Terminology: What is a 'rescue'?

[Rrrma]

Kim and AH, I have a similar story too. My mom had a lovebird that was the sweetest at first, but when he reached sexual maturity he went apeshit. He HATED fingers. He was absolutely fine with every other part of your body and he would groom you, but he HATED fingers and hands. It got to a point where he would go out of his way to attack your fingers, if he saw them. We worked with him for a year, trying treats, trying to pet his beak, tried holding his beak with our fingers and saying "no-no". Mom went out and bought some fitted leather gloves so he wouldn't see her hands. He was fine with the gloves, but if you forgot to put them on he would attack. We tried everything we could think of to get him ok with hands, but he just wouldn't have it. He was a handfed lovebird and he was so sweet at first, but something snapped when he hit maturity. He humped his toys a lot, and I guess maybe he was just frustrated. When he started plucking, we decided to try and locate a breeder to take him in. We found a woman who was a small hobby breeder. She had an aviary and a handful of lovebirds, plus cockatiels and parakeets, she handraised the babies and sold them to people interested, she had a small website where you could learn about them. I talked with her a few times, I went to her home and met her family, I saw her with her birds, and I approved. So we gave him to her. We wanted him to be happy. A few months later I got an email that he had chosen a mate and stopped plucking. He was still weary of fingers, but he didn't go out of his way to attack unless you got near the nestbox.
So I guess what he really wanted in the end was a mate, we don't and won't ever breed birds... so the only way of achieving that would have been to rehome him. I'm glad to know he is happy now, even though mom misses him. She ended up buying a cockatiel from the lady and he has been a hoot for her to bond with.

[Rue]

Kim: Sometimes, no matter how well you research and prepare...things don't work out. Greys often aren't easy. Mine isn't, at least compared to all the others. She's a feather snipper...looks horrible, divebombs my daughter, so I can't have her out of the cage as often as the others, she gets worked up and bites unexpectedly and I like to think I'm good at reading body language, but she still gets me. If she were my first parrot experience I'd be devastated thinking I was doing it all wrong...but my other birds are fine, so I know it's not as much me as her.

She might do better in a different home...but who can know that? The home she came from was quiet - an older couple. When they had health issues they gave her to their daughter...who isolated her in the laundry room - that's when she started the feather snipping. I thought she'd do better in our busy home (lots to watch!)...and she has had grown her feathers back 3 times...but then something sets her off and she starts snipping again. I have no idea what set her off this time other than it might have been my MIL coming to visit.

So don't feel guilty. You found your grey a new, knowledgeable home. That was totally responsible.

Now, here's a question. Nicodemus, my Red Belly, was given to me because he developed a habit of biting the crap out of his owner. If he didn't come to me, he was headed for a rescue facility. How would we classify that? I generally tell people that he was given to me or I rehomed him but he sort of fits the description I gave for a rescue. Hmmm...

If he was well looked after I suppose it wasn't a rescue, but you did take in a 'problem bird'...so he's still a rehome.

I do see the appeal of wanting to 'rescue' though. Our youngest dog is from the SPCA. I was looking for an older, large breed dog that really did need a good home. I can handle certain dog issues so I was open to problem dogs. But we came home with a 10 week old puppy instead. He and his litter were part of a seizure. He is a a rather non-descript largish black dog and apparently they are the hardest to rehome and come back the most often, and are consequently euthanized the most often.

I like to think we rescued him because he 'might' have ended up a sad statistic. But in reality, we just picked up a happy, healthy puppy.

[Rrrma]

I like to think we rescued him because he 'might' have ended up a sad statistic. But in reality, we just picked up a happy, healthy puppy.

Yeah, you just never know what might happen in that new proverbial home. That is how I have ended up with a handful myself. And I like to think that any stray I take in is a rescue from the hard life on the streets, but you never know where they came from.

As I've said before, I prefer rehomes/rescues/strays/whatever. Mostly because there was once a time when I was an underdog and I wish someone had rescued me.

[thegreatkatsby]

A rehome is a parrot who is moving from one home to another for a variety of reasons. A rescue is a bird who is in danger of living in poor health or dying because of lack of care, or a bird who nobody else will take because he would require rehabilitation in order to become a good pet. I would also put birds with disabilities or deformities in the rescue catagory.

