Introducing Sydney

[Christopher Tequila]

I introduced myself a while ago when we adopted Zoe, a CAG from the Sanctuary my wife and I volunteer at. We saw another grey named Ruby who we were considering adopting. Ruby is 16 and a plucker. She came in to the sanctuary in a cage with two old toys that she didn't even touch. The owner had just married and his new wife said he had to give up the bird. We wanted to foster her and see if we could get her feathered again. We had already bought her some chewable toys, like the pinatas and those strips you tie through the cage bars, and she just devoured them. The owner came back and is thinking about taking her back. Evidently he was crying his eyes out because he missed her so much. While I feel really bad for him, I just hope if he takes her back he tries to provide her with appropriate toys and showers and everything she needs to help her. Sometimes people can love something so much yet still not take care of it the way they should. She very well may have become a plucker due to boredom. But who is this Sydney you ask?

 

While volunteering yesterday, we were told that they needed to hold onto Ruby so the owner could decide what he was going to do. I guess his decision would be either the bird or his new wife! They said that they had a TAG coming in later that day. After cleaning and scrubbing and socializing for a few hours, a man came in with Sydney, the TAG, and Jasper, a cockatiel.

 

Sydney is around 35 to 40 years old and was wild caught. They do not know if it is a male or female but we are call Sydney a girl. Her owner passed away about 16 months ago and the wife was holding onto him for sentimental reasons. She finally decided that she could not care for any more and drove all the way from Kalamazoo Michigan to Wisconsin to bring her to the Sanctuary. She was kept in a very small cage and as far as we know has been eating a seed diet for most of her life. Since we unfortunately could not keep the Umbrella Cockatoo we were fostering, Zoe is now living in the Macaw cage that the Umbrella was in, I call it the castle! That left Zoe's old cage available. Before we even had much time to say hello to Sydney, she was already at home with us in the cage with new toys and good food. She has not been handled for the 16 months or more since her owner passed away, so we will need to be very patient with her. She is very small and looks a bit too thin at the moment. She did start eating the good food right away, and even tried some of the vegetables we gave her.

 

Are there any suggestions anyone with a TAG has that might be different from a CAG, or any suggestions for an older bird?

 

I will try and post some pictures soon.

 

Thanks,

Christopher and Sydney

[Jayd]

A BIG WONDERFUL *THANK YOU* Jayd and Maggie and Spock and the flock