Post by becki on Jul 27, 2014 15:50:43 GMT -5
Hi Folks,
I'm a newbie here and I want to share a story and hope that someone might be able to give me some advice. I recently met a man named Steve (on a dating site actually) who was telling me about his rescue African Grey named Becca that he's had for 10 years. He got her from a pet shop who told him that the previous owner had had children who teased Becca through her cage with anything that would fit just to get her to bite whatever it was until the parents finally just brought Becca to a pet shop because they 'couldn't do a thing with her' and asked them to find a home for her.
After owning her for 10 years, Steve says she still won't come out of her cage. Only one time after he'd had her only a few months, he left her cage door open and she eventually flew out and it took him an hour to finally catch her and put her back in her cage. He says that Becca has never bitten him but the only way he can interact with her (other than talking to her) is to put his hand in her cage and she will step up onto it but won't him take her out. So he seldom ever tries. I could tell by listening to him talk about Becca that he loves her but also that he's a little afraid of her. I think he thinks of her as this mentally handicapped bird that prefers to be left alone. I was anxious to meet Becca and finally had the opportunity just last night.
When Steve answered the door after I rang the doorbell, I could hear Becca chattering away in the next room, saying things like "I'm a little chicken!", "Come here, come here!", and 'Who is that, who is that?" Steve had told me in advance that Becca had never uttered a word or even made a peep whenever anyone else was in his house in the whole 10 years he'd had her. She is very leery of strangers, or anyone for that matter, except Steve.
So, I walked into the room very slowly. Becca looked very healthy with beautiful feathers and jumped right over to the side of the cage to stare at me. I approached and in a soft but happy voice, started saying "Hello there Becca!" over and over. Steve had a chair sitting right beside her cage, where he says he sits and talks to her. I went over and sat down on the chair and just talked softly to her for a few minutes.
I asked Steve if he had some of her favorite treats handy. He gave me some dried apple chips, her favorite treat, but said he doubted very much if she would take them from me. she seldom even took them from HIM. He opened the door to her cage (since she never comes out) so Becca could see me better. I broke an apple chip into small pieces and she took every one of them from between my fingers very gently and quickly. In fact, she even hopped over to sit on the bottom of her cage door to take them from me. I was thrilled that she showed no signs of fear of me or my hands.
I have to say though, that as healthy as Becca looked, I was disappointed to see that Becca's cage was pretty dirty with built up dust and dander everywhere. I mean OLD built up dust and dander. It was a large cage and didn't have a single toy in it either and only one perch. When Steve said she had only come out of her cage once in 10 years, I had to wonder how he ever had the chance to really clean her cage. Honestly, I don't think he ever has! I asked him how often he bathed her or spritzed her with water and he said he tried it once but she didn't like it. ONE bath in TEN years!
My heart went out to Becca. I just felt like she's being neglected and oppressed because Steve assumes her earlier life left her permanently mentally scarred and that she is not capable of doing anything but sitting in her cage and being left alone. I can't help but wonder if the pet shop owner maide that whole story up just to get some sympathy out of someone to sell her.
It's true that Becca never said a word while I was sitting right beside her, but when Steve and I walked outside onto his patio and I was out of her view, she started talking up a storm again with clear phrases. I think she's very intelligent. When I walked to the door to leave, she said 'Beddy Bye, Beddy bye!"
Steve lives alone and works full time. He says he talks to her maybe 15-20 minutes a day. That is all the interaction she gets from anyone.
Honestly, all the way home I was thinking to myself that I wished I could just have her for a few months to work with her. But then, I know I wouldn't want to give her back.
I'm sorry to go on and on about this. I just hate to see beautiful, intelligent creatures wasting away because of crazy assumptions of their owners. We want to teach and encourage our children to be the best they can be. I think animals and birds deserve the same opportunities. Thank you for letting me vent!
Becki
I'm a newbie here and I want to share a story and hope that someone might be able to give me some advice. I recently met a man named Steve (on a dating site actually) who was telling me about his rescue African Grey named Becca that he's had for 10 years. He got her from a pet shop who told him that the previous owner had had children who teased Becca through her cage with anything that would fit just to get her to bite whatever it was until the parents finally just brought Becca to a pet shop because they 'couldn't do a thing with her' and asked them to find a home for her.
After owning her for 10 years, Steve says she still won't come out of her cage. Only one time after he'd had her only a few months, he left her cage door open and she eventually flew out and it took him an hour to finally catch her and put her back in her cage. He says that Becca has never bitten him but the only way he can interact with her (other than talking to her) is to put his hand in her cage and she will step up onto it but won't him take her out. So he seldom ever tries. I could tell by listening to him talk about Becca that he loves her but also that he's a little afraid of her. I think he thinks of her as this mentally handicapped bird that prefers to be left alone. I was anxious to meet Becca and finally had the opportunity just last night.
When Steve answered the door after I rang the doorbell, I could hear Becca chattering away in the next room, saying things like "I'm a little chicken!", "Come here, come here!", and 'Who is that, who is that?" Steve had told me in advance that Becca had never uttered a word or even made a peep whenever anyone else was in his house in the whole 10 years he'd had her. She is very leery of strangers, or anyone for that matter, except Steve.
So, I walked into the room very slowly. Becca looked very healthy with beautiful feathers and jumped right over to the side of the cage to stare at me. I approached and in a soft but happy voice, started saying "Hello there Becca!" over and over. Steve had a chair sitting right beside her cage, where he says he sits and talks to her. I went over and sat down on the chair and just talked softly to her for a few minutes.
I asked Steve if he had some of her favorite treats handy. He gave me some dried apple chips, her favorite treat, but said he doubted very much if she would take them from me. she seldom even took them from HIM. He opened the door to her cage (since she never comes out) so Becca could see me better. I broke an apple chip into small pieces and she took every one of them from between my fingers very gently and quickly. In fact, she even hopped over to sit on the bottom of her cage door to take them from me. I was thrilled that she showed no signs of fear of me or my hands.
I have to say though, that as healthy as Becca looked, I was disappointed to see that Becca's cage was pretty dirty with built up dust and dander everywhere. I mean OLD built up dust and dander. It was a large cage and didn't have a single toy in it either and only one perch. When Steve said she had only come out of her cage once in 10 years, I had to wonder how he ever had the chance to really clean her cage. Honestly, I don't think he ever has! I asked him how often he bathed her or spritzed her with water and he said he tried it once but she didn't like it. ONE bath in TEN years!
My heart went out to Becca. I just felt like she's being neglected and oppressed because Steve assumes her earlier life left her permanently mentally scarred and that she is not capable of doing anything but sitting in her cage and being left alone. I can't help but wonder if the pet shop owner maide that whole story up just to get some sympathy out of someone to sell her.
It's true that Becca never said a word while I was sitting right beside her, but when Steve and I walked outside onto his patio and I was out of her view, she started talking up a storm again with clear phrases. I think she's very intelligent. When I walked to the door to leave, she said 'Beddy Bye, Beddy bye!"
Steve lives alone and works full time. He says he talks to her maybe 15-20 minutes a day. That is all the interaction she gets from anyone.
Honestly, all the way home I was thinking to myself that I wished I could just have her for a few months to work with her. But then, I know I wouldn't want to give her back.
I'm sorry to go on and on about this. I just hate to see beautiful, intelligent creatures wasting away because of crazy assumptions of their owners. We want to teach and encourage our children to be the best they can be. I think animals and birds deserve the same opportunities. Thank you for letting me vent!
Becki