I agree with this entirely. I paid for my amazon and bought her directly from her previous owner, but it was partially because I was worried that something bad would happen to her if I didn't adopt. She had screaming issues, aggression issues, she had been mistreated, neglected, was called an african grey even though she is an amazon, fed seed-only diet, and being sold because her owner was moving across the country and "didn't want her to die from the cold during the car trip". Although it was technically a rehome, I absolutely consider this a rescue.

My pionus is a little different. Her previous owner surrendered her to a humane society (that only took cats, with this one exception). I made a "donation" to adopt her. She seems to be in good health and reasonable temperament, but was left alone all day and never kept in her cage (i.e. behavioral issues re: cage). I could see her as either a rehome or a rescue and wouldn't be offended either way.

As for the stories about rehoming due to the bird disliking you... I think each individual has to make his or her own choice as to how to handle that situation, but my amazon went through puberty with me (I adopted her at 4 years old--at least that's what I was told) and it was AWFUL. She was so aggressive and hateful for the first year or so, and then the next couple of years were a little better, but still awful at times. I remember being frustrated often, crying, having breakdowns because I felt like nothing I did made the situation better. Fast forward six years though, and you wouldn't recognize this parrot. She is very bonded to me now, and we have an excellent relationship. Six years ago she mauled me regularly, screaming night and day, and hated almost everyone that approached her. Today she is sweet, begs for scritches and treats, screams only occasionally (well, she IS an amazon), and is friendly with almost everyone. I was blown away at the vet a month ago when she obediently let the vet and techs handle her. Just amazing.

If anyone really loves a parrot and is willing to work through issues, I think consistency is the key. For example, you might get bitten a lot, bleed and have scars... but if you start wearing heavy leather gloves I think that is even scarier for the parrot. A parrot will scream at you until it's too tired or bored to scream anymore, but if you wait calmly and patiently without rewarding the behavior with a reaction, the bird will eventually learn that nothing good comes of it. And if you bring enough kind, parrot-friendly, BRAVE friends over to meet with and help socialize the parrot... I think you might find that a "mean" parrot might just be misunderstood. Not to say that some animals aren't really mean--there are some mean animals. Trying new things might help, but parrots are very smart, and can be very stubborn. Learn as much as you can from other owners about good strategies for dealing with problems, and then stay consistent with how you handle the situation. Just when you think there's no more hope... the cloud clear out and you start to see improvement.

Then it gets worse again. Then it gets better again. And so forth and so on until some day you can hardly remember what the problems were in the first place!

Rehoming might be the answer for some. I'm not judging anyone who has had to make that unfortunate decision. But I can tell you from personal experience that despite the tears and the scars, working with a misunderstood, behavioral-problem parrot can be one of the most rewarding things you'll ever do.

[a.susz]

nice story katsby... thanks for sharing. I am similar with my senegal. "he loves me, he loves me not..." we take it one day at a time, and if hes happy with being held, im happy. if he wants to be left alone, i leave him be. If he wants to spend time with our red belly i permit it, and i protect him when he's tired of her. thats our life as of now and i don't mind it one bit. i couldn't imagine sending him away, he was so nippy at me for 2 whole years, i contemplated giving him to a sanctuary, but i would have missed him WAY too much. me and my little buddy have been through alot together and i'm glad i stuck it out through the rough patches.

[lzver]

A lot has been said in this thread ... well said in fact.

I'm still in my thirties and know without a fact that if anything ever happened to me, my husband would care for and look after Lucy and Jessie (and soon to be Kylie).

Let's throw Kylie into the example here. Kylie, the Meyer's I'm adopting already has a very good home with her current owner. But her current owner recognizes that with some of the larger birds she has and new birds coming (a baby and a rescue) that Kylie may be better off in another home. I know that Kylie's current owner has had A LOT of inquiries and has been very selective about who she would adopt Kylie to. I cannot imagine how difficult a decision it has been for Kylie's current owner and I'm very blessed and fortunate that I'm being given the opportunity to adopt Kylie.

I have signed an adoption contract. She reserves the right to follow-up within the first year and if she feels that adequate care is not being provided she reserves the right to take Kylie back. As far as I am concerned ... she has an open invitation to come and see Kylie whenever she wants to ensure that I'm holding up my end of the agreement. The agreement also included that if for whatever reason I need to rehome Kylie that I call her and she will take her back.

I consider what I am doing with Kylie to be rehoming ... no rescuing is required. I have a lot of respect for Kylie's current owner. You can't always know someone's reason for rehoming a bird.