Introduction

[MissAT]

Hello fellow bird lovers. I am fairly new to bird ownership with 2 parakeets I've had for about a year and a recently acquired Duyvenbode's Lory.

I've always loved birds, but to be honest was not interested in having any as pets because I've got cats and dogs (and horses and chickens and ducks and fish) and don't really like the noise of birds in the house. Anyhow, last year, a neighbor from across the road had a parakeet coming to her outdoor bird feeder, tried to catch him but couldn't. Eventually, their cat got him and brought him in the house. She called me, and I took him in. He was apparently uninjured and after I knew he was going to survive, I got him a girlfriend. They've been happy little birds ever since, named Bonnie & Clyde.

The lory came from a friend who is going through a divorce and cannot have the bird in her apartment. This was supposed to be temporary until she got herself settled, but I don't think she's ever going to be able to take him back. I absolutely adore this bird. He is just so full of fun personality. He talks, he laughs, he sings!! He loves people and has provided us with hours and hours of entertainment in the month we've had him. Of course, there are problems, too. He can be LOUD!! He can be annoying when he wants attention and I can't give it to him. He's fairly high-maintenance with his feeding needs (nectar).

I am torn about whether to ask my friend to find him a new permanent home or to just keep him myself, but in the meantime, I thought I would join this forum to read about and interact with other bird owners.

Pipo:
2202

Bonnie & Clyde:
2201

[PlaxMacaws]

Hi MissAT... welcome to Precisely Parrots :)

Your lory sounds like a bird with quite a personality and one that's lots of fun. And the story about how you acquired your male budgie is amazing! I'm so glad that he wasn't injured by the cat... that's indeed a stroke of luck!!

Thanks for joining us and for posting your photos. Your birds are beautiful :D

[2birds]

What neat birds, Pipo is really pretty. I really hope that you decide to keep him if he's up for keeping. But then, I love the birds. Welcome to the forum and hope that you enjoy.

[jtbirds]

Hi and welcome to the forums!! I run a parrot rescue so if you need any help learning about the lori or trying to do something for him feel free to ask! Many people on here can provide great answers to help you keep that amazing bird:). If you have anything else pertaining to how to go about finding him a home and you are torn you are more than welcome to ask as people can surely help you with that too:).

Enjoy the forums and we all hope to see you around!

[MissAT]

Thanks for the welcome.

Yes, Pipo is quite the character, and he seemed to have no trouble at all adjusting to his new living situation, so I think he'd be OK if he does have to be rehomed. I will be thinking this over in the next few weeks. He's completely manageable when I'm home. He hangs out with me while I work (his favorite spot, of course, is on my "mouse hand") for a half-hour or so at a time, and then he seems content to stay in his cage for awhile. His messy poop is also not a problem. He's conditioned to poop almost on command, so I just take him to an appropriate spot, ask him to poop, and voila, he does! Of course, we have little accidents, but they're no big deal to clean up.

One big issue is that I have elderly parents who live some distance from me, and I'm trying to spend as much time as possible with them, which means frequent overnight trips. My husband does his best, but he's not quite as attentive to Pipo as I am, which means he's noisier when I'm away, disturbing the rest of my family, including my little dog who seems frightened of the louder squawks (some of them sound like a groundhog whistle, which my little dog is also afraid of).

jtbirds, I see you're in PA. So am I!

[jtbirds]

Yes I am in PA and my rescue is located here as well! Like i said anything you need help with you can speak to me on a thread or through a private message, The rescues name is " the duswalt foundation exotic bird rescue" You can find us on facebook as well I run a blog on here that I try to write on often when the crowd is right:). Again welcome to these amazing forums and goodluck!

[Mare]

Hi, MissAT! :th_greet13: A big WELCOME to you and your lovely birds! :). I don't believe I've ever seen a Lory with those looks, Pipo is gorgeous! Your parakeets are too! I love the noise that parakeets make, sweet little voices :). I've never heard a Lory's voice but I can't imagine it being worse than a cockatoo! :th_eek: I hope you can work it with keeping Pipo around, it sounds like you could give him a good home :)

[kendrafitz]

Hi MissAT and welcome!!!

[MissAT]

The parakeet noise is sometimes annoying, too, but never overwhelming and never painful to my ear. Mostly, their cute little chirpings are just sweet.

Pipo's coloring is typical of the Duyvenbode Lory, from what I've seen on the internet.

I have been leaning heavily toward keeping Pipo over the past week, but today I am decidedly leaning the other way. My little dog (next to my human family is the love of my life) is just not adjusting well to the squawks and screeches.

