by Pajarita » Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:51 pm
Hmmm, what a difficult situation... It does seem to me as no win one, I am sorry to say. On the one hand, quarantining him seems a bit useless because you know he is healthy, what you don't know is whether he will end up catching something from the other birds so unless he stays all on his own the entire 6 weeks, the quarantine is pretty useless in terms of avoiding contagion. Then, on the other hand, you have the fact that this way he will be all alone and that's not good. But, if he goes with the other birds, he might bond with one just to be separated in a matter of weeks (he is going through puberty and might very well fall in love with another bird) and, even if he doesn't, he would still miss the companionship of other parrots when he goes back with you.
Visiting is iffy at best because unless you can visit every single day for hours at a time, going to see him, say, two or three times a week for an hour or two at a time is not really going to benefit him. I know it sounds crazy but you need to look at things from his point of view: his beloved companion (you) leaves him in a stranger's house with unfamiliar birds and unfamiliar human (confusion, depression). Then his companion (whom he feels should never had left to begin with because that is the way of parrot companionship), shows up and he is filled with joy (Hallelujah, he has come back for me!), stays for a little while and abandons him all over again (back to confusion and depression). A couple of days go by and the whole drama happens again... and again... and again for 6 weeks. Good for you because you understand that the situation is temporary and enjoy your visits with him but not good for him who doesn't understand what is going on (and never could because abandonment is not something they are supposed to ever experience) and suffers every time as if it was the first time he got left behind.
I take in birds that other people no longer can keep for different reasons and one of my rules is that they cannot visit for, at least, a year after the bird comes to me (and nobody ever comes after a year but that's not the point) because it's cruel to the bird. Parrots are like children who, even if the parents abuse them (and I am NOT saying this is the case with your parrot, I am simply making a comparison to a situation that we are all aware of), they want to stay with them so, when they go to live with somebody else, even if the care is much better than what they got before, the only way to make it easier on them in the long run is the cold turkey way.
I really don't know what to recommend... Personally, I would put the bird in my bedroom and put a lock on the door to ensure the cats stay outside or, if the accommodations did not allow this (like if you are going to be sleeping on a sofa in a living room of a one bedroom apartment and the owners of the apartment were not willing to lock the cats in their bedroom -you might try explaining to them how different it is with parrots and ask them to do this for you and him), I would look for a different place where to crash for a few weeks. If this is absolutely impossible, I would bring him to the lady, not put him in quarantine so, at least, he has the company of the other parrots, not go to see him until I am ready to pick him up for good and deal with whatever emotional consequences this might bring. You will have to have him checked by an avian vet after you pick him up and it will be hard on both of you (more on him than you) but I think it's what would work best in the long run.
Is he likely to remember me when he comes home after all his antics? I expect some work to do but I don't want him to have to start from the beginning if I can help it. If anyone has any advice as to how to get him to settled back in as easily as possible it would be much appreciated.
