I've gone back and forth with this a lot in the last several months. Every time I get to thinking I'm ready to do it, rehome my birds, I tell myself to take some time to think about it longer before making hasty decisions... So I forget about it for the day, then avoid thinking about it entirely until it becomes overwhelming again, and the cycle repeats continuously.
The only noticable change this has brought is I feel like I'm forcing myself to keep my birds, I feel like I'm pushing myself farther away from them, like I've lost my passion for the birds I love so much. I'm seriously crying I'm so emotional saying that. I love my birds so much but I can't continue this way with them.
Everybody keeps telling me to give it more time, I'm in a rough spot right now, things will change and I'll enjoy our lives together again. I don't think I can believe that anymore. It just makes me despise everything about my situation, including my birds, and I HATE that. This isn't fair to them at all.
It's going to be so hard but I think I need to do this. I don't know if Kiwi my quaker could handle being rehomed at this point, but I think it would be best for Chloe (macaw) at least. I'm in Winchester, IL and would prefer to find a home that's within a few hours travel at least. I will be extremely picky; she will stay with me as long as necessary until I find the perfect home. There will be a negotiable rehoming fee but she is not free to any random person.
Chloe is a female 4 y.o. B&G macaw, will be 5 in May 2022. I've had her since she was 9 months old. She has deformities in her feet and a minor case of scoliosis. She is fully flighted and MUST remain that way. She's use to flying between rooms and is doing well with wearing a harness (which would go with her), her flighted wings help her with balance since her feet are deformed. She can get around fine with them but they need to be checked daily to make sure they're not getting any pressure sores or other health issues. Her nails need trimmed a little more frequently than a typical parrot but it's also better for them to stay slightly longer than typical because she often uses them to hang off things since her grip isn't that strong (mainly the right foot).
She eats mazuri small bird pellets, some fruits and veggies (she's become very picky with them), and does really well with sprouts. She can't eat anything with artificial colors because she gets gastrointestinal upsets and gives her diarrhea. The mazuri Large bird pellets have one artificial color in them and makes her stomach upset so I feed her the small bird, which she wastes less of anyways lol.
I can provide her vet records so they can be updated with a new vet if the next owner uses someone different.
She's wary of new people but she's never been an aggressive bird. She likes to chew on my hands and can get rough sometimes but she's not trying to harm me when she does it, just thinks she's playing.
Chloe would do best in a home with a single or multiple women. She is wary of men, especially if they're tall. I won't rehome her to anyone with younger kids (but I will consider a family with teenaged kid(s) who are respectful of animals). She is use to living with me as the only human so I don't know how well she would do in a family setting. She's been around other birds and doesn't really pay attention to them, unless they come near her/her cage, she will be defensive of course. She does not go after other birds unprompted. If she lands on the floor she may try to climb another cage to get up higher so would have to be careful that she doesn't get her toes nipped.
Kiwi is my ~12 year old female quaker. I don't know if I will actually be able to rehome her though; I've had her 8, almost 9 of those ~12 years and she's an anxious bird who will tear into anyone who isn't me. I honestly don't think she would survive the separation from me and subsequent depression.
The only noticable change this has brought is I feel like I'm forcing myself to keep my birds, I feel like I'm pushing myself farther away from them, like I've lost my passion for the birds I love so much. I'm seriously crying I'm so emotional saying that. I love my birds so much but I can't continue this way with them.
Everybody keeps telling me to give it more time, I'm in a rough spot right now, things will change and I'll enjoy our lives together again. I don't think I can believe that anymore. It just makes me despise everything about my situation, including my birds, and I HATE that. This isn't fair to them at all.
It's going to be so hard but I think I need to do this. I don't know if Kiwi my quaker could handle being rehomed at this point, but I think it would be best for Chloe (macaw) at least. I'm in Winchester, IL and would prefer to find a home that's within a few hours travel at least. I will be extremely picky; she will stay with me as long as necessary until I find the perfect home. There will be a negotiable rehoming fee but she is not free to any random person.
Chloe is a female 4 y.o. B&G macaw, will be 5 in May 2022. I've had her since she was 9 months old. She has deformities in her feet and a minor case of scoliosis. She is fully flighted and MUST remain that way. She's use to flying between rooms and is doing well with wearing a harness (which would go with her), her flighted wings help her with balance since her feet are deformed. She can get around fine with them but they need to be checked daily to make sure they're not getting any pressure sores or other health issues. Her nails need trimmed a little more frequently than a typical parrot but it's also better for them to stay slightly longer than typical because she often uses them to hang off things since her grip isn't that strong (mainly the right foot).
She eats mazuri small bird pellets, some fruits and veggies (she's become very picky with them), and does really well with sprouts. She can't eat anything with artificial colors because she gets gastrointestinal upsets and gives her diarrhea. The mazuri Large bird pellets have one artificial color in them and makes her stomach upset so I feed her the small bird, which she wastes less of anyways lol.
I can provide her vet records so they can be updated with a new vet if the next owner uses someone different.
She's wary of new people but she's never been an aggressive bird. She likes to chew on my hands and can get rough sometimes but she's not trying to harm me when she does it, just thinks she's playing.
Chloe would do best in a home with a single or multiple women. She is wary of men, especially if they're tall. I won't rehome her to anyone with younger kids (but I will consider a family with teenaged kid(s) who are respectful of animals). She is use to living with me as the only human so I don't know how well she would do in a family setting. She's been around other birds and doesn't really pay attention to them, unless they come near her/her cage, she will be defensive of course. She does not go after other birds unprompted. If she lands on the floor she may try to climb another cage to get up higher so would have to be careful that she doesn't get her toes nipped.
Kiwi is my ~12 year old female quaker. I don't know if I will actually be able to rehome her though; I've had her 8, almost 9 of those ~12 years and she's an anxious bird who will tear into anyone who isn't me. I honestly don't think she would survive the separation from me and subsequent depression.