Pickles at "Downtown Summer Nights"

Pet Loss

No matter If you lose your pet due to death, having to put them down or placing the pet in a new home. The pain of loss can be great for both the human and the animal. Here is my story.

 I had to place Tangy my Molluccan Cockatoo in the care of someone other than me. I was attached to Tangy and expected her to be my upper elderly years bird. Tangy likes most everyone and would be happy sitting with her human receiving loves most of the day. I would have been able to have others help me with Tangy, unlike my other birds that need an experienced bird handler.

 I was Tangy's third owner.  Tangy's original owners had moved to Arizona from Washington state due to a job transfer, and decided it was best to leave Tangy in Washington. When the couple moved they didn't know where or when they would have a permanent spot to live.  I just by chance found out who the original owner was when I went to a bird club meeting in Tri-Cities. The people at the bird club recognized her.  I contacted Tangy's original owners in Arizona to let them know, I now had Tangy and would take good care of her. Tangy's original owners in were surprised that I had her. The second owner who gave me Tangy  was suppose to contact the original owner in Arizona, if things didn't work out. We did take good care of Tangy and had good times.

What comes with a Moluccan Cockatoo is a big personality and a big voice. It was the big voice my husband and daughters could no longer handle. I was told  Tangy had to go and she had to go now. It was November so I didn't think driving from Arizona up north to Washington was going to be an option. There were a few  bird club people I had met that I contacted about taking Tangy for a while, however they were not able to take her at the time. The second owner who gave Tangy to me was not able to take her due to health issues.

 The result of this re-homing experience. I sold her for two hundred dollars with cage, to a couple here in town who had been wanting a bird for the husband. The gal stated she had grown up with parrots. I could have given  the bird to them but I didn't. I gave the bird & cage to them cheap.  One year later the couple here in town decided Tangy was not a fit for them. Tangy started chasing the gals feet and biting her when they sat on the bed together.  How did I find out Tangy was not going to work out for them?  At times I'm a Craig's List surfer. I saw a Moluccan listed and the phone number matched the one we had on record, from selling Tangy to them. I called the couple up and asked to buy her back. I paid more to get her back, then what I had sold her for.  You may be wondering why we bought her back if she was too loud in the first place. Number one reason, we did not want her to get in the wrong hands. Number two reason to get her back. I felt a lot of guilt for not going the extra mile to get Tangy to Arizona with her original owners. I had taken a great deal of "heat" from the bird club members and the original owner of Tangy in Arizona, regarding selling her. I quit attending bird club as I was no longer comfortable going. I felt my hands were tied. My husband had said "Tangy has to go now".

After we bought Tangy back,  Tangy's original owner of 19 years stated, "we would like you to return Tangy to us if the time comes again, that you can no longer keep her".  I kept in contact with the couple in Arizona through e-mail, sent pictures of Tangy with our other  birds and gave a report of how Tangy was doing. After another two years the time came again (and I knew it would) that my husband said "it's time for Tangy to go to Arizona. We don't want to deal with the loudness any longer". I made the phone call the following day to Tangy's original owners. Carlton drove the two and a half days from Arizona to Washington to pick up Tangy. Carlton is retired now and a full time volunteer at the Oasis Parrot Sanctuary. I sobbed off and on for several days before Tangy was picked up by Carlton. The day she left we visited for a while and I kept my composure. Tangy did not remember Carlton and could tell something was up. I took Tangy to the car and put her in the travel cage.

A few weeks have passed and the tears still flow as I finish writing this. It's risky to share publicly on such a controversial  topic as re- homing pets.  Some people are extremely judgmental , however I'm taking the risk. Someone may be enlightened as I was  from my experience. In a way I was selfish to my family for keeping her. Even though Steve and Amber loved Tangy, they did not want to live with that amount of volume. The loudness was not constant but it was there. I know in my heart I did the right thing the second time I let her go. I gave her back to a family who loved her for 19 years and wanted that job back. Life evolves, circumstances change. Nothing is guaranteed to be forever, except death.

Our home is much quieter now. The two Macaws call back and forth at times but the volume is not as grand as the Moluccan Cockatoo. I'm glad I had the experience of living with Tangy the Moluccan, one of the loudest of the parrot groups for four years. I just remind myself, Tangy is one of the adaptable parrots who went back to a home with people to love & care for her. 

Clipping Flight Feathers or Not

Your able to go online & discover many writings about the subject of to clip wings, or to not clip wings. Many opinions are valid. The way I look at it is, we keep parrots as pets and those pets will most likely not be reintroduced into the wild. Do what works best for your parrot family to keep them safe & happy. I don't feel a bird has to fly to be truly happy, any more than a dog needs to run the neighborhood to be happy. If you don't live out in the boonies, I feel it's unsafe to allow your dog to run loose on his own.

