Xander's Story

Terry57

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I don't think I've told Xander's story here, I hope not because I'm telling it again:)

The way I ended up with Xander was also due to my friend who helped me get Darwin.
I had stopped looking at Kijiji, there were far too many birds who needed homes and it depressed me to see it.
We had decided we weren't taking in anymore birds for awhile and that was another reason to stay away from Kijiji.
So my friend called me one morning and asked if I had seen the Alex for sale on Kijiji. That I needed to go look at him because he desperately needs a new home.
At first I refused to go look, but finally after she sent me the link multiple times I opened it, and immediately emailed the people who had him. He looked so terrible, his feathers were filthy and he had a lost look on his face.
We emailed back and forth and I learned that his previous owner, who was elderly, had fed him a diet of chips, pop, whatever Xander wanted.
The person ended up having to rehome him, and these people got him.
She told me that they couldn't stand Xander's screams, and the best thing to do was keep him in a small cage in their bedroom with him covered 24/7.
She said he had a big cage that they kept in the living area for when he was good, and I would get both of these cages.

We went to get him, and he was shivering he was so terrified. He flinched every time the people touched his cage while they were talking to us.
He was never in the big cage, it was obvious it had come from storage because there was zero room for it in their living area.

Here are the 2 cages he came with, he was living in the small one with those 2 perches. We added everything in the big cage and went out later that day to get some wood perches. They had said that they had a lot of perches, but there were 3. The 2 in the small cage and another sand perch in the big cage.

smcage.jpg
lgcage.jpg


On the way home, he was still in the cage they kept him in, and he finally got up off the bottom and stood on a perch and started saying hello to us. I wish I could describe his tone, there was fear and sadness in it, with a little bit of hope that maybe we were different.
We usually kept birds names when we got them if they knew their name, but he cringed every time we said "Ziggy" so we changed it to Xander.

We had him in quarantine away from the other birds, and I decided to give him a mist bath. The minute the water touched him he dropped to the bottom of the cage and just shivered. They had used water as a punishment and I was so horrified that it hadn't even crossed my mind that I would retraumatize him. It took a long time for him to learn to enjoy a bath, once he was in with the rest of the flock that helped quite a bit when he saw that they loved it. He now wants to be completely soaked.

He settled in pretty well once he was with the other birds, and now shows no fear at anything.
He was 12 when we got him so he is now 20.

Here are a couple of pics of him. The first is the day we brought him home, the second was a few months later. The difference in his expression makes me cry every time I look at these.

xan1.jpg
xan3.jpg


I'm so grateful that my friend forced me to look at him, and that he became a member of our family ( and @GaleriaGila's family!)
 

BirdyBee

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Past birds:
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I don't think I've told Xander's story here, I hope not because I'm telling it again:)

The way I ended up with Xander was also due to my friend who helped me get Darwin.
I had stopped looking at Kijiji, there were far too many birds who needed homes and it depressed me to see it.
We had decided we weren't taking in anymore birds for awhile and that was another reason to stay away from Kijiji.
So my friend called me one morning and asked if I had seen the Alex for sale on Kijiji. That I needed to go look at him because he desperately needs a new home.
At first I refused to go look, but finally after she sent me the link multiple times I opened it, and immediately emailed the people who had him. He looked so terrible, his feathers were filthy and he had a lost look on his face.
We emailed back and forth and I learned that his previous owner, who was elderly, had fed him a diet of chips, pop, whatever Xander wanted.
The person ended up having to rehome him, and these people got him.
She told me that they couldn't stand Xander's screams, and the best thing to do was keep him in a small cage in their bedroom with him covered 24/7.
She said he had a big cage that they kept in the living area for when he was good, and I would get both of these cages.

We went to get him, and he was shivering he was so terrified. He flinched every time the people touched his cage while they were talking to us.
He was never in the big cage, it was obvious it had come from storage because there was zero room for it in their living area.

Here are the 2 cages he came with, he was living in the small one with those 2 perches. We added everything in the big cage and went out later that day to get some wood perches. They had said that they had a lot of perches, but there were 3. The 2 in the small cage and another sand perch in the big cage.

View attachment 41523 View attachment 41524

On the way home, he was still in the cage they kept him in, and he finally got up off the bottom and stood on a perch and started saying hello to us. I wish I could describe his tone, there was fear and sadness in it, with a little bit of hope that maybe we were different.
We usually kept birds names when we got them if they knew their name, but he cringed every time we said "Ziggy" so we changed it to Xander.

We had him in quarantine away from the other birds, and I decided to give him a mist bath. The minute the water touched him he dropped to the bottom of the cage and just shivered. They had used water as a punishment and I was so horrified that it hadn't even crossed my mind that I would retraumatize him. It took a long time for him to learn to enjoy a bath, once he was in with the rest of the flock that helped quite a bit when he saw that they loved it. He now wants to be completely soaked.

He settled in pretty well once he was with the other birds, and now shows no fear at anything.
He was 12 when we got him so he is now 20.

Here are a couple of pics of him. The first is the day we brought him home, the second was a few months later. The difference in his expression makes me cry every time I look at these.

