by Natacha » Wed May 19, 2010 4:30 pm
With Joey...I wasn't really wanting to add any birds at the time but for some reason, I found myself one evening looking at online adds (which I don't do very often actually) and found the one for Joey, which happened to be quite old at the time. Seeing how Red-bellieds weren't that common and that I did know I wanted one eventually, I figured I'd write to the add poster, really thinking that Joey was no longer available (seriously, the add was a month old if not more) and since the add had drifted far away in the list, the person just didn't bother to take it off,
Well I was wrong.
He was very much available and the fact that I wanted to meet Joey a few times before actually committing to buying him, since I wanted to make sure he was right for my boyfriend and myself (see if it "clicked" in other words) impressed the seller who also did not want to sell him to just anyone. He had actually said no to other interested people before.
The first visit wasn't the greatest; it was in March and it still got dark pretty early and we went to visit during an evening. Joey was putting himself to bet at that time so he didn't really want to cooperate (nor do I blame him). We went back during the day and it was a totally different story; he came to both my boyfriend and myself and "showed off". I think it was a mutual decision; Joey had not performed that way for other people and both my boyfriend and myself were willing to take him in. We went to get the money (just to prove how uncertain I had been up to that point) and then took him home.
Both Zuri and Petey come from a rescue which is ran by people I know.
I knew I had wanted to add a Meyer's for a bit and when Petey showed up, he was actually spoken for by another person I knew. She took him in, which did sadden me, but I figured another one would show up. Then, since Petey had "turned" on her (once the honeymoon period was over) and only wanted to be with that person's husband (who didn't really care for the birds) and started terrorizing the women, well he came back to the rescue. Knowing his inclination to being not-so-pleasant to women, I still wanted to take him in thinking this poor sweetheart needed a stable home. I do have to say that Petey didn't have much to say in coming into the family but quickly took to my boyfriend (who was actually gone when I got Petey, but he knew it was going to happen). Almost two years later and he's still here and getting to be much better around me and is much MUCH more tolerable of the other birds compared to the beginning of our relationship.
Zuri..well Zuri came in because I wanted a "sweeter" Meyer's, compared to Petey at least. Given he was still quite young but needed some work (very shy and nervous bird), I figured I'd take him in. Again, not much say on Zuri's behalf, but he did seem to take quickly to me during my first visit with him (which resulted in the rescue owners letting him go to me much faster than first anticipated). He's come out of his shell since, although still a bit weary around strangers, he's much more outgoing at home.