Having said that, Pipo is right this moment sitting in his cage chatting amiably away. He's so darn cute sometimes, I can hardly stand it.

Sure, if I decide to keep him, he'll have a good home (all my critters do), and I wouldn't give him up without being absolutely sure he's going to a good situation.

Mare, can I guess you're a horse person, too?

[Mare]

HA! How did you guess!? I'm not so much these days, even though I still have six on my property, not since my last tumble from a new horse that sort of took the life out of me :(. for horses anyways..it not only broke my heart but also my spirit. My daughter is heart broken that I won't get back on, a mental block has hindered me. Are you a horse person, MissAT? I have found that many folks that are bird oriented are also horsey folks! May just be an animal lover predilection! :)

[MissAT]

Oh, I understand the broken spirit after a tumble. I've got five here at home; two are minis, and one is retired. In fact, I met Pipo's owner through horses, but another horsey friend of ours is actually terrified of birds.

I'm laughing now because Pipo has just scolded himself. I know you're not really supposed to yell at or punish the birds for squawking, but what can I say, I've done it, and I think his previous owners must have done it, too. So sometimes we hear a screech followed immediately by "Pipo! Be quiet!" He's just too funny, this bird. I told my husband that we could market him as a "self-scolding bird"!

[Mare]

The worst thing you can do is yell back at them :(. This makes them happy to yell again, so I hear,,but I would think it would hurt their feelings..it sure would mine! Birds scream and yell for reasons. I mostly know this because I have a free flying cockatoo that voices his voice, outside the house, for very specific reasons. Amigo has taught me so much about birds and why they make their noise. Birds don't scream and yell for NO reason, no way.. They have a voice for a very specific reason..we just need to listen and learn.

[2birds]

I don't yell at my birds but every once in a while Clover will bite me and I will tell him he was being a bad bird. I'm sure he will eventually learn to say "what a bad bird" just before or just after he bites me. LOL.
A lady I know has a Macaw that will tell on himself just before he is going to chew something up that he knows he not supposed to. When she hears "Bad Boy" she will go to check on what he is getting into.

[kendrafitz]

I don't yell, except O[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] Which I know I shouldn't. Especially because she thinks it's a game. Now before she nips, she will yell O[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] and laugh as she is charging me or the kids. Which makes me laugh, so round and round we go. I have heard her practicing her O[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] very loudly in the shower. I guess she wants to perfect my voice as well as the kiddos. lol.

Which just goes to prove you shouldn't yell. For various reasons. In my case it is just FUN for Rosie. Yelling means lots of excitement! I am the worst disciplinarian/good example ever. But at least we are laughing. Sigh...

[Mare]

Heehee! I guess they, also, listen and learn!:th_biggrin: Little boogers!

[MissAT]

Just to clarify, I haven't yelled at Pipo, but I've given him a somewhat gruff "Pipo, be quiet." And yes, I'm sure he screeches and whines and carries on for some reason, but as much as I wish I could cater to his every demand, I can't.

Anyway, my little dog's anxiety over the noise has tipped the scales toward needing to find a new home for Pipo. I'll be making inquiries locally first. Any ideas on how to find a very good home will be much appreciated. He's a truly awesome bird.

[plax]

Anyway, my little dog's anxiety over the noise has tipped the scales toward needing to find a new home for Pipo. I'll be making inquiries locally first. Any ideas on how to find a very good home will be much appreciated. He's a truly awesome bird.I'm sorry to hear that it seems you may need to re-home Pipo :(. Justin (jtbirds) runs the Duswalt Foundation Exotic Bird Rescue there in PA right near you... I'm sure he would be happy to help locate a great home for Pipo (if that would be helpful). I hope the very best for Pipo and yourself :)



EDIT:
Facebook page: [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]
Phone#: (717) 824-4584
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[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]
Or you can PM him here on PP.

[MissAT]

Thank you, plax. I had planned on contacting Justin as soon as I made sure some local people are not interested. We've had several visitors over the past month who fell in love with Pipo (really, he is such a charmer!). I doubt if any will pan out, but it sure would be nice (for me!) if he stayed local, and I could even bird-sit occasionally. One was a retired couple, but the woman is a super clean freak, and she just couldn't get past the poop. One is a young woman in grad school, but she lives in an apartment, and I'm not sure Pipo is cut out for apartment living (I mean, I'm not sure the other apartment-dwellers would be cut out for living near Pipo!).

