Meet Alex! Foster CAG from AHW

[jenphilly]

Alex is our new / latest 'foster' from A Helping Wing! We do not use foster homes in the typical sense. Only birds that are not doing well in a rescue setting or need some quiet one on one to work on issues come to stay for a bit.

Alex has been in two homes and latest home knew our shelter and after coming home from a trip realized the two birds her and her mother had were not being properly cared for and no one had interacted with them in a long time, so doing what was best for the birds she called us.

Alex was not always so afraid, nervous and about 3 years or so ago was fully feathered, so he was definitely stressed. He went thru vetting, disease testing and quarantine and did not make a peep. He sat in a back corner of his cage and just seemed so scared and terrified. So when quarantine was up and all testing was clean, Jeanne asked if I was ready for another emotional needs case. Looking at Alex, your heart just broke, nothing aggressive just sad and scared.

He came home one evening about 2 weeks ago and almost immediately was like I had the wrong bird. He instantly was at the front of the cage, took a cookie (grey talk for almond in shell). NeXT morning he was sitting on an empty food bowl after he tossed what he didn't want to eat and didn't move away like at the shelter. I opened the door and did see his panic, naked chest you can see his shake when nervous. But I filled the bowl, talked to him and he stepped forward and made the first sounds we had heard.

Next morning same thing but he pressed his face to the bars so his beak was in reach. Figured either I was gonna get a nip or take a trust step. He let me rub his beak and didn't retreat when I opened the door. He was hesitant with NY hand in the cage, so I offered a towel over my hand and he hopped up and spent time on the Java stand in the window tho he did not seem to know what a stand was (since it was confirmed he did not have playstands in his previous life). But being out, I stopped by and chatted with him many times and the quiet doesn't make a peep Grey went away and Alex decided to show off what he knew... which apparently includes the ring tone from an old Nokia phone!!

He now asks for head scratches thru the cage bars, he feels safer with bars but he loves coming out and is becoming a typically grey, he is enjoying the playtop on top his cage but not climbs down the side and hangs bu one foot and tries to get the nutriberries container on the stand next to the cage. And runs back up the cage when I ask Alex what are you doing? He started calling hello to get attention and tonight was a huge moment. He stepped up to my husband with no towel. You could see he was nervous, wings were flapping but I was talking to him and showed him the cookie I had and soon as he stepped up I handed it to him and we made a fuss.

I need to get video of one thing he does.... he offers his beak for the rub and bows his head for a very quick scratch, then offers his beak again, but what I'm not sure about is what looks like him stretching up to try to give a kiss.. least that's what I think.... but he's made such amazing progress just being in a home setting, so proud of the little guy.

And anyone who knows me, I'm not a grey person, its a standing joke, I've never met a grey that won't bite me. I have a higher energy, alpha type personality, so long accepted greys are not my birds (I'm the conure queen at the shelter) but Alex is my second Grey foster baby.

Anyway, babbling!! Just wanted to share our foster boy.... and working on misting, he desparately needs a bath, we have the fine mist sprayer and slowly introducing that it won't eat him!!

Video and pics! Look forward to sharing updates and seeing what the grey lovers here suggest as I share more videos of his progress! !

 

[CherylCali]

He's so beautiful, and I'm truly thankful he's not in a fearful situation any more. Poor baby, what some birds go through makes me deeply saddened. I always wonder the things they're thinking, and the pain that they carry. Thank you for fostering him and giving him love.

CherylCali

 

[LeaKP]

Thank you so much for fostering Alex! Who knows if you might turn into a grey person? I have a sneaky suspicion Alex will recover well...here's hoping for the best for everyone and that the right forever home is found for Alex!

 

[DRB]

I love pics of them sleeping.

 

[Nicole07]

He is beautiful! I'm so glad you decided to foster him even with your aversion to greys. He sounds already much more comfortable and confident. Its great that he can be coaxed to step up too. It opens so many doors for you.

I have a rehome myself who came with many of the same behaviors. He plucked terribly, was on seeds, hadnt been out of his cage in a decade. He bit. He now talks up a storm, runs to me for love, eats healthy, and for the most part has stopped plucking. He has a penny sized plucked area left on his neck, compared to an entirely bald neck.

With more time Alex will continue to blossom. I just wonder how he'll do switching homes again when he's adopted.

 

[Scott]

What a great save, Jen! Perhaps Alex will return the favor and morph you into bona fide Grey person!

 

[jenphilly]

Thank you so much for fostering Alex! Who knows if you might turn into a grey person? I have a sneaky suspicion Alex will recover well...here's hoping for the best for everyone and that the right forever home is found for Alex!

Alex is not the first Grey I've worked with. I had an awesome TAG that had some serious social issues and he spent months with us to teach him to at least socially interact with people verbally. He was never a bird that accepted being touched, but we had a wonderful shelter friend that had adopted a very hands on Severe that she adores, and just had the instinct that she was the perfect person to accept Merlin for who and what he was, and love him for whoever he did or did not blossom into. And its been wonderful match, everyone is very happy and while Merlin still is not hands on, he is super interactive in every other way and exceptionally vocal. Sometimes is just loving them for who they are and not who we want them to be!! And we had another Grey in the home, Bree, that my daughter worked with, but he was the Grey that had gotten the memo that he was supposed to bite me

With more time Alex will continue to blossom. I just wonder how he'll do switching homes again when he's adopted.

Working with rescue birds there are thing we are careful about and things we don't do with rescues such as truly emotionally imprinting on a bird. I have fostered dozens of birds that needed some help to become more social and I've never had a foster failure!! We still allow the bird to pick their person, and maybe I give them too much credit, but the birds still seem to realize we are helping them on their way to where they are meant to be But, with fosters, I do not interact with the physical affection I do with my personal birds. My Max snuggles up under my chin at night and I have to rock him and we usually sing or hum together before he goes to bed. That type of bonded behavior we don't do with fosters. We show them love with head scratches, lots of talking and interactions, but do our best not to imprint to the degree that the bird will be stressed leaving.

What a great save, Jen! Perhaps Alex will return the favor and morph you into bona fide Grey person!

I snicker at that comment... mentioned above I've fostered another Grey, that I really adored having in the home, he was not hands on, but he was so interactive. And he was funny as all heck. He learned every noise and sound that you respond to. Our front door had a bit of a squeak or noise when it was opened. One day I'm home alone and I hear the front door open, and I'm thinking my husband popped in from work if he was in our area (is a cable tech). But no one was there. Figured I just heard the sound, then it happened again, I walk back into the living and for a moment had that 'oh crap someone was in the house'... as I am looking in the powder room, I hear it again and realize its comin from Merlin's cage. Swear he was sitting there laughing at me. But, anyway, just babble story

There have been other fosters that I had trouble parting with and had gotten really attached to. But, I always have to remind myself that any foster I keep means I don't have that space available to help the next bird that needs the little extra attention like Alex. Its a part of rescue that can be quite difficult, and its part of what many potential adopters don't understand when they think just handing us a check we will hand over a bird. We catch heck sometimes about being tough on adopters, but sending a bird into home with hazards or dangers or to someone who doesn't believe in healthy diets or routine vet screenings, its like letting your kid go out to play on a busy street and hope for the best. There ya go, more babble!!