Rescue Visit

[Pepebirdie]

I'm sorry. It really sounds like they are making it harder than it has to be. You'd think they would want someone to foster the birds... Maybe you could put a craigslist ad for looking to adopt a bird. There are a lot of people looking to rehome their birds... there are definitely some sketchy people on CL so you would have to be careful about that but maybe you could find the perfect bird for your family.

 

[finchly]

I'm sorry. It really sounds like they are making it harder than it has to be. You'd think they would want someone to foster the birds... Maybe you could put a craigslist ad for looking to adopt a bird. There are a lot of people looking to rehome their birds... there are definitely some sketchy people on CL so you would have to be careful about that but maybe you could find the perfect bird for your family.

I agree, there are always hoops you haave to jump through but this is, for whatever reason - too much.

Our rescue is crazy busy but they would eventually get back to you and answer questions. They require that you spend a few hours with a bird “bonding” before you take it home. So you’re allowed to just wander in and spend time with as many as you want. That’s the ideal situation.

Anyway, I agree with the craigslist idea. Just don’t go alone, take someone with you. And try to see past your excitement to the true sketchiness if there is some. I mean, it’s one thing if they lie about the bird’s age but quite another if he can’t even be handled.

Another place that might be useful is hoobly.com. They have screwed up the user format but some sellers are still using it I noticed. It used to be bigger than Craigslist for birds.

 

[flyzipper]

I like the foster idea if it can be figured out where you live. Volunteering at a rescue may also help to gain exposure, and also help the rescues cope with their busyness. That rescue who's too busy to get back to you? See if they need a volunteer. You establish credibility with them; they get a helping hand. That's a win/win.

If you go the Craigslist route, you may want to consider setting some alerts and monitor things passively, rather than have to manage any sketchiness that might arise from posting your own advert looking to adopt. I set an alert for macaws in my area, for example. I saw beautiful birds come and go (none triggered an urge for me to reach out), scammers who were obviously scamming, bird flippers looking for basement prices so they could make a profit, sad stories detailing all the reasons people were letting their beloved bird go, etc. The alerts pinged me with results for many months before the advert for Oscar showed up. For some reason, that ad made me go meet him.

 

[camelotshadow]

Interesting. Well, you got a feel.

Amazons are tricky.

Senegals are cool birds pois related to Meyers & Red Bellied. Those beaks can pack a good bite. They are medium sized birds so not really small though smaller than a gray. Amazon & Electus. Pionus are a bit bigger about the same as my Hawkhead but stockier but both not as big as a gray but a bit smaller.

Senegals have those gray eyes I find scary.

Take your time....you'll figure it out.

 

[Elysian]

(I love scary eyes lol)

I don't really feel anxious anymore..

I mentioned to my boyfriend that I was terrified of making a bad decision. He favors the Eclectus himself but he reiterated my own pros and cons (he simplified them much better than I do) and pointed out that in general an amazon can meet those requirements.

Of course I can (and if I need to, will) keep my cage empty. It won't kill me.
He shrugged and said it doesnt matter to him, but would be sad to keep 'wasting' it.

I said an amazon could be awesome, but could turn out terrible.. and it's a 30+ year commitment. He shrugged and said bad decisions happen, but whats important is how you deal with your feelings about them after (focus on the positive).

And he also looked at me kind of funny and reminded me about something in myself: "Do you really want an option that's not a challenge?"

 

[Elysian]

I don't know but Opie and Oggie's names sound like they should be together in the same house .

Soooo..... I might be in trouble here. More about that in a bit..

First, I had my visit with Opie today - but it wasn't really productive. The vet was overbooked and it ended up being VERY brief.
I'm going back yet again tomorrow.

He didn't come close to me this time, but they had moved his cage and that might have contributed to his fear.. he was so quiet, but clearly pinned his eyes at me every time I talked.
And I just loved looking into those eyes. I did NOT expect to feel this way about any bird except a Pionus, honestly. *Haven't* felt that way about any bird since the Blue Head I met over a year ago.
I did get to see his chart (forgot to look at age, but who cares) - it said he used to be really sweet and tame but then his lady got sick and he wasn't taken out for a long time so he got shy.

