wolfsnaps
New member
- Jul 19, 2010
- 23
- 0
Hi. I am new to this forum. In my introduction, I talked about how I got scammed by buying an African Grey named Paco whom I believed had Beak and Feather Disease. This is Paco's story.
After the sudden death of my Poicephalus brown headed parrot, I really pined for another bird. The brown headed, named Tembi, was my first bird...unless you count the parakeet I had as a child (my mother ended up giving them away a year after we got them, so I didnt have them long) but I have always wanted an African Grey. Now, I had the time and space for one. I decided to get one. I put money away here and there to purchase one. I don't have a lot of money but I take good care of my animals.
I wanted to rescue, but I knew that I would not pass thier approval system, so I would fork up the 1200 or so to buy a baby. Then one day, I happened upon an ad on Craigslist for a grey that needed rehomed. We talked for a couple weeks and I decided to go get her. It was two hours away. When I got there, the place a mess. The woman had at least 2 dozen cats outside, dogs left and right, and run outs for MORE dogs. I only saw two rooms in the house and that was enough.
The woman was a talker. When I finally got to see Paco, she was in a very dimmly lit room. Her cages (she had two) had not been moved or cleaned in a long time (when I cleaned the cage,under layers of filth, I found candy canes in there...but it was JULY)
Paco was high up on her perch, looking down on me. She was bald to the skin on her chest, one side and legs. Her beak was overgrown on one side. I couldn't leave her there. I negotiated the woman down a little in price and took her. I was told she would come with a travel cage and carrier (or I would have bought those myself) Her travel cage was covered in black dust and debris, and the carrier was all rust and dirty. After the excitement died down, I realised I may have been scammed out of a lot of money. I looked up diseases and Paco fit the bill (no pun intended).
I was angry. I felt cheated. I made an appointment for the vet the next morning. Then, the crazy thoughts began. I would drive back to the womans house and demand my money back. I would resell her. Then I thought no way, then I would be like that woman. After a few days of going back and forth, I decided to do what was best for Paco...a vet visit.
I called my closest avian certified vet (there really arent enough of those) and they couldnt take him for a week and a half. Then the back and forth paranoia began. I thought things like "That sick bird is spreading the virus all over my house" "I just want to get this overwith if she needs put down" and other things. I wrote the woman and called and texted and...nothing. I KNEW it was a scam. I just KNEW it. Paco was withdrawn, scared, and wanted nothing to do with me. No matter what I tried, she just didn't trust me. She is a bird, of course. Even though I know enough about birds and how they react to change, I couldn't believe she didnt like me. ALL ANIMALS LOVE ME...I was rushing her and ignoring the fact that I KNEW that.
Back and forth the thoughts went. I decided I would keep her even if she tested positive..and give her a good life. Then I thought, if the vet thinks its best, I would put her down. I started trying to distance myself from her so as not to get attached. But it didn't work. Even though she hated me, I loved her. Then I was angry again, because I just KNEW she was going to be positive and either way, she would not be with me for long. Sigh. It was a stressful time.
The day of the vet visit came, and I practically held my breath while the vet was doing the physical exam. He believed she was indeed female. Her papillae (sp?) in her beak looked excellent. Her feathers, while sparse in areas, were healthy...no stress bands. and finally, the verdict. She was...just a plucker. Nothing to worry about. No disease to spread at work (I work in a pet store with birds), no death row pet. I drove myself crazy on a hunch. That was completely wrong.
So Yeah, great. Healthy bird. A healthy, scared, withdrawn bird. I went to work reading about behaviors and bird selection. Apprarently, the worst option, according to "Birds for dummies" the adult bird is the most diffcult to win over. I felt defeated again. Paco had no interest in me. She moved away whenever I came near. I had a great healthy bird who was scared of me and hated me. Now what? Well, I just kept talking to her. I gave her treats and toys and foraging materials and came to the conclusion that I was now a slave to an animal that didnt like me. I would forever clean and feed this bird who will outlive me.
I decided to take her outside in her travel cage (after much disinfecting and scrubbing). She loved the sunlight. It put her in a good mood. So good that she presented her neck for me to scratch. I could NOT believe it. I hestitantly used one finger to pet her. She was loving it. She was finally starting to open up to me.
Now, she has a limited vocabulary for a six year old bird (if that is how old she is). The day after the first head scratch, I was laying on my couch reading a book (a bird book) when I caught Paco out the corner of my eye, waving her foot at me. I looked over and as she waved, she said "Hellooo?" I waved back and mimcked her. She then said "Come here...*kiss kiss* come here" I went over and sure enough she wanted a pet. She ASKED me to pet her. Ha! Then she started gurging. My last bird did this too but she would swallow it back up. Not Paco. Food fell left and right. Ick. I was flattered...and disgusted.
So thats where I stand now. I went from thinking I had a scam of a sick, dying bird on my hands who hated me, to a healthy bird who is starting to really like me. That is Paco's story, as I know it. And everyday I get more material to write about her,.
