Meet Buddy!

[BeatriceC]

As I mentioned in a previous thread, I have offered to long term foster a red loved amazon for a young lady who has found herself unable to care for him for a little while. She's had to move back in with her parents while she recovers from an accident, and her parents do not like her bird. Initially she thought she was going to have to give him up, but when I saw the two of them together there was no way I was going to let the two of them get permanently separated without a fight. So I offered a foster care arrangement. Buddy is going to live with me for a little while while his human recovers and gets back on her feet and gets back into her own place. I will take care of all his expenses and she will save the money she would have spent on him so she will be able to build up her first/last/security deposit/moving funds faster. She will be able to come visit him on a regular basis, and can FaceTime with him regularly as well. He arrived this morning, and is currently in quarantine in my dining room. He will have a check up with my vet tomorrow, and then hopefully settle in over the next few days/weeks. So far, he's really just hanging out in the corner, and vocalizing occasionally, but it's been a pretty confusing day for him, so I'm just doing the "present but non-threatening" thing with him.

So, with permission of his human to post pictures, here he is:

 

[GaleriaGila]

My hero!
I love that you're helping out.
What a stunning bird! Beautiful face...

 

[WakaWaka]

Thank you for "Stepping Up"..... LOL pun intended
Seriously, it is very nice of you to foster Buddy till your friend can get back on her feet. We are very glad she did not have to part with him.
We wish her the best of luck on her recovery and a happy fostering time with you, Buddy and the rest of your flock.

Thanks
Kelly, Karl, and Arika

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Beatrice, it is people like you that make this forum what it is..THANK YOU for helping your friend in her time of need! And always give us updates on Buddy..what a handsome RLA he is




Jim

 

[BeatriceC]

Buddy is another seed addict. His human is one of those owners who got a parrot not quite intending to get a parrot (a housemate got a parrot and the parrot chose her instead), and the bird had been through many homes already, and was on a poor diet. Well, she didn't know any better at first, and was learning as she went along, and by the time she knew better, he proved difficult to convert. She told me I was welcome to continue to work with him to convert him to a better diet. So I offered him birdie bread this morning.

OMG FOOD! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE! That was his basic response. I swear this stuff is a miracle worker. It's been the first step in converting several hard core seed addicts in this house (Goofy was terrible. Oscar wasn't as bad, but was still a seed addict, and now Buddy). I wish I could have gotten a decent picture, but he was so cute with birdie bread crumbs hanging off his beak as he was diving back into the bowl again and again for more. I think he's going to do just fine here.

 

[itzjbean]

Thank youuuuu for taking in this parrot in need!!

 

[Inger]

What a wonderful human you are. It must be such a relief to your friend to know that Buddy is being well taken care of and that she hasn’t lost him forever. And isn’t he a handsome fellow!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[texsize]

He/She is lovely.

 

[SailBoat]

You Be the One!

And, with Face Time! Buddy is going to love that!!!

Birdie Bread what would we do with out it!

 

[BeatriceC]

He's been called a he for as long as his human as had him, but who knows if that's ever been verified. She's never had it verified. Curiosity may get the better of me and I may pay for a DNA test. We shall see.

He's definitely very standoffish with me today. He doesn't want to come out of his cage at all. Where he would step up on my hand quite happily when I was at his human's house, he wants nothing to do with me at my house. This is not entirely unexpected. However, I do have to somehow get him into a travel cage to go to the vet in about 20 minutes. And I can't rely on the bird whisperer, since he's terrified of men. He's also terrified of sticks. This should be fun. The vet taught me a trick with Goofy way back when, so I might have to see if I remember how to do it. Wish me luck.

 

[SailBoat]

A cage with that full height door comes in handy at times like this! Worst comes to worst, dis-assemble (remove) one side panel of the cage (assuming the legs are front and back panels). Had to do that more than once over the years.

