polly need you to help me help her!!!

[pollysmama]

Ok just to say right away this will be kinda long story as i want to give you all the most info i have on her........ so here i go hmmm

According to her exowner she is 12 yr old, female yellow naped amazon, or "devil" bird

Ok a friend of mine had polly for 4 years she got polly from another women who had 26 birds, now my first interest in her became after i seen they kept her in a basement with no heat no natural or fake lights just dark with two other parakeets above her cage. this women is a breed of her own a whole nother book (lol) i had a dream something bad happened to polly so first thing in the morning i went over asked if i could go see her and sure enough something bad had happened not to polly thank god but the two parakeets i was to late on helping they had no food no water and where laying lifeless on the bottom of there cage covered up. So after several days of begging for this bird i FINALLY GOT HER ( i also went every day to make sure she had food and water because at first she had none) i brought polly home and my first step was to clean her nasty cage, she had trash in in and 4-5 stacks of news paper just put over her "messes" i took a full trash bag of crap out of her cage , i was told polly was mean and would attack you even if you went towards her cage and she hates kids well i have a 4 yr old and 1 yr old. now i have hand feed polly small pieces of banana and she has yet to act like they said. but polly will jump at me when i reach my hand in her cage and gets very upset if i cover her cage so now i do not, i have had her for 2 days, she is talking like crazy but only for my children it is so cute to here my 1 yr old and her keep saying hello. polly was ruffled up and sneezing when i first brought her home, she seems not to be so ruffled now and sneezing has slowed down some.i have never worked with these animals but have worked with wild mustangs so yes i am crazy. they have simple parrot food for her. I would like any help with her i can get, i did put some simple toys in her cage, but what should i feed her should i add anything else supplements "grit"??? just help please i am already head over heels in love with this sweet baby, and want her to be happy and normal again. any tips or advice will help and also she did finally let me pet her head.
Also when the women came to check on polly she went crazy and if she was out would have tried to kill her i think.and she nipped me she could have got me good but did not while she was in the room but she had never done that before!!! Please help me help my baby i want her just to be happy so bad, and to be able to hold her and show her real love, and not everyone is bad. she is now in a room filled with windows and warmth right in my bed room, and she is now in a flight cage not the cage they had her in where she had very little room. any tips, advice and what you need and what you all do for your amazon will help

 

[BillsBirds]

Thank you for saving this angel. First, a vet visit! After all is okay, spend time with her & take things as slow as she goes. Don't overwhelm her or push her to be friends, especially with the kids. Talk to her a lot, and she'll become used to you all. Feed her a good parrot mix of pellets & seeds & fruit & veggies. Try fresh fruit & veg. Raw, cooked, however she likes them. Let her see you guys eating these things & use them as treats for her. There are a lot of Amazon guardians here, so, read past posts for more info. Good luck with her.

 

[MonicaMc]

First off, get her to an avian vet! It sounds like she could be sick with an infection!

Second, get her eating pellets! Harrison's if you can afford it. TOP's or Roudybush are a couple of other good choices. Also, add in a variety of vegetables, some fruits, cooked/sprouted *healthy* grains and *healthy* legumes and the occasional cooked eggs to her diet.


Get her healthy and eating well, then we can talk about earning trust!

 

[Karigan]

Agreed!
Maybe look into feeding her "Harison's recovery formula". It was $20 for a 1 lb bag here in Canada, it can be mixed with warm water in 1-1,2,or 3 ratio, depending on preference.

Fresh food is a must of course, and maybe pick up a copy of "parrots for dummies".

When she seems comfortable enough, I would also give her a mist bath with a spray bottle that has never had chemicals in it, or put a chest high container full of water near her. If they didn't wash her cage, I bet they didn't wash her.

Start with target training. There are plenty of threads here about taming new birds, and training is usually a good way to do it.

Thank you so much for rescuing her, you've really made a difference.

PS, are you keeping the name? I love naming my birds, I think the meaning of the name should be personal!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I agree with everything other members have already told you.

I'd like to add the following: If the conditions where you rescued Polly from were as atrocious as you described, I would most certainly call the humane society, as NO animal should ever be allowed to live in those conditions.

 

[oled]

Welcome and I hope everything will work out fine

 

[pollysmama]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I agree with everything other members have already told you.

I'd like to add the following: If the conditions where you rescued Polly from were as atrocious as you described, I would most certainly call the humane society, as NO animal should ever be allowed to live in those conditions.

When i first found out about it i tryed to call our human society, but they said because of them being birds (they only handle cats and dogs) they could do nothing and i should call the dog warden so i did that well he only deals with dogs, so after this is no one cares about birds or any other animals, they can all die and no one gives a ****!!!!! THATS CRAZY and really upset me!!!! and now i am thinking of opening a rescue or something like that for them!!!!

