True Love Aviary
Walking the driveway
- Joined
- 10/17/09
- Messages
- 296
- Real Name
- Rodney Money
Here is Apple and her new Mommy Chris
Chris seems very happy to have Apple as her new baby.
Apple went straight to Chris as soon as they were introduced to each other.
Beautiful girl! This is her 4th family.
Portrait of a Beauty: Apple "Green Pied" Here is her story from October 9, 2009:
Apple is NOT a bad girl, it's just the families who had her in the past did not listen to a thing I said concerning her needs and handling. Her first family was from Tennessee. They were a wonderful young, married couple in their early 20's without children and just starting out in life. They reminded me of Tamara and I, and if they lived closer we would have probably been best friends. They gave us the greatest updates alost weekly.
They first called up and wanted Bella (Sunshine) which due to genetics I knew was a female. So I drove Sunshine 6 hours to Tennessee, they also drove that much also and we met at a Cracker Barrel off of an exit. We met in the middle and they paid for my gas and time as well as the adoption fee. After a couple of weeks, they loved Sunshine so much that they wanted another. So they got Apple. Apple was the perfect baby. I preferred her personally over Sunshine.
To get Apple used to playing by herself, she spent the entire week with me at the school where I worked. She let all the children hold and even cuddle her. She was such a good bird. I did the same thing with Sunshine, but she was a daddy's girl. I had a time and a half getting Sunshine in her new families' travel cage, because she wanted me so bad. So Saturday came and I traveled to Tennessee once again. I did not get home until 4:00 AM and I had to drive the mountains of NC in the dark fog. It was an epic adventure of making sure the baby got to his new family.
Apple went right to his new family with no trouble. She was happy with anybody. As a baby she always played so well with other birds and she is what I called a "blender." She did not stand out that much, you tended to forget she was out because she played so well, and she was just a great all-around bird. All babies are special, of course, but with Apple there was simply no drama.
Sunshine liked seeing Apple again and they started playing, cuddling, and preening immediately. As the months went by the young couple changed new careers which took them away from their babies. They even had to work weekends with 10-12 hour days so Apple and Sunshine were spending a lot of their time alone and in the cage. Sunshine especially became frustrated, possibly hormonal, and took out her frustrations out on Apple. Apple became very timid during this time because he was constantly living in fear. They gave Apple a questionable wing clip even getting some of his coverts. They said she was a "wiggle butt." When she came back to us she would not step-up on fingers and was also terrified of hands.
So, they came back to us. The young couple drove all the way. Sunshine was still the same ol' good girl, but Apple was a different bird. I could still trust them both on my shoulders, but if I showed her my fingers she freaked out. So I trained her to step-up on my forearm. She did really well. I could not touch him anymore, but at least she wanted to spend time with us and stepped-up every time. So the rules for Apple and Sunshine were: 1. let them come out on their own. 2. Sunshine steps-up on the hand. 3. Apple steps-up on the forearm, but don't try to pet her. You could still pet Sunshine (aka Bella.)
An older couple from the bird club adopted them next, I told them the rules, but they did not listen to a word I said. They tried to catch them every time in their cage and even tried to use sticks for them to step-up on. They were treating lovebirds like they were small birds, but they should have treated them like they were amazons. They had an Eclectus and would not do this to her. They were getting their tame birds untamed by using 1980's nonpositive and forced training techniques. Sunshine and Apple started biting, so they kept them in their cage all the time. Sunshine and Apple had nothing else to do, they started biting their new family, and they started mating and laying eggs.
During this time Apple got fed up with Sunshine's aggression and started fighting back. She bit Sunshine right on the beak, and Sunshine gave her a nasty triangle bite from her cheek to her eye. This happened on a Friday and that's the day they called us for them to come back to us. I picked them up on Sunday. Bella came back more timid, and Apple came back biting. She never had a chance to bite me, but she would get on our shoulders and just bite holes in our clothes like she was going for blood. New rules for Apple: 1. step-up on the forearm, 2. let her come out of the cage unless you can tell she really wants to come out, and no more shoulders. I could not trust her there anymore. 3. If she gets on your shoulder have her go back to her cage and then have her step-up on your forearm. EVERYTIME!!! 4. Don't complain to me if she bites you on your face, if you try to touch her, or if she's on your shoulder. It's your fought.
As soon as Apple and Sunshine came back, Sunshine wanted out of that cage away from Apple. Apple would not let her in the tent. Bella Sushine started pacing back and forth. I let her out and placed her in her own cage. She was a happy girl, but timid. Another family, a couple in their mid to upper 30's wanted one of our babies, but all we had was Apple and Sunshine. They came for Sunshine because she was so beautiful, but when Sunshine saw them she FREAKED OUT and their was no way she was coming out of her cage. I placed her in the guest bedroom, and Apple started flying on them interacting. They fell in love with Apple and took her to her "forever home." Well, that was their quote.
They did not listen to me...again. Imagine that? They complained that she bit their face, was aggressive in her cage, bit holes in their clothes, and attacked visitors. They also kept food in her cage all the time which gave her no reason to want to go back into the cage. We feed our birds twice a day with only enough food to last them what they need. Apple loved them, but they did not follow her rules. When she was on their shoulder, they tried to get her to step-up on their hand. Remember that rule. They called me to ask me what they should do, I told them to have her jump on her cage and then keep her on your forearm. Period. They kept asking me, "But how can I get him to stop biting our faces?" It took everything in me not to go all disciplinary teacher-like on them. So after a month she came back to us more aggressive than ever. The family was in tears because they became very attached to her. They have even requested a picture. They will be getting one of our babies in the future, and I know they will make great bird parents, but they need to follow the rules.
Now I do not recognize that sweet, perfect baby I raised. She needs someone who will follow the rules. She plays well with other birds on a playground, but if they are on you she gets jealous. I can hold other birds and Apple at the same time, but if Apple feels threatening or gets jealous she will try to chase them away even if the other birds just want to be friends. The only bird who will not take her mess is The BeBe. Bella went to her new home last Saturday and is doing very well. She is with a young couple again who knows her rules. Maybe she feels like she is in her first home. So, that is Apples history. She does love attention, but she needs someone who knows what she needs and can stay two steps in front of her.
Update November 22, 2009: When Apple left, she was our sweet baby again due to Rodney taking her to his school, spending one-on-one special time with her, and retraining and socializing her. We just pray that Chris and her family will be Apple's "Forever Home."
~Rodney
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