How old are your parrots?

[Natacha]

How old are your parrots? Were you their first owner? If not, for how long have you had them?

Piper: She's 4 and I'm her second owner, although her first family only had her for about a week. I've had her since she was a couple of months old.

Shade: She's 3. I'm her first owner, have had her since she was weaned.

Joey: He's 4. I'm his second owner and have had him just a couple of days before his third birthday.

Petey: I think she's 14. She is banded 1995. Not sure how many homes she's had before me.

Zuri: Probably 2 now, she's banded 2007. Has had one official owner before (who had a friend look briefly after her when he was in cancer treatment; when he died,his friend brought Zuri to a rescue her owner wanted her to go to).

[Michael]

I guess it's kind of weird not knowing how old your birds are but after you've had your own "baby bird" that you got to raise and bond with it's probably easier to accept a rehomed bird and care for it without having been it's original owner. Am I right? You and Mona both had your baby hen and lover her so much you both picked up some rehomes... I have a Senegal hen, wonder if that means I'm next?

[Natacha]

I got Piper and Shade through breeders, although Shade was a weird story.

When I got Joey, I wasn't really planning on getting another bird but one night I was looking at the classifieds and say this old add for a Red-bellied..I wanted one but figured he wouldn't be available anymore since the add was soooo old. He was..and the rest is history.

My two Meyer's I got through a local rescue ran by some of my friends from the Parrot club. They knew I was into Poicephalus so they asked me if I wanted the Meyer's, or at least to foster them. Both ended up being permanent birds.

I am looking into getting a female Red-bellied. Last week-end, I went to see a 10 year old hen for sale. At first I wanted a baby but I figured I'd go see the one for sale. I did not leave with her and have no intention of taking her in. Her feathers were in poor condition; some plucking and some that were curled up..and they looked quite dull. I don't know if she was sick or not but wouldn't risk making mine sick. Anyways, a friend of mine spoke about a breeder friend of hers that has a breeding pair of Red-bellies and I might get a baby from her in the spring.

It is rewarding to give a rehome a second chance, but they can sometimes require more work than a baby bird that you must educate, since you sometimes have to undo some bad things taught from the previous owners first, and after taking in 3 rehomes, I think getting a baby would be nice

[Michael]

That red bellied must have been really sick or neglected cause it's rare to hear of feather plucking in poicephalus!

[Natacha]

Indeed! Very rare. I've seen it and heard of it but it does not happen often.

The lady who owns her was selling her because of the plucking because, and I quote: "Well I realized I had to find another home for her because I don't have time for her anymore"...and this was said when I noticed the plucked area on her wings.

She only had one toy in her cage and it wasn't particularly attacking looking.

If I could have done proper quarantine, I might have been more tempted but my birds health comes first.

[Michael]

Of course. That's a very responsible.

[Natacha]

So how old is Kili? Or did I just miss you telling her age somewhere..

[Michael]

Kili is coming up on a year and 4 months. She's still going through her first molt and her eyes aren't full yellow yet.

Duke the budgie is coming up on 8 months in a couple weeks. Although he seems to be catching up to Kili in terms of molt. He's got 3 primaries in to replace the cut ones and just a few more to go to be fully flighted.

[MandyG]

Mojo is 1 year and 3 months old. He was flown to me from the breeder just before he was 3 months old. He also came clipped from the breeder and his last 2 primaries just started coming in . It's so exciting seeing my little boy learning how to fly .

[twinclaire]

Hi we have owned our parrots all from chicks, Parrot the amazon is just over 30 yrs old, we bought him in the days birds when birds were smuggled in crates to the uk, out of 50 birds parrots there were three that only survived the journey, he had 2 toes broken which has left one of them deformed but it dont bother him in any way, he is the perfect gentleman who is very gentle in every way, he does'nt talk much as he has always had everything he has ever wanted so he has never needed to ask sometimes i think he thinks he is a dog for when we come down in a morning we often find him in the dog basket playing with there toys, all he shouts is hungry and food Bazil my grey i have had since a chick and he is 5 he is a not stop chaterbox he loves telling the dogs off, and bobby is 8-9 had him too from a babe he loves amy winehouse and goes crazy when she come on I will have to post some vids.
mel xx