 

[BeatriceC]

I put new birds in the dining room for several reasons. One of those reasons is that in a 1960's open floor plan house, it's the only non-bedroom, non-bathroom I can completely close off, so in a worst case scenario, I can corner a bird and towel him/her. I've never had to resort to that, not even with Charlotte, who was so nasty we had to use protective gear even to get close enough to feed her at first, but it's nice to have the option if it comes to it. The vet taught me a trick with a towel in the palm of my hand that's not quite toweling, but does get them to come out, gives you a little bit of control, and a little bite protection, without the trauma of a full toweling. I'm going to try that first.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Wish you luck with Buddy and hope medically he is in fine shape ( looks good to me!) Any idea of his age?

With having Amy since "she" was a pup,now almost 30, I had my suspicions about her gender. The attitude,general appearance and never laying an egg,so I had her DNA'd a few years back..ya well..Amy is AMOS lol..but "she" has always been called Amy and I will continue for the rest of our lives.
Trying real hard to refer to her as a him,but it ain't been working out too well

All of us "Amazon Snobs" ( to quote our resident 'zon guru) are food addicts...period. I bet Buddy has been thinking he has died and gone to birdie heaven lol.



Jim

 

[BeatriceC]

Vet check up went relatively well. He confirmed the guess on age to be around 30, to maybe 40. Also, he is probably a she, based on a variety of factors like how far up the head the red goes and the shape of the head. Of course that's not definite, but my vet had been an avian vet for over 30 years and is one of the best in the US, so if he feels he is most likely a she, then I'm gonna start using female pronouns. She is a tad bit chunky at 425g and may have some early liver issues on account of an all seed diet for so long, but I'm sure I will get her converted to fresh/low fat/liver friendly foods and we will reassess. Overall, however, she's in pretty darn good shape, and I'm considering all of this an investment into Buddy and her human, so it's worth the effort.

Also, the "make a table out of a thick towel on your palm" trick worked to get her in the travel cage with very little fuss.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Beatrice that's great news to hear buddy is in pretty decent shape for a "middle aged lady"
I am convinced that she will thrive in your care. Looking forward of her tales when she realizes that she is in a great home with an awesome "auntie" looking out for her well-being.
Can't wait to hear about her adventures whenshe is settled in and comfortable with her new surroundings.
Thanks again for taking her "under your wing" and helping out with her mom.
You are awesome!



Jim

 

[Kiwibird]

What a handsome guy! Seriously, this is such a kind thing to do for Buddy and his human. I hope he warms up to your family quickly so he can enjoy his stay with you and that his human is able to get back on her feet and be reunited with Buddy quickly!

 

[BeatriceC]

We are making a little bit of progress. She still doesn't quite trust me, but she consented to chill on my arm for a little bit last night.

 

[BeatriceC]

Also, I went to my favorite market last night; a medium sized middle eastern market well known in these parts for their incredible Halal certified meats and their amazingly vast selection of fruits and vegetables at an incredibly low price (we're talking a third to a tenth of what regular grocery stores charge). I got small amounts of about two dozen different fruits and veggies and I'm getting ready to cut those up and offer her a sampler platter, to see what she will go for. I gave her birdie bread and chop this morning, and she wasn't too enthused about the chop, but I expected that. I'll giver her some of her old seed mix after she's had more of a chance to eat some of the fresh stuff, and then do the produce sampler for lunch.

 

[Scott]

Oh Maggie, you are an incredible hero for birds! Buddy has a chance to thrive thanks to your generosity! Will be interesting to see how she (?) reacts with your flock.

 

[Scott]

Also, I went to my favorite market last night; a medium sized middle eastern market well known in these parts for their incredible Halal certified meats and their amazingly vast selection of fruits and vegetables at an incredibly low price (we're talking a third to a tenth of what regular grocery stores charge). I got small amounts of about two dozen different fruits and veggies and I'm getting ready to cut those up and offer her a sampler platter, to see what she will go for. I gave her birdie bread and chop this morning, and she wasn't too enthused about the chop, but I expected that. I'll giver her some of her old seed mix after she's had more of a chance to eat some of the fresh stuff, and then do the produce sampler for lunch.

North Park Produce?? If so, I discovered this jewel last year. Phenomenal selection of specialty foods and mundane fruits/veggies. If you haven't tried their fresh baked flatbreads and baklava/pastries you may find a new addiction! Employees super friendly and helpful.

Their cafe used to have an awesome tilapia platter, but strangely they have discontinued all fish at this location?