I'm at the point once again of deciding who's wings I'm going to clip, and who I'm not going to clip. It usually depends on what my plans are going to be for each parrot. I have a patio with 4 cages and 3 play stands. I like to give my parrots as much freedom as possible. I leave the cage doors open and let them play on top. Many people may say "that's not safe". That  kind of reply is logical, however I know my birds and pay attention to what's happening around us. I would suggest making sure you know your birds, before allowing your parrots this type of activity.

Every year since I've had Nemo our 6 year old B&G Macaw, his wings have been clipped. Nemo is a strong parrot and could fly off if spooked. Tangy the Moluccan Cockatoo has most of her flight feathers, and most likely won't fly off. She has a bum foot and is a bit clumsy. She runs around fine on her cage, however Tangy has not shown a huge desire to fly off so far. Of course she could if she really wanted to. I guess it's a risk I sometimes take. When Tangy has her wings clipped she looks  ratty. Molly our Senegal  will be getting clipped soon. When we first acquired Molly my husband was not thinking, he walked outside with her on his shoulder. Something spooked her and off she few. Molly was gone for an over nighter and my husband felt horrible.

 Now my B&G Macaw who is 14 months old at this time of writing, will not be having his wings clipped.  I may want to learn how to free fly him in the next few months. You can always clip them later, but you most likely won't be gluing the feathers back on.  Another parrot  I will not be clipping flight feathers on is Nipper, the Ringneck Parakeet. Nipper was rescued from an abusive household. He cannot fly due to a broken wing. Yes, some humans are cruel to animals and this stuff really does happen.

 Baretta  our Citron/Bare eyed Cockatoo is a different story.  She is my shy non trusting bird who  allows only me to hold her. Almost all of Baretta's flight feathers are grown back. Being able to fly around the house and get to where I am, has brought Baretta out of her shell this winter. Still a nervous bird, but better. At this point she fly's to where I am and lands on my head. I then put up my hand so she can step up, and be put on my shoulder. That for Baretta  is fun, with a bonus of getting her exercise indoors. I was advised by someone who I believe to be a reliable source, to either clip the birds flight feathers, or don't clip. None of this, leave them flighted for the winter and clip in the spring. I needed to make up my mind.   The decision I have made is to leave Baretta's wings alone  and put  her in a cage for outdoor time.  Baretta has flown off 4 times, with her wings clipped. One time she flew off, it was an over nighter. Baretta  is light in body, has a good size wing span  and is an excellent flyer. Even when her wings have been  clipped, she has flown off.  When clipping a parrot fitting Baretta's description, I would clip the first 5-7 flight feathers  real short to help deter a parrot from flying off.

 I don't like hunting down a parrot. It is time consuming and you don't always get them back. I've just been lucky or, I really do look hard. I let my neighbors and everyone imaginable know I'm hunting for my parrot. I have my other parrots outside so they can be heard by the escaped parrot. I walk on foot  calling the birds name and listen. Get others to help look if they are willing, and don't give up. There are other things you can do if you cannot find your bird. A few examples are putting up flyers, posting an add on Craig's List or other advertising places. Call around to the Humane Society, pet stores, bird clubs, rescues and any other place you can think of.

 I take into consideration many different factors to decide what parrot I'm going to clip, and what parrot not to clip. I don't want large birds flying around "my house" as I don't think it's safe. I don't have a huge house with lots of open space. There you have it.  A post on Facebook about going to the park turned into my view of, to clip or not. Please note this is not a professional opinion. It's what works for me at this time.

My First Parrot a memoir

 

My eyes fell upon this magnificent green creature. She reminded me of a smooth miniature dinosaur. I did not dare touch her for I knew of the possible consequences. The room was spacious with minimal furniture and hardwood flooring. There was a dog and 2 cats roaming the room.  A grey rabbit in a cage close to the front door.  Off of the living room through two French glass doors, there were more cages with smaller birds on them.  I had come to see Kiki the six year old Yellow Napped Amazon. Not taking her eyes off me, Kiki walked about her  play stand slowly  while the owner and I discussed her likes, dislikes, diet and routine. I told the owner about my home, my husband, two girls and two dogs. We spent close to an hour sharing information back and forth. I told her I would go home to think about it and get back to her by the next day. Even if it was only for one hour I was going to leave and think about it. Mainly to call my Mother and see if she would loan me the five hundred dollars to purchase  Kiki. Full of excitement I said goodbye to Kiki and the owner. Off to call my Mom I went.



Kiki a Yellow Napped Amazon

 

I'm doing some writing with the subject being, my experiences with parrots. Keeping parrots has been a learning adventure for me. I have researched many parrot topics of what I knew nothing about. I now have opinions about issues, yet keep an open mind. There is always more to learn and different perspectives to contemplate. I 'm thinking the way a blog is set up (most recent first) may not be the best approach to writing a memoir. However, here is my first draft of a starting point.