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Questions about mature double-yellow-headed Amazon

Pam N

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Pamela Noblitt
Hello. We have a 35 year old double yellow headed Amazon that I hand raised. My 12 year old son got the bird for his birthday, and while he and Simon had a loving relationship, I did most of the feeding and caring. Our son grew up and went to college. When he came back home for weekends and vacations, the bird (Simon) was less affectionate and, on one occasion, bit our son through the lower lip. The plan had been for our son to take Simon back when he finished school and got settled, but 22 years later, we still have Simon. Our son is married and when his baby was born, he became more wary of Simon and worried he could hurt our grandchild. So Simon is all ours. My husband and I love him, but I'm the only one who can handle him. He likes women and not men. He's noisy and active and very sweet with me. However, my husband and I are now in our 70s. We are pretty sure Simon will outlive us and don't know what to do for him. He is very attached to me, but I'm also worried that we haven't given him enough companionship. So my questions are: (1) is it too late for us to introduce another bird into his life for companionship or, at 35 years old, is he beyond the age where he can adjust, or would he likely be aggressive with an interloper and (2) how can I find a good caretaker for Simon when the time comes that I can no longer care for him? Also, we moved to San Gabriel, California and I haven't been able to find a veterinarian that treats birds. Although Simon is healthy, I would like to have someone to call on should things change. Does anyone have recommendations for a vet that treats parrots within a 20 mile range of San Gabriel?
 

Hankmacaw

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Here is a list from a search of "avian vets near san gabriel, ca"


You might want ot think about giving Simon to a Sanctuary in your will or trust. I love older birds - but it seems that most want a young bird. Instead of allowing Simon to go the bird flipper route or the downward cycle of adoptions at that age this might be better. There is a very good sanctuary near Tucson, AZ - not that very far from where you live. The name is the Oasis Sanctuary and this is their inet address Homepage. It is an excellent organization. I volunteered there and my vet is the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
 

camelotshadow

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I would not get another bird for him at this point & it would be more worries for you.
You do need to plan for his future should you become ill & are the only one who can handle./care for him.

Your son does not seem to be a good candidate as he;s moved on with life & has his own family now. The bird is not bonded to him anyway. Sad though how that worked out but when you get a bird for a child it is your responsibility & usually does end up being your responsibility when they are of age.

You might get lucky & find someone on in there years who wants an older bird. When we get to 50/60 etc we can't take on a bird who lives 50 years. You might get lucky but that would mean letting go of him now but it might be for the well being of his future.

None of us know how old we will live or what health we may be in. 70 comes with alot of uncertainty.

My Mom was ok til about 80 then her health declined & she would not be able to care for a bird with loss of sight & mobility etc.

I'm hoping I can live with my birds for another 20 years but that would make me 80 & I have to accept I may not be able to care for them. I might have another good 10 years & then be looking for homes as you are now.

The Santuary can be good but with hard times alot of them go under & you can never tell if they will be forever homes.

The Google search lists West Valley Dr Berens but she is in Woodland Hills not San Gabriel Valley & is Pennys vet.

I see alot of Pasadena. If you are near Claremont Dr A McDowell of Claremont was Pennys original vet. I've heard good things
 

Hankmacaw

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The Oasis is very well funded and has been in business for 30 years. I never recommend a rescue or santuary without knowing their financial situation.
 

macawpower58

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Have you talked with you son about your fears? His child may be well into young or teen years by the time you really can't care for him anymore. I'd see if there's any interest there first. If he at one time loved him, he might just decide he does want him.
If nothing else, you'd have the time to gather names for him of suitable places to place him if he decides it won't work.
 

