saltydog75

Since I mentioned it, not germane at all to classifieds, but here is a funny pic of my ex-girlfriend's Jardine's parrot (named Meeka) eating corn on the cob.

Of course I don't want to give her up, in the sense that no pet owner wants to lose their pet. By the same token, behavior modification only goes so far. In the end, a parrot isn't domesticated. It's a wild animal, and some degree of unwanted (to the human) behavior - chewing, pooping everywhere, etc - is just part and parcel of being a parrot owner. So, even in the best case, there are still problems to deal with. I used to not care so much, but I just bought a new house, I'm doing a bunch of home improvement, and it's frustrating having a parrot that basically is working 100% in the opposite direction. Not by intent, obviously, but it's frustrating having food remnants, bird poop, feathers, chewed bits of wall, etc everywhere, and bite marks in new sofas, etc. And, there's one of me in a 3 story house to keep everything neat. Not too easy. And, there are only so many parrot people in the world. Not many people can deal with a pet that may nip at their hands, fly at their head, etc. So I really don't have any options as far as people to take care of her. It would be awesome if there were, but there aren't. So, I'm in a situation where I work 8 hrs a day, and then have to deal with an unruly parrot at home and constantly keep an eye on her, so I can hardly even watch TV without her chewing up the carpet, or chewing on the corners of walls, etc. I lived with an ex-girlfriend who had a Jardine's, so it's not like I went in blind, but greys can be a lot more work. It's my fault for not having the foresight to think years down the road, but at the time, all of the stuff I mentioned above didn't bother me. Now it does, and it's not fair to hold it against the parrot, but it's just a conundrum. Hate the idea of not having her, but also hate dealing with the mess, and house destruction, etc. Honestly, I just think a grey works better in a house full of people, who can take care of the parrot and spend a lot of time with her. In my mind they're social creatures, and I just don't think being locked up all day, and having only one person around most of the time, is conducive to having a happy parrot. Anyway, so that's my situation in a nutshell.

I have an almost-4-year-old female Congo grey named Koko. I'm thinking about finding a new home for her, and I'm wondering whether there is anyone near the Washington, DC area that is interested in being her new forever home. I've had her since she was 3 months old. She was hand-fed. I don't clip her wings, so she's an excellent flyer - although I think this has lead to her being a bit of a brat. She always wants to be wherever the people are in the house. She always wants some of whatever I'm eating - she'll walk over and say "koko!" repeatedly until I give her a bite of my food. She can also say "what?" - although not on command. She likes head scratches a lot. She hasn't had exposure to many people (just me, basically), so she's a bit leery around anyone aside from me. Her favorite foods are apple slices (especially fresh, crisp granny smith apples), Nutriberries, and peanuts (junk food, I know) - but she will try almost anything. If I leave a tomato, mushroom, etc (basically anything) on the counter she will fly over and nibble at it. For a while, she was crazy in love with pizza crusts. She is an expert mimic of my microwave. I work all day, so she's in a cage for 9 hrs a day at least (sometimes more). She definitely doesn't like that. She much prefers to be out free. In fact, for about the first 3 years I had her, I basically just let her stay out of her cage 24/7 - although that was started by her refusing to go into her cage, and me getting tired of chasing her around the house to get her to go in. One day she just decided she didn't like her cage, and that was that. Now, I keep her in her cage while I'm gone, which she doesn't like at all. She won't go willingly into her cage - I have to put food in there, or basically hold her and put her in the cage. I know, my fault for not being strict at first. But she would *love* to be in a home where she doesn't have to be caged up all day. Having said all of that, of course I am attached to her, since even before taking her home, I visited her from time to time at the hand feeder's house, so she's kinda known me from almost the time when she was hatched. So, I'm still not 100% sure I want to find another home for her - just trying to find out if there's anyone local to the area who is looking for a grey to take in, who has a home with people around all the time, because I think that would be a much better situation for her. Thanks in advance - I know it probably sounds like I am a horrible parrot dad, but if she could find a home with experienced parrot owners who are around more often than I am, she would be happier (eventually, I guess; probably sad for a bit after the transition). Just trying to find out whether such a home is out there.