RETURNED Blue & Gold Macaw in Toronto

Tiffany the macaw has been located, safe and sound thanks to the amount of media attention her recent alleged kidnapping attracted, police say.

Det.-Const. Paul Jackson said Tiffany the macaw was returned to her owner without incident.

“It was peaceful, there was no altercation,” Jackson said. “The end result was that the bird was well cared for and the owner was quite happy to get the bird back. It all came to a happy ending.”

The 16-year-old bird, which is worth roughly $5,000, was first reported missing from her home in the Ferris Rd. and Squires Ave. area Wednesday night by her owner, April Crowley, two days after the bird had flown away.

“She was on my shoulder and I was in the backyard and the dog ran by and I guess she just got excited and just flew off,” said Crowley.

Crowley said a neighbour told her he had seen the exotic bird in a front-yard tree of a house on nearby Ferris Rd.

When she went to the house on Wednesday, a man told her he had called his friend to take the bird away.

“He got his friend on the phone and that’s when the guy on the phone said, ‘You have to prove that the bird is yours and you have to prove that you’re not negligent,’” Crowley said.

“At that point, I said, ‘I’m going to have to call the police’ and that’s when the guy at the house got really annoyed and told me to get off the property.”

Crowley went home and called the police.

Jonathan Asif, 11, lives a few doors down from where the confrontation took place. He had noticed the bird on the property on Monday.

A man at the house told the boy he had tried calling animal control but they didn’t pick it up.

“He told us he called his friend over and then we waited a while. His friend came and then he got the bird down and then he took it home,” Asif said.

“His friend said, ‘We’re going to give him food and water’ and that’s all.”

The 11-year-old’s father lent the men a ladder to reach the bird.

Jackson said the case has concluded with no charges laid.

Toronto Police said they would like to thank the public for their assistance in recovering the pet.

Warning Kijiji Ads – Horror Stories

I have been hearing horror stories about kijiji for a number of years now.  Are these ads familiar?  “I will take in your parrot for free”  “I am a parrot rescue and will take in your bird” “I have alot of love to give to your parrot” etc.

What they really mean is “I will resell your bird for more money”,  “I don’t believe I should have to pay for something and should get it for free so I can neglect it” and “I am looking for a cheap way to make money”.

I have heard numerous horror stories and feel its time to speak out about kijiji ads and those advertising.

Story One

A woman posted an ad to sell her senegal parrot.  She had several inquiries and one in particular who wanted the bird for a very reduced fee.  The lady then found the picture of her own parrot for sale on a different kijiji ad by this same individual that was reselling her bird for a much higher fee and didn’t even have the bird yet!  Luckily she found this persons ad before she gave him the bird.

Story Two

A woman posted a 25 yr old eclectus parrot for an adoption fee of $400 and sold the bird through kijiji.  The very next day the same bird was posted for $1500 and miraculously de-aged to only 15 yrs old!

Story Three

I will post the exerpts from this exchange.  The names have been changed.  Please note ZZZZZZZZ posts regularly on kijiji that she will take in your free parrots.

 Hi Nancy,
 
 This is XXXXX, my husband and I called you two days ago about adopting a Blue and Gold Macaw. I had spoke with you about ZZZZZZZ. Well my husband and I out of curiousity went over to ZZZZZZZZ’s house just to see what was going on there. We believed everything you had told us but we couldn’t believe what we walked into. It was a war zone. GGGGGG the blue and gold Macaw is in alot more distress then we expected and what ZZZZZZ had said. She was completely bald only feathers on her head, wings and tail. She seemed very scared at first shaking alot but calmed down once we started to talk to her nicely. ZZZZZZZ couldn’t even touch her besides on the tail, couldn’t even give her a walnut or get her down off her cage. No bond AT ALL that we could see. After a few mins of warming up GGGGGi was swinging side to side bobbing and shaking her foot as well as she said Hi to us. She seemed like she really wanted to come down and play but too nervous. ZZZZZZZZ’s house was a disaster. GGGGGGGG’s cage was so dirty I told her that if we were to get her I didn’t want the cage. It had piles and piles of old poop on it. I didn’t see any fresh food or water in there but again I didn’t fully check. I didn’t want to touch the cage. She had 3 goffen cockatoos I think in the living room too. One looked like he was starting to pluck some. She had a bird room with a couple in there as well a mess. I couldn’t believe my eyes that she would let us come over to her house in this condition. My husband felt terrible forGGGGGG and said he would give her 600 and take her right there just to get her out but her husband said no. Asked her if she had proof of the DNA testing she said well her friend did but lost it. Asked if she had been to a vet or had proof of that, no and no proof again. We left and GGGGGGG screamed while we went out the door. We have thought about her alot since then and I feel so terrible for her. WIsh there was something I could do. 

