summer_jackel

Dog help me. I'm (temporarily!!!!) host to another small parrot. Because I'm a bleeding heart sucker.

Background is: my mom's friend apparently caught this bird flying loose, by throwing a blanket over him. (The grain of doubt I have at this story can be explained by imagining capturing any bird by this means, though it's possible, especially with an exhausted and recently-escaped parrot who had always lived in a cage. And Gavin of course came to me as a foundling, who because he was tame, cold AND exhausted, stepped right up when I approached, ready to throw a jacket over him. But I digress).

Anyhow, friend gave bird to mom several months ago; when I met him, he was living in a rat cage (really) with a seed diet, no toys and one dowel perch. For the something like three people in the audience who aren't parrot geeks, that's not acceptable care by any stretch of the imagination, but I tried to educate her as much as I could, directed her to the local rescue and otherwise attempted to stay out of it. She planned to sell the bird (I know, I know) and couldn't, now she's moving and can't keep him, and there is a psittacula quarantining in Gavin's old cage. (To my mom's credit, she did get him on a partially pellet diet, though it was Hartz brand, and when I got him, he at least had a toy in the cage, though it wasn't species-appropriate). Bleeding. Heart.

He ain't stayin', although that treacherous little voice is saying "maaaybe, if he settles down and gets along with your others enough to be loose at the same time..." But no. The little sucker is too loud and I don't need three parrots: no, no, and no. I am hoping to get him used to handling enough that he can be transferred from his cage to a play area and isn't completely terrified of hands, and then find him a home. There is hope; he's relatively bold in the cage, and though letting him loose resulted in lots of flailing, once I got him onto the tree that is his for the duration of quarantine, he was willing to step up onto a dowel. That's a big first step.

Anyway, you want pictures. I think he's an Indian Ringneck, but I'm not certain. His Temporary! name is The Osbick Bird, or Oz/Ozzie. The reference is from the book he's about to chew on in this pic.

He's really, really beautiful. Feathers are neon!

Poor scared thing on my bicycle. I finally had to towel him to get him back into his cage.

The shot I have been trying to get forever! Gavin and Kaya preen and preen one another, but of course they always stop as soon as the camera comes out. One day, I'll even get a shot in decent lighting.