View attachment 41525 View attachment 41526

I'm so grateful that my friend forced me to look at him, and that he became a member of our family ( and @GaleriaGila's family!)
Aww sweet Xander! It saddens me to hear about his old life, but also makes me happy that he is being loved now, by his loving family(families?). And his dear Pipp. :)
(Edit: fixed typo)
 
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Terry57

Terry57

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Aww sweet Xander! It saddens me to hear about his old life, but also makes me happy that he is being loved now, by his loving famaly(families?). And his dear Pipp. :)
We definitely can't forget his Darling Pipp!

Thanks, Terry. Can't wait for Gail to see this later. I'm gonna patch this link to Xander's Scrapbook. Wow, these photos are something else.
Thank you, my Friend. I'm glad you are linking it there on his wonderful Ohio family page!

I agree about the pics, I can hardly look at the early ones.
 

GaleriaGila

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Oh, Xannnnnnnnnnnnnder!
You're such a fabulous, famous fellow. Rags to riches. I love you so!


I have been moved to poetry!

ODE TO XANDER

Wonderful Xander,
I'm such a Fander!
With greatest candor,
You're a great gander.
We even love yer dander.
So let's give a hander
To our hearts' commander...
Wonderful Xander!!!
 

GaleriaGila

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Xb TALK.jpg

"Thank you, thank yous, for thread. I love it. I love yous. I love Terry. I look good? I look good. Old fethers not so good. Better now. I love everybody. I love food. I love water. I love nice big safe cage. I love my new fethers. I look good? I look good. Thank you. I love you. I love Terry. I love nice fethers. I love yous. Okay."
 

LaManuka

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Xander is an *astonishingly* good boy, considering everything he went through for those first 12 years! Handsome too :love: Another testament to your love and dedication, Terry, may he have many more years ahead of him of being loved by you!
 
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Terry57

Terry57

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View attachment 41554
"Thank you, thank yous, for thread. I love it. I love yous. I love Terry. I look good? I look good. Old fethers not so good. Better now. I love everybody. I love food. I love water. I love nice big safe cage. I love my new fethers. I look good? I look good. Thank you. I love you. I love Terry. I love nice fethers. I love yous. Okay."
LOL, I am hearing his voice as I read this and it's hysterical!

Oh, wow, your description of his first saying hello to you made me cry. What a good boy he is!!
That was the sweetest, most heartbreaking hello I've ever heard. He really is a sweetheart. Although today when he wanted another treat he kept screaming "WHAT?" at the top of his lungs.

Xander is an *astonishingly* good boy, considering everything he went through for those first 12 years! Handsome too :love: Another testament to your love and dedication, Terry, may he have many more years ahead of him of being loved by you!
Thank you for your kind words Sis, I so hope we have many more years together, we adore him ❤️❤️
 

GaleriaGila

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Xander is just one of those birds I saw in some of Terry's photos... oh, and HEARD when Terry and I were chatting on the phone (Well, TRYING to chat, whilst she was cleaning the birds)... and when I beheld the photographs, I just looked into his face and fell in love. Suddenly, I knew him and loved him. And adopted him virtually. In his Scrapbook here, I proudly post proof. Since Xander is Canadian, I included some fancy French.
xanderb.png



Another milestone. A couple of years ago, Terry sent me some audiofiles of Xander's various contributions to the English language. I managed to transform one of his finest
"HELLLLLO! Honnnnnnkkl! "SQUARRRRRKKKK! HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOAH!"
passages into a ringtone, and it shall remain there forever. I don't even block spam because I love the tone so much, especially when I'm out and about. Oh, the looks I get. Pure envy, for sure.​
 

Rival_of_the_Rickeybird

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None. My wife has one too many. Kidding!
Yeah, okay, this is all well and good but having that ringtone go off constantly is a challenge to my good nature. In the bank............................ HELLLLLOOOO!!!!! In the grocery store.............................................. HELLOOOOO! Just walking down the street............................................ HELLLLLOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Yeah, very cute.
 
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Terry57

Terry57

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Xander is just one of those birds I saw in some of Terry's photos... oh, and HEARD when Terry and I were chatting on the phone (Well, TRYING to chat, whilst she was cleaning the birds)... and when I beheld the photographs, I just looked into his face and fell in love. Suddenly, I knew him and loved him. And adopted him virtually. In his Scrapbook here, I proudly post proof. Since Xander is Canadian, I included some fancy French.
View attachment 41587


Another milestone. A couple of years ago, Terry sent me some audiofiles of Xander's various contributions to the English language. I managed to transform one of his finest
"HELLLLLO! Honnnnnnkkl! "SQUARRRRRKKKK! HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOAH!"
passages into a ringtone, and it shall remain there forever. I don't even block spam because I love the tone so much, especially when I'm out and about. Oh, the looks I get. Pure envy, for sure.​
I can't believe it's been that long that you've had that ringtone. What I wouldn't give to see a spy camera view of everyone around you trying to figure out what that was!

Yeah, okay, this is all well and good but having that ringtone go off constantly is a challenge to my good nature. In the bank............................ HELLLLLOOOO!!!!! In the grocery store.............................................. HELLOOOOO! Just walking down the street............................................ HELLLLLOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Yeah, very cute.
Oh Honey, I'm so sorry that I found a way to torture you from afar.
Bless your heart and your poor ears too.
I'll make sure that I don't call her 30 times today, 'kay?
 

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