Bitter-sweet addition; Mel the BHP

[SilverSage]

Today was rough; really rough. I picked up Mel, the Blue Headed Pionus. When I first agreed to take her I thought it would be temporary, but sadly I don't think her owner will ever be able to have birds again. He is an old man living in a shack on the edge of a property that has now been sold, and he and all his rescue birds were given 7 days to vacate. He was not able to find a place to take him and his birds, he had to find new homes or at least emergency fosters for all of them. By the time I got to him he had only 3 cockatoos and 1 BHP left. Mel came home with me today after a tearful goodbye. In the words of the owner, he has chunks being ripped out of him. He and I disagree on a lot of parrot care, but he loves his birds with a passion I am not sure even I can match. So Mel lives with me for now, it is most likely permanent. I do not think he will ever be able to live with birds again, and if he does I expect he will find some poor cockatoo who has been badly misunderstood. So welcome home Mel, we hope you can learn to love us.

 

[EAI]

Mel is so pretty!
Does the man have any place to turn to now, or any family members he can turn to (that might possibly accept animals)?

 

[Matt_95]

She is gorgeous, it must have been very difficult for him to do. I hope she does well for you.

 

[amjokai]

Dani you are an angel to all these birdies, and I am so proud to call you my alohabestie..... <3 Thank you for helping uncle out.... I know mel will be so happy and taken care of in your home..... She just needs some time to settle in, and know she can trust you .....

 

[Betrisher]

Thank you for taking Mel! That poor man must be beside himself with grief at losing his home and his birds. I hope he finds some comfort in knowing Mel will be looked after beautifully and want for nothing. Will he be able to come and visit? If so, please tell him Trish from Australia sends her best wishes and hopes he finds himself a better place to live.

 

[Mango121913]

May God bless you and the gentleman who sounds like was truly devoted to his flock.

 

[Kiwibird]

Mel is a beautiful girl, and looks like she was very much love and well cared for. The poor man's heart must be breaking having to give up all his birds Hopefully Mel will settle in with you and perhaps he can still come visit her even if he can't have her live with him?

 

[SilverSage]

EAI, I have known the man for only two days, but I know from that time that he would never give up his feathered family if there was ANY way he could keep him. He seems very much alone, even more so now that he will not have his birds.

Trish, sadly I think he does not believe she is really in the best place with me; we disagree on MANY aspects of parrot care, and I am willing to compromise on very few of them, because I feel strongly about them. One example is that the only leash I will ever put on a bird is attached to a harness, while he feels that harnesses are unsafe and will use only leg leashes. You heard that right; leg leashes! He also is a proponent of "toe holding" and believes that even if the bird ends up dangling from a toe upside down it is fine because at least you still have them. I believe this to be dangerous and something that breaks trust.

He will be welcome in our home, I intend to invite him as soon as I feel that Mel is settled enough here that it will not just upset her. He was bonded to her, but I do not think she is bonded to him. My husband has taken an instant shine to her though, even saying last night "I am a bird person" which is a first for him! She did bite my husband, just a nip really, because he is still fairly new to birds and did not believe me when I told him to leave her alone to relax.

She is very sweet. The whole time she has been with Bill she never saw anyone but him, yet the first day I went to see her she let me pet her within 5 minutes, and when I went to get her she allowed petting right away. She seems jumpy though. Usually I would first want a bird to step up, but from the interaction I have seen between them I think she distrusts hands largely due to having her toe grasped and her ability to fly away taken as well as the addition of pain from hanging by her foot.

Anyway, she and I are on a new adventure, and I am very excited to see her progress. I believe she truly wants to interact, but has not had someone who was sensitive to her personality before. The man is dedicated, but I think some of his ideas have hindered him in bonding with her.

 

[kq_fan]

Mel is very beautiful. I feel very bad for that man. Mel is in good hands now, she is a lucky bird so lets hope all the other ones get good homes!

 

[SilverSage]

I hope so. I wish I could have taken his bare eyed cockatoo, but I just don't have the time that bird needs, and I know it would bring an unhealthy level of stress to our household. Also, my husband is fairly new to birds and is not ready to live with a cockatoo either. He has a soft spot in his heart for things that like to cuddle, but I know it would end up with a lot of bad misunderstanding between him and the bird. There is a woman who just moved to the Island that he thinks will take all three, but he has had people backing out during this whole process; I am not the first person to agree to take Mel

 

[Terry57]

Mel is beautiful and looks healthy. He may not agree with your methods right now, but after awhile if he does come to see her, he will be a convert. I am positive she is going to blossom in your care, and I pray that the other birds he has find a wonderful home as well.

 

[Allee]

Awww Dani, Mel is truly beautiful. I'm happy for you and your new addition. So sorry for Mel's previous owner, I hope things work out for him.

If you don't mind too much, I would like to hear what happens with the Toos, my personal soft spot.

 

[SilverSage]

I will let you know anything I find out. His toos came to him not even tame. He had two Mollucans and others that I dont remember what they were who were gone before I got there. The Mollucans went to Mollewood which I guess is a cockatoo rescue? The other two went to a home with cockatoo experience. He now has two goffins and a bare-eyed that he HOPES this lady will take, he doesn't have anywhere else for them to go. At one point he had rescued a mobrella, I do not know if that bird is one he has recently had to rehome or if it died. If anyone knows ANYONE in Hawaii with cockatoo experience who would like to help out, that would be great. These birds came to him wild and he tamed them, but they are not for the feint of heart!

 

[TessieB]

These situations are so sad. I'm glad you were there to help another human being (and birds!) in dire need of help. Your compassion is truly an asset to the human race.

 

[RavensGryf]

Mel is a gorgeous Blue Headed Pi . Such a sad story I agree. I also commend you for abstaining taking a Cockatoo even though it needed a home, as you made a rational decision that was best for your family. I do hope the other three find perfect Cockatoo homes, or at least a rescue for now will know what they need.

 

[SilverSage]

Update: today I offered pellets, sprouts, dry seed, and green beans and she didn't touch any of it. I know she had pellets in her dish when I got her, and I have never seen a bird turn down seed - ever. He also had green beans in her dish when I got her though I am not sure if she ever ate any. So I decided to cook her pasta and see how she reacted - she is gobbling it up like I was starving her on purpose. I am suspicious that perhaps the fresh food I saw her with was for my benefit

 

[veimar]

Oh what a sad story! Poor guy - it's like loosing his best friends or kids… so incredibly sad..
But this bird is so beautiful! Hopefully you'll become good friends with her.
BTW, what happened to the toos? Hope he was able to find some place for them. Oh, this story just broke my heart.

 

[SilverSage]

He still has them for now. No news on them so far.

 

[Mango121913]

Try feeding, sweet potatoes, and carrots? Maybe something with bright colors like those?

 

[SilverSage]

Just got an update, the cockatoos have homes arranged, hopefully they dont back out. He said tonight she gets picky when she is nervous, and told me more about her normal diet. She gets a slice of banana in the morning, an almond, pasta for lunch, and pellets and corn for supper at his house.