Possible adoption?!?!?! Help!!! Advice appreciated!!!

[ode.to.parrots]

So. I'd sort of made some rules for myself before getting another parrot. Such as finishing my teacher certification. And having a designated bird room. That kind of thing.

But then I saw an ad on craigslist posted for a female bronze wing pionus. I've admired bronze wing pionus parrots for the longest time, and the only time I ever considered buying a bird from a breeder was when I had my heart set on this species. But then I realized that, in my heart of hearts, I could never buy a bird from a breeder when there were so many birds in need of homes. So I always told myself that, when the time was right, if I ever found a bronze wing pionus in need of a home, I'd meet that individual bird, see if we clicked, and then consider adopting.

Well, I have my own apartment now. I'm just a few months away from finishing my certification. I don't have a designated bird room, but my apartment living room is slowly become a bird room.

And I see this ad on craigslist. And she's free.


I'm trying to get more information on her now. So far I've learned she is six years old and has possibly never seen a vet... So obviously I would take her to the vet before bringing her into my apartment. She comes with her own cage. That's about all I got right now.

The other thing is that I doubt my fiance would go for this... Even though he loves the birds and has been joking with me since we've moved into this apartment that he half-expects me to just randomly bring a bird home any day.

Help!!!! Advice appreciated!

 

[Begone]

Go get her!
Or what other advice do you want?

You have tiels? They are dusty, and Pionus are sensitive to dust, so their is something that you must have in mind. Perhaps you need to get an air cleaner.

 

[Lady Jane]

@sunnysmom just recently adopted a Cockatoo after fostering and has a fiancée too.

 

[ode.to.parrots]

Go get her!
Or what other advice do you want?

You have tiels? They are dusty, and Pionus are sensitive to dust, so their is something that you must have in mind. Perhaps you need to get an air fresheners-

Yeah, you read my mind. My main hesitation, other than my fiance's possible grumbles, is the fact that my tiels are dusty birds and I know that Central/South American bird species are sensitive to dust. And my tiels are molting right now, so they are very dusty. I've been wanting to buy a Rabbit Air Purifying Filter for a while now, but have not yet done so. I was playing with the idea of having her in our bedroom possibly, but I wasn't sure if that would be enough.

 

[MnGuy]

Adopting is great and this sounds like a good opportunity if you have the space, resources and time. And your other bird(s) can be kept safe with a new addition.

That said, I generally feel that any major decision like this should be made with complete transparency and discussion when a committed, live-in partner is involved.


Good luck.

 

[Lady Jane]

I had a rabbitair filtration set up and it did capture much of my greys feather dust in 7 filters. But the big question is will it capture enough feather dust so the non dusty bird is not harmed?

 

[ode.to.parrots]

Adopting is great and this sounds like a good opportunity if you have the space, resources and time. And your other bird(s) can be kept safe with a new addition.

That said, I generally feel that any major decision like this should be made with complete transparency and discussion when a committed, live-in partner is involved.

Thank you for the advice!

I was absolutely planning on discussing this over with my fiance first. Actually, when the person from craigslist emailed me back so promptly and asked "When do you want to pick her up?" I felt like a deer in the headlights!

 

[ode.to.parrots]

I had a rabbitair filtration set up and it did capture much of my greys feather dust in 7 filters. But the big question is will it capture enough feather dust so the non dusty bird is not harmed?

I was hoping one of you would tell me.

@DQTimnehs - You have a pionus living with two African greys... How do you manage the dust? Do you think me bringing in a pionus parrot into a one bedroom apartment with two cockatiels under the same roof can be done responsibly on my part?

 

[DQTimnehs]

I was hoping one of you would tell me.

@DQTimnehs - You have a pionus living with two African greys... How do you manage the dust? Do you think me bringing in a pionus parrot into a one bedroom apartment with two cockatiels under the same roof can be done responsibly on my part?

I have an air cleaner but should get a better one soon. I’m really not great at dusting, need to do it more so I do have dust. Not sure if tiels are more dusty than greys or less. Frequent showers help for the dusty birds and the pi. Pi’s have tiny nostrils proportionally so tend to get blocked easily. I clear Tiki’s of feather bits at least once a day if not more. Usually just wiping my finger over it drags it out. If not I’ll wet my finger.

Some would say don’t mix them but lots of us have a mix. Not saying it’s a good idea but it can be done.

Taking the bird to the vet on the way home however will not replace quarantine. My vet recommends 60 days. You may want to board the bird at the vet or a friend’s until QT is up.

 

[finchly]

I have tiels and a Pi. They live in the same room, but opposite corners. There are 2 air filters - one at Ernie’s cage and one never the tiel cage.

 

[ode.to.parrots]

@DQTimnehs and @finchly: so my impression is that it can be done, but a lot of care needs to be taken to do so right? I appreciate your advice!

Taking the bird to the vet on the way home however will not replace quarantine. My vet recommends 60 days. You may want to board the bird at the vet or a friend’s until QT is up.