Pam N

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Thank you both for your responses and suggestions. This is what happens when grandparents try to give grandchildren what they say they want without consulting parents. But they meant well and that's water over the bridge. Our son is 46 now and his son is almost 22. But the issue is that they have other pets (cats) and my son hasn't gotten over the bite (which required stitches). I think that while he was a younger child, he wasn't threatening to Simon but as he matured and became more masculine, for perhaps the same reason doesn't like men, Simon became over-anxious with my son. I really don't think I'm in a position to psychoanalyze either the bird or my son and just need to figure out what to do with Simon. Right now my husband and I are in good health and we love Simon (even though my husband has to keep his distance). And ours is the only home Simon has ever known, so I'm worried about transitioning to someone else, whether they will care for him as we do, whether he can acclimate to new people and a new environment. I will check out the vet, Dr. McDowell, and see if there are recommendations from that end. This is Simon ~


1611544929296.png

Thanks again.
 

macawpower58

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He's quite handsome, and you sound like a wonderful owner.
I wish everyone worried so about their bird's future as you are doing.
Stick around. You may just meet someone that could be there when you need them most.
 

MommyBird

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@Pam N
I made a post a year ago with some info, the link below explains why you should not put your pets in a will but in a stand-alone aka living trust.
(Wills are not dealt with as quickly as trusts plus you want protection not only if you die but if you are incapacitated)
writing profiles of your birds is great, I'd suggest contacting rescues you are interested in to learn policies. Some are too full and cannot take any more even in these situations. It is good to get to know and support/fund rescues so they can be there if you need them.
https://forums.avianavenue.com/inde...lanning-considering-pets.236939/#post-3196935
 

MR. Mango

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Such a Handsome boy!
 

Pat H

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@Pam N -- WELCOME to the Avenue!!! You have been doing a GREAT job w/ Simon-- 35yrs!
Don't remember if I shared much of this before... but hopefully you will consider it as 'food for thought'... [PLEASE don't think I'm crazy, but... ]

We adopted our precious Umbrella about 7yr ago ... being told that her previous owners had grown old and unable to care for her [about 13yr old then]. Nothing else. So these are her behaviors, and at the end -- my thoughts on the WHY:

She was terrified of carriers. When I wore contacts instead of glasses, she had tendancy to bite me, so now I wear only glasses. She still flares up into attack mode if I remove mine. [one of the 1st days we had her, I fell asleep w/ glasses off and tho at first she was ok on my arm, began to nibble then bite my cheek, as if to wake me up]. Was especially attentive and tender towards my husband when he removed his glasses to rub his eyes. Will attack me if I rub his back. Terrified of anything elongated-- sticks/ toy ladder. Attacks pop cans, especially red.

SO-- I think the older lady died while holding her and poor bird tried to wake her up. Older man cried alot, taking off his glasses to wipe his eyes, and others comforted him patting his back. Think the kids tried to take her, but were afraid, trying to force her up on a perch, and maybe threw pop cans at her to make her move. Things happen when inexperienced people take on the big bird challenge without proper preperation.

Don't take me the wrong way! -- our Abby [which means 'in the Father's Hand'] is a beautiful and precious bird-- your story reminds me that we SERIOUSLY need to prepare with thoughts and actions to provide for her future, since she should have another 50yr or more.. Appreciate your input!
 

Pam N

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Thank you, Pat. Sounds like Abby had a pretty traumatic experience and your interpretation of events seems reasonable. Simon is really a sweetie and we've had him since he was a baby. He loves to take showers in the kitchen sink, and is very affectionate with me, but he's also startled by quick movements and can react with a bite. He is very noisy and when I am on the phone with clients, I have to move him into the utility room to block the sound of his constant sound effects. Our children have busy lives and the grandchildren (oldest is 21 and youngest is 12) think Simon is cool but aren't interested or able to take him on at this point, although one of our daughter's sons is something of an animal whisperer and he may be a candidate if we can hold on until he graduates from college (he's 16 now and lives at home with his parents, younger brother, and a Vizsla who thinks Simon is prey). We've had 4 dogs in our 50 years together and Simon has grown up with three of them, all of whom treat Simon with indifference and certainly no aggression. We also had three cats at one time. They used to gather on top of Simon's cage with their tails dangling from his ceiling. That's when Simon learned to purr and he certainly never hurt any of them. My husband and I are both in pretty good health, but we're also realists and in these crazy times, nothing is predictable or a foregone conclusion and we never know what's around the corner. We don't want to rehome Simon before we have to, but we also don't want to leave things to the last minute and make a mistake that would make Simon and his new family miserable. It's a lot to think about. Thanks for your comments.
 

