? For those with Rehomes....

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I think it may be helpful to have a post with people who have rehomed birds, so that people new to rehomed parrots can see what some of us have dealt with and how we overcame certain problems.... ie screaming, plucking, aggressiveness, health issues, etc....

So, what type of bird did you get?
What were some problems it came with?
How did you deal with that problem?

Everything from switching diets, teaching tricks, overcoming fears, dealing with biters, etc....

I will add some stories later (when I get to a computer and don't have to type from my phone...lol)

 

[Mayden]

Good plan, I'll write up some later when I'm home ^^

 

[Conurekidd]

Cool I give a bite at it!'

Sampson an 8 year old yellow crowned amazon now 9 years.
He was anemic and extremely underweight when I got him.
Now iv changed his diet to pellets NO SUNFLOWER SEEDS.
Just a mix of fruit and nut and grain to mix in with his food. 3 times a day he revives fresh veggies and fruit. One grape a day. As well iv magic bullted the pellets to a fine powder and lightly covered his fresh dishs with it.

He was a very scared and weak. Iv brought him to a stable state and weight his rising. Just slowly. Loves humans and I mean adores attention. I almost lost him but his dr saved his life. I'm so happy to have him with me. The vet bills plus price I paid for him was enough to buy a bunch of yellow crowned babies lol. 800 for the bird and so far 1000plus dollars at the vet and rising. But I'd never ever lose my Sammy. He's everything and I'm happy I saved him!!

 

[Remy]

Aww, I love this thread!!

I had to rehome. I just HAD to. There are all those precious birdies that need homes out there, so why go to a pet store?

I've had Puck for about a month now, and he just turned 4. He doesn't seem to have any real behavioral problems. I'm working on teaching him to not scream as much though. I live in an apartment and am rather sensitive to loud noises. So far he's doing great! He's a lot better about calling for me when I leave the room, or being loud in general. He still does sometimes, but he's MUCH better about it.

He's also pretty good about not pooping in his dishes. I'm quite proud of this.

 

[birdmama61]

Okay all three of mine are re homes . The first two no problems . The first one he found me by flying into my car window on the passenger side . I picked him up and took him to the vet only to learn that his wing was broken and not repairable , so came home put him in a dog crate and headed to the petsmart to buy a cage , food and what ever else we needed , second one (all quakers btw) martin he is a blue quaker and he had no problems only could not step up onto my hand but he was easily trained because he was still a baby , and the last one he is cage aggresive but thanks to the op we are working on that and hope to get him broken of that . He seems to be really smart and he can talk and kisses like the day is long . He says his name and he says peek a boo, hello , goodbye , what do you want ?, what what what . Oh well guess that is all for now .

 

[Abzeez]

I like this thread as well. I have one:

Chico 30+ year old ringneck male
I have no idea how many homes he was in before mine, but I know he was abused by children and dropped off at a Petco at one point.
He came to me after another parrot lover I was friends with on myspace had a friend drop him off and skip town, she couldn't keep him, so she asked me too.
He has never really been a biter, but you kids still sometimes freak him out. Him and my daughter are BFF's though. He's my oldie but goodie. I didn't even know what a ringneck was before I got him. He's my loudest parrot, but such a ham.

 

[mele]

I don't know where to start :11:

Every bird in my flock was a rehome.

Lotty- Plucker, Fearful, and a Screamer. Im her third owner. She was purchased by an older man who thought she was pretty. He didn't realize U2's are loud and a bit needy. He thought he bought a pretty bird to have in his livingroom. She began to pluck, bite and scream so he tossed her in the garage. After months of dark solitude he decided to sell her. When I met her I knew she would need time to trust again. I've been working with her for 5 yrs now. She doesn't scream or bite any more. She still gets scared of new things like toys but I work them in slow. She shows alot more confidence and has come along way with her plucking. She still has moments but I let her know I will always be there. She also knows no matter what when I walk out the door....I will always come back
Also I found it helps to leave messages on my phone just to say hi and ask how she's doing.

Paco- I purchased at a feed store along with his sibling who was pared with him as a mate. My mother has her now. They were in filthy conditions next to poultry. They were fed a low grade tiel seed mix and very dirty. I took them to the vet right after I bought them. They both had a severe vit A dif. and polyps in their beaks. They stayed at the vet overnight and were given the ok to take home. I changed Pacos diet and he's happy as can be. My Mother has Indy his sister and she too is doing great. I couldnt believe they were trying to breed nest mates.

