Should I Add Another Bird To My Flock?

photo of Koko & Ed

Recently I was left a comment under and article I have posted here by good freind and African Grey expert, Maggie Wright; asking about whether this man should help a 10 year old female, African Grey by taking her home to live with him, his wife and a 1 year old African Grey.

Evidently, the owner of the 10 year old Grey now has children that "take all her time" so she is not able to spend any time with parrot anymore. The Grey is now plucking and the owner looking to place her in a new home.

The Gentleman that is interested in this 10 year old Grey tells me that his wife is already complaining that their own Grey takes all of his time and asks if he would just be asking for trouble to bring this other Grey into his home.

Here was my reply to him:

If you do as Maggie suggests in this article, then there should be no problems. My two Greys have their own cages and are across the room from each other. They are let out of their cages on to the play tree or to be out with either my husband or I at separate times until we get another Tree built. Fortunately, my husband spends his time with Koko and I spend my time with Nick so they both get to be alone with the person they love the most and they don't have to share us with each other very often at all.

If your wife resents your current Grey then it may not be a great idea to bring in this poor girl that is going to be stressed enough going into a new home after living with this family for 10 years already.

IF your wife wants to help out and is willing to spend some quality time with either your baby Grey or the new Grey then I say "sure", go for it. Everyone in the household should be in agreement and commited to love and care for this other Grey in need.

Greys (or parrots of any kind) demand and deserve as much time out of the cage and with YOU then many people feel they have time for.

It may better to help this lady re-home her bird by having her locate and contact a bird sancturay or rescue organization near by. If she needs help, please have her contact me and I can put her in touch with a network to help find this Grey a perfect home.

There are many parrots out there at the moment with a need for a knowledgable and loving home due to thier current owners losing jobs and or homes. The sanctuaries are over-flowing. However, they need to be alerted to these birds in need and may be able to find them a wonderful forever home if they know the bird exists out there and is in need.

Meet Tipper the Congo African Grey

Meet Tipper

Tipper was born in captivity in 1998, and eight years later relinquished to the Utah Critter Sanctuary & Ferret & Parrot Rescue Shelter.
Destined for the pet trade, Tipper was raised at the nadir of a booming market for hand-fed Grey babies. What happened between his hatching and his surrender to sanctuary is anybody’s guess. Only Tipper knows for sure. He was probably less than 3 months old when he was sold to humans who bought him, a cage, a toy, bowls and food. Less than 10 years later, Tipper has been rejected and passed from “owner” to “owner,” until he finally became homeless.

When he was surrendered into shelter, the people who gave up Tipper told their story of disappointment: Tipper doesn’t act like a well-socialized Grey: he isn’t friendly, he won’t come out of his cage, he’s not playful, he doesn’t talk all that much, he’s easily frightened, and worst of all, he’s a biter. They described how they struggled to get him to exit his cage until they discovered “toweling.” Using a towel, Tipper would be caught by the head and neck in his cage and his wings pinned to his body. Tightly wrapped and held feet up, the panicked bird twitches and thrashes until he is “set free” back into the cage and allowed to kick off the towel. (It is notable that at the shelter, Tipper has never bitten anyone and is considered to be very gentle.)

Unlike many traumatized birds, Tipper is still in overall good health, beautiful, and in excellent, full feather--an “upright and feathered” parrot. For the full story and more, please click HERE

As you will read in the rest of Tipper's story at The Kerulos Center Website, Tipper has come to the attention of many Avian Experts and lovers. We will be keeping up with Tipper and his story here as we learn any news of him finding a new forever home and over-comes his life of being cage bound and mis-understood.

Stay tuned!

Everything You NEVER Wanted To Know About Cockatoos

This post is taken from the "mytoos.com" website

"That which does not kill us makes us pull our feathers out......."

Are you thinking of getting a Cockatoo?? Do you REALLY know what you are getting into?

