Rescue bird versus younger bird

[Weka]

Hi all --

As I've mentioned before, my husband and I are hoping to add a parrot into our lives sometime in the upcoming year, and are a bit torn between the idea of adopting a rescue bird or starting out with a young one from a small, responsible breeder. There are SO MANY birds out there who have been abandoned/given up that need a home. That said, we are still very inexperienced and don't wish to make any mistakes with an already (possibly) traumatized bird.

Has anyone here started out with a rescue bird? If so, what do you feel are the pros/cons?


Thanks,

Weka

[Michael]

I haven't but I have discovered much anout parrot training and rescues since. Many rescue parrots are difficult projects but some rescue birds are already tame and easy going. I fact those kinds of rescue birds may actually be easier than a baby parrot. For more on this subject refer to:

http://trainedparrot.com/Tough_Age
http://ParrotWizard.com/Book

[Weka]

Thanks for the links, Michael!

We are definitely going to look into getting your book soon, as I have a feeling it touches on a lot of topics we've been researching. Thanks so much for graciously sharing all of your experiences online, as well. It's very encouraging to see someone not only training birds to do tricks (which are great opportunities for interaction) but also how to train them for socialization, flight, phobias, etc., making the bird's overall life in captivity more bearable and humane.


Best,

Weka

[Pajarita]

All, without a single exception, of my parrots are rescues. Some of them with issues so severe that the rescues themselves called me asking me to take them and they all turned out great. Granted, there are three of them (all amazon males, one wild-caught, one wild caught and ex-breeders, and one abused -got punched by his previous owner) don't have a close personal relationship with me but I also have never really tried for it. But even these will not attack me, will follow several commands, take food from my hands and ask for things (like a nut or a bath, for example). And the greatest majority of them are just absolutely perfect in every sense: they don't pluck or scream, they eat/drink/bathe well, entertain each other, affectionate, etc.

The truth of the matter is that, when you get a baby, you simply do not know what you are going to end up with because that baby bird could be irreparably damaged by the time it gets to you. Babies that get taken from their parents too soon, babies that were gavage-fed/not weaned properly/weaned too soon, babies that were exposed to bright light when their vision was still developing, babies that were not kept with other babies, babies that were stressed out by noises, strange people, babies from stressed out/overbred/weak/sick parents, etc. There are several studies that tell us that a baby bird that is exposed to a stressful environment while a hatchling will be high-strung the rest of its life (and this brings plucking, self-mutilation, screams, bad eating habits, skittishness, etc). And there is no way anybody can tell from the looks, health or behavior of a little baby what his life was before it came to you - and the breeder is not going to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth because, even if they know they are doing wrong (and most of them don't), they want to sell you that baby because that's the whole thing, isn't it? They all claim to love them to pieces but you don't sell to whoever has the money a being that you love, do you?

The other truth is that most birds end up in rescue through absolutely no fault of their own and are great birds that were either misunderstood or neglected and all they need to flourish is somebody to put the love and time into it. Plus, with an adult bird, what you see is mostly what you get so an outgoing bird will always be outgoing same as an independent bird will always be independent.

The last bird I got is a 21 year old Lesser sulfur cockatoo and he is the funniest, most affectionate, most outgoing bird there is! He plucked his legs and screamed when he first came but stopped within a few weeks (his previous owners worked all day and he was by himself all day long with interaction only in the evening -a complete no-no with a cockatoo!) and he is now absolutely perfect! Everybody loves him to pieces, even people who don't even like parrots (he always greets people by lifting his paw and a cheery "HELLO! Howudoing?" and immediately leans over to put the top of his beak on your mouth with a hearty MUUUUUUUA -LOL). My grandkids adore him, my friends get the biggest kick out of his antics (he does all the stuff that toos do, whipping his head around with his crest open, hopping/marching/jumping up and down, dancing, etc) - sheesh, he is so popular, I even have neighbors who knock on my door asking to come in and say hello to Freddy!

[cml]

Thanks for the links, Michael!

We are definitely going to look into getting your book soon, as I have a feeling it touches on a lot of topics we've been researching. Thanks so much for graciously sharing all of your experiences online, as well. It's very encouraging to see someone not only training birds to do tricks (which are great opportunities for interaction) but also how to train them for socialization, flight, phobias, etc., making the bird's overall life in captivity more bearable and humane.


