 

[Conuregirl]

i rescued my nanday from a similar circumstance. the day i met him, he was lunging and biting at everyone, including the fosters. it broke my heart no one could handle him and left him in a 18" x 18" cage. he was abandoned and the rescue picked him up but couldn't work with him.

i wanted to take him because no one in their right mind would adopted such an aggressive pet lol. it took a month of training and now he readily steps up and loves kisses and scratching! i used a towel to take him away from the cage and went to a different room. he was aggro when his cage was visible and was incredibly cage territorial. he lunged and chased my hand changing bowls or moving toys. he was different after a few weeks of short sessions where we practiced step up and down with verbal praise and scratches. it took time doing these short sessions, but i saw improvements after the second week. i guess he had a breakthrough and trusts me.

good luck with willow. it would help finding the bird another home if you worked more with it on taming.

 

[Tashia]

she is hit and miss on taming. She already follows me around the house (flying from room to room) but he flight has become an issue with training. She just flies away when you try to get close to her. So tomorrow at the vet she is getting clipped. I love the idea of a bird doing what comes natural but it is becoming a barrier to her actually bonding. Also the last owner forced touch on her if you do more than have her sit on your finger you bleed. one of the reasons for wanting a goffin is i have fostered both a goffin and a M2 long term in the past and really enjoyed the fact that they want your attn. I am a pastry chef and mostly work from home so I enjoy a bird that wants to be around me. My Goffin use to sit on the back of a chair and dance for me while i was kneading bread... he even started nodding along with the motion of my body as i worked.

 

[henpecked]

I wiil be gladto help with willow, ask questions if you have them.

 

[Boysmom]

If I were you I would give her a little more time. She has already been through soo much. She doesnt need you giving up on her also. It sounds to me like she trusts your boys because children usually show NO FEAR. Have the Hubby dance and play around with the boys in the same room as her. Usually the bird will come when you are doing something that interest them. Have Hubby sit near her cage and play with some tissue paper or a bell or some kind of toy. Willow will sooner or later be interested enough to investigate. If Hubby and Willow take it slow they will both feel much more comfortable with one another. animals usually show a quicker interest in children because they are free spirits who dont try too hard, they just play and it interests the animal. Dont give up on finding a Goffin that you dream of, willow may enjoy another bird around once she feels safe in your home. Please dont feel im trying to talk you into anything, but Willow sure would appreciate and love you for life if you can stick it out.