Am I neglecting my bird?

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Am I neglecting my bird?

by Amanda
(Queens, new york)

My sister currently moved back home and she has a red crowned amazon named 2pac, who is 5 years old and I will fully admit, he is spoiled.

Her ex- boyfriend bought the bird, with out realizing the responsibility and dedication they require. When the relationship ended, the bird was left with my sister. When she moved back home, my parents didn't want the bird upstairs because he is constantly squawking. My sister decided to keep him in the basement. At first this was a great idea, but with her busy schedule, 2pac sits all alone, in a basement with no one paying attention to him. when it's bed time, he will sleep upstairs, and when morning comes right back to the basement.

At one point she was considering giving him away. We are aware, it's not fair for the bird and we love him dearly, but she didn't have the heart to do it. We are animal lovers and the thought of 2pac thinking we didn't love him, crushes us.

I decided that I would take him to my apartment and try my hardest to re-train him and keep him happy. I live in an apartment building and when the he squawks, you can hear it from outside. So far, everything I've tried is not working. I feel like no matter what I do he is not happy, and it makes me sad. I don't know what to do!

I would really appreciate any tips on how to help me re-train him, and any advice you can give.

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Am I neglecting my bird?

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Dec 08, 2011

Am I neglecting my bird?
by: Linda

I appreciate your constructive attitude, and will help you as best I can. Yes, this bird has been treated cruelly from the beginning with your sister. Putting him in the basement is further cruelty and neglect. Parrots are very social creatures who live in flocks. Humans become their flocks in captivity. This poor creature has been denied companionship, love, acceptance all of which are the basic needs in anyone's life.

First, before any training, your bird needs to be checked out by an Avian Vet to make sure he is healthy enough for training. Sick birds can die from stress of training, so make sure he is good to go before doing anything else. Next step is to look at some of the training materials on this site and other places on the internet. A good book or two would also be a great thing.

Your bird is a Mexican Red Head Amazon parrot, and in my experience with them, they are wonderful companion birds. He does not trust any of you, and trust is earned not freely given. This will take time because of all the abuse he's had to suffer at the hands of your family. All parrots make noise, so hopefully this will not cause problems in your apartment. A bird who is quiet all the time is very sick. Birds die from infections left undiagnosed and untreated, so take him to Avian Vet first. Diet is very important, and all seed diets are full of fat and not much nutrition, so write back later for more information about that.

Thank You for caring about this precious bird, and please understand he will not be ready to trust you for quite some time. His history with your family is beyond anything I've ever seen with people who claim to love animals, so proceed knowing you have a lot of work to do here. Your work will pay off later with a loving companion who is more intelligent than dogs, cats or any other animals including primates on the planet. His needs are just like yours, and he feels hurt very deeply, so please accept him for who he is and love him unconditionally. If it does not work in your apartment, ask your Avian Vet for help in placing this sweet guy in a good home. Do not take him back to your parents and sister as they appear to have no idea what unconditional love means. Sorry if I offend you, but truth is truth, and you already know it anyway.

Linda

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