My bourke parakeet is currently the longest bird I've had in my flock that is a rehome. She was 5-7 years old when I got her in 2002. She's not tame and I've never tried taming her. I just enjoy her as she's quiet, sounds amazing when flying and she's pretty.
Some people think she looks like a miniature falcon, but falcons don't have pink, blue and yellow on them... I do miss the sound of a male bourke though!
I've had Pistachio since 2005, and I only know that his previous owners have had him since 1998, and he was already an adult then. I haven't tried taming him either. His previous owners bred him and he is by nature a very nervous and flighty bird. At one time though, he did overcome his fears and would fly to my hand in the mornings for food. I'm sure he was stressed when he first got here, considering his owners showed up at my doorstep with him and his family in a cardboard box and their cage in the back... they and the cage smelling horribly of cigarettes, the cage so bad it had changed colors. He now hisses at me in the mornings because I can't automatically refill the food dishes without touching them!
I've had Tomi Girl since 2006, no clue on age, and she came from a horrible place. The people found her in their yard. Their house was over-run with cats and kittens (free access to outside!), many with sinus infections. Everyone in the house chain smokers, some with nicotine stains on their hands so bad that they wont wash off. Smoke filled the home and you could see it move in the air. The kids also did drugs. She was kept to a tiny cage fed only seed, and eventually covered 24/7 because she was "too noisy". Eventually, they "forgot" to feed her and she was nearly 50% underweight when I discovered she wasn't getting enough food. She was also a chronic egg layer. When I took her in, my main goal was to just get weight on her and increase her calcium. I handled her *a lot*. I weighed her *a lot*. I encouraged her to fly daily to regain her strength and it was so hard to see her so weak that she flew slowly and couldn't land without fumbling. Once she regained health, she ended up fitting into the flock quite well! And she learned what millet and healthy food is!
She is a quirky bird though, she's not crazy about being handled nor does she seem to care about the other birds except that she considered the tiels as part of her flock. She pretty much keeps to herself, but is one of the easier birds to handle.
I've also had Charlie since 2006 and he was 12 years old when I got him. He already ate well, was already tame, he just needed a home! He doesn't get along with any of my other birds so I have to be careful with him and other birds. He was really clingy when he first came home, and he is still clingy! Interestingly enough, he's not a shoulder bird. He will sit on my shoulder, but he often prefers being on my hands or arms.
I've had Faye since 2007. I was supposed to get her much sooner, but the people who had her decided to keep her for longer. She is the only bird I didn't have to switch to eating a healthier diet... she took to it as if she had always ate it. She has had 3 homes prior to mine and probably ate only seeds in all 3! Her last home even fed her wild bird seed. She's a sweet natured bird, but never tried taming her, either. When I had the flock cage-free, she came to demand being hand fed in the morning. She was happy to be around other cockatiels again, after her mate had died in her last place. Before Pistachio's mate died, she was crazy about him! Kept following him around like a love sick puppy! He didn't like her back then, but after he lost his mate, he turned to her and it was a little awkward at first... but they are now 'together'.
Jayde is my newest addition, as of nearly 5 months ago. She is my third conure, and youngest conure at at 3 years, going on 4. When I got her, I couldn't handle her. She was scared and terrified. However, I expected that. Her foster mother couldn't handle her, so I knew she'd be work. It was a few weeks before she started climbing on my shoulder to be with me. She was very nervous being away from her cage. Any time she showed being nervous, I would take her back. I allowed her to decide what she was comfortable with. It was 3 1/2 months before she was comfortable enough to step up on my hands and arms. Four months she started dashing down my front for food as if I was starving her! (she has a love of food!). Four and a half months, she's starting to get comfortable enough to wander away from me without having to be on her cage. She also has her wings now, and is getting comfortable enough to fly to me from her cage as well as from other locations. Biting is far less frequent and less hard. Still need to work on her *not* biting other people, since she's a very social bird! Still a work in progress!
I've actually never purchased a hand raised parrot from a breeder or a store. All of my birds have come from stores (not hand raised), other people (hand raised and parent raised), and I did get two budgies from a breeder but they were not hand raised. I've had Casey the longest, and she's 12 years old. I've had her since she was 5 months old but she was a gift to me. She's also hand raised. I'd honestly love to get a hand raised conure! Likewise, I'm also extremely interested in a "wild caught" conure! (feral flock - some of the birds end up within captivity due to illness/infections and injuries and can't be returned to the flock)
So I really have no issue taking in adult birds in need of homes, regardless of being tame or not! And I'm also of the opinion that not all birds *need* to be tame in order to be happy! If I can provide them a good home where they are content, that's fine by me! If they want interaction with me, then I'll provide it! If not, that's ok, too!