tka

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The only thing I'd add to make sure that your wishes are very explicit in your legal documents. Pets are legally considered property and there isn't any special provision for them. Whatever you decide, make sure that it's written down very clearly in the appropriate legal documents, either a will or a trust.

You may also want to write down in a separate but easy to find document the practicalities of what should happen to Simon should anything happen to to you and your husband. Can you designate someone to pick him up from your home and care for him until he can be transported to the sanctuary or to whoever will take over his care? Make sure that you've written down all the details about his routine, diet and so on.

It's also a good idea to make arrangements in advance about what happens to Simon if either or both you and your partner are hospitalised. For example, are there boarding facilities that will look after Simon if you're unable to?
 

Sparkles99

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Our local animal shelter, which is well funded & run, has a program. You pay a certain amount of money, which is based on species, age & health, & upon your death your animal becomes their property.

They find a foster home but the animal isn't adopted. It remains their property, they do regular home visits, & vet care, food, etc. is paid for. It can even be a way for a poorer family to have a really well cared for pet!

My budgies were going to be enrolled, 'till a family member (same one trying to teach them to say "I love you ___. & You're awesome ___.) said that I shouldn't "send her little chirpers away". I think they've turned her into a bird person & she does take care of her pets, so I'd be okay with that. :joyful:

Is there such a program in your area? It might ease your mind.
 

Pat H

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Our local animal shelter, which is well funded & run, has a program. You pay a certain amount of money, which is based on species, age & health, & upon your death your animal becomes their property.

They find a foster home but the animal isn't adopted. It remains their property, they do regular home visits, & vet care, food, etc. is paid for. It can even be a way for a poorer family to have a really well cared for pet!

My budgies were going to be enrolled, 'till a family member (same one trying to teach them to say "I love you ___. & You're awesome ___.) said that I shouldn't "send her little chirpers away". I think they've turned her into a bird person & she does take care of her pets, so I'd be okay with that. :joyful:

Is there such a program in your area? It might ease your mind.
I've NEVER heard of such an arrangement--- WONDERFUL! Reading this thread and thinking about the possibilities/ future... is really sobering-- thought provoking. Now I'm really going to have to pursue! :shy:
 

Pat H

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@Pam N -- I got my degree in Animal Industries back in the 70's... but have mainly worked w/ the disabled... I remember w/ humility the time when a 40yr old Developmentally Disabled person came to live in the state facility-- his aging parents had taken care of him his whole life, but SUDDENLY unable to continue... they had NO PLAN prepared ahead of time [like most people w/ birds]...
So sad when your life changes DRASTICALLY and IMMEDIATELY.... I REALLY need to formulate a plan.. thx for your input...
 
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Clueless

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@Pam N

I wound up with parrots from a relative. I wasn't keen on taking the parrots in, not my cup of tea. I'd never had birds.

I fell in love in hours once they were in close proximity.

I'd suggest leaving a list for the family. It may be that someone in your family could be like me. I'm sad that my aunt didn't see me fall in love but I think about her quite often.

She fed Secret toast with orange marmalade at breakfast. She lived that bird dearly.

I still think she got MC to breed parrots. I remember a conversation with her that she was disgusted you couldn't tell sex of parrots without a blood test. I'm so grateful she didn't put them in a cage together. MC was the best gift I ever had and I still miss him.
 

Pat H

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@Sparkles99 -- thx for the info-- I checked out their contact info, and [when I open my emails up] I will ask if they know of such a program in the United States, hopefully close to any of the nearby states, IL / IA / or WI ... Thank you...
 
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