PekingeseMama

I knew I'd love him...I just didn't know HOW MUCH!:laugh:

He is my constant companion. He makes me a morning person, which I've NEVER been before! He makes me smile when I wake him, with his "Whaaat" in a gravelly, sleepy voice and one eye open at 7 am. He curls up in the crook of my neck to give me hugs, and reaches over to give gentle kisses. He is my little chatterbox, talking to me in complete sentences, even asking how I am. He tells me he loves me, and I know this to be true. He coughs, "Uha, Uha, Uha...Ohhh" to get my undivided attention, something he learned when the hubby had a cold. LOL And it works! He makes me laugh with his silly antics and fun personality. He is my best friend, and I can't imagine my life without him! This morning, I was checking my email on my laptop when I feel tap, tap, tap on my foot. I look down, surprised to find him there, waiting for me to pick him up. He waddled over very quietly to let me know he wanted my time NOW, and not later. LOL I so love him! He has changed my whole life for the better!

He is really warming up to me!:laugh:

Here is my little Amazon, Guapo's, new cage! I am so thrilled with it, and even better....so is HE! He is such a sweetheart! I never imagined a rescue could be so loving! Oops, it's not showing up...let me keep trying...:huh:<br><br>Post edited by: PekingeseMama, at: 2009/11/28 23:04

He is already bringing such joy into our household! He watches carefully while I hold my CAG, and I don't think he's afraid of anyone here. The kids fool with him constantly, and he encourages their interaction whenever he sees them nearby. I never thought I'd know how to handle a rescue, because of their age and temperment, but he is just a sweetheart! He belongs here, and the wonderful thing is I think he knows it!

Guapo is doing fantastic! It's like he's been here all along, really. The only thing is I can't get him to step up yet, or come out of his cage, though I leave his door open for him for hours (while I am watching closely, of course.) But he loves for all of the family members to give him scratches on his head, he takes food from our hands readily and he's a VERY eager eater! He ate all the veggies I've hand fed him, and the ones I left in his bowl while I was away, too! My CAG is much, much pickier, and flings much of his veggies to the floor! Not Guapo, he seems to understand that there is an abundance of EVERYTHING here, just ready for him, most of all LOVE! He makes sweet little whistles and sounds when he's pleased with our attention, and wants more, or he'll occasionally call out a "Hello" as we walk by him. He's in a great spot, he can see us as we sit in the LR, DR, and kitchen. He seems very happy with the activity level in the house, too...which I'm pleased with. I was worried our home might just be too active for him. He even "barks" when he sees one of our Pekingese dogs go by. Too funny! The other day, the kids were all sitting around the table, eating, and this strange sound started coming out of him. He wouldn't stop...it sounded like a sort of growl...but the more they'd eat, the more he'd growl. Well, we handed him some food, and he snatched it up immediately! When he was done eating, he growled for more! Does this mean he wants to be a part of the family for dinnertime, or are we reinforcing a negative habit? :unsure:

Thank you! I have posted a picture of him from yesterday, on a new thread. :cheer:

Here is GUAPO, our rescued Amazon Parrot...or shall I say, BELLA's parrot---as she is the one he is smitten with! They are SO cute to watch together! She actually cried last night, she was so happy that he liked her! I had told the children it might take a while for him to warm up to us, since he is an older parrot and not a baby, like Dodo and Rainbow were when we got them. I can't wait until his new cage comes in! He already seems very content with his new life, and we are very pleased! Bella says she doesn't care if he ever grows feathers, he's "awesome" to her! :cheer:

It's so funny, this morning, we heard a little puppy barking, over and over. Only thing is....we don't have a puppy! All the dogs were in my room, and the sound was coming from the other room. It was Guapo, he's learned to "bark" from all the dogs at the shelter! He sounded so cute! And he's picked my Bella (my 7 year old) as his "one and only" love around here. LOL She is THRILLED. She sits and pets him, and talks to him constantly. He "purrs" and whistles for her, bending his head down for more scratches. He even regurgitated for her, she just looked at me with a funny face, holding out her finger and said "Eww, Yuck, Mommy. Look what he gave me!" LOL I explained that meant he likes her very much, and he's trying to share his 'dinner' with her. :laugh: So now she goes around telling everyone that. I'm very happy we got him, I think once his large cage comes in, he'll be even happier! What a sweetheart!

Guapo is HOME!!! He started talking to us while he was in the carrier, saying "Hello!" enthusiastically right from the start. He is using his old, temporary cage for the time being, until the one I ordered comes in next week. But he is whistling and saying a few things already, and I think we're all going to get along just fine!

Thank you! Sweet little guy...I hate to think of what all he's been through! He's safe now, though.

