Should I Give Up After Two Weeks?

[ALittleBirdly]

Hello, I don't post on here all that often. I live in the Elk Neck area over in Cecil County, Maryland, and am surrounded by trees. On Thursday, July 12th, I made the horrible mistake of going outside to check something with my sweet little Jenday Conure, Kelly, on my shoulder. He had flown into a nearby tree, near the very top, and would occasionally move to a different tree if he got bored or something spooked him. When we went to look for him on the 14th, he was gone. No squawks at all (And bear in mind how loud a Jenday Conure can be). I've been trying to do all the things people and sites tell me to do, but this isn't exactly a suburbs. I gave fliers to the people I could, called all of the vets in the county (and a few in Delaware), and we even left the cage out for a while.

I think one of the problems is that Kelly has pretty much never seen the outside of the house before all this started, so I don't know if he'll even recognize it if he comes back this way. It also started raining, so we had to put most of the cloth based items inside.

Kelly is the second bird I've ever had (my first bird, Hercules, passed away due to old age at the beginning of the year), so I don't know what to do. I've tried wandering in the woods, but who knows where he could be now? Should I give up on looking for him? Should I just assume he passed away within the first few days he was missing?

I don't know when I should stop being positive and just accept that he's gone. I miss him so much, and I want him to be back home with us.

 

[noodles123]

It isn't winter, so I wouldn't give up completely (you just can't be certain, and ultimately, you probably will feel better if you continue looking for awhile longer)- just my personal opinion....I wish you luck and I am sorry you are going through this!

 

[noodles123]

How far is New Jersey...Is that possible?


https://www.parrotalert.com/F47473

 

[ALittleBirdly]

It's a nice thought, but I doubt he made it to New Jersey in two or three days.

Still, who knows what that little squawker is capable of with a taste of freedom like this.

Thank you either way.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I'm so sorry to hear about this.
Here are some resources I usually offer.
Best of luck to you and your lost bird.
Search Protocol
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B78...ew?usp=sharing
Online Resources
https://www.facebook.com/groups/911parrotalertofficial/about/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/173723186536299/about/

 

[noodles123]

No problem---I hope you find him/her!

 

[ALittleBirdly]

I'm so sorry to hear about this.
Here are some resources I usually offer.
Best of luck to you and your lost bird.
Search Protocol
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B78...ew?usp=sharing
Online Resources
https://www.facebook.com/groups/911parrotalertofficial/about/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/173723186536299/about/

The google drive link seems to not be working, and I've already looked into the Parrot Alert Facebook Page.

Thank you, though.

 

[itchyfeet]

Don't give up. I got my IRN back after ten days, despite weather extremes and his fear of others. I live in a rural area & he was found the next town over, in the exact opposite direction I saw him take off in. Social media was the savior in our case.

14 days is a long time. But - it is only 4 more days after ten. And if I can find my parrot alive and healthy after 10, then chances are he'd still have been alive and healthy after 14.

 

[ALittleBirdly]

Don't give up. I got my IRN back after ten days, despite weather extremes and his fear of others. I live in a rural area & he was found the next town over, in the exact opposite direction I saw him take off in. Social media was the savior in our case.

14 days is a long time. But - it is only 4 more days after ten. And if I can find my parrot alive and healthy after 10, then chances are he'd still have been alive and healthy after 14.

Maybe... One of the other things I'm worried about is that it was real hot for the first few days he was missing (Got sun poisoning from it haha). I keep wondering if he even survived those few days. If he did, then he's had quite the overload of rain, which is soooo much better. I just... it's those first few days that I'm unsure about. For all I know, he's been gone-gone for all this time, and I'm keeping up this search for, well, nothing.
Other than that, you're right. I need to stay positive.

 

[itzjbean]

Oh no, I'm sorry to see this. Don't lose hope, keep looking around every day and spreading the word on social media. Hoping he is still out there looking for his home. Possibly someone has him already. In the future no birds should go outside without a harness! It's just so risky.

 

[wrench13]

If you give up looking you will never find him.....
I know a few "Incredible Journey" parrot stories. But in all cases
the owner was really vigourous in tying to find their birds.
Have you thoroughly papered the local sign posts, stores, post office,
with wanted posters? Local pet shops? A sun conure is not going to fly to
New Jersey, odds are he is still within a mile of your house.

No more walking around with parrots unless they are in harness, OK?

 

[Scott]

While time is critical to get out the word, two weeks is not an eternity for a beloved companion. The "sticky" threads atop this forum give great advice, especially this: http://www.parrotforums.com/lost-found/49129-bring-them-home-tips-locating-lost-bird.html

Good luck, please keep us updated!

 

[ALittleBirdly]

Yes, yes, I was trying to get him used to the presence of a harness before this happened. I really thought I was gonna be able to make it a quick trip outside then back in. I must've taken too long.

 

[ALittleBirdly]

UPDATE!

So I was asking neighbors going in the other direction from where he flew off, and one mentioned hearing him last week! If that person's right, then that means Kelly survived the first few days when there wasn't any rain. Now I'm more confident that he's not in, say, Delaware, or even in Hartford County. Thanks for the support, guys.

 

[Scott]

How far away is that neighbor, and are you confident that person likely heard your bird?

If so, you have a great area to concentrate your search!

 

[crazyforfeathers]

That's great news! Your bird is also probably looking for you. He just doesn't know the way back. Can you trek the area while playing jenday sounds from a portable speaker? There are lots of cheap battery powered ones you can buy from Amazon.

 

[ALittleBirdly]

How far away is that neighbor, and are you confident that person likely heard your bird?

If so, you have a great area to concentrate your search!

He's a few houses down, which isn't too far even with all the trees separating the houses. And since I can't hear him right near my home, I can guess that he's further through the trees he was in when he was heard. I know where he may be, but the issue now is that I'm not used to going out on my own. I could always try, but I also gave fliers to a few people that said they would give them to the people along the road that I think he's near.

 

[Scott]

How far away is that neighbor, and are you confident that person likely heard your bird?

If so, you have a great area to concentrate your search!

He's a few houses down, which isn't too far even with all the trees separating the houses. And since I can't hear him right near my home, I can guess that he's further through the trees he was in when he was heard. I know where he may be, but the issue now is that I'm not used to going out on my own. I could always try, but I also gave fliers to a few people that said they would give them to the people along the road that I think he's near.

Chances of recovery will be higher if you can enlist the help of your neighbors. Some may be interested, others not so much. Being able to rush to "ground zero" when a sighting or audible calls occurs may be the best opportunity. Do you have a small cage that you can bring with food to a location?

 

[ALittleBirdly]

How far away is that neighbor, and are you confident that person likely heard your bird?

If so, you have a great area to concentrate your search!

He's a few houses down, which isn't too far even with all the trees separating the houses. And since I can't hear him right near my home, I can guess that he's further through the trees he was in when he was heard. I know where he may be, but the issue now is that I'm not used to going out on my own. I could always try, but I also gave fliers to a few people that said they would give them to the people along the road that I think he's near.

Chances of recovery will be higher if you can enlist the help of your neighbors. Some may be interested, others not so much. Being able to rush to "ground zero" when a sighting or audible calls occurs may be the best opportunity. Do you have a small cage that you can bring with food to a location?

Small cage? Nope. Small carrier? Yeah. Once I get some newspaper and food in it, I could be able to take it out with me. His favorite person isn't home at this time (should be home tonight?), so I may take her with me to see if that'll make him come down.

 

[Scott]

Small carrier may do the trick. Have some favorite food inside, and especially on top of the carrier to attract attention.