 
I emailed ZZZZZZ after and told her that she is asking a ridiculous price for a parrot in her condition, she had no proof of vetting so no proof she wasn’t sick. I said we could offer her a good home and take care of her but she wasn’t intersted in that like you said, only the money. I know it is for the best and I know GGGGGG needs a ton of work, I hope she get the help she needs soon or I don’t know what will happen to her.
 
She got really offended by my email back and has changed her ad on Kijiji now. She is a sick lady!!
 
heres the ad in case you want to see. The pictures are old for sure because the parrot doesn’t have ANY of that fluff and GGGGGGGG never mentioned it before we got there.
 
http://windsor.kijiji.ca/c-pets-birds-for-sale-Blue-and-Gold-Macaw-W0QQAdIdZ214007817
 
She said she could sell her for 1500-2000 LOL

(here is the content of the ad incase the ad itself comes down.)

located in windsor.

Story 4

Someone who regularly posts they will take in free birds, was given a bird that was sick and needed medical attention.  Because of their inexperience with birds, they did not see any of the signs that this bird was sick.  It was something that could have been easily dealt with had they any knowledge of parrots.  The parrot died due to their inability to see that something was wrong. 
These are only a few of the stories I have in more recent days heard about kijiji and craiglist ads. Geez I could go on and on as there are just way too many!  Just hearing one more today has prompted me to put out this warning.   It is so important that people investigate who they are actually dealing with.  A true parrot rescue, will NEVER advertise that they take in free birds!  They have built a reputation via word of mouth and through affiliations and do not need to advertise they will take in birds.  It is pretty safe to say that no one posting on kijiji claiming to be a rescue, really is…..

The majority of those on kijiji and craigslist are predators that are looking for easy ways to make a fast buck or people who don’t want to pay for a parrot but want to have one.  They are also looking to take your pet and put it into a breeding situation so they can make money.  They do not care for the birds or their well being.  Only on the dollar figure.

Please please be careful posting ads on any of the free classified sites!

How Smart Are Parrots

Here is a little video to show what a parrot is capable of.  Remember that parrots in your homes can do similar things.

My Parrot is lonely and I want to get him a friend

I try to keep this blog relevant to questions I get asked regularly.  In hopes that people will read and gain a greater understanding of how best to keep your parrots.

One of the questions that I frequently get is “do you think my parrot’s lonely” or “I want to get a companion for my parrot, what kind should I get?”.

There are many things to consider before introducing a second parrot into your home.

There are any number of variables that can happen and I hope that in reading this, you will be better informed on making a decision that will be right for you and your bird as well as ways to introduce a new bird into your flock.

Most people automatically assume that the same species/opposite sex, would be the best companion for their bird.  But that is not usually the case if you want to maintain your parrot as a pet.

  Birds tend to bond to a mate for life.  In the wild this would be  the opposite sex, same species. 

In captivity, they bond to their human companion and can treat it as a mate.  They can also bond to a different species of parrot.

Birds act in a very similar way that we humans do in that they don’t always like those around them.  Some birds have an instant attraction for another and some can have an instant hate while others can remain indifferent to one another.

It is very hard to determine how your parrot will react to a new comer until they are placed in the same vicinity.

Typical reactions will be:

•      Indifference to one another
•      Instant attraction
•      Fear
•       Aggression/Jealousy/Hate
•       Over bonding
•       One Sided Emotion
•       Reverting to wild tendencies

There is no way of knowing until the birds are placed together.   Which in itself presents a problem.  How do we know if our birds will be compatible or hate each other?  All kinds of issues need to be well thought out and there are no easy answers. 

  I will describe each scenario and the implications or benefits and how we can do our best to make it work.  In each scenario, birds should be housed separately and only allowed to interact under supervision until you are confident that no issues will occur.

 Indifference – This would be fine for keeping a lonely bird company and would also work well as it should not affect the dynamics of existing relationships.  This is how many of the parrots at the rescue behave.

 Instant Attraction – As long as they get along and do not fall into the over bonding stage, this also works well.  Over bonding can take place later down the road, especially in the spring.  There are a few things that can be done to help avoid this.  In all of the scenarios, NEVER keep the parrots in the same cage.  They can have playtime outside of their cages but should never be housed together.  Certain types of toys can also stimulate hormonal/nesting behaviors and those should be avoided.

 Fear – One or the other bird is afraid of the new arrival, which can lead to other problems such as plucking, stress and anxiety.  The solution would be to remove the new arrival to a different area of the home.  This does not help the lonely parrot, but then he may not need/want the companionship.  However now, you are stuck with a second bird that may or may not share the same fears and have opened up another area of your home to have to keep bird safe.

