Xakana
04-24-2005, 12:48 AM
Jack is four years old and a rescued Quaker (or Monk) Parrot/Parrakeet who has found his forever home with me.
http://www.imgspot.com/u/2004/05/14/19/Jack_playing2.jpg
Jack was found wandering the streets by the local animal shelter, plucked, sick and almost dead. They took a long time to rehabilitate him. He was unable to perch up until a couple weeks before he left. They ran all sorts of tests, but he was healthy. Speculation is that either his last owner "freed" him or didn't keep his wings properly trimmed and he few away. With Jack, either is possible. Whatever it was, they didn't bother to file a missing bird report and nothing is really known of his past before the shelter.
http://img55.exs.cx/img55/287/jackobhisback3pv.jpg
Jack was won by my sister, who had fallen in love with my Dionysus, in the raffle for him at the shelter. She paid her $10 and took Jack home. He went through a 'honeymoon' period with her and she was at home with her kids full time, so they got along great. Then Jack started making messes and having what seemed like flashbacks (where he would go from being sweet to suddenly and visciously attacking). My sister had to go to work full time and Jack was locked in his cage (about 22/7). She tried taking him out, but she didn't keep his wings trimmed, so he'd be nice with her for a while, then fly off, pooping all over her house, attacking her, and once he even flew out the open door across the street and she had to retrieve him from a neighbor's tree.
http://img103.exs.cx/img103/1914/Jack_grin.jpg
Finally, she admitted that she could not properly care for Jack and she loved him and wanted him to find a new home where he could be taken care of properly. She asked me to find one and after a while of thinking, I realized that I had a home, lol. I didn't particularly like Jack, as he lunged at me from behind the bars of his cage whenever I came over (although he would stop when I would sit next to him and sing softly). But he was being kept in the kitchen, my sister burned scented candles and incense that are poisonous to birds and I just couldn't leave him there, so I offered my home.
http://img121.exs.cx/img121/6825/Jack_wings2.jpg
Jack came here and went into quarantine pending the results of his bloodwork and once it was clean, became a full fledged member of this family (not that I was panning to get rid of him once he was here and we bonded, lol).
http://img2.imgspot.com/u/04/322/12/Jackbathduckiesm.jpg
Jack's personality changed here. First, I don't shut cage doors (except with the finches) unless we're going to be gone a long time. So he was no longer locked in a little cage with nothing to do but bang the bars and pluck himself. Second, I don't work (I can't, I'm on disability) so I wasn't leaving him alone for the majority of the day. Third, I already had Dionysus and having another bird around seemed to comfort him immensely.
http://www.imgspot.com/u/04/142/22/JD_Kiss.jpghttp://img2.imgspot.com/u/04/207/15/JackDikissin.jpg
Jack, who had never done more than beak a toy here and there, began playing with toys, chewing, shredding, working puzzles and even climbing (he's always acted arthritic, like he can't use his legs well). He used to only step up half heartedly and only to the left hand, but now he steps up slowly, but consistently, will even ladder and steps onto whichever hand I offer.
http://www.imgspot.com/uploads/Jack_Kiss.jpg
On the down side, Jack has gone from being friendly with everyone (he was like this for about two months here) to attacking anyone who's not me. Right from the start, he was attacking my sister, though. He makes it clear he wants to stay here. Jack has bonded to me and I don't intend to ever break that bond. He occassionally tolerates my husband, but for the most part, attacks him when he comes close to his cage and throws a hissy fit when he sees us hugging.
http://www.imgspot.com/uploads/Jack6.jpg
Jack has a history of feather plucking and it resurfaced several months ago. I worked with him to get him to stop and thankfully, he did not created any bald spots on himself and after being given a larger cage and a new roper perch that has a bunch of the cotton rayed at the end, the plucking stopped. He's also a human overpreener (preens his human, me, until I have a little hole in my skin, this has been corrected by redirecting his preening to my hair, where he can't do any damage).
http://www.imgspot.com/uploads/Jack_toes.jpg
In his past, my guesses are that he was once someone's beloved baby--he is potty trained, very affectionate and cuddly (at least with me) and won't hurt children (although he will now hiss at them, when he 'attacks' them, he doesn't do any injury). I think that at some time, perhaps when he hit puberty, he was abused (he sometimes flinches at hands, like an abused child) and possibly locked in a cage without any toys or anything to do but rip his own feathers out.