I actually really feel like I could work with him. And it would be fun!!
I .. think I want to bring him home.


But .. The crux of the matter...
The last line in his intake papers... filled out by the person who surrendered him...
"Opie and his friend Oggie have been together many years"

 

[flyzipper]

The last line in his intake papers... filled out by the person who surrendered him...
"Opie and his friend Oggie have been together many years"

Are they in close proximity at the rescue?
If so, what's your observation of how they interact (even though they're in separate cages, do they call to each other, for example)?
Did the recent movement of Opie's cage disrupt that (perhaps leading to his standoffishness)?

 

[Elysian]

Are they in close proximity at the rescue?
If so, what's your observation of how they interact (even though they're in separate cages, do they call to each other, for example)?
Did the recent movement of Opie's cage disrupt that (perhaps leading to his standoffishness)?

They are in rather close proximity - in fact the only reason I noticed Opie on my first visit is because I was looking at Oggie, and then I turned around.

They have the room set up like.. let me give you a really crude paint image. The grey spaces are walls of cages (white is the walkway). The red spots are Opie and Oggie's cages.


On both visits, I never heard Opie make a sound at all. But in the bird room he was clinging to the *front* of the cage, not the back.
I can't say I noticed them interacting, but I wasn't watching for it. I know Opie was looking at me, not Oggie ..
Oggie did make some calls, but I didn't think to analyze whether he was talking to the random Amazon across from him. He was definitely hanging out in that corner closest to Opie's cage though.

I am 90% sure that Opie's fear today was partly because of moving his cage. They moved him completely out of the bird room and into a lobby area to sit with me, so it was just me and him. No other birds to be seen or heard except the ones the vet was actively working on.

For my return tomorrow, I did ask her to try to bring *both* of them out together.

 

[MR. Mango]

yesss its all coming together, a sengal and an amazon, I hope everything works out and that I GET TO SEE LOTS OF MORE PICTURE! lol im being a bit selfish

 

[zoo mom]

Soooo..... I might be in trouble here. More about that in a bit..

First, I had my visit with Opie today - but it wasn't really productive. The vet was overbooked and it ended up being VERY brief.
I'm going back yet again tomorrow.

He didn't come close to me this time, but they had moved his cage and that might have contributed to his fear.. he was so quiet, but clearly pinned his eyes at me every time I talked.
And I just loved looking into those eyes. I did NOT expect to feel this way about any bird except a Pionus, honestly. *Haven't* felt that way about any bird since the Blue Head I met over a year ago.
I did get to see his chart (forgot to look at age, but who cares) - it said he used to be really sweet and tame but then his lady got sick and he wasn't taken out for a long time so he got shy.

I actually really feel like I could work with him. And it would be fun!!
I .. think I want to bring him home.


But .. The crux of the matter...
The last line in his intake papers... filled out by the person who surrendered him...
"Opie and his friend Oggie have been together many years"

I told you they went together. Opie and Oggie. Oggie and Opie. They just sound cute together.

 

[Elysian]

yesss its all coming together, a sengal and an amazon, I hope everything works out and that I GET TO SEE LOTS OF MORE PICTURE! lol im being a bit selfish

I didn't catch his eyes pinning (or get many pictures) because I think he hated my phone.
Although - I swear - I asked him a couple of times if he was scared and every time he NODDED HIS HEAD.... I might be crazy.

http://imgur.com/qW64GJm

 

[zoo mom]

He is so handsome.

 

[Dartman]

I think his eyes are big like he's scared. Lurch when he first got here was scared to death and mad at the world. I got lots of bites and it took 5 years for him to decide I was worthy of his trust but we came to an agreement eventually and he chose me.
Lurch was a Maxi Pionus so similar to a Amazon except its really hard to see their eyes pin. Like said they pretty much show you how they're feeling about something with their gestures and eyes. Lurch had given up and just went immediately to bite mode because nobody respected his warnings to leave him be.
I hope it works out for you and possibly both of them.

