Potential foster baby

[CKP]

WARNING: long back-story and lots of questions

My mother called me yesterday with a request... Her cousin's friend has a CAG that they need to rehome. We've been thinking about getting a CAG baby, so my mother suggested us.

I called the woman, who tells me that they have a 21 year old CAG that they've had since hand-feeding him at 4 weeks old. Between their life's unexpected changes, the bird has cycled through living with them and several of their children. Now, with some health issues and having to take care of their grandchildren, he calls their front porch home.

Apparently he used to be very bonded to the husband and the wife got timid after he bit her face while perching on her shoulder. Since then, she's been hands off and as the husband's health declined the bird got phased out of their daily routine. He is supposedly somewhat plucked on his chest now but in good health and feather otherwise. Not sure when the last time he went to the vet though. He also talks and whistles (no curse words thankfully!) but mostly imitates backyard birds given his current situation. He also is not very easily handled since being exiled to the porch.

We would love to be able to help him out. This would be our second bird, so we do have some concern for our current spoiled brat. At the same time, I think it is great to see how well we would get along with adding a second bird (sharing attention, extra cleaning, exposure to a powder bird given my wife's allergies to almost everything, etc etc). And if it doesn't work out we can call it a foster scenario and find him a new home and feel good about what we were able to do rather than guilty for rehoming a baby CAG.

Additionally, I'm concerned about how we will do with the bird himself. He was bonded to the husband, so I'm told that he prefers males to females (my wife and I are both females so he would have limited interactions with males, especially initially). Thankfully, I am in a weird job situation where I am home almost exclusively over the next month, so I would be able to spend small spurts throughout the day working with him.

So all that to say... for any familiar with fostering/rehabilitating CAGs and other birds...

- What red flags should we look for when we meet this bird and prepare to bring him into our home?
- Any particular tests/questions we should consider for the vet?
- What are your experiences with fostering/rehabbing? Any helpful advice?
- Not sure what his current diet is, but I'm not too hopeful. If we have to transition to pellets, what is the best process for this?
- They are letting us take his cage, but again I'm not sure what to expect and tend to be pessimistic. If he needs a new one, is it better to bring him home to a new one or to let him keep his current cage and have a few days to adjust to our home before swapping out cages?
- Since he has been on their porch, I assume he hasn't been properly bathed/misted in a while. I'm sure he won't be too excited after the move to hop in the shower, but I also want to get the little guy cleaned up without scaring him. Suggestions?

Thanks from us and our !

 

[BeatriceC]

Here's how I view rehomes that helps a little with the emotional fallout of the change...

In the wild, birds do pairbond for "life", but in the wild, predators and disease happen, and chances are extremely high that if a given bird is lucky enough to survive his/her full lifespan in the wild, his or her first (or even second or third) mate likely will not be so lucky. Birds in the wild are almost guaranteed to go through at least 2-3 mates over the course of a lifetime on account of predators, accidents, and illness. And that's not even counting the bond they'd formed with their parents. So this CAG you're considering has been very lucky to have only had one "mate" thus far. Just like in the wild, he will mourn the loss of an old mate, and form a bond with a new mate. Would it be awesome if he didn't have to do that? Sure, but losing a mate happens in all species, and we all mourn the loss, and begin again.

As for what to do, well, just go slow and follow the bird's cues. I like to start with "present but non-threatening." I put the new bird in a central location in the house, but separated from the rest of my flock, and then just talk to the new bird as I pass, or hang out and have coffee with the new bird, or whatever, but far enough away that I'm not a threat, even though I'm close enough to see and smell. My quarantine area is my dining room, which has the bonus of being the meal place, which plays on birds' natural flock tendencies and wanting to eat with others, which helps. I'm not sure I can come up with a list of "do exactly this" because most of what I do is responding to the specific needs and cues of an individual bird, but if you do bring this little one home, feel free to ask me questions. I'm pretty good at working with rescue/rehomed birds.

 

[LordTriggs]

All I can say is start off visiting. You just sort of have to "feel" it out as you're there meeting them. On the upside the wife hasn't seemed to have done anything to them so they are just more wary of females as opposed to angry with reason. I'm sue you'll be able to tell quickly if it feels right.

As for a vet visit I'd say your basic health check, gram stains and maybe a bit of blood work will let you know

 

[bigfellasdad]

All I can say is start off visiting. You just sort of have to "feel" it out as you're there meeting them. On the upside the wife hasn't seemed to have done anything to them so they are just more wary of females as opposed to angry with reason. I'm sue you'll be able to tell quickly if it feels right.

As for a vet visit I'd say your basic health check, gram stains and maybe a bit of blood work will let you know

This, i've just fostered a 12yr old male CAG (who has recently laid 2 eggs lol). She chose me on my first visit to her previous home but I paid little attention to her as i wasn't even considering a CAG. Subsequent visits and we both knew we would get along. My last 2 birds have been rescue/rehome's and both went very differently but equally they have gone positively for the birds.
So take it slow, don't be too forward with the bird and see how it goes, to see if it really is a lady/gent thing, take a man along and see how the reactions go,
Enzo is definitely more comfortable with men..... I wish you all luck!

 

[CKP]

Thank you all for your support!!

I found out today that there is someone else interested in fostering him that lives closer to them, so I said for her to go ahead with them.

Maybe next time!