Soon to be Texas zon owner signing in!

[baserock love]

Heya! I made an account on another bird forum but this one seems to be far more active. About me:

I'm 35 an artist, packed up and moved from california to texas to co-start a video game company that's making money now. I grew up surrounded by animals including budgies and then cockatiels. When I was very young I had some hands on time with some very sweet large macaws and ever since then I've wanted to own one, i have ALWAYS had a pet companion till the last year when my beloved ferret passed on. It only recently occurred to me when the money started coming in from our latest release that now would be an excellent time to get a birb! Been doing research like crazy consuming media put out by the most well regarded new school positive reinforcement parrot trainers and volunteered at a parrot rescue to get some more hands on experience.

I'm in a unique position to have a lot of consistent time to work with a zon and do daily training sessions that we'll probably both enjoy (I really enjoy animal training. I got it down to a science with ferrets.) but also in the unique position to be able to socialize with one about as much as i want and have it's in cage time be relegated to just sleeping at night since i work at home and choose my own hours and i'm single and a bit of a homebody. I just had an adoption opportunity fall through with a blue front and am talking to the owner of another. Trying to figure out who's legit and who isn't who's trying to dump off a neglected bird with a myriad of health and behavior problems and who cares. What I do know is i want to rescue, not get a baby, too many birds need homes.

I'm looking to get a mealy, blue front or dyh but if i fall in love with a bird and it falls in love with me I'm sure i could end up with something very unexpected but awesome. Either way after my short stint as a volunteer (I'd have done more but this place was AWFUL how they treated their birds.) even working with birds that have been terrorized by humans and don't trust us for good reasons I've decided this is indeed something I really want and prepared to see through so I'll be sticking around here. Nice to meet ya'll.

 

[greys4u]

. and.

 

[EkkieLuv]

What part of Texas are you in? I am in Houston...

 

[AvianCrew]

Welcome!

 

[baserock love]

What part of Texas are you in? I am in Houston...

Bryan. I'll hopefully be heading to houston in the next few days to pick up a cage off craigslist. The parrot rescue i volunteered at is in houston. It's an awful drive out there haha.

Looks like you got some dinos that need a new home? What are you trying to find homes for? EDIT: NM, checked the emotes haha. Hope you find good homes for your conures!
Also thanks for the warm welcome everybody!

 

[Clueless]

Welcome.

Remember those with issues need love too. One of my blue fronts had issues but is making progress.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

 

[aooratrix]

It's great that you're looking for an older rehome. They often need the most but have the most to give. However, I've only experienced that directly with Petey. I've heard it from a lot of people I respect, though. Let the bird choose you, and you'll both be fine. Good luck with a mealy: they're hard to find but well worth the effort.

 

[Love My Zons]

Welcome. I am a Zon owner and have a Mealy that will be 8 yrs old on the 22nd. I have had him since he was a wee baby. Ask away on any questions you may have.

 

[baserock love]

Welcome.

Remember those with issues need love too. One of my blue fronts had issues but is making progress.

Oh absolutely. I'm more than happy to take a bird with some fear biting responses here and there and work on training and socialization, work on trust issues with a neglected bird. I wouldn't want to rescue a parrot if i wasn't confident i could give it a better life. Given this is my first larger parrot, it's probably not the greatest idea to jump in with a very very troubled bird with extreme aggression and a really tragic past.

At the rescue i was able to get some excellent progress in less than 20 minutes with a white bellied caique and a plucked and scared little african grey using the techniques i've been learning about. both were very untrusting of humans due to being frankly terrorized by the shelter owner. It was a really rewarding experience seeing them start trusting me in such a short time.......till that trust was all gone thanks to the owner chasing them around their cage and pretty much pinning them against the bars to FORCE them to step up before they were ready.

It's great that you're looking for an older rehome. They often need the most but have the most to give. However, I've only experienced that directly with Petey. I've heard it from a lot of people I respect, though. Let the bird choose you, and you'll both be fine. Good luck with a mealy: they're hard to find but well worth the effort.

I'm not holding my breath for a meally. There's a breeder near me but all i see in the shelters are BFA, YN, and DYHs. I'm probably going to pass on the YN given their reputation. But yeah if a bird and I fall for each other, i won't fight it.

Welcome. I am a Zon owner and have a Mealy that will be 8 yrs old on the 22nd. I have had him since he was a wee baby. Ask away on any questions you may have.

I sorta have a "parrot mentor" who lets me pick her brain for her experience a lot. She's had parrots for years and also has a mealy! I'm a bit less going after experiences with them since i realized that i will almost certainly never find one needing a rescue.

I do think they are by far the cutest of all the amazon breeds.

 

[Love My Zons]

I have not looked but years ago there were alot of older Mealys that were listed on Petfinder. Mine is a complete hoot, just a fun loving good boy.

 

[baserock love]

I have not looked but years ago there were alot of older Mealys that were listed on Petfinder. Mine is a complete hoot, just a fun loving good boy.