If you are still reading, I should send you a dollar! lol Thanks for reading and I will definetly be reading a lot from this forum.
~Tiffany
After the sudden death of my Poicephalus brown headed parrot, I really pined for another bird. The brown headed, named Tembi, was my first bird...unless you count the parakeet I had as a child (my mother ended up giving them away a year after we got them, so I didnt have them long) but I have always wanted an African Grey. Now, I had the time and space for one. I decided to get one. I put money away here and there to purchase one. I don't have a lot of money but I take good care of my animals.
I wanted to rescue, but I knew that I would not pass thier approval system, so I would fork up the 1200 or so to buy a baby. Then one day, I happened upon an ad on Craigslist for a grey that needed rehomed. We talked for a couple weeks and I decided to go get her. It was two hours away. When I got there, the place a mess. The woman had at least 2 dozen cats outside, dogs left and right, and run outs for MORE dogs. I only saw two rooms in the house and that was enough.
The woman was a talker. When I finally got to see Paco, she was in a very dimmly lit room. Her cages (she had two) had not been moved or cleaned in a long time (when I cleaned the cage,under layers of filth, I found candy canes in there...but it was JULY)
Paco was high up on her perch, looking down on me. She was bald to the skin on her chest, one side and legs. Her beak was overgrown on one side. I couldn't leave her there. I negotiated the woman down a little in price and took her. I was told she would come with a travel cage and carrier (or I would have bought those myself) Her travel cage was covered in black dust and debris, and the carrier was all rust and dirty. After the excitement died down, I realised I may have been scammed out of a lot of money. I looked up diseases and Paco fit the bill (no pun intended).
I was angry. I felt cheated. I made an appointment for the vet the next morning. Then, the crazy thoughts began. I would drive back to the womans house and demand my money back. I would resell her. Then I thought no way, then I would be like that woman. After a few days of going back and forth, I decided to do what was best for Paco...a vet visit.
I called my closest avian certified vet (there really arent enough of those) and they couldnt take him for a week and a half. Then the back and forth paranoia began. I thought things like "That sick bird is spreading the virus all over my house" "I just want to get this overwith if she needs put down" and other things. I wrote the woman and called and texted and...nothing. I KNEW it was a scam. I just KNEW it. Paco was withdrawn, scared, and wanted nothing to do with me. No matter what I tried, she just didn't trust me. She is a bird, of course. Even though I know enough about birds and how they react to change, I couldn't believe she didnt like me. ALL ANIMALS LOVE ME...I was rushing her and ignoring the fact that I KNEW that.
Back and forth the thoughts went. I decided I would keep her even if she tested positive..and give her a good life. Then I thought, if the vet thinks its best, I would put her down. I started trying to distance myself from her so as not to get attached. But it didn't work. Even though she hated me, I loved her. Then I was angry again, because I just KNEW she was going to be positive and either way, she would not be with me for long. Sigh. It was a stressful time.
The day of the vet visit came, and I practically held my breath while the vet was doing the physical exam. He believed she was indeed female. Her papillae (sp?) in her beak looked excellent. Her feathers, while sparse in areas, were healthy...no stress bands. and finally, the verdict. She was...just a plucker. Nothing to worry about. No disease to spread at work (I work in a pet store with birds), no death row pet. I drove myself crazy on a hunch. That was completely wrong.
So Yeah, great. Healthy bird. A healthy, scared, withdrawn bird. I went to work reading about behaviors and bird selection. Apprarently, the worst option, according to "Birds for dummies" the adult bird is the most diffcult to win over. I felt defeated again. Paco had no interest in me. She moved away whenever I came near. I had a great healthy bird who was scared of me and hated me. Now what? Well, I just kept talking to her. I gave her treats and toys and foraging materials and came to the conclusion that I was now a slave to an animal that didnt like me. I would forever clean and feed this bird who will outlive me.
I decided to take her outside in her travel cage (after much disinfecting and scrubbing). She loved the sunlight. It put her in a good mood. So good that she presented her neck for me to scratch. I could NOT believe it. I hestitantly used one finger to pet her. She was loving it. She was finally starting to open up to me.
Now, she has a limited vocabulary for a six year old bird (if that is how old she is). The day after the first head scratch, I was laying on my couch reading a book (a bird book) when I caught Paco out the corner of my eye, waving her foot at me. I looked over and as she waved, she said "Hellooo?" I waved back and mimcked her. She then said "Come here...*kiss kiss* come here" I went over and sure enough she wanted a pet. She ASKED me to pet her. Ha! Then she started gurging. My last bird did this too but she would swallow it back up. Not Paco. Food fell left and right. Ick. I was flattered...and disgusted.
So thats where I stand now. I went from thinking I had a scam of a sick, dying bird on my hands who hated me, to a healthy bird who is starting to really like me. That is Paco's story, as I know it. And everyday I get more material to write about her,.
If you are still reading, I should send you a dollar! lol Thanks for reading and I will definetly be reading a lot from this forum.
~Tiffany
