Macaw Stories

[plax]

Uhhh, as for potentially being selected as a juror, you could always happen to be biased or prejudice one way or the other and allow this 'fact' to emerge during their screening question process . They would reject you then

LOL, my breeder friend was summoned for a murder trial, when they started asking her questions she said "The SOB is guilty, just look at the facts"

Um, she was dismissed

Yep. That's all it takes

 

[WharfRat]

He has a HUGE beak.

LMAO!!!

I don't recall seeing a GW that didn't!!

I can imagine you are chompin' at the bit to get him ASAP

 

[JerseyWendy]

That is just AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!!

Plax, I foresee a ton of questions in the near future LOL

and yea..........PICS?????????

How much bigger that your B&G??

You guys and gals are all THE BEST...AWESOME!!!!

You bet there will be questions....LOADS of them. I know I'm crazy for just opening the cage and asking him to step up, especially because he lunged first, but then stepped up.

My Oscar is perfect (the dog appointment). He and I are currently utterly exhausted cause he had his nails clipped, and it took 4 of us to lay on him and the vet clipped. 105 pounds of pure muscle.

Tomorrow - the jury duty thing, has me worried. You know what I'll do IF I'm even called? :54: I will suddenly have a VERY heavy German accent and not understand much. Remember, I'm born and raised in Germany, German is my mother's tongue. If that doesn't do the trick, I'll develop a severe case of the stomach flu. :54::54: I feel terrible about it...but I am in NO state of mind to sit through a trial this very moment.

First my Mike left last week to go back to Georgia (Army) and yesterday my Mark left to go back to PennState. I've got a major case of empty-nest syndrome.

Ripley WILL come home this week - one way or another.

 

[JerseyWendy]

That is awesome Wendy! I can't wait for some pics. Where is this pet store, I may need to take a road trip and check out the other ones. I'm only in pa.

The store is Bird Paradise in Burlington, NJ. ...and THANK YOU!!!!

 

[JerseyWendy]

He has a HUGE beak.

LMAO!!!

I don't recall seeing a GW that didn't!!

I can imagine you are chompin' at the bit to get him ASAP

Ok....a "bit" of good news.
I was able to check the court's website, and my # is NOT needed tomorrow, BUT I will have to check the website again tomorrow in the PM to see if I'll be needed on Wednesday.

Hmm...what will I do with a day off???? :54:

 

[plax]

So this is pretty good ... it's a Macaw initial meeting/acquisition story being posted to this thread in real time

 

[Turquoise]

Ohhh Wendy!!!!! I am soooo thrilled for you!!!!!

Isn't it awesome that we were both expecting to wait til late this year to get our GWs & now we both have found our darlings! I know that you were very good luck for me in finding a breeder close & in finding my special girl.

You will be super at getting Ripley to fall fast in-love with you. He already wants to hang out with you & that is a perfect start. And Ripley is the perfect name. Can't wait to see your BIG baby.

Hope all goes well with your jury duty...or lack there of. My hubby & I NEVER have to worry about having to be on a jury. We have the perfect legal alibi...Once we tell them we are Correctional Officers they can't wait to send us on our way! :32:

 

[Turquoise]

I guess it is time to tell Sunny's story, "The Best Christmas Present Ever." We sure didn't know it at the time though. We had a beloved little Quaker Lulu who was really my husbands bird, and I had told him I would like an African Grey. He would always tell me two birds were too many to travel with which I thought was true. We travel with a trailer for about four months each year with our business. Space is obviously limited. A grey was as big a bird as I would consider. Certainly, I did NOT want a macaw. It was about a week before Christmas, 2010 and we had agreed not to buy each other Christmas gifts except little things and wait until afterwards to maybe get something for the house. That evening as we sat watching TV, I turned my computer on and opened Craigslist just to browse. At that very same time a family made the decision to part with their bird in hopes of getting her a better home. I had never heard of or seen a Catalina macaw and there she was! Included was her 3 by 4 by 6 1/2 ' cage, three stands, and assorted stuff, all for a rehoming fee of $350. Had she had a macaw price, reality would have bit, and I would have gone on browsing, knowing a macaw would never fit our lifestyle. As it was, taking complete leave of my sanity, I asked my husband if we could rethink this Christmas thing. "What do you want?" he mumbled not really paying attention. I turned the screen of my laptop toward him. He sat up stared and said "can you get it?" Within a couple of minutes, the deal was made and the ad was removed. Three days later we were off to town with the pickup to bring Sunny and a full pickup load of her stuff home. I should have noticed that it took carefull loading to get all that to fit in the back of of that big dually truck, but I was too interested in the bird. We took a wire dog crate for Sunny to ride in the backseat. Sunny was polite when we met her, but coming home she was sure she was kidnapped and turned into a growling, screaming, monster trying frantically to bite through the wires of the crate. I turned and tried to talk soothingly to her. At the top of her lungs she screamed "SHUT UP!" First words she ever said to me. We went through several weeks of a very angry, heartbroken and frightened bird, that did at times make me wonder what I had done, but we all worked it out and now have the companion of a lifetime. I know some of you have read Sunny's stories already. She loves to travel and entertain people at the shows, has her own Facebook page where her funny sayings get recorded, and has fans around the country who come to see her and take her picture. She rides between us in the truck, has her own nighttime cage in the trailer, has been canoeing with us, to garage sales, Home Depot, First Monday, Petsmart, and anywhere else she is allowed in. She has a vocabulary of around two hundred words and phrases which she uses very appropriately. We were her fourth home in her first two and a half years. She spent the last year before we got her living in a back yard next to a school bus stop and we think she got her big vocabulary talking to the kids. This one was meant to be! Me? I'm still looking for that old African Grey in need of one last home, who would enjoy the company of a very adorable Catalina. Lulu is gone now, RIP, and much missed. Last fall a professional photographer came by our booth and was so taken with Sunny she sent me this picture. This is the work of Laurie Haughton of Epona Portraits. And as Sunny would say to all the above "dats a fact".