My parents live about 10 minutes away from me, so I would ask to quarantine her there. It would be easy enough to keep a change of clothes there too for when I go over to take care of her. I just meant that because she has never been to a vet, I wouldn't rely solely on quarantine.

My fiancee's reaction to this matter was so perfect.

Fiancee: So what's on your mind?
Me: I have a question for you.
F: Oh boy.
Me: A hypothetical question.
F: It's a bird and it is sad and needs a home, isn't it?
Me: Oh my gosh, how did you know?
F: Is it a cockatiel?
Me: No
F: -with some panic- Oh God, is it a cockatoo?!?!
Me: No, no, no! She's a bronze wing pionus.
F: Oh, man, that's the one you really, really want, isn't it?

And so forth. We had a great conversation about it. He said that he wants this bird too, but, like me, he wants to be absolutely certain that we can give her the best home possible and keep our cockatiels safe, happy and stress free. Some of our main concerns right now are the air quality (from the tiel dust) and cage location. We also want to get more info about her as an individual before we commit to bringing her home. But we are completely on the same page right now, and that is a great feeling.

 

[DQTimnehs]

Oh quarantine at your parents' house sounds good!

The thing is we can't tell you it's 100% safe or what you need to do to be safe. If you are set on this bird, do the best you can. I've only had Tiki for 5.5 years so I can't say she will never suffer ill effects from being with the greys. On the other hand, she has a much better life than she did before she was rescued (not by me), living in a dusty basement laundry room. She may develop respiratory issues eventually and it still won't be obvious if it's from grey dust or her dusty past or a bit of both.
The thing is there are WAY more birds out there needing homes than there are good homes, let alone separate New World/Old World parrot homes. So go with your heart, as long as your fiancé is on board and you have the room, time and finances to support another bird.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Hope things work out and you can get the Pionus.

 

[ode.to.parrots]

That's kind of how I feel right now - like maybe what I have is not the best in the whole world but it is certainly better than what she has right now. I feel like it's tough for me to assess when the time is right for another bird because I have such high standards. Ideally, in my far-off dream house plan, I'd have two bird rooms that would serve like indoor aviaries and would connect with a flight room (kind of like saroj's). The cockatiels would live in one bird room, the pionus in the other. But I don't have that right now. I have this one bedroom apartment, and I'm trying to figure out how to make the best of it.

What I do have is space for her; it's not a room, but it's a comfy nook in our living room that would fit a good-sized cage where she can be a part of the flock. What I do have are the back-up finances to take her to a vet. What I do have is the experience needed to transition her off of a crummy Wal-mart bird seed diet and onto a rich, healthy, varied diet. Between my fiance and I, we have a lot of time - as our schedules are right now, I work in the morning until mid afternoon, then my fiancee works from mid-afternoon until evening. The birds always have each other, but also almost always have at least one human present. What I do have is a good stash of toys that could easily be offered to her. And what I do have is a lot of love to give.

We'll see what happens. I'm waiting to hear back from the person giving her away. I'm getting a little nervous, actually. This person was so prompt to respond to me yesterday, but I have not heard anything yet today. But maybe I'm just overthinking things.

 

[TikiMyn]

Ohhh I am so excited for you! Bronze wings are gorgeous! I really hope everything works out, sending good thoughts!

 

[ode.to.parrots]

Ohhh I am so excited for you! Bronze wings are gorgeous! I really hope everything works out, sending good thoughts!

Hope things work out and you can get the Pionus.

Thank you! Me too! I never in my wildest dreams ever imagined that I would ever find a bronze wing pionus in need of a home so close to where I live.

 

[Barbara2]

I am thrilled for you, just hope it all works out for you and the Pionus..... they are beautiful birds

 

[faislaq]

Not to make you jump before you're ready, but there's something that bothers me about this situation, and not the bird itself. She's free, with cage. Nothing is more appealing to a bird flipper, especially an uncommon bird like a bronze wing. If you don't take her, where will she end up? What kind of life will she have? I say at least go get her & if you can't be her forever home, at least you will screen her new family. Her current owner isn't screening anybody.

 

[ode.to.parrots]

Not to make you jump before you're ready, but there's something that bothers me about this situation, and not the bird itself. She's free, with cage. Nothing is more appealing to a bird flipper, especially an uncommon bird like a bronze wing. If you don't take her, where will she end up? What kind of life will she have? I say at least go get her & if you can't be her forever home, at least you will screen her new family. Her current owner isn't screening anybody.

That thought has crossed my mind, which is why I am anxious that I have not heard from him/her today. What if someone else scooped her up to go to a parrot breeding mill or something? In my last email, I said I could possibly pick her up tomorrow, if his/her schedule is open. This person also mentioned that he/she kept this bird on the Wal-Mart seed diet because that is what the previous owner was feeding her... I feel like at this point I at least need to get her out of there. The fact that I can safely quarantine her at my parents' place without putting my tiels at risk means that I'm in a good position to take a leap.

I last emailed this person at 10:40am today. How long should I wait before emailing again?

 

[Begone]

call?