wingmanjim
Just Hatched
April and Lucy, resue CAGs
Joined: October 2013
Posts: 9
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Post by wingmanjim on Oct 22, 2013 14:02:35 GMT -7
Jim here. I am currently sugar daddy to two CAGs, April and Lucy. April, now 24, has been with me for 12 years. Lucy, 12, has been here for 2 years. Both are rescues, April was "rehomed" quite soon after her first owner died. Lucy had a much tougher life. Her first owner of 5 years was apparently a good and caring one, but when he died, poor Lucy got passed from owner to owner, few of which seemed to know or care anything about her. Her entire history is not clear, but there are rumors of being kept in a closet, and we know her last owner didn't want her "messing up" their new home, so left her in the old, empty house alone with a neighbor coming to feed and water her once a week for almost 18 months. As a result, she has permanent feather loss from plucking, but her behavioral issues are few and minor and improving rapidly.
Found this site while doing casual research in my ongoing attempts to keep myself up to date on "parrotculture" - while I have kept parrots for most of my 65 years, I figure there is always something new to learn !
Good to be here and looking forward to learning and sharing experiences.
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Post by Jane on Oct 23, 2013 3:50:24 GMT -7
Hello and welcome to the forum to you, April and Lucy. Lucy's history sounds so sad, thank goodness you adopted her.
Jane
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Post by lenke on Oct 23, 2013 6:12:05 GMT -7
Hey There
Welcome
THANK YOU for taking on your two.
We look forward to sharing lots of lovely stories and good old fashioned laughs with you
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Post by Haz on Oct 23, 2013 7:44:16 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum.
Poor Lucy. I have difficulty understanding how people can treat a living creature that way. I'm glad they both have you to take care of them now. With your experience, you will be able to advise others who adopt older birds that have issues.
We love to hear stories about our birds.
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Post by Grant on Oct 23, 2013 22:27:02 GMT -7
Hey Jim!
Welcome to the forum. I feel so sad for Lucy and am really glad that you adopted her. I am also glad that you are here with us. We LOVE African Greys and share our stories and our knowledge with each other. We know that every CAG has her/his own personality and we enjoy learning about each one of them.
Grant
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Post by Adele on Oct 24, 2013 9:08:51 GMT -7
Welcome to the forum. Do April and Lucy get along? Just curious as I have two greys, one adopted several years after the first.
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wingmanjim
Just Hatched
April and Lucy, resue CAGs
Joined: October 2013
Posts: 9
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Post by wingmanjim on Oct 24, 2013 14:15:00 GMT -7
No, I'm afraid they don't get along very well. April seemed interested at first, but Lucy snaps at her when she gets too close. I'm well aware of the damage she could do to April, so they are kept apart. This behavior has subsided appreciably over time but the consequences are potentially too severe to risk. Despite being lighter than April, Lucy seems to have a larger beak and a much stronger bite, so I'm taking no chances.
At this point I can have one on each hand with about a foot or so separating them and all is well, but I'm afraid anything which startled them might precipitate aggression, so they are ALWAYS closely monitored when close to each other. Fortunately, neither is actively aggressive towards the other.
I always tell Lucy that I would do anything in my power to give her her feathers back, but since that is not possible I will do my best to keep her warm. I hope she understands ! April was a feather "biter", snipping the feather off and leaving the shaft end in place. This has lessened over time, and recently under the advice of my vet, we have found that she responds well to small doses of Benadryl. The snipping seems to take place when she is beginning a molt - about 0.2 ml once a day for 1 - 3 days and the problem seems to be resolved. Unfortunately, Lucys' problem is permanent.
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Post by stef on Oct 24, 2013 19:59:18 GMT -7
That's so sad for Lucy... I just don't understand people. It's great that she is now with you and well loved and cared for.
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wingmanjim
Just Hatched
April and Lucy, resue CAGs
Joined: October 2013
Posts: 9
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Post by wingmanjim on Oct 25, 2013 9:27:41 GMT -7
I should probably qualify my above post regarding Benadryl. It is childrens' Benadryl ( non alcoholic ) administered orally ( warmed up first or else I end up wearing it !!!). Definitely talk to your vet first, of course.
I can understand people not knowing the nuances of bird ownership, although that doesn't excuse not trying to learn.The people who do stuff like they did to Lucy transcends ignorance - it is active stupidity and wanton abuse, in my book. In a just world, some higher power would inflict the identical punishment upon them. Since that doesn't happen, all we can do is try to correct those behaviors when we see them, and rescue those animals that we can.
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Post by stef on Oct 26, 2013 19:06:02 GMT -7
I would be the first to admit that I do not know the nuances of bird ownership, one of the many reason's I joined this group. I have also read everything I can and do what I can to make sure he eats well and has plenty of toys to amuse him. What was done to Lucy was not someone not understanding the nuances of bird ownership, that's just abusive and cruel.
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wingmanjim
Just Hatched
April and Lucy, resue CAGs
Joined: October 2013
Posts: 9
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Post by wingmanjim on Oct 27, 2013 10:51:57 GMT -7
Stef, I've been following your other thread about Hector and it is a pleasure to see someone caring and loving enough to want to tackle the endless nuances that owning a Grey entails. I think you are to be commended ! I've had birds for about 55 years ( with a few lapses ) but I really find I need to keep an eye and ear open - there is so much new being learned about "parrotculture" - to ensure that I am doing the best I can for my girls !
The woman who rescued Lucy ran a cat and dog rescue. When she heard about Lucys' situation she said " I didn't know anything about birds, but I knew that that situation was terribly wrong". She basically ransomed Lucy with her own money to get her out. I told her it would be best if she never accidentally let the previous owners name or address slip out in front of me, and she said she already did what I was thinking - once she had Lucy safe, she let them have it with both barrels. Needless to say, in addition to paying her back for what she spent, I have also tried to donate a bit here and there when her operation is in need.
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