Since I'm sick and things are a bit slow right now, I figured I'd start introducing the members of our furry/feathered family. Today, I will introduce you to Oscar, my 2.5 year old African Grey. The acquisition of Oscar comes with a somewhat long and sad story, so here goes.
Three years ago, someone told me a really nice woman was looking for a home for her African Grey, as he was a feather plucker and she wondered if he wouldn't be happier somewhere he could be the only bird. The woman's name was Cristina, and as it turned out, she bred African greys. Max was one of the birds she had bred, and he had been returned to her for some intermittent plucking problems. She assumed this was because they had trimmed his flight feathers too short, and he had likely fallen and bruised his keel bone (or breast bone). He stopped plucking when he was returned, and was fine for five years or so. At about age six, he suddenly started plucking again, and nothing she could do would fix it. So she started looking for a home. I drove the 40 miles down to meet Max one Saturday, and fell in love. He came home with me and I started the journey of learning everything I could about these amazing birds. He and I had a very strong bond, and as many African Grey owners can attest, he hated my husband. We had a cage for him here at school, and a much larger cage for him in Boise. He travelled back and forth with me happily for a little less than a year. Suddenly, Max started showing signs of weakness, and since I could see his bare skin, I could see he was losing weight. I immediately took him to the vet, where I was told he was in kidney failure. I would have done anything to save my dear Max, and dropped him off the next day to begin fluid therapy and to begin getting shots of erythropoeitin to start stimulating his kidneys to produce red blood cells. As I turned to leave that morning, he called out one final "Ooooh!" to me, and I never saw my dear bird alive again. I miss him dearly, but thank him for getting me involved in such a wonderful species.
After a few weeks, I decided I wanted to get another bird eventually, and began researching my options. I poured over books and regularly visited our local bird store looking for the right bird for me. I had decided to choose a bird from a reputable breeder rather than another rescue, mostly because I was feeling a little traumatized. After a month or two, I discovered that an African Grey really was my perfect match, and I contacted Cristina again--this time, with happier news. She bumped me to the top of the list for upcoming clutches. I soon heard that eggs had been laid! Oscar was hatched on July 25th, 2006, four days after his older sister, Lydia. Cristina regularly sent me pictures and updates, and I would visit little Oscar every week (usually on Fridays), until he could come home in early November (on the third!).
When I am home, Oscar is my almost constant companion. He doesn't talk much, other than saying "Peek-a-boo", but I don't mind. We communicate very well, and he is also very strongly bonded to me. He also doesn't care much for my husband, but they have an understanding and everything seems to work out. He's a spoiled rotten bird, and one day when I am hired as a veterinarian, I would like for him to come to work with me.
This summer, when I had 30 foster kittens (more on that later!), Oscar learned to scare the bejeezus out of me by meowing like both a panicked kitten and a stuck Penney. During the summer, he started plucking a little, but I soon realized it was because he wanted me to look at him. I know you're not supposed to give them attention, but after Max, it is a anxiety-inducing thing for me and I couldn't help but glance when he was doing it. I realized after a few months that if I gently told him "No" and removed him from my sight when he did it, it completely stopped. Now the little booger makes the sounds of him plucking to get my attention!
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