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Picking up a 2 y/o female Meyer - need advice

Henwee

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Hi Everyone,

I went to visit an owner who was selling their 2 y/o female Meyer. The owner seemed like a nice person and appeared to treat the parrot well (though the parrot did not seem fully bonded with him).

I noticed it's breast feathers was a little rough; is this an indicator of something? Otherwise she seemed very healthy. She was extremely friendly though a little shy and didn't seem to mind being fully handled on her back.

Ideally; I'd obviously like fully bond with her moreso than her previous owner. At 2 y/o is she still capable of learning a lot and forming new bonds? She didn't seem to know much tricks but did imitate kissing and sneezing (according to the owner).

I just want to make sure I'm making a fully educated decision.

Thanks for the help!
 

sunnysmom

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Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new bird. Two years old is still really young. And yes, she can learn and bond. I had a rehomed 15 year old cockatiel and not only was he completely bonded to me but he constantly learned new things. Parrots are super smart and really have a great capacity to learn things, I believe. Try to get all the info you can from the current owner and try to keep things the same at your home for awhile to help her adjust. Same food, same bedtime, etc. And then as she gets more comfortable with your house, you can start making the changes you would like to make.
 

Henwee

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Thank-you kindly for the reply. This gives me a lot of confidence and now I'm more excited than ever!

Great advice on trying to keep things as similar as possible. I'll keep that in mind!
 

MnGuy

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I adopted a 17 year old Meyer's years ago and she was awesome. Learned to trust me and loved to just chill on my shoulder. She'd fly all over the house following me room to room. Took time time, though.

She wasn't aggressive to people, but only really tolerated other men.

She was aggressive with other birds.

Rough breast feathers could indicate that she laid and sat on eggs, like mine would on occasion. I have no idea how young they can start that, though.

Good luck.
 

DQTimnehs

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Itsy was 6 years old when I got her. She had been through at least 2 homes before, possibly more. There was zero settling in time with her. She was easy and friendly right off. But like most Meyer's she would rather the humans paid no attention to the other birds in the house. She gets very jealous and divebombs.
 

iamwhoiam

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Congratulations. Let the Meyer's lead the way when it comes to interacting with you. She might be very outgoing or she might be a bit shy and unsure of her new surroundings. The important thing is to be patient. Start off feeding her the same thing her current human (just never like using the word "owner") is feeding her. Are you getting her cage and/or any of her toys?
Does the current human have any paperwork on her? Any vet records? Recommend taking her to the vet for a new bird check up.
 

Henwee

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I won't be taking her cage as it's far too big for me to fit into my living room. But I have many of the same toys she has currently so I will do my best to replicate that in her new forever home.

No papers as such; but the vet sounds like a really good idea.

I'm glad to hear some good success stories you have all had with rehoming other Meyer Parrots. She was a little shy stepping up to me when I went for a visit but I can tell it won't take long for us to bond.
 
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