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Considering adopting...

Animallover03

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Long story short: there is an eclectus at the rescue named Buddy who we are considering adopting.
Buddy is about 20 years old, hand tame, and steps up nicely for everyone. My mom and I both held him, and he was such a sweety.
My mom absolutely loves eclectus, and has previously said that she would love to have one. I could tell my mom really wants to adopt Buddy, but because we are still renovating our basement she says we wouldn't have the space for a cage. However, we currently have Grumbles's cage upstairs in a place that is big enough for Buddy's cage. I am bringing Grumbles's cage back downstairs soon anyway. The place is in our entryway/foyer, next to the livingroom. (Will try to draw a picture to better explain tomorrow). And when our basement is done then both birds can be near each other.

Neither my mom or I are getting our hopes up; knowing Buddy may be adopted quickly once his medical hold is released (once his lab/bloodwork comes back), however Buddy seems like he would fit well in our family. We volunteer tomorrow so I will update you guys. :)

I guess I'm just asking this: are we crazy to be considering this? We really want to get another gcc but things just have not been meant to be. In the future my mom says she would still like another gcc though even if we adopt Buddy.
And I know Eclectus are medium/large birds and will require more, especially diet wise.

Opinions? (Sorry if this was kind of long, I was trying to figure out how best to phrase and explain haha)
 

JLcribber

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It's never crazy to be someone's saviour. Especially when you do it with all your heart.
 

janicedyh

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Please think very carefully before bringing him into your life. Yes, their diet is complicated and the majority of their food is "fresh" and expensive, but also they are very emotional birds and require lots of time and attention. They are one of the species very prone to plucking and over preening. He will also need a very large cage and more than a couple of hours of time outside of it. Its not difficult to fall in love with a species...I fell in love with a 2 at a local rescue and was heartbroken I didn't get him....thing is, I realize now it was for the best. There is a huge learning curve in the care of these magnificent creatures and in all fairness to him I just was not "there" yet
 

Begone

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If you know all the things that Janice wrote and still think you can give him a good home, I wish you good luck! :)
 

finchly

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:) anxious to hear what you ultimately decide.
 

Milo

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If you already have a small bird in the house, I would really discourage you from bringing a big beak into your home. It only takes a split second and there are a great many members here who have had small birds injured/killed by bigger birds. Even if you think you are being extra cautious it only takes a second. I can't even count how many people I have told that if I could start over again I would stick to one beak size in my house.

I am included in this. I've had mixed beak sizes in my house for four years now. Yesterday I had my greenie out and she flew and landed on Rosco's cage... she'd never done that before... and he got her beak. Time will tell what the damage is as it starts to grow out. I am very cautious about preventing my birds interacting, and I even have ropes and a stand between her cage and Rosco's just in case she flew in that direction so she'd be encouraged to land elsewhere. I know it happens fast but unless you see it it's unbelievable. I'm a CVT that works in an exotics practice and it happened to me. Please think very, very carefully before you bring a big bird into your home.
 

Animallover03

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Thank you everyone for the advice :)

Please think very carefully before bringing him into your life. Yes, their diet is complicated and the majority of their food is "fresh" and expensive, but also they are very emotional birds and require lots of time and attention. They are one of the species very prone to plucking and over preening. He will also need a very large cage and more than a couple of hours of time outside of it. Its not difficult to fall in love with a species...I fell in love with a 2 at a local rescue and was heartbroken I didn't get him....thing is, I realize now it was for the best. There is a huge learning curve in the care of these magnificent creatures and in all fairness to him I just was not "there" yet
Thank you! I completely understand your point, and we might not even have a chance to adopt him. If we do though, we will be sure to provide the best life for him we can. And I have two amazing places that can answer my questions and provide me with advice; AA and the Parrot Rescue :D
If you already have a small bird in the house, I would really discourage you from bringing a big beak into your home. It only takes a split second and there are a great many members here who have had small birds injured/killed by bigger birds. Even if you think you are being extra cautious it only takes a second. I can't even count how many people I have told that if I could start over again I would stick to one beak size in my house.

I am included in this. I've had mixed beak sizes in my house for four years now. Yesterday I had my greenie out and she flew and landed on Rosco's cage... she'd never done that before... and he got her beak. Time will tell what the damage is as it starts to grow out. I am very cautious about preventing my birds interacting, and I even have ropes and a stand between her cage and Rosco's just in case she flew in that direction so she'd be encouraged to land elsewhere. I know it happens fast but unless you see it it's unbelievable. I'm a CVT that works in an exotics practice and it happened to me. Please think very, very carefully before you bring a big bird into your home.
This is something I worry about, however in the future (after I graduate college) I plan on adopting a macaw anyway; and Grumbles will most likely still be with me by then.
So I understand your concern, I really do, but if we end up adopting Buddy I would always be very careful and always supervise. And also Buddy lived with small birds in a previous home and is very gentle. I do understand accidents can happen very fast however. Thank you for the caution!
 
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