That is an awesome story! I loved the part where you say Sunny thought she was being kidnapped & then told you to "Shut Up". And that professional photo you have is just gorgeous! I love the double picture ones like that. Thanks for sharing this truly 'meant to be' story.

 

[HumanWings]

I am very much enjoying this thread!! I'm only through the first page so far.

 

[HumanWings]

Great stories, Everyone!

I have been doing rescue work for years, so several of mine are re-homes. Scarlett (a Scarlett) was given up because they were moving. Spencer (a GW) was given up because they had lost interest. Shasta (a Catalina) came to me when another rescuer died.

I also suffered the unexpected death of my rescue blue and gold, Murphy, not too long ago, and then very quickly after wards had a huge disappointment over another one I was actually driving on my way to pick up a re-homed one when the owner backed out after lots of planning and logistics, and excitement on my part. Those two things in quick succession kind of put me in a state where I ended up buying my current B&G, Merlin, and his buddy Delaney, a Camelot.

I am on the verge of taking the plunge on an amazing Hyacinth rehome whose owner recently died....but I'm still working out the details on that one. Fingers crossed that I can pull it off!

Then that will be all for me!!

I sure hope you get your Hy please keep us updated as I will be checking back for news.

 

[HumanWings]

Thanks Wendy & Alwese. Clifford does look adorable getting his head scritched. Isn't it awesome how they really get into the scritches something on the lines of euphoria. My two boys love to preen me or should I say my clothes. Neither is too fond of my long hair tickling them & Roscoe will shake his head & scratch if he gets any around his beak. I wear a special jacket now that it is cold that has a broken plastic zipper just so they can 'pick' my pin feathers off. At least that is how I view their enjoyment of picking at the zipper part. If I ever stop long enough to do some thinking, I want to take an old shirt & fasten little ropes with wooden toy bits hanging from it & old buttons for the 'kids' to pick at when they want to preen me.

Here is my latest two photos of Ruby Jewel the breeder Kitty sent me yesterday. She says Ruby Jewel is a real cuddle bug. She is growing in a hurry & is is super cute!

What an awesome idea!! Do you think your birds feel closer to you because of the way you've allowed them to preen you??

 

[HumanWings]

uhhh, as for potentially being selected as a juror, you could always happen to be biased or prejudice one way or the other and allow this 'fact' to emerge during their screening question process . They would reject you then

lol, my breeder friend was summoned for a murder trial, when they started asking her questions she said "the sob is guilty, just look at the facts"

um, she was dismissed :d

roflmao!!!!

 

[Turquoise]

Thanks Wendy & Alwese. Clifford does look adorable getting his head scritched. Isn't it awesome how they really get into the scritches something on the lines of euphoria. My two boys love to preen me or should I say my clothes. Neither is too fond of my long hair tickling them & Roscoe will shake his head & scratch if he gets any around his beak. I wear a special jacket now that it is cold that has a broken plastic zipper just so they can 'pick' my pin feathers off. At least that is how I view their enjoyment of picking at the zipper part. If I ever stop long enough to do some thinking, I want to take an old shirt & fasten little ropes with wooden toy bits hanging from it & old buttons for the 'kids' to pick at when they want to preen me.

Here is my latest two photos of Ruby Jewel the breeder Kitty sent me yesterday. She says Ruby Jewel is a real cuddle bug. She is growing in a hurry & is is super cute!

What an awesome idea!! Do you think your birds feel closer to you because of the way you've allowed them to preen you??

I really think they do. Angel, my boy who can't stand on my arm due to his leg disabilities has loved to preen me since he came. He doesn't like being picked up as I have to cup his wings to do so. He much prefers to hang on the door of his side of the aviary as I come in & climb close to me so he can chew on my clothes. That is how I bonded with him & got him to accept me scratching his neck & back.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I know I've said it before, but I just have to say it again: Turquoise, you are one VERY VERY special parront.

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't see you as the person who treats Angel any differently because of his little handicap, you simply make things "easier" for him.

Awesome! Just awesome!!!!! :10:

 

[Turquoise]

I know I've said it before, but I just have to say it again: Turquoise, you are one VERY VERY special parront.

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't see you as the person who treats Angel any differently because of his little handicap, you simply make things "easier" for him.

Awesome! Just awesome!!!!! :10:

Thank you Wendy. It is so easy to love Angel, if you ever met him in fiddie 'person' you wouldn't really know he had a disability.

I feel you are a special parront. I admire you greatly. The way you have made so much progress with Ripley so soon, only a truly awesome/loving person could accomplish that in such a short time.