Best,

Weka

I have the book Weka, I bought it for my wife to read and she thought it was great. The colloquial writing style which keeps you reading and its full of great info. My wife prefers a book to forums and internet info, and the index is handy to use (or leafing through the book) when wanting to read about something specific!

[GreenWing]

Well, there's pros and cons to both, and I've dealt with both...

My first parrot was an adopted baby Sennie, she was the light of my life and it was great to teach her things, not to mention she was adapted to our environment and accepted all members of her "flock." The bad side to adopting a baby is that you have to deal with sexual maturity. With patience and training, you can get through it, though.

With a rescue, like Chance, there CAN be baggage. Chance does not like most men, so there MAY be issues with her accepting my spouse, although she has stepped up for him in the past, so I have hope. However, Chance is AWESOME, has a large vocabulary even though she also says "bad" words (lol), and while she is between the ages of 5 to 8 years, she is still very trainable. She steps-up great and steps-off, and does it ON COMMAND now, as I've been working with her.

Ultimately, it's up to you... but I recommend spending time with both babies and those in need of rehomes and see if a bird "chooses" you.

[Weka]

At risk of sounding newbie-ish, what do people mean by a parrot "choosing" you? Is there some sort of specific behavior to look out for at a rescue or breeder that signals acceptance of a prospective owner?

For better or worse, I recall choosing my childhood bird, not the other way 'round. I got him from a petshop "budgie bin" by selecting the largest and most alert one of the group, and spent weeks getting him used to my presence. He had no say in the matter (the poor thing) and I'll always remember how he bit the pet shop owner's hand so hard that he drew blood! In the end, though, I gained his trust and he was quite happy to do some simple tricks and let me handle him with nary a nip.




Thanks for your thoughts on this process,

Weka

[GreenWing]

At risk of sounding newbie-ish, what do people mean by a parrot "choosing" you? Is there some sort of specific behavior to look out for at a rescue or breeder that signals acceptance of a prospective owner?

This is a very good question! A parrot "choosing" you basically means a parrot taking a liking to you. Some parrots might "choose" you right away, others can take time. For example, my Senegal parrot, Tiki, "chose" me right away by flying across the room and landing on me. She always wanted to be with me, so I adopted her. Another example is my encounter with "Baby" - a male CAG. He liked me immediately, stepped up for me immediately, and did a mating dance... all within our first encounter, lol.

Some other parrots, though, take time in "choosing." Chance is a prime example of this -- it took a while as I've been working with her for a couple of months now. I know she steps up for one other person (another female) but I am not sure if Chance lets others kiss and pet her, like she lets me.

Ultimately, it basically means a parrot showing a strong liking for you and wanting to spend time with you.

[Pajarita]

Correct. It's the same as with people you first meet, some you like right away, some you don't and some are in the middle and could go either way. When an adult bird likes you, you see it in its body language: they keep their eyes on you, they turn in the direction where you are standing, they inch closer to you on the perch, they lean over as if trying to reach your body to climb up on you, they might even fly to your shoulder and, if they really, really like you, they will do the 'pretty please with sugar on top' wing flutter while crouching down like a baby asking for food. But just because an adult bird doesn't do any of these things when you first meet it doesn't mean it won't end up adoring you.

[Weka]

Thanks for the clarification, Pajarita and GreenWing.

Well, we've found a small breeder in the next town over who doesn't clip and adopts out older birds and fully-weaned babies. It sounds like she trains them for basic activities like stepping up, and familiarity with harnesses and vet handling.

We just need to make an appointment to visit to see how things are run, and to continue to keep an open mind as to which bird might want to come home with us in a few weeks/months. We've already met a few of the older birds, and they were all so sweet. One of them, a 12 year old black-headed caique female, just wanted to play and play, and has a repertoire of tricks. However she does have a reputation for being noisy, which could be difficult should we ever have to downsize to an apartment or condo. It's not that we couldn't handle the noise (my hearing is somewhat damaged from a scuba diving incident) it's the thought of future neighbors/landlords not being able to handle it. This long-term planning thing is difficult!


--W