:red:Scarlet- My Bad boy Im his 4th owner that I know of. He was in a cage to small in my opinon for a conure and outside with 2 blue and golds in similar size cages. The guy said he bought them all from the same guy in hopes of breeding them. I don't remember the reasons for him selling the blue and golds but Scarlet ended up being a he so that spoiled his plans. He also said the owners before him said it was a breeder bird and not fit for a pet. They were cold and dirty. I was angry and sad I wanted to take them all home but I new I would have my hands full with Scarlet. He was underweight and in need of a beak and nail trim. The guy said he fed them seeds and bread and they seemed to like it. I heard enough...I opened the cage and he stepped right up. He danced in his cage the entire 2hr drive home. The vet gave him a clean bill and said his weight will improve with a proper diet. He has come so far in these 6 months. He loves to play and rarely screams. He has a slight plucking problem on his legs but we're both working though it. He still pinches but never stikes or lunges at me. If you can give me advise on how to minimize the pinching issue, I would be forever greatful.

Keets- Neglected, dirty, bad diet.
Still working with these babies but their environment and diet has improved.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Plucking on the legs is almost always Giardia (difficult to test for, and most vets will swear your bird doesn't have Giardi). My recomendation is to go to Avianbiotechs website and order the Giardia test sample collection kit.... they do a much more advanced testing than vets do.... if it comes back positive you can take the resullts into the vet and he will treat (or have you do it) with 10-30cc of metranidazole given orally twice a day for two weeks. I have found that some birds will take it with formula or apple sause or yogurt......

I am glad everyone is enjoying this thread. I love hearing about the work other people have put into their birds!

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

My turn

I could list dozens, but I'll keep it simple and talk about my favorite.... Moe (the bird on the left in my Avatar pic)

Moe was 8 years old when I got him. 6 Previous owners that I know of. He last belonged to a woman with eight kids who teased and tortured Moe to no end (he's missing a Toe and I ran into them at the petstore and one of the kids told me he cut it off to teach Moe who was boss (kid was 14). Anyway I had spent 5 years in the Army and had kept and bred birds (greys and macaws) before I joined (I left all my birds to the lady I had gotten them from). So I was out of the Army and going back to college when I first saw Moe at the petstore. (Bald and completely untame and violent). After watching him sit their for about 7 months I finally decided to ask what they were asking for him.... They told me $400 (which is insane for a rehome umbrella, but I agreed to take him home.

I started by letting him out of the kennel when I got home and holding my breath..... He flew out and to the top of the big cage I'd bought for him. For the first month Moe never got locked into his cage.... I left him on the playtop and just watched him. He warmed up to my sort of aloofness.... I didn't push him to come to me, I just watched him and tried to understand where he was comming from.

He eventually went into the cage and would step up to me.

He was terrified of toys, So I would lay toys on the floor and when he saw them in the hall he would run up and viciously attack them. He didn't trust any objects in human hands and would lunge out and attack if you had something in your hand.

So I spent about 8-12 hours a day for a year working with Moe on his aggression, learning to trust, etc...


I've now had moe for 8 years.... He plays dead, lays like a baby on command, knows his colors, shapes, and how to count, he is free flight trained, and LOVES everyone. He is no longer a plucker, no longer screams, and he's the bird I ran into my burning house (just the outside was on fire at the time) to save.

 

[ann]

well i dont have birds but i just wanted to say how much i love this thread and the stories on it

 

[birdmama61]

My turn

I could list dozens, but I'll keep it simple and talk about my favorite.... Moe (the bird on the left in my Avatar pic)

Moe was 8 years old when I got him. 6 Previous owners that I know of. He last belonged to a woman with eight kids who teased and tortured Moe to no end (he's missing a Toe and I ran into them at the petstore and one of the kids told me he cut it off to teach Moe who was boss (kid was 14). Anyway I had spent 5 years in the Army and had kept and bred birds (greys and macaws) before I joined (I left all my birds to the lady I had gotten them from). So I was out of the Army and going back to college when I first saw Moe at the petstore. (Bald and completely untame and violent). After watching him sit their for about 7 months I finally decided to ask what they were asking for him.... They told me $400 (which is insane for a rehome umbrella, but I agreed to take him home.

I started by letting him out of the kennel when I got home and holding my breath..... He flew out and to the top of the big cage I'd bought for him. For the first month Moe never got locked into his cage.... I left him on the playtop and just watched him. He warmed up to my sort of aloofness.... I didn't push him to come to me, I just watched him and tried to understand where he was comming from.

He eventually went into the cage and would step up to me.

He was terrified of toys, So I would lay toys on the floor and when he saw them in the hall he would run up and viciously attack them. He didn't trust any objects in human hands and would lunge out and attack if you had something in your hand.