 

[pollysmama]

Thank you everyone for the advice, i did make a vet appointment with my vet the day i brought her home but i can not get in until friday he is the most sought after vet in the area and it truly shows with his practice. I will keep you all updated along the way with polly, I am keeping her name because she response to it and says her name all the time, I would like to change it but i want to try and keep everything as simple and easy for her for the time just to make it less stressful on her. What are some treats everyone's amazons like? I have tried broccoli, banana, pineapple, mango, peach, spinach(she hates it). celery, carrot

 

[JerseyWendy]

THANK YOU for trying to make a difference. I don't know the laws in Virginia, I believe that's where you are, right? Here in New Jersey it's mandatory to register parrots and most other exotics.

Has Polly tried eating any of the fresh fruits and veggies you have offered? If not, don't give up - please. It may take her a long time to try them. Perhaps it them in front of her, making a big fuss over how yummy they are.

Check out the recipe section on this Forum, there are bunch of great recipes and info.

Try cutting fruits, veggies into stripes, shapes, leave 'em big, use your imagination and see how she "prefers" them.

Corn on the cob is relished by many parrots.

Kale, stuffed inside a treat cage - just another idea.

 

[Kiwibird]

Good for you to take in this innocent animal. The first thing you need to do this morning is make an emergency appointment with an avian vet (and if there isn't a specialist avian vet in your area, then the next best thing is an exotic animal vet). It sounds like she is displaying symptoms of a respiratory infection (which can be deadly to a parrot without treatment, and is probably what killed the smaller birds) and she is likely suffering severe malnutrition, and probably has overgrown toenails/beak (which can prevent her from gripping her perch properly and eating properly). The vet can prescribe medication if she is found to have an infection, can trim her nails, beak and wings (which will be helpful while you are socializing her), as well as make nutritional recommendations to bring her back to health. Since you have never owned a large parrot before, and you now have a rescue bird (which can and are more difficult) I highly recommend you contact a nearby avian rescue for advice on care and socialization. Many avian rescues offer classes to specifically help new owners properly care for and socialize their birds. You can also look into bird clubs in your area as well as buy some basic parrot care books.

It can take years to help an older neglected parrot overcome their fear of humans, and it's a process for both human and bird. However, if you put in the time and dedication to her, a parrot will be your lifetime companion. Expect a few bites, and a little damage to the furniture/carpet/anything wood, but those are just part of the process. Since you took her in on such short notice, you will need to plan how to get her a appropriate size cage (for amazons, at minimum 60x60"), toys, food, ect... I wish you and Polly the best of luck, and please take advantage of any resource out there to help you help her become a happy, well adjusted bird. My little guy (profile pic) was a rescue, and came out of pretty much the same situation your describing (sad how common that is). I took some nasty bites in the beginning, and watching him flop to the bottom of his cage in fear every time I came near was hard, but overall, he is just the cutest, sweetest, happiest little guy now. My husband takes him in the shower daily, he has a perch so he gets to eat every meal with us, he loves exploring (especially pillow forts!), he's always with one of us when were home (and loves every minute of it). He's the polar opposite of the sickly, malnutrition, vicious out of fear parrot we took in 5 years ago. Just shows how dedication and not giving up on an animal can better their lives and yours.

 

[MonicaMc]

I'd like to make this clear - fresh foods are not treats. Nuts and seeds should be treats, but not fresh foods.

I also worry about an upper respiratory infection which may have been caused by a diet lacking in vitamin A, and amazons are prone to vitamin A deficiency! They are also prone to obesity caused by poor diets coupled with a lack of exercise! (Amazons are the number one perch potatoes in the parrot kingdom!)

As important as it is to getting her healthy, a diet switch should be a gradual thing. A drastic change in diet may cause more harm than good.


If she's stable for now, not very ill looking, then it may be fine to wait until Friday for that vet visit.


Keep trying with a variety of vegetables, and try cooked/sprouted healthy legumes and grains. If you can't get her to eat healthier foods, then at minimum, get her eating sprouts! This is a great way to boost her nutrition intake without drastically changing her diet! And if she loves sprouts, you can use a food processor to finely chop up carrots, peppers, broccoli, kale, etc and slowly start adding these into her food!

http://www.parrotforums.com/general...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/23367-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html



I know it's a lot to take in, and quite a learning curve, but I know you'll do great with her! And we all do greatly appreciate you helping her!

 

[Ladyluck]

Congrats on your new family member! I agree that a vet visit is in order! I'm a new amazon Mom too and it took me a solid week to get my DYHA, Gilly to start eating veggies. I started with kale, red bell pepper, broccoli, sweet potato, and zuccini all diced up and mixed together. His prior owner did not provide daily veggies (only pellets) Now he waits for his "salads" and has taught me what his favorites are. Keep offering the veggies because Polly will get comfortable/curious enought to try one day!!! Best of luck and post pics if you can!!

