A Second Chance

Recently, a friend of mine acquired several pairs of african greys from a breeder that was retiring from the business. The couple was older and health issues were making it difficult for them to continue working with birds. Long story short, along with the african greys, there was a cherry headed conure housed in the same aviary. The deal was whoever purchased the greys was to take the conure too and find him a good home. He was approximately 20 years old and a former pet, many years ago. This was not an abused bird in any way. He had a good life in the aviary with the greys. A large cage, fresh air, clean environment and good food. He just had not been handled in many years.

My friend sent me a picture of him and he was gorgeous. Perfect feather. She wanted to find a good home for him. She mentioned although he had not been handled for a long time, he was not afraid of people and was enjoying the scenery at the new location. We discussed this little guy for a while and decided to work together to find a home for him. We both wanted a loving home for this bird and would screen potential owners very carefully.

After being posted on my site for a few days, a couple that I knew contacted me about him. We kept in touch after they purchased a bird from me a while back. They are really neat people and have a natural knack with birds. I was happy they were interested in this bird as they would make a great home for him.

Well they ended up getting the bird and bringing him home. When I contacted them a couple of days later, the bird had already bonded with the husband and was out riding on his shoulder!

I was amazed. Like I said, this couple has a way with birds, but wow! If you think about it, this bird went through some major changes. He was rehomed twice after being in the same location for many years. Strange people, new cage, different food, etc. And remember, this bird had not been handled by a human for a very long time. This conure shows just how resilient birds can be when they are handled with sensitivity, patience and understanding.

This situation got me thinking. Each new day is a blank canvas, a chance to make a fresh start. Many times, simply changing old patterns can make a big difference in your bird's behavior. Every day is a new day. A perfect day for that second chance.