So I spent about 8-12 hours a day for a year working with Moe on his aggression, learning to trust, etc...


I've now had moe for 8 years.... He plays dead, lays like a baby on command, knows his colors, shapes, and how to count, he is free flight trained, and LOVES everyone. He is no longer a plucker, no longer screams, and he's the bird I ran into my burning house (just the outside was on fire at the time) to save.

That 14 yr old is a budding serial killer and that mom had better get that heathern some help or he will grow up to abuse people , animals his own siblings what have you . I would be glad to tell her to her face . Honestly Im so glad my kids grew up to love and defend animals and my middle child would hurt someone if he ever saw them abusing an animal and he would gladly go to jail for it and I would gladly bail him out LOL !!! I had a friend who called the police when he saw this guy beating a dog and the police got there an hr later and the dog was dead . My friend told me he would never call the police again he would take care of it himself . I also told him well if you ever need bail money call me .

 

[upcgirl]

This is a great idea, thanks so much


I have a rehomed Senegal.

Max was bought at a swap meet. The lady who bought Max as a baby lost her home and couldn't take Max with her. She was just looking to get rid of Max, and according to the foster I received Max from, this lady didn't seem to know her butt from a hole in the ground. Harsh words, I know sorry.

She gave Max to Heather, the lady from whom I received Max. Heather said that the original girl didn't seem to know what she was doing as far as taking care of him and looking for a quality home. She was just in a hurry to get rid of him. So Heather gave her $200 cash and took Max in. However, Heather had too many pets of her own. She knew she was going to have to have Max rehomed, but she wasn't going to rush out and give Max to the first Joe Schmoe who responded to her Craigslist ad.

Heather had Max for 2-3 months before I came along and bought Max. Heather had Max started on pellets and a decent diet. She was giving him a good variety of pelleted foods and bistro, which is what I continue to feed him, in addition to his veggies and fruit.

Max has a bad foot. The story is that his birdie parents sat on his leg shortly after he was hatched and so he cannot fully close his one foot. It doesn't slow him down with climbing, but it does hinder his landing ability a little. He isn't always graceful. Because the injured foot is his dominant foot, he doesn't hold his food in his foot as much. He also doesn't step up. He'll fly to me.

He doesn't really have any behavior issues. He is a bit beaky. I am not sure how old he is, maybe a year or so, his eyes are beginning to change a little. They're not gray, they're more whitish/light yellow.

If Max is on my shoulder, he tries to bite my ear or my glasses. He tries to bite my boyfriend's ear as well when he is on his shoulder. He recently got my nose, which hurt! But I think it shocked him as much as it shocked me LOL

Aside from not stepping up, and the beakiness, I haven't had any issues with him. We go to the vet to visit with Dr. B tomorrow I wanted to get in earlier, but with my work schedule and the office schedule, I haven't been able to get in till now. The closest Aviary Vet is 100 miles away (one way). I can't wait to see what Dr. B says about Max--she has a Sennie too!

 

[Remy]

ShreddedOakAviary - I can't believe that kid cut off his toe!! Poor baby!! The mom (and the kid who did it) should have done time for that kind of abuse!

 

[Printer bird]

I have Charlie, a GCC, who is maybe 1 1/2 years old? I purchased him off of a gentleman who kept him in a crappy "cockatiel" starter kit cage (I don't think I'd put a cockatiel in it either) that looked as if it had never been cleaned (had mold in it and covered in droppings - rainbow because he was on crappy pellets) and one sad toy. He was OK when we got him but became severely ill several weeks after we adopted him, likely because of something that built up in his bad environment. After many medications and a two day overnight stay at the vet, he came around. We worked on his discipline (stepping up on command) as he had just done what he pleased. He was relatively easy to train as he is highly motivated by bits of almonds. He now steps up MOST of the time, turns around, flips (around a finger), says hello and does a trick we call "yoga" on demand (stands on one foot, grabs his tail). He's really fun and we love having him around. He has a pretty good vocabulary for a GCC and talks quite a bit. His diet now has veggies (took about three months), better pellets and his cage is clean. He has lots of toys that he plays with fiercely.

His remaining issue is that he is a feather chewer. We've been to the vet several times about this, we think it started as a hormonal/diet issue. Now I'm not so sure, it could just be a habit now (a bit better in recent weeks), a nervous issue (he is quite attached to us - the vet thinks maybe he is anxious when we aren't around) that he just needs to come around to in time. I also just read above about the connection between feather plucking and giardia. I don't know if he's been tested for that although he's had a lot of tests. Perhaps I will look into that, his feather chewing is legs, tummy, "shoulders" of wings, under the wing and his back (almost everywhere he can reach). Feathers are chewed, not plucked, don't know if that makes a difference. I will start a giardia thread and see if other people have experience with this.