I adore him now and couldn't imagine life without him.
~Xak
http://www.imgspot.com/u/2004/05/14/19/Jack_playing2.jpg
Jack was found wandering the streets by the local animal shelter, plucked, sick and almost dead. They took a long time to rehabilitate him. He was unable to perch up until a couple weeks before he left. They ran all sorts of tests, but he was healthy. Speculation is that either his last owner "freed" him or didn't keep his wings properly trimmed and he few away. With Jack, either is possible. Whatever it was, they didn't bother to file a missing bird report and nothing is really known of his past before the shelter.
http://img55.exs.cx/img55/287/jackobhisback3pv.jpg
Jack was won by my sister, who had fallen in love with my Dionysus, in the raffle for him at the shelter. She paid her $10 and took Jack home. He went through a 'honeymoon' period with her and she was at home with her kids full time, so they got along great. Then Jack started making messes and having what seemed like flashbacks (where he would go from being sweet to suddenly and visciously attacking). My sister had to go to work full time and Jack was locked in his cage (about 22/7). She tried taking him out, but she didn't keep his wings trimmed, so he'd be nice with her for a while, then fly off, pooping all over her house, attacking her, and once he even flew out the open door across the street and she had to retrieve him from a neighbor's tree.
http://img103.exs.cx/img103/1914/Jack_grin.jpg
Finally, she admitted that she could not properly care for Jack and she loved him and wanted him to find a new home where he could be taken care of properly. She asked me to find one and after a while of thinking, I realized that I had a home, lol. I didn't particularly like Jack, as he lunged at me from behind the bars of his cage whenever I came over (although he would stop when I would sit next to him and sing softly). But he was being kept in the kitchen, my sister burned scented candles and incense that are poisonous to birds and I just couldn't leave him there, so I offered my home.
http://img121.exs.cx/img121/6825/Jack_wings2.jpg
Jack came here and went into quarantine pending the results of his bloodwork and once it was clean, became a full fledged member of this family (not that I was panning to get rid of him once he was here and we bonded, lol).
http://img2.imgspot.com/u/04/322/12/Jackbathduckiesm.jpg
Jack's personality changed here. First, I don't shut cage doors (except with the finches) unless we're going to be gone a long time. So he was no longer locked in a little cage with nothing to do but bang the bars and pluck himself. Second, I don't work (I can't, I'm on disability) so I wasn't leaving him alone for the majority of the day. Third, I already had Dionysus and having another bird around seemed to comfort him immensely.
http://www.imgspot.com/u/04/142/22/JD_Kiss.jpghttp://img2.imgspot.com/u/04/207/15/JackDikissin.jpg
Jack, who had never done more than beak a toy here and there, began playing with toys, chewing, shredding, working puzzles and even climbing (he's always acted arthritic, like he can't use his legs well). He used to only step up half heartedly and only to the left hand, but now he steps up slowly, but consistently, will even ladder and steps onto whichever hand I offer.
http://www.imgspot.com/uploads/Jack_Kiss.jpg
On the down side, Jack has gone from being friendly with everyone (he was like this for about two months here) to attacking anyone who's not me. Right from the start, he was attacking my sister, though. He makes it clear he wants to stay here. Jack has bonded to me and I don't intend to ever break that bond. He occassionally tolerates my husband, but for the most part, attacks him when he comes close to his cage and throws a hissy fit when he sees us hugging.
http://www.imgspot.com/uploads/Jack6.jpg
Jack has a history of feather plucking and it resurfaced several months ago. I worked with him to get him to stop and thankfully, he did not created any bald spots on himself and after being given a larger cage and a new roper perch that has a bunch of the cotton rayed at the end, the plucking stopped. He's also a human overpreener (preens his human, me, until I have a little hole in my skin, this has been corrected by redirecting his preening to my hair, where he can't do any damage).
http://www.imgspot.com/uploads/Jack_toes.jpg
In his past, my guesses are that he was once someone's beloved baby--he is potty trained, very affectionate and cuddly (at least with me) and won't hurt children (although he will now hiss at them, when he 'attacks' them, he doesn't do any injury). I think that at some time, perhaps when he hit puberty, he was abused (he sometimes flinches at hands, like an abused child) and possibly locked in a cage without any toys or anything to do but rip his own feathers out.
I adore him now and couldn't imagine life without him.
~Xak