bonnie
04-03-2008, 03:54 PM
This month marks Chicken and my 1st year together! I can't believe we made it!
For those of you who don't know, I rescued Chicken last year from my my in laws. They (Matt's mother and Stepfather) got Chicken about 3 years ago from a pet store. They begged and begged the lady to sell him to them. Well, finally she needed money bad enough that off to their house went a little bird. He was kept in a very small cage, I'm talking Cockatiel size. The paint was peeling off the cage and there weren't food or water bowls hanging like they should have been, they were food bowls sitting in the bottom of the cage. It was rarely cleaned and he lived in a very bad state for the 2 years he was there. They named the bird BA. This stood for Bad @$$. Very soon after he got there he started the normal M2 screaming. He was locked up and covered all the time in this tiny cage on the floor of a dirty kitchen because that was the only way they thought they could make him quiet.
I finally had enough. I started cleaning the cage and letting the bird out for a little socializing when I went over to see Matthew(then he was my boyfriend). He grew very attached to me. I would cry some nights when I had to lock him back up and leave. One night, after a particularly bad time of cleaning the poop off of his feet (he didn't have a perch for a few months) and his cage was filthy and he didn't have any water, I just snapped. I cried the whole way home. And I prayed. I prayed that God would let me get that bird out of the hell he was in. After that, I started hinting that they give him to me for a wedding gift.
When Matthew finally moved out a few months before we got married I freaked out. Who was going to take care of my bird now? Well, a few weeks later, God answered my prayers. Matthew's mother called me saying that her and her husband had gotten in a fight. She was drunk... or something... and told me to come get this blankin bird because he wouldn't stop biting her and screaming. She told me that I could take him home with me if I brought her a 6 pack of beer. So, I got a $1,200 bird for a bout $7.00.
When I got out there, it was the worst I'd ever seen. He had no food, he was absolutely filthy and his water dish that usually at least had some sludge in it was bone dry. I stuck my arm in and he stepped up right away. Didn't even try to bite. I took him straight to the sink and let him drink until he was content. It was SO sad. I loaded up the cage without another word. I was SO MAD I would have said something I would have regretted. As we were leaving she said that if my land lord wouldn't let me keep him I had to bring him back. I told her he was never coming back there even if I couldn't keep him.
After we got him home and the honeymoon period was over we had BIG screaming and biting issues. I considered sending him on down the line more than once. About this time I found Larry, Anna, Evelyn and others of you on another board. I was so frustrated. Everyone spent their valuable time talking me through those tough days. Larry even spent time on the phone with me.
I'm very glad I had what I now call my 'birdy family'. If not for you, I would not have my wonderful little companion...
For those of you who don't know, I rescued Chicken last year from my my in laws. They (Matt's mother and Stepfather) got Chicken about 3 years ago from a pet store. They begged and begged the lady to sell him to them. Well, finally she needed money bad enough that off to their house went a little bird. He was kept in a very small cage, I'm talking Cockatiel size. The paint was peeling off the cage and there weren't food or water bowls hanging like they should have been, they were food bowls sitting in the bottom of the cage. It was rarely cleaned and he lived in a very bad state for the 2 years he was there. They named the bird BA. This stood for Bad @$$. Very soon after he got there he started the normal M2 screaming. He was locked up and covered all the time in this tiny cage on the floor of a dirty kitchen because that was the only way they thought they could make him quiet.
I finally had enough. I started cleaning the cage and letting the bird out for a little socializing when I went over to see Matthew(then he was my boyfriend). He grew very attached to me. I would cry some nights when I had to lock him back up and leave. One night, after a particularly bad time of cleaning the poop off of his feet (he didn't have a perch for a few months) and his cage was filthy and he didn't have any water, I just snapped. I cried the whole way home. And I prayed. I prayed that God would let me get that bird out of the hell he was in. After that, I started hinting that they give him to me for a wedding gift.
When Matthew finally moved out a few months before we got married I freaked out. Who was going to take care of my bird now? Well, a few weeks later, God answered my prayers. Matthew's mother called me saying that her and her husband had gotten in a fight. She was drunk... or something... and told me to come get this blankin bird because he wouldn't stop biting her and screaming. She told me that I could take him home with me if I brought her a 6 pack of beer. So, I got a $1,200 bird for a bout $7.00.
When I got out there, it was the worst I'd ever seen. He had no food, he was absolutely filthy and his water dish that usually at least had some sludge in it was bone dry. I stuck my arm in and he stepped up right away. Didn't even try to bite. I took him straight to the sink and let him drink until he was content. It was SO sad. I loaded up the cage without another word. I was SO MAD I would have said something I would have regretted. As we were leaving she said that if my land lord wouldn't let me keep him I had to bring him back. I told her he was never coming back there even if I couldn't keep him.
After we got him home and the honeymoon period was over we had BIG screaming and biting issues. I considered sending him on down the line more than once. About this time I found Larry, Anna, Evelyn and others of you on another board. I was so frustrated. Everyone spent their valuable time talking me through those tough days. Larry even spent time on the phone with me.
I'm very glad I had what I now call my 'birdy family'. If not for you, I would not have my wonderful little companion...