 

[henpecked]

Hard to go wrong with fresh veggies, some fruit, and a few FRESH seeds. Being new , get her eating and then work on improving it. variety is the best choice. They'll crave fatty foods but be aware and avoid it. Read some of the older post in this section and ask loads of question. We love to help people helping birds. Welcome to the forum and hope you'll be a regular.

 

[pollysmama]

Thank you so much EVERYONE for your care.
First off polly has stolen my heart!!!!! She is my daughter i never had (i have 2 boys lol) but i know this sounds stupid and i think i know the answer to this but i want to ask others that have had these birds. I was told polly was a girl and is 12 years old the ex owners had her for 4 and she never laid an egg, i honestly will never breed him/her so do i really need to dna sex her or her not laying a single egg for 12 years would that tell me. And great new polly is finally letting me scratch her head though the cage but trys to bite me when i open the cage but thats ok i know in time it will get better

 

[MeganMango]

You need to report this! My personal internet search revealed that in Virginia the best course of action is to call the police. Seizure of an animal or animals without a warrant is rare and so the police will need to be involved. Note that people who harm and neglect animals are more likely to do the same with children. If this woman is responsible for any kids, play that card when you call the police. Be VERY descriptive, describe the number of animals and the fact that she starved two birds to death and didnt even know about it. I want to get on an airplane and teach that horrible woman a lesson. Id love to give her taste of living in a cage in the dark in her own filth!

 

[MeganMango]

These are links to some parrot rescues in Virginia:
Project Perry - The Central Virginia Parrot Sanctuary > Home
— Virginia Bird Rescue — ADOPTIONS — RescueMe.Org

They may be able to further guide you on how best to report the monster who did this, and they will be a good resource for help if you need it. They will be able to suggest good vets, toys, pet stores, etc.This is a great place to get advice, but you might want someone who can come and physically assist you.

 

[pollysmama]

Ok So here are some pictures after i finally brought her home just so i would have proof when i finally had someone listen to me,
The first one is of polly in her tiny messy cage, and ye the top part is just as small as the bottom where she was never allowed out

The second one is only the top layer of the mess, there were about 4-5 other layers where they just covered her mess wiith newspaper instead of CLEANING IT (how lazy can you be) and yes she has a clean cage daily (i am a stay at home mom with extra time on her hands)

then the last two are of polly.


Another dumb question they had her cage covered 98% of the time and i hate that fact so i do not want to cover her cage as she freaks out when i try so i have not been is that a bad thing? AND MORE GOOD NEWS i do not know why put polly has taken to me quick, i reached my hand in her cage today hoped for the best but thought well if she will bite i better get it over with she did kinda bite but did not even leave a mark more of i love you kind and got on my arm. Every night around 8 pm i force her out of her cage, yes i take it apart and tip it so she has to come out, i feel it is not far to stay caged up 24/7 even if she hard to handle (I use a blanket to get her back in but keep her face UNCOVERED!) I am i being crazy and do to much or should i just keep going with what i have been doing. It has seemed to bring alot of trust to the table and also i can no longer sweep my bed room she is way to afraid of my broom poor baby. thank you for the links on the rescues i will be making more calls to find out what else i can do to save any other animals from her abuse!!! polly also says thank you and i truly need this help and loving support!!

 

[MeganMango]

I dont know anything about rescuing parrots, I got mine just over a week ago. Mango was pretty nervous when we first got him, and he hadnt been through that kind of neglect. I left his cage door open and he came out when he felt comfortable. I didnt force him to do anything that would make him nervous. I would hesitate to make a nervous bird come out of her cage, they can bite really hard, and a scared bird will bite you. I personally think the best thing to do would be to let her get to know you and come out on her own. When I was researching different parrots I read from a lot of sources that Amazons are particularly stubborn, its going to take a lot of patience! Once she realizes she can come out and she doesnt need to be afraid of you I dont think she will hesitate to take advantage of her play time.

 

[henpecked]

Do you leave the cage open during the day? I would not force her out, i would not "use " a blanket to put her back. Your goal is for her to decide to be with you on her own. "Forcing " her is not the best method. If you can get her to step up on your hand ,then put her down on top on her cage and give her a treat. However "bad" you think that cage is,it's still her home,her safe spot. I agree with not covering her if she fusses.

 

[Karigan]

It is good that if you think she needs to be handled that you leave her her head exposed. I agree with henpecked though; forcing her out could lead to trauma or panic. Just coax her out with treats and the promise of stimulation. It may take a while, but it's the most natural and stress-less method. If you need her out of the cage for a thorough cleaning, that's another matter but otherwise let her make all the decisions.