Most people not familiar with large parrots fail to see the "Big Picture"

Beautiful and Cuddly:

These are the words normally used to describe one of natures most unusual parrots, the Moluccan Cockatoo. It's unusual in that it's one of the few "lap birds , and acts more like a dog than a bird sometimes. As babies, Moluccans so easily touch your heart that it's hard to walk away from them without taking one home. Their liquid eyes look like black pools of inquisitiveness as they carefully study your facial expressions, and you seem to be able to look right into their very souls. Both Moluccans and Umbrella cockatoos possess a sweetness that few parrots can match, for awhile. As all good things must come to an end however, so goes the sweetness as these babies mature. This is not to say that there will be a complete change, but the odds are great that the 'Too you'll wind up with years later is not the sweetness and light you brought home. Do all birds change? No. Will most change to some degree? You'd better believe it! And it's these changes that sometimes drives owners to rescues.

One of the most mentally and emotionally complicated parrots to deal with, the Moluccan is more than a handful for all but the most dedicated parrot lover.

Few people can provide for the many needs of these special birds. Proof of this is the fact that most parrot rescues are full of Molluccan and Umbrella cockatoos, and the newspaper classifieds across the nation are full of "for sale" ads for these birds.

The strangest circumstances can cause these parrots to become self mutilators or complete terrors to their owners. Lack of interaction, wrong foods, bad placement, improper cages and many other factors can contribute to a "problem" cockatoo.

Volumes have been printed in many languages attempting to resolve these "problems", and many are helpful. But a lot of psychobabble has been printed also. So as we continue to read and study everything we can get our hands on, many Moluccans and Umbrellas (along with some other 'Too species) continue to self destruct. "Nature" however, doesn't read books.

The bottom line is that there is much more than meets the eye when considering a parrot such as these. Many pet stores and breeders only want to sell birds, and if forced to tell the truth, wouldn't be able to sell nearly as many as they do now.

As the popularity of these 'Toos increase, the truth is much harder to find. This is why I recommend talking to long term cockatoo owners. (A short term owner hasn't had the time to see the end result). Find as many owners as possible and do your research from places that have no vested interest in the selling of parrots or parrot products. Also talk to the many parrot rescues. They will normally give you the real low-down on this species and you may possibly want to adopt instead of purchase. Do the research you'll really need in making your decision to purchase one of these wonderful but taxing creatures..

BECAUSE....

Like a childless couple that THINK they know what having children would be like, (but don't really have a clue until they've arrived), many parrot owners find out the hard way also. Oh sure..... they're wonderful and smart and entertaining. But depending on the species, a parrot can take up more time, cause more aggravation, and completely drive you nuts in a matter of weeks! That's why there are so many parrot rescues out there. Is it the birds fault? Absolutely not! It's the owners fault for buying something that he or she hasn't researched thoroughly.
(and both WILL suffer the consequences )

Right up front.. I don't think large cockatoos should be kept for 90 years in a cage. These majestic creatures deserve to be free as God intended. Now, that not withstanding, I know its just not gonna happen. Also note that I do not accept advertising. Most Dot Com Parrot sites are paid for by parrot products companies. This means that the site must be pro parrot, but more importantly "pro ownership" which in turn means that you don't always get the entire picture about parrots and parrot ownership. They cant afford to tell all the negative aspects because they'd lose their advertisers. Heck, I'M pro parrot, but I'm NOT pro ownership for every Tom , Dick and Mary that has a few bucks, or who are just bored and are looking for something to do for a couple of hours a day. There are a few good "sponsored" websites out there, but you new people don't have a clue as to which is really telling you the truth. That's why I built this site. Start here and use the info I provide to help you weed out the bad breeders - pet stores - web sites - and the many other aspects of the cockatoo business. (You're going to need all the help you can get. ) So with that in mind....... Please read the rest of this information and many articles and letters at www.mytoos.com

You will be glad you did!