Great stories to hear, nice to know that other people have been through issues and that the birds come around. We love Charlie, he's quite the charmer and are super happy to have adopted him.

 

[Rio Mom]

I'm loving reading all these stories!

 

[kobe629]

My turn

I could list dozens, but I'll keep it simple and talk about my favorite.... Moe (the bird on the left in my Avatar pic)

Moe was 8 years old when I got him. 6 Previous owners that I know of. He last belonged to a woman with eight kids who teased and tortured Moe to no end (he's missing a Toe and I ran into them at the petstore and one of the kids told me he cut it off to teach Moe who was boss (kid was 14). Anyway I had spent 5 years in the Army and had kept and bred birds (greys and macaws) before I joined (I left all my birds to the lady I had gotten them from). So I was out of the Army and going back to college when I first saw Moe at the petstore. (Bald and completely untame and violent). After watching him sit their for about 7 months I finally decided to ask what they were asking for him.... They told me $400 (which is insane for a rehome umbrella, but I agreed to take him home.

I started by letting him out of the kennel when I got home and holding my breath..... He flew out and to the top of the big cage I'd bought for him. For the first month Moe never got locked into his cage.... I left him on the playtop and just watched him. He warmed up to my sort of aloofness.... I didn't push him to come to me, I just watched him and tried to understand where he was comming from.

He eventually went into the cage and would step up to me.

He was terrified of toys, So I would lay toys on the floor and when he saw them in the hall he would run up and viciously attack them. He didn't trust any objects in human hands and would lunge out and attack if you had something in your hand.

So I spent about 8-12 hours a day for a year working with Moe on his aggression, learning to trust, etc...


I've now had moe for 8 years.... He plays dead, lays like a baby on command, knows his colors, shapes, and how to count, he is free flight trained, and LOVES everyone. He is no longer a plucker, no longer screams, and he's the bird I ran into my burning house (just the outside was on fire at the time) to save.

Wow this is such a nice story I'm glad you were able to have the patients and knowledge to change this bird around..This is such a nice topic considering I have a rehomed bird..

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I have Charlie, a GCC, who is maybe 1 1/2 years old? I purchased him off of a gentleman who kept him in a crappy "cockatiel" starter kit cage (I don't think I'd put a cockatiel in it either) that looked as if it had never been cleaned (had mold in it and covered in droppings - rainbow because he was on crappy pellets) and one sad toy. He was OK when we got him but became severely ill several weeks after we adopted him, likely because of something that built up in his bad environment. After many medications and a two day overnight stay at the vet, he came around. We worked on his discipline (stepping up on command) as he had just done what he pleased. He was relatively easy to train as he is highly motivated by bits of almonds. He now steps up MOST of the time, turns around, flips (around a finger), says hello and does a trick we call "yoga" on demand (stands on one foot, grabs his tail). He's really fun and we love having him around. He has a pretty good vocabulary for a GCC and talks quite a bit. His diet now has veggies (took about three months), better pellets and his cage is clean. He has lots of toys that he plays with fiercely.

His remaining issue is that he is a feather chewer. We've been to the vet several times about this, we think it started as a hormonal/diet issue. Now I'm not so sure, it could just be a habit now (a bit better in recent weeks), a nervous issue (he is quite attached to us - the vet thinks maybe he is anxious when we aren't around) that he just needs to come around to in time. I also just read above about the connection between feather plucking and giardia. I don't know if he's been tested for that although he's had a lot of tests. Perhaps I will look into that, his feather chewing is legs, tummy, "shoulders" of wings, under the wing and his back (almost everywhere he can reach). Feathers are chewed, not plucked, don't know if that makes a difference. I will start a giardia thread and see if other people have experience with this.

Great stories to hear, nice to know that other people have been through issues and that the birds come around. We love Charlie, he's quite the charmer and are super happy to have adopted him.

I had an eclectus who did the same things.... had the vet check external parasites, ran tests (including Giardia).... treated for Giardia anyway, still not any better..... until 3 months ago when I was talking to someone about how to choose a dog food (and during my dog food speach the answer hit me...) I went home and checked my pellet ingredients... took him off pellet completely and took corn out of his fresh diet.... it stopped conpletely (took a little while but he grew in his feathers.... He's allergic to corn Ask your vet about a possible food allergy.

Now back to our good set of stories.... I'm really enjoying them all!