I saw one once that was all the way in california but that's it. People are breeding them but they're not ending up in shelters, probably for good reason!
They sortof strike me as the big dumb but loveable oaf of the amazon world haha. At least hers does. How has yours been temperment wise? Was surprised that hers has bit her more than a few times. Almost no mealy owners i've encountered have ever had any aggression issues.

 

[Newbie GCC]

Bryan. I'll hopefully be heading to houston in the next few days to pick up a cage off craigslist. The parrot rescue i volunteered at is in houston. It's an awful drive out there haha.

Looks like you got some dinos that need a new home? What are you trying to find homes for? EDIT: NM, checked the emotes haha. Hope you find good homes for your conures!
Also thanks for the warm welcome everybody!

OMG! I am in Bryan also! What a small world! What rescue's are you volunteering at?
Welcome to the Avenue!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Welcome to AA. As per your post, " I'm looking to get a mealy, blue front or dyh but if i fall in love with a bird and it falls in love with me I'm sure i could end up with something very unexpected but awesome."
That's a great attitude when looking for a feathered friend.

I have a BFA & a YNA.

 

[baserock love]

OMG! I am in Bryan also! What a small world! What rescue's are you volunteering at?
Welcome to the Avenue!

Heh, thanks! Cute GCC! I was just over at petco seeing if they had any decent cage deals and saw the GCC's, so cute and tempting. I'm pretty set on an amazon though.

 

[Love My Zons]

I just went to petfinder and saw roughly 5 Mealys for adoption from NJ to UT to California. They are out there, even saw a Blue Crown Mealy too.

Here is a link with a recent pic of my boys


It's been a while updated pics of the Zon boys | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Newbie GCC]

Heh, thanks! Cute GCC! I was just over at petco seeing if they had any decent cage deals and saw the GCC's, so cute and tempting. I'm pretty set on an amazon though.

That store had a DYH about a year ago. Poor baby was there for a very long time. His name was Jitters. I felt so bad for him but was not ready for another bird, much less a larger bird. I was very happy to learn one of the professors at the Vet school adopted him and took him home. Good luck in your search. There are rescues in Austin and Dallas, too, I think. Have you tried looking there? Also Magnolia Exotics Bird Rescue, Gulf Coast, and there are 2 stores in Houston that will help owners rehome birds. When I think of the names, I will get them to you if you would like them.

 

[baserock love]

I just went to petfinder and saw roughly 5 Mealys for adoption from NJ to UT to California. They are out there, even saw a Blue Crown Mealy too.

Here is a link with a recent pic of my boys


It's been a while updated pics of the Zon boys | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

Super cute, thanks for sharing! When i was actively looking for them i just saw the one in california. I sorta stopped and just limit my searches to texas and louisiana now. I have yet to see an adoptable mealy there.

That store had a DYH about a year ago. Poor baby was there for a very long time. His name was Jitters. I felt so bad for him but was not ready for another bird, much less a larger bird. I was very happy to learn one of the professors at the Vet school adopted him and took him home. Good luck in your search. There are rescues in Austin and Dallas, too, I think. Have you tried looking there? Also Magnolia Exotics Bird Rescue, Gulf Coast, and there are 2 stores in Houston that will help owners rehome birds. When I think of the names, I will get them to you if you would like them.

Ok, i'm having a LOT of trouble finding out what rescues exist and which don't. I know there's bird haven which i might be putting an application into soon for a 24 year old bfa, there's birdlink who seem...a bit anal retentive and not very on board with the fact that animals can be rehabilitated and can gain trust thing. I don't think they have a single amazon there that they will let a man adopt because "These are one person birds and they don't like men period no exceptions no men will be adopted to!!". It's a bit ridiculous and seems contrary to what....every reputable trainer says. Other than those two there's the...awful rescue in houston i mentioned. I"m pretty sure you mentoned them too i just don't want to call them out by name because despite the fact i was pretty disgusted with how they treated the birds there, they do save a LOT of birds. Their rehoming fees are utterly outrageous though. Roughly the same cost as buying a baby for birds that have developed massive bahavioral problems due to the way they're handled there and in their previous homes too i'm sure.

Any rescues from houston to austin to san antonio i'm willing to entertain and would very much appreciate it if you could get me names and websites but so many of the lists of rescues i find in texas are just dead link after dead link after defunct website after facebook page that's basically been abandoned. I"m willing to drive like 3 hours from Bryan if i have to.

OMG! I am in Bryan also! What a small world! What rescue's are you volunteering at?
Welcome to the Avenue!

A rescue in houston run out of an exotic bird shop. I was not impressed with how they treated the birds. I'm not going back. If there's one that's a similar distance that doesn't imo terrorize the birds there, i'd love to do more volunteer work.

 

[Newbie GCC]

Here are three that show up on Adopt-a-Pet.com in Burleson, not too far from Bryan. 2 say they will not be adopted out to males, though. I will keep looking. I did not know this one was so close. Will keep looking and let you know what I find

 

[Newbie GCC]

Here is a BFA in Houston. Adopt Me | Bird Haven