New 19 year old Meyers

[Mjladner]

Hello.
I ran across a lady who is looking to rehome her 19 year old Meyers Parrot. She thinks it is a he but he has never been DNA'd. Her ex husband and his ex wife initially bought him. They divorced and she and him got together in 2006. They divorced this January after 12 years and the husband left the bird with her. She said the bird never liked her. He lunges, hisses, and bites her. She said after the 2nd time that he bit her, she called it quits. She admitted that she is not a bird person and she is absolutely terrified of him. She did say that her 6 year old niece and some young neighborhood boys are able to interact and handle him. She sent me pictures and he is in a toyless cage in a closed in porch. If I were in that situation, I would be bitter too. I also feel that he knows she is not a bird person and may hate her for it. I am going to visit him this weekend. I want to spend some time with him and see if he will "choose" me, as some birds do, or atleast show me that we can work together. I am willing to put in the work for this baby. Do any of you have suggestions or advice? Do's and do nots?
Thank you in advance

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thank you for considering adopting the Meyer's. Check with the seller if they have ever taken the bird to the vet and if they have any records. Check the bird over....are his eyes bright, how is his feathering, what is his activity level like, what are his movements like(balance and perching), etc. If he hasn't been checked by a vet ever or even recently then good idea to find an avian vet and bring him in for a new bird check up.

 

[camelotshadow]

Well in some sympathy to her a Meyers bite is not something you enjoy as they are grinding endlessly into your flesh!

 

[sunnysmom]

I hope things work out!

 

[Shade]

Both my Meyer's are birds that I got through a rescue. The older one, Petey, had a reputation of attaching to one person (generally a man) and not found of a second person in the house.

Before he came to live with us, another person (woman) had adopted him. She tried to give him a chance, but he hated her and took more to her spouse, who unfortunately wanted nothing to do with Petey. That relationship was tense and Petey came back to the rescue. I knew this, and knew of other past situations involving him, but thought the poor thing needed a chance. He is very much attached to my spouse, who was also willing to make it work. To this day, I get the occasional attempted attack from Petey, but I got pretty good at reading when he'll try to do so. On a general basis, I allow him to have his space and he'll respect mine. We get along pretty nicely when my spouse is away for work. I won't lie, it's not always easy, and it takes a lot of patience. But on the flip side, it is rewarding to see how comfortable he's become with us. We got him 10 years ago.