 

[Molcan2]

What do I have?

I am proudly owned by my recently acquired Moluccan Cockatoo. Her name is Romeo (she won't let me change the name so I've rightfully added Princess to the end of it) she is 16 yrs old and I am her 3rd home. Her first home she was at for 2yrs - an elderly gentleman bought her, he passed shortly after acquiring her. The wife fed Romeo but never allowed her to come out of her cage and would spray her with water if she made noise. She wasn't just kept in the cage but it hadn't been cleaned in two years. The woman finally got tired of dealing with her and took her to the pet store for consignment. Her next home had her for 14yrs, a very loving home but unfortunately due to health problems they decided to re-home her. I by chance met them :21: (really was a chance meeting as I wasn't even looking to get a bird until after I finish school in a yr) and couldn't turn down their offer. They gave Romeo to me, both her cages, two play stands, numerous toys and some food the day after I met them for the first time (I must have made quite the impression). We have kept open contact with her previous owners who loved her very much.

What were some problems it came with?

Well for starters its an M2, their born that way. On a serious note though, she was over spoiled and when her previous owners were in and out of the hospital she started shredding. She also was given a diet mixed with seed and pellets. Shes in good weight but is malnourished. She also didn't spend a lot of time outside or under proper lighting. She is still in the mindset of being spoiled and wanting way too much. When she feels like it she throws full out tantrums. Apparently yesterday while I was at work she wasn't happy with Tommy, not only refused to eat dinner and proceeded to scream a lot but also scooped all of her food out of the dish onto the living room floor and as he was picking up pellets that scattered in every place known to man, she took her water dish - that was full - and tossed it onto the floor as well :11:. This is how she has rightfully earned Princess to her name. Poor Tommy (he is not a bird person and bless his heart he is trying to adjust to living with a temperamental Too).

How did you deal with that problem?

I've had her for a few months and it is still a work in progress (have seen some improvement but it is a slow progress). I think her previous home over spoiled her because of her original home, so now I'm trying to undo some of that. I've come to terms with her shredding and have excepted that it may be a life long problem. The malnourishment - the vet put her on a strict diet of pellets, with veggies and fruit as treats only until the problem is corrected. Also she spends most of her day outside for natural sunlight.

Other than that she has been an awesome bird. My next pick was going to be a Macaw or a Grey but there was something about her that just clicked. I had never anticipated getting a Cockatoo again, as I knew what it takes to take care of them. But here I am, with my M2 that fate picked for me and I couldn't be happier. Aside from her issues, she has been lovely. She came to me potty trained, she is an exceptional talker for a Too, she knows no stranger, has never showed any signs of aggression, and has been so loving.

 

[MikeyTN]

All of my birds are re-home birds except the Canaries. 4 Cockatiels, no specific issue except one mean biter that tolerates me now after some training awhile back. They all came from homes that were allergic to them or no longer wants them around. 3 Parakeets, 2 rescued from outside during winter, they were starving to death and cold. After a week worth of rest and eating lots of food, they recovered and started singing again, one parakeet came from a lady that couldn't keep them anymore because of her job situation. Dixie my Cockatoo was placed in a basement where there's no windows and poor diet, she was a plucker! I changed her diet after getting her, give her some fruits and veggies, she's very very picky!!!! She re-grew back most of her feathers, she has some trust issues with her feet because her first owner used to just grab her up from her feet, I find that out from the last owner. So I trained her to go onto a perch so it's easier to get her in and out of her cage. She's a super sweetheart now! Willie came from a older couple that couldn't take care of him anymore because of job situations as well plus I think the husband just plan don't want him around anymore. The lady loves him dearly as she handfed him herself. I was the only person whom he step up to other then the couple. They were in shock when he came right to me within 5 min being in the house. She begs me to take him since he took onto me so well. So I brought him home, old rusty cage that was falling apart so I bought him a new big cage and changed his diet. I try to train him to accept other people, so far it's not working....lol....

JoJo & Gracie, my pair of Solomon Island Eclectus. They were on poor diet and Gracie have plucking issue and JoJo have damaged beak, over grown beak, and untrusting of humans. I work with JoJo on a daily basis, several times a day to teach him that he can trust me, I got him to step up good for me in one week and now he begs to come out of his cage and give me kisses. We changed their diet to mainly fruits and veggies and we cook for them as well. Still working on Gracie's plucking issue as JoJo grown out his damaged beak and is looking very handsome. They needed bathing bad when I brought them home as they stunk big time, probably never been bathed at their last home. I guess the guy didn't know any better but he do care for them, that much I know.