 

[Elysian]

I think his eyes are big like he's scared. Lurch when he first got here was scared to death and mad at the world. I got lots of bites and it took 5 years for him to decide I was worthy of his trust but we came to an agreement eventually and he chose me.
Lurch was a Maxi Pionus so similar to a Amazon except its really hard to see their eyes pin. Like said they pretty much show you how they're feeling about something with their gestures and eyes. Lurch had given up and just went immediately to bite mode because nobody respected his warnings to leave him be.
I hope it works out for you and possibly both of them.

Yeah he looks so scared to me
I have no idea if he will ever be able to be touched .. I'm pretty sure he's never going to talk.. but he looks so lost.

I didn't really want 4 birds but.. I wonder if bringing his more gregarious little friend along would help him feel safe.
And I actually already have my budgies' old cage cleaned and ready in the quarantine room where it was waiting to be given away. The space is there.

 

[MR. Mango]

The stars are all aligning now it’s just about your heart

 

[Birdie Mama]

I say bring them home together if you are able to provide for them both. I had been leaning towards the Senegal based on one of your opening comments that he looked like he wanted love, that did me in…and now to find out they were together, I would try to keep them together.
just my two cents worth From one who can’t have more than one, as no room for more….

 

[Dartman]

Well I recently ended up with a GCC that a man called me about thinking she was my Lurch who flew away 5 years ago. I renew his lost ad just in case every week. I did not want more than Dobby, the Maxi I was given after I lost Lurch, but he couldn't safely keep her with two cats and a big dog so we went and got her at 10pm that night. Found a really nice big cage for her, put her on Parrot Alert and Craigslist and got her vetted. I have had some responses so far but no exact match yet so I'll keep her and make her happy for the rest of her life. If someone proves she's their bird she gets to go home. Never say never as sometimes it gets decided for you and if nothing else your a safe loving stop to another home that will do the same.

 

[Clueless]

Secret and MC were together for years. Separate cages across the room from each other here.

However, the FIRST TIME I moved a cage into the back room, the bird screamed.

Perhaps he was scared when you met him.

 

[faislaq]

I have no idea if he will ever be able to be touched .. I'm pretty sure he's never going to talk..

When we asked whether Buzzard was tame his former owner told us, "He used to be a real cuddlebug but I haven't had him out in about a year." When he came home to us it took him nearly a week for him to climb out of his cage to the top of his door even though we left it propped open during the day. Within a month he had started stepping up for me and we cautiously began exploring a little more of the apartment each day with me explaining where we were going and especially letting him know when I would be turning a light on or off.

As for his voice, I think it was a few months after he came to us, but I offered him some lemonade that I'd forgotten to water down. His eyes pinned and he let out a very clear "Woo-woo!" followed by "Pretty Bird!" and then "Buzzard!" all in an excited, fairly high pitched voice.

He has only said "Woo-woo" a few times since, we've never heard "Pretty Bird" again, but when we come home he gets excited and says, "Buzzard!" that same middle-school-girl way. Who knows in what ways a bird will surprise you once they feel comfortable and safe.

And some evenings when we're in the other room we can hear him practicing his sounds. It's my favorite thing he does. Almost no actual words come from it, but I love hearing the different ways he puts sounds together.

Even if neither of them ever speak in words, you'll definitely learn to understand what they're saying as y'all begin to bond. Like a parent and their child.

 

[finchly]

You will find as you fall in love with him it doesn’t matter if he lets you touch him. I have some that don’t want touched but we find other ways to interact.
Then there’s my Ernie... cage bound supposedly 17 years... wasn’t the bird I went to the rescue for... small and plain looking. Somehow he got my attention, and I’ve had him almost 7 years now.

He bit me a LOT, is a grumpy old man. Wouldn’t come out of that cage , wouldn’t eat anything healthy.

Now he’s my shoulder buddy. He advises while I paint, goes to the art center with me, hasn’t bitten in years, and scrambles to his outer perch when he sees me coming. He eats everything- as long as I hold it up for a taste test first.

He’s still a grumpy old man though.