[plax]

Thank you, plax. I had planned on contacting Justin as soon as I made sure some local people are not interested. We've had several visitors over the past month who fell in love with Pipo (really, he is such a charmer!). I doubt if any will pan out, but it sure would be nice (for me!) if he stayed local, and I could even bird-sit occasionally. One was a retired couple, but the woman is a super clean freak, and she just couldn't get past the poop. One is a young woman in grad school, but she lives in an apartment, and I'm not sure Pipo is cut out for apartment living (I mean, I'm not sure the other apartment-dwellers would be cut out for living near Pipo!).I understand completely, and you're welcome. If one of the folks/families whose considering providing a forever home for Pipo decides it could somehow work out and you come to agree with them, and then down the road (for whatever reason) it actually doesn't end up working out, I'm sure Justin will always be available to step in and lend a hand. Contingencies are usually a good thing! :)

[jtbirds]

I am more than willing to lend a hand!

These guys can be very hard to find a home for and sometimes come back often. They need special diets and their care can be extreme to some. I'd suggest just calling and talking with me about him so I can at least help you in the process of finding a home even if it doesn't require me bringing him to the rescue. Just know that you can call at any time here and say he is getting dropped off and we will take him and find him a great home. I would welcome the chance to work with this wonderful guy:).

take care and call or PM if you need anything!

[MissAT]

Wow, Justin, thank you so much.

As I said in my intro, I had never really wanted to have birds as pets, and yet here I am with three!! The paradox with Pipo is that his loving, friendly personality, his gentleness (does NOT bite at all or even threaten to bite), his clownish antics, and his intelligence and talking ability make him, I think, an easier parrot to have as a pet (I say this with no real authority, of course, because I've never had a parrot other than the parakeets), but yes, he's fairly high-maintenance as far as feeding goes. I actually find his messiness easier to deal with than the feathers and scattered feed from the parakeets, but I can understand why anybody with carpets might object to his poop.


My parents live fairly close to you. My next trip down (I'm about in the dead center of the state), I would love to come visit your facility if we can work that out.

[jtbirds]

We can work that out at any time:). The facility is in the process of being built but we have housing for all birds until then. Of course that has not come with some life sacrifices but we make it work for these guys! I talked to the rest of the crew and they would love to bring this guy down and work with him. I am more worried someone would be willing to house him at first and then lose that drive because it can be a lot somedays. for me I never get enough haha!

Just contact me about visiting and I will set you up with a private appointment so you can see everything.

As I say this i wonder how I have twenty birds in the house they are all quiet and content.. impossible it seems:).

[josiesmom]

Justin, are you in pa? I'm in northeast pa.

[jtbirds]

yes I am josie I am in Willow Street PA

[Mare]

I found this and thought I would share. [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] campaign%3DBirdtricks.com%26utm_content%3D

I'm sure what you do, Justin, has to be soo hard at times. You are an angel in disguise!

[jtbirds]

Thanks mare:) you to do great great things for birds:).

[plax]

I found this and thought I would share. [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] campaign%3DBirdtricks.com%26utm_content%3DA very well expressed description. Her points are so important! I'm sure that I could not restrain myself from lashing out at some of the people responsible for forcing abuse and/or neglect upon their poor birds :(. It indeed takes a special kind of person to deal with such individuals appropriately, especially so custody of those birds in need can be attained. It's easy for me to understand that rescue management people must possess the ability to establish and maintain a workable balance that's best for the birds and their circumstances. Unfortunately, that can't be a very easy thing to do in many cases.


I'm sure what you do, Justin, has to be soo hard at times. You are an angel in disguise!I second that!

[Mare]

Tony, I would have to get out the "whipping post" and tie them to it! I am definitely NOT an angel in disguise! :th_biggrin:

[jtbirds]

Well well We all have our thoughts about things;).

[MissAT]

I just wanted to pop back in here to say that I have been to visit Justin and his wonderful facility. I have met him as well as his family and his beautiful, beautiful birds. And today we took Pipo to his place, where he has been lovingly accepted into Justin's family. I want to say thank you to Justin for being such a gracious, kind, and caring human being. And a big thanks to his mom and dad, too.

I miss that little booger, but I know he is in a good situation now, and that's all that matters.

[jtbirds]

Thank you missAT right before looking at this pipo told us he was going sleepy. He has been a joy to have around already and is going to be coming out with us to many educational seminars and so on. It is like he was made for it he is an amazing bird and deserves to go on many adventures! Thank you for considering us and feeling comfortable with Pipo being here.

[plax]

That's such a wonderful outcome for Pipo :D. I'm so glad that Justin and you were able to get together, MissAT :). I have no doubt that the best life is now ahead for Pipo because Justin is such an amazingly knowledgeable, caring and dedicated bird guardian. You've made the right decision in leaving Pipo with Justin and his rescue facility!