Guapo is HOME!!! YIPEE!!! From the time I got him in the carrier to come home, he started saying "Hello!" He won my heart already! As soon as my little girl gets close, he starts whistling and talking to her, too. So I am really hopeful that he will be much happier in our care. I've already taken pictures of him, but I can't find the wires to connect the camera to the computer...so I'll post them later! Thanks for the wonderful support here, I don't know what I'd do without you all!:laugh:

I just got a call that they've already packed Guapo, (the neglected,chronic feather-plucking Amazon that had been living in a basement for several years)up and he's waiting for me at work! OMG...I bought his toys already, but I thought it would be at least another week before he'd come home! I haven't even sent his adoption papers back in yet! AND though I've purchased his cage on EBAY, it will still be several days before it comes in! So, in the meantime, they are letting me borrow the cage he's been using, temporarily. WOW! I can't believe I'm getting another parrot! I have read up on Amazons, but I'm still not quite certain what to expect from a rescue. I'd be happy to hear any advice you all might have for me!:woohoo:

Thank you all so much!!!

The shelter is wanting me to pick up Guapo this weekend! They pre-approved me to adopt him without even taking my papers! So, I need a cage....fast! I am HORRIBLE at measurements, even got a measuring tape out to try and judge the size...still don't know what I'm doing! LOL Tell me, please, is this cage appropriate and roomy enough for an Amazon? Thanks!!! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390118155276&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Thanks Dave! I have been looking on Ebay, that's probably my only hope. The pet store I bought Dodo's cage from no longer sells cages. I am trying to find a corner cage that will be large enough for an Amazon without being too large for my home (which, at the moment, is a difficult task!) Guapo has been seen by an avian vet, and has been classified as a 'chronic' feather plucker, but they said he does seem to stop plucking as much when he's less stressed. Being in the pet store with barking dogs and tons of people hovering around his cage made him even more stressed out than he'd already been before, and he kept plucking away. However, they do not believe his follicles have been damaged by his plucking. They, for some reason, have not been able to determine his age as of yet. I don't know why. Aren't there some tests that can be run that could tell his age? I'm not sure. My one question....will I have to put Guapo in seclusion from the rest of the birds for a while, if I do get him? The only room I have away from all the ohers is in the basement, and I sure would hate to do that to the poor little guy...that's why he's in the shape he's in to begin with!

I'm still looking for cages...where I live there are absolutely NO large cages for sale, so I have no choice but to buy online...which isn't easy either! I'm hoping no one else takes Guapo before I get the cage!

My kids have never been bit by our grey, because they know better! LOL But the conure gets them occasionally, when they want to take him away from me and he refuses to go with them.

Even my hubby agreed, this bird is spectacular! Just gorgeous! Congratulations, Pat! I bet you are over the moon! Where on earth did you find him?

Nilah sounds like the complete opposite of the poor Amazon rescue at the shelter that I'd love to take in. Now I see what he's 'supposed' to look like, poor Guapo, if he'd only had a proper, loving home life! Nilah is just gorgeous, congratulations on your new baby!

Dodo says, "Want a kiss? Mwah Mwah Mwah!" LOL And his latest thing is "Are you happy?" He even greeted me with an enthusiastic "Good Morning" one day this week, and I am so not a morning person, but he made my day!:laugh:

I didn't know if my Dodo would ever talk, either...especially after the hubby and kids chose to name him DODO, for goodness sakes! Of all names....but sure enough, when he turned 11 months old, he started saying full phrases all at once! I was so thrilled, and surprised....I thought he'd take a lot longer to learn to put words together than that. Now, he can say several phrases and he's only 16 months old. He never even seemed like he was trying to talk before his first words came out, didn't even seem like he was caring to at all. So don't give up on your baby yet, he just may surprise you yet! He still has plenty of time to learn!

Aww, how sweet! They already look like best friends! Congratulations!

Hi, my CAG is 16 months old, and he makes me smile and laugh every single day! He brings a LOT of conversation and laughter to our home that's already filled to the maximum capacity with kids, dogs, and other birds. I worried that getting a CAG while still having relatively small kids might be a mistake...but he's brought a lot of joy to our home. He started talking right before his 1st birthday, and from then on we find we're always amazed by the things he is saying. He is the first 'person' to greet me every single morning (and I am NOT a morning person, but he made me like mornings!) with a chipper, enthusiastic "HEL-LOOO" and "Are you happy?" that brightens my mood from the start. I find myself saying, "Yes, I am happy" and MEANING it, for the first time in ages. I lost my mom some time back....and for a very long time, I've felt very alone without her. Then my kids were all in school, and I was home alone, with no one to talk to for 6-7 hours every day. Then we got Dodo (don't ask me why the hubby and kids wanted to name him that....the little ones always called the seagulls in Florida Dodo birds, and when they saw our baby CAG for the first time, Dodo is all they'd ever say! So he picked up on it and says Dodo constantly now. LOL He means so much to me and to our family, and I can't imagine not having him.