possilbe adoption Caiquie

[liz]

Yes, I forgot to tell you that. Myrtle has chewed on my chair rails. door frames and even rounded corners of doors. Pedestrian, Rambo, chews up anything on his level like baseboards, wall paper and even telephone books left under the coffee table. Oh yea, my shoes.

It sounds like so much work but believe me it is well worth it.

[Mike&Sue]

You guys are awesome! And speedy. Thanks for the time giving us information.

Okay, so we went out to see Sunny today. My wife loves the bird, of course. He is certainly engaging and cute. The owner has papers (from Pet Co) - hatch date may 2011. The bird appears generally healthy and clean, has many toys, and a nice roomy cage. She says she lets it out but it's not as much as has been suggested by you folks. She knows his habits and is clearly fond of the bird, but does not appear to be overly bonded or emotionally attached per se. Sunny came up to me close and let me talk to him and eventually came out of the cage to "hang around" -- literally, by one foot upside down...so cute.

Here is a concern from the visit, and a question:
The owner's live-in boyfriend has Alzheimer's. During the visit, he waited until the owner was distracted, and went over to Sunny and began antagonizing him with his hand. To the point where Sunny drew blood. It was horrifying but we were just guests so couldn't really do much.
Sunny was not at all aggressive to the owner.
She has a lot of pets and is generally a good person, but the energy in the home was not entirely positive or calm.

I realize parrots often come with baggage in these situations. Can we help the bird overcome any possible issues he might be carrying around? I expect this breed is smart enough to draw associations and not generalize personalities (i.e. be scared/aggressive with all men due to a certain individual).
However, we don't want to do anything we will regret by adopting an animal that we have a lot of problems with or can't assimilate to our no-drama-zone home.

Mike & Sue

[liz]

He bit the idiot but was nice to you. He sounds pretty well adjusted to me.

[Wolf]

Sunny could develop an aversion to hands if this behavior continues much longer. It is a problem that can be overcome with patience and consistency and a little love. If he develops that it just takes time to teach him that you can be trusted to not do that to him, so the sooner that he leaves this environment the better. Otherwise, he sounds pretty well adjusted.

[Mike&Sue]

Okay great. that's what I was hoping.

We have decided to adopt Sunny.

waht advice can anyone give about the re-homing process?
everything from transport to acclimation to the new environment/family structure of our home?

We expect it to take some time for him to get used to everything and we will patiently allow him time. we also want to reach out to him and make him feel comfortable right away. Probably we will just talk a lot to him at first and play music and do our natural things, and then start introducing opportunities for him to sit with us or walk around when he's ready. we'll offer healthy treats from our hands so he starts to associate us positively.
We will also be getting some books, we are big researchers. this has just happened a little quicker than we are used to. -- any suggestions on the best book from amazon or BN?

Mike&Sue

[Pajarita]

Great news and THANK YOU for taking that poor bird out of that bad environment!

I don't know of any good books, I find fault with all of them (they never recommend a good diet or even mention the necessity of keeping the bird to a solar light schedule). But you have the right idea: take time to bond, allow the bird to set its own pace and concentrate of getting it on a good diet and good routines and schedules.

[liz]

He knows where he is and will remember it. From what you said he is bonded to the lady. He will get over her with the love and respect ou give.

You need to help him understand that with the new world you bring him to that it will also be a new start.

[Mike&Sue]

all right! thanks so much to all of you for your input.
We will plan to pick up Sunny in the next couple of days and are really getting excited about having another member of the family to care for and have fun with.

I am thinking this bird has been understimulated and not cuddled much. Can we expect that with time and nurturing we can bring out the true potential of Sunny? He's only 3.5 years old but has been conditioned I'm afraid.

We'll love him either way, just wondering what to look forward to as far as helping his little personality flourish.

thanks again!
Mike&Sue

[Wolf]

You already have a basic idea as to what you are going to have. While he may become more expressive about things the personality that he has now he will have for the remainder of his life. From this point it is a matter of everyone learning each other.

[Pajarita]

Well, I don't know about the 'undercuddled' part, caiques don't seem to be the cuddly type, usually. They love interaction and lots of attention but they are a bit too active for true cuddliness, especially the young ones...

But, for what you have told us, I think he'll do fine once he bonds with you, guys. Just take your time bonding with him (don't ask him for anything, just offer company, love and treats), plan and shop for a good diet, prepare the room in advance so you can start letting him out from the beginning and let us know if you have any specific questions.