Another Rehomed Cockatoo

[gary&chloe]

My wife's daughter lives in St. Louis. Her next door neighbor, and landlord, is going to adopt a cockatoo. When she started telling me the story I got so mad I hung up on her.

The present owner is "getting rid of" the bird because it is loud and bites. The bird comes with a cage... a travel cage for a cockateil. And lots of seeds.... probably sunflower seeds. She, the bird, is six years old, and is living in a home with three cats.

The owner to be, lives in an apartment complex. HELLO !!!! The bird is loud in a three bedroom house, it is going to be doubly loud in an apartment. No room for a bigger cage in an apartment ??? HELLO !!! A seed diet for six years ??? Are you serious ??? Of course it should have pellet food, at least 75% pellet food. And yes it eats veggies and fruit, you idiot. Seeds should be no more than 5% MAX of it's diet. Yes, it requires 10-12 hours sleep a night and not in the living room with you and your druggie girlfriend smoking that crap that you do. And the first thing is a trip to an AVIAN (that means bird) vet as soon as possible. Oh... about $250 for the first trip.

I think you get the drift of my conversation with the owner to be. I wanted to slap him, right through the phone. My wife keeps telling me I can't rescue them all... I need to win the lottery so I could... Dream on Gary.

When I sit with my girl, and she is so sweet, it really hurts to think that one of her kind is going to be treated like that. This afternoon, it was just she and I at home. I was really missing my parents and maybe a tear or two came out. She climbed up on my chest, kinda picked at my eye lashes and said "I love you." She knew her daddy was having a bad time and she did the only thing she could to help me through it.

She is just amazing. And how anyone could mistreat her or any of her kind, is beyond me. I love my Princess. She's my girl.

[Flock Mom]

I hear ya brother ;) One of my closest friends called me the other day with a somewhat similar story as the one you speak of and all I could say is....I don't want to hear any more of this or I will have to hang up. It breaks my heart to think of all the stupidity that is in our world...but like your wife says and my husband seconds...we can't save them all, even as much as we would love to.
I know it amazes me every day just how in tune our birds are with our feelings and emotions...I love it :)

Hey....and if you win the lottery.....look me up :D

[tropiclegirl]

That is just awful. I know, anyone who mis treats any animal just p's me off. But i cant save the animal kingdom. I can only take care of the ones i have and just try to give them the best life i can.

Chloe saying i love you, thats so sweet. :heart:

Well hopefully this Cockatoo will go to someone else who is good to it.

[gary&chloe]

I had to call my wife's daughter to tell her that her mother was in the hospital. I asked about the bird. Melissa said that she has been telling him everything I said to do with cockatoo's.

She said when he squawks, she told the guy to turn his back and walk away or not to come at all. Melissa lives in one side of a duplex and she said she hears the bird off and on but it isn't bad. When she went over, there was a big bowl of Pretty Bird for Cockatoo's in the cage and and bowl of some green veggies.

He didn't have the money for a vet visit so I got the name and number of the vet he was going to and called and told them to bill me for his first visit. I may not be able to save them all, but I'm giving it my best shot.

The guy sounds like he is doing his best to be a good father to the bird. Melissa said when he and the bird are together, they look like me and Chloe. That is a good thing.

She said there aren't many toys but he has some sticks and torn up pieces of cloth that the bird plays with. It sounds like he has made a cage himself, but he put the wire on the outside of the wood and we know what a cockatoo can do to wood. She said he is replacing the wood with PVC.

He isn't married so he can do what he wants, and that's a good thing too. I'm sending him so of the toys we have that no one plays with anymore and I sent some pictures of the play stand that I made.

I'm hoping....

[Shirley]

That's really sweet, Gary, that you are his "mystery mentor"! How cool!

[parrotgirl]

Gary, you are an angel, You may not be able to help them all, but you are doing more than most people would.

[gary&chloe]

This morning, I talked to the vet, himself. He ask me why I would volunteer to pay for the first visit for someone I had never met. I told him I was paying for the bird, not the owner, and besides instead of "Paying Back" I was "Paying ahead".

That's when he told me that he would not chargeme for his time, just for the labs. I thought that was nice of him.