 Aggression/Jealousy – Typically the existing bird would become jealous of the new bird which will lead to aggression.  They also may just not like each other.  This can be onesided or  with both birds.  Great pains will have to be taken to keep them apart and safe.  These birds can hunt the other one down either inside the cage or outside the cage.  There is a great chance of injury for these birds.  There can also be a greater chance of you getting bitten by one or the other as birds bonded to their human will try to protect the human by biting them to scare them off from what the parrot feels is a threat in order to keep them safe.  This aggression can lessen over time but great care would need to be taken to keep the parrots safe. See below about how to introduce a new bird into your flock.

 Onesided Emotion – It is quite common and happens here frequently, where one bird is attracted to another bird but the other bird does not reciprocate the feelings.  This can cause stress on both birds as the one bird will try to follow the other around and sit close to it, wanting to preen it etc and the other bird wants nothing to do with it.  This can cause stress on both birds. 

 Reverting to Wild Tendencies – Birds that bond tend to want to mate and want to breed, typically revert back to a wilder state where they will no longer interact with humans.  They want to protect their nest (cage) and become aggressive towards anything that tries to interfere with that, including feeding them etc.  Sometimes they only become aggressive during the breeding seaons and can be handled at other times and sometimes they become totally wild.  They will no longer make a pet for you and may or may not lay viable eggs.  It could destroy any relationship you had with your bird.  This does not always happen with same species birds as two birds of different species can sometimes revert to breeding mode and become wild, go through all the breeding motions but of course would not produce viable eggs.

(**Note when you adopt from PASO you are required to sign a no breeding contract)

 There is no way of knowing how your birds will react until you put two together and see how they interact.

 How to Introduce a New Bird to your Flock

 Whether you have a flock of 1 or 10 there are a few tips you can use to introduce a new bird into your environment.

 -         Make sure that when you introduce the birds, that it is done away from their cages and play areas and is done in a neutral area.    Preferably away from view of their cages.

-         Do not hold them and introduce them.  Use a chair or something and place each one on a separate chair so there is some distance between them.

-         Be prepared for anything.  Have a towel ready in case they try to attack one another so that you can separate them and keep them from harm. 

-         Have a carrier or cage handy and open to place at least one of the birds in if there is a  problem.

-         Spend time with the original bird first and reassure him about his new friend.

-         Watch for signs of aggression or fear. 

-         Keep their cages well apart from one another until you are confident that they will tolerate each other.

-         Continue to monitor any changes in behaviors.

-         NEVER put the birds in the same cage.  At some point if the birds are comfortable and seem to be getting along, they can play on the same cage, but should not be caged together or aggression and over bonding can take place.

  I order to lessen chances of over bonding and reverting to wild tendencies, bring in a different species of bird or a playmate of the same sex.  You will want to keep either only males or only females.  Later if you try to introduce an opposite sex bird (more so of the same species), you may run into troubles again as the two may fight for the love of the new bird.

 This is just the basic way of introducing a new bird.  There are other variables but these are the most common and should provide you with at least the basics of what can happen when you are considering introducing a new bird into your home.

Spring Survival Guide

It seems that almost every parrot goes crazy in the spring.  They chew much more, get a lot louder, nippier, grumpier, and worst of all hormonal! 

My phone rings off the wall every year at this time by people who are either fed up or are panicked about their parrots behaviour this time of year.

It is all a natural reaction to spring.  Which is breeding season for most animals including parrots.

We need to provide for our pets and our own sanity to make it through the two months of raging hormones.

Here are a list of things that should help.

- Clip the birds wings.  If he is attacking and biting clipping the wings will stop 90% of your trouble as you will have to approach him in order to get bit.  It also helps to ease off some of the aggressive tendencies.

- Bring in lots of toys.  This should help keep your wood furniture and door moldings safe.  Parrots chew very heavily this time of the year.  By providing plenty of toys it should help to keep their little beaks busy and ease off on the furniture chewing.

- Keep them caged longer, if they are aggressive and grumpy, there is no reason to get your self injured.  Spend time with him by playing games through the bars of the cage.

- Get rid of hormone inducing toys.  Happy huts, fuzzy buddies, nesting materials etc

- Ignore the loud screaming.  I know it is a pain but it will end shortly.  You don’t want to acknowledge the screaming as it only leads to reinforcement.

- Keep petting to the top of the head.  If the parrot starts panting, stop all petting.

- If the parrot starts laying eggs, start a calcium supplement and get rid of hormone inducing toys.

- Some plucking can take place this time of year also.  Give plenty of baths and provide preening type toys.

If will take some patience and perseverance but it does get better………well that is until next spring!