In the world of dog and cat adoption, placement in a forever home is a realistic goal. In the world of companion parrots, the forever home is, sadly, a “rare bird.” Why is that the rule rather than the exception? This story of Gelbart, my blue-fronted Amazon, illustrates a few of the many reasons.GELBARTGelbart is a beautiful bird, capable of ear-splitting screeching, but not all that noisy on most days. She is unable to fly due to an injury she sustained before she came to live with me at the age of six months. She talks some, sings Old MacDonald (badly), loves to meet people, and would like me to scratch her head for hours.
HOME ONE I bought Gelbart in the 1980’s, a decade when “adoption” of a parrot needing a home was not commonly discussed. The question then was “wild-caught or captive-bred?” Gelbart was hatched in captivity, likely to wild-caught parents. Hand raised, she came to my home at the age of about 6 months. When she was a couple of years old, Gelbart made friends with my brother, who was visiting from out of state. Friendship turned almost immediately to adoration. From then on, Gelbart much preferred men. Seeing how animated she became in the presence of a man...any man... I began to feel guilty about keeping her in a male-free home. At this time, my parrots' avian veterinarian was a man. He and Gelbart really hit it off. After he took her home for a couple of trial sleepovers, I made the difficult decision to give Gelbart to him.
HOME TWO For a few years, this arrangement was reasonably happy. The vet was often able to bring Gelbart to his clinic (in the private office away from other birds). But a serious challenge existed because the vet was married, and Gelbart was jealous.
I use the human word “jealous,” but it is inadequate to describe Gelbart’s behavior, trapped as she was in an unnatural situation. She was bonding with the vet, so it made no sense in her world that this other being, the wife, was interfering.
The couple consulted an avian behaviorist and even had a sunroom added to their home, primarily for Gelbart. When the vet had to be away for a few days, Gelbart would become more tolerant of his wife. But the jealous behavior was a problem much of the time. The breaking point came when the vet decided to earn a Ph.D. in order to go into medical research. He knew this new career path would demand a great deal of his time, resulting in stress for his wife, as she had to deal with Gelbart,and also stress for Gelbart. I had moved out of state but kept in touch. We arranged for the vet to fly to my new home, so he could hand-carry Gelbart to me. Sad but confident that it was the right decision, the vet immediately boarded a return flight.
HOME ONE AGAIN! For several years, Gelbart was with me again. I tried introducing her to another blue-front, thinking maybe he would be a good substitute for a man. I knew this plan was risky and just as likely to cause new problems as solve an old one; it wasn’t the only time that having parrots made me feather brained!
Everett quickly became very fond of Gelbart, however she never reciprocated beyond mildly tolerating him. They coexisted for several years. Fast forward through family emergencies, human care giving, and more moves. Everett went on to a sanctuary and a more mutual Amazon relationship. As for Gelbart, she still preferred human men.
HOME THREE Gelbart made friends with the adult son of a woman I knew, who was devoted to her own African Grey parrot. I decided to try satisfying Gelbart again and sent her to to live with Ted, then single and living alone. One reason I was hopeful was his mother’s sincere declaration to me that their family always kept their pets, even when circumstances were difficult. In this case, circumstances became difficult when a girlfriend entered Ted’s life. Ted had less time for Gelbart who, of course, was jealous of the interloper. It wasn’t long before Gelbart came back to me, plucked and apparently fed a diet heavy on seeds. Not only is that unhealthful, but Gelbart is the only Amazon I’ve heard of, who does not like seeds or nuts. As a footnote, after Ted’s stepfather died, his mother rehomed her African Grey, believing the parrot no longer liked her. When she told me her family always kept their pets, she was relating her experience with dogs, maybe cats and possibly rabbits. When a general statement is made about pets, it’s a good idea always to add that “birds are different.”
HOME ONE – YET AGAIN!! Gelbart, now 40, still lives with me. Yes, she still gets more animated around men. Is this her forever home? Probably not. She is likely still to be going strong when I am gone or no longer able to care for her. What can be learned from Gelbart's story? She is really a lovable parrot, in no way unusually difficult, and three people cared about her. Yet each wanted Gelbart to live somewhere else. And the moral of the story? “Don’t be like us!” Sadly, there’s a good chance you WILL be like us!
No matter how much you research, how much time you spend around parrots, how many parrot owners you talk with, you don’t really know what it will be like to live with a parrot. You don’t know how that bird will react to the stresses of living with humans. You don’t know how your life will change during the decades that bird will live. The reasons, the situations, the wheel of life's fortunes cause “forever” to be heartbreakingly short when describing a parrot’s “forever home.”
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU LOVE PARROTS?If you think you want a parrot, commit to a considerable learning period. Spend time around a variety of birds. Be honest with yourself about whether you have the time and energy, both physical and emotional, to care for a creature, who is in its essence wild and unsuited to life in captivity. Consider how you can enjoy or help parrots by volunteering at a sanctuary, supporting conservation efforts, or becoming a thoughtful eco-tourist. If you still want to take the plunge of parrot ownership, please adopt a bird who has lost its previous “forever home.”
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