Introducing Sammy

[harleybaby]

this is Sammy:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/leah9798/Picture077.jpg

[amazing greys]

awwww Sammy is sooooo cute!! I couldn't imagine he can be a handful by that look on his face, roflol :funny:

[Wings]

talk about an innocent look...would you look at that precious face!!:emot-danc Pam

[amazing greys]

:roflmao2: I know, doesn't he look like he's thinking "who me? I'm just a sweet boy"

I bet he's a little character. Leah, share some funny Sammy stuff :nuts:

[Jean]

Awwww Leah, that expression melts me into goo :heart: I want to just cuddle your sweet little Sammy. :wub: I have seen a thousands upon thousands of pictures of birds and do not believe I have ever seen that sweet expression from any free standing bird pose. I've only seen it in pics of birds being cuddled at getting scritches.


He's adorable to say the least!!!:wub: :wub: :wub:

[harleybaby]

Awwwww Thank you!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/leah9798/DSC01090.jpg


Barb, LOL Yeah he's cute alright until he bites, lunges and rushes you. :eek: He has gotten much better though and it's down to a minimum now :dance: Well, except for poor hubby who Sammy goes on the prowl to attack now and I have to rescue from the big bad cockatoo.:funny:

[Jenell]

Very pretty!!!!! I am looking forward to more updates and pics.

[Jean]

Leah, Maybe, you could tell everyone about how you came to adopt Sammy to save him from the auction block again.

[harleybaby]

Thank you Jenell:D


Are you sure you want to hear the story again LOL

I'll just give the short version:)
Over Thanksgiving my step brother told me about this plant nursery that had the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. So thinking they may have had some really rare exotic parrots I decided to go check it out. When I got there as soon as I opened the door, there was Sammy half naked in a cockatiel sized cage. I immediately was drawn to him. There were also B&G's, other cockatoos and an amazon. I started asking about Sammy and the lady who had been caring for them for the last year told me, I love this line " They were all handfed babies, at one time". Then she told me that the guy who owned the nursery had gone to an auction and bought ALL the birds there. The sad part is that this wasn't a bird auction it was just a regular auction. So, all were older birds and they all had some sort of problem, screaming, plucking, biting etc. She then told me that since they weren't selling the owner was taking them all back to the auction. I left in tears, I wasn't looking for any birds especially a cockatoo but my heart just broke especially for Sammy for some reason. My hubby knew how upset I was and over the next week he kept bringing me back but I could never bring myself to bring him home with us. Then one night we went again and the lady was hysterically crying. She said the owner was fed up and was bringing them all the next day back to the auction. So, we decided to take Sammy and if he was too much we would just find him a new great home. We also got Einstein from the same place. He was one of 3 handfed babies(the only ones there) that she handfed and it was breaking her heart to think of him going to the auction and me too. Someone was supposed to put a deposit on him but never showed up. The lady did become a friend while I tried to help her find homes for the rest of the birds. She really loved those birds, she was even working for free for the guy to buy more time to find them homes. She did manage to talk him into waiting until after Christmas to take them. A lot of them found homes but quite a few ended up at yet another plant nursery unfortunately but are supposedly being kept in a large aviary and not for sale. Well, that's Sammy and Einsteins story. :)

[Jenell]

I am soooo glad that Sammy and Einstein ended up with you. Thanks for sharing.

[Shirley]

Thank you for sharing Sammy's story with us! What a lucky bird and he's so beautiful! Evidently he's stopped messing with his feathers and they've grown back in? He looks wonderful!

:wub:

[Jean]

Thanks Leah, even though I knew it, i'm sure the others liked reading it. :tighthug:

[harleybaby]

Awwwww, thank you Shirley! I am just so proud of him. I think he's really happy here. I'm trying to get my hubby to scan a pic of him when he first came here so I can show everyone just how much he has improved. He even looks better now then when those pictures were taken. He is almost coompletely feathered now and his feathers are so beautiful. He hasn't chewed them or snipped them at all, it really warms my heart to see him doing so well:woot: !

[Shirley]

Did you do anything in particulary? Did he ever have to wear a collar? Change diet? Or was it just a change of homes and getting a loving family? I'm just so pleased to hear a happy ending to the feather plucking! :emot-danc :heart: :heart:

[harleybaby]

I noticed he would pull out his blood feathers and eat the stuff inside including the blood. So, I increased his protien but that's it!! Nothing else. The lady who cared for them told me he came from the auction completely bald. He was there for a year when I got him and she said he looked better but he was still plucking. He's a very very active playful bird. He's very independent and will play all day! I think being in that tiny cage with one toy was really hard on him. The week I kept going back to see him he would never move, he just sat there. I didn't do anything special I just think he improved because he has more freedom now and toys that he enjoys playing with. So I can't really take any credit, he did it himself.:D

[Sue]

Leah, so glad you got Sammy and Einstein.



Love Sammy's pics .. he's a real cutie!:heart:

[Jean]

Leah, you certainly can take a lot of credit. Looking at him tells us you have accomplished wonders.:goodjob:

:thanx: for being such a good mom to him. :tighthug:

[harleybaby]

Awwwwww, you all just too sweet!!!:thanx:

[Bill]

What a beautiful Sammy you have there! Scooter is a bit smaller than Sammy (but of course Scoots is female). Thanks for telling us Sammy's story. Hugs,

[harleybaby]

Thank you Bill! Actually Sammy is on the small side also. He normally weighs around 480 grams, funny since Einstein weighs 410 and Sammy looks 3x bigger than him. :)