Sillypup5
11-23-2008, 04:57 PM
This is going to be long, but I just have a lot to say on this...so if you stick it out, thanks! If not, I totally understand.. lmao
I have had a very emotional, tiring and frustrating week. What started it all, was last Sunday, or Monday (I can't remember what day it was now, it's all a blur) Brandt was sitting at the dining room table, eating his supper. Not moving, not being loud, or jumping around... Just sitting there, with his back to the rest of the house. The dining room table is about 15 feet from Milo and Kiwi's cages. I was sitting on the couch eating my supper, which is directly beside Milo's cage.
Anyway..
Milo decided it would be a good idea to fly accross the living room, right over my head, land on the back of Brandt's neck and pierce the top (in the cartilage) of his ear. Both his upper and lower mandibles went RIGHT THROUGH my poor kid's ear. It happened VERY quickly, I didn't even have time to throw down my fork, get up and run over 12 feet to where Brandt was sitting to get this bird off him. I pried Milo's beak off his right ear.. he had a grip in Brandt's hair with his feet, so while I was trying to get his feet loose (all in like 0.5 seconds) he latched onto Brandt's left ear! Only Milo's upper went through that time, but man.. That poor kid was just SCREAMING. I pried him off that ear, and he latched onto my finger and stayed there like that until I got him back to his cage, pried his beak off my finger and put him in his cage.
Brandt's right ear was bleeding quite good, afterall it had a big hole right through it. So i went to tend to his wounds.
Then I sat down, in total panic mode and wrote a LONG email to the lady who sold him to the lady I got him from asking if she would be willing to take him back to find him a home with no little kids, and preferrably no men as I was told by her that Milo was severely abused in his first home by his male owner, and therefor hates all men/boys.
I thought the first couple times he attacked Brandt that we could work with him. But this time, he actually flew to the other side of the house to bite him! No warning, he wasn't provoked in ANY way. So clearly, keeping Brandt away from the bird's side of the living room is no longer enough. I cant' have my child living in fear in his own house, and I can't just tell him he has to deal with getting his ears bit off. So sadly, and this is just KILLING me, Milo has to go.
He is still here..
I couldn't get ahold of that lady. So in my panic I emailed the lady that owns the parrot store that I know is friends with this lady thinking she could help. Well, she did some digging around (the parrot community in Alberta is very small, and it is becoming apparent to me that everyone dealing with birds knows everyone) and she found out exactly who and where and when Milo really came from and passed the info onto me.
The first part of what I was told about Milo was true. He was bought at a pet store in Edmonton by a french couple. he did attack the husband. But not because he was abused.. but because he is very much a one person bird and defends his 'mate' relentlessly. They tried to keep him, but he just kept on attacking, until one day, he almost took his 'dads' ear off, it ended up with stitches and some reconstructive surgery.
So they got in touch with their very good friend at a rescue in the same city and she took Milo in. She had him for 2 years, until she found what she thought was the perfect home with the lady I got my lovebirds from. She adopted him to them for free, just asking that they paid his vet bill, which was only about $50. She also gave him with a large cage. They signed a legal adoption contract stating that they can never give away or sell the bird, if they can't keep him, he was to go directly back to the rescue.
Well, it turns out they turned around and SOLD him for $500 just a couple weeks after they adopted him! They had also sometime during all this removed his band, and told the buyers that they didn't know his age or where he came from and didn't provide any papers with him. They weren't at all truthful with the buyer, told her that Milo was severely abused and neglected in his first home, which is why he hates/attacks men. They never ever told the rescue lady that they rehomed Milo, and in fact, they sent her pictures that *I* had sent to them saying that they just took them off their camera, and Milo was still with them and doing well!! (that's later in the story tho.. sorry got off track!)
So then the lady who bought him, and he didn't even get sold with the cage he came with, they sold him to her with a crappy small hagen parrot cage...
He ended up attacking her teenaged son and husband. She didn't tell me much info at all about Milo when she offered him to me.. Just that he dislikes men, and is otherwise a very cuddly, sweet bird. Which he was/is.. to ME. She didn't know how old he was, where he came from, nothing.
I eventually found out, as I had posted a couple months ago, that Milo infact came from the same lady who I got the lovebirds from, and I was so excited that I could finally find out his history, age, etc. Well, it turns out all I got were lies.
So I have been working with this lady from the pet store, and now the lady from the rescue all week trying so hard to find Milo the perfect home, where he will not be passed around anymore. I HATE it when people play 'pass the birdy' and I feel so awful for resorting to rehoming myself.
If Milo were biting/attacking ME, then it would be a completely different situation. But him attacking my 8 yo son, I can't have brandt sit there and take these bites while we figure out a way to work with Milo. I can not do that to him, and it isn't fair to Milo to be locked up all day when Brandt is around either. Milo is so stressed this week, he has lost 8g in body weight, and he is just NOT a happy bird right now.
So the lady from the rescue is asking one more family if they would want to adopt him, she does not hold anything back when telling them about him and his aggression. If they don't take him, then she will take him back and will never adopt him out again, he will be at the rescue for life. She was in tears just as much, if not more than I was all day yesterday while we were talking on the phone.
So I will probably be going to Edmonton this week sometime to take Milo to her. if this other family wants to take him in, they will do so through her anyway, as they are 5 hours north of Edmonton and I am 2.5 hours southeast of there.
It is breaking my heart just thinking about this, but I know it has to be done. It is the best thing for everyone involved, especially Brandt and Milo. I have been SO picky with where I am willing to take him, and it resulted in me getting into contact with the lady from the rescue who knows Milo very well. I think this is meant to be, that he be back with her.
So anyway, that is the story. Thanks for staying with me and reading this if you made it. I feel so horrible, I feel like I am giving up on Milo, which I vowed not to do. But Brandt just can't be subjected to this anymore. I hope you guys understand. :disb
I have had a very emotional, tiring and frustrating week. What started it all, was last Sunday, or Monday (I can't remember what day it was now, it's all a blur) Brandt was sitting at the dining room table, eating his supper. Not moving, not being loud, or jumping around... Just sitting there, with his back to the rest of the house. The dining room table is about 15 feet from Milo and Kiwi's cages. I was sitting on the couch eating my supper, which is directly beside Milo's cage.
Anyway..
Milo decided it would be a good idea to fly accross the living room, right over my head, land on the back of Brandt's neck and pierce the top (in the cartilage) of his ear. Both his upper and lower mandibles went RIGHT THROUGH my poor kid's ear. It happened VERY quickly, I didn't even have time to throw down my fork, get up and run over 12 feet to where Brandt was sitting to get this bird off him. I pried Milo's beak off his right ear.. he had a grip in Brandt's hair with his feet, so while I was trying to get his feet loose (all in like 0.5 seconds) he latched onto Brandt's left ear! Only Milo's upper went through that time, but man.. That poor kid was just SCREAMING. I pried him off that ear, and he latched onto my finger and stayed there like that until I got him back to his cage, pried his beak off my finger and put him in his cage.
Brandt's right ear was bleeding quite good, afterall it had a big hole right through it. So i went to tend to his wounds.
Then I sat down, in total panic mode and wrote a LONG email to the lady who sold him to the lady I got him from asking if she would be willing to take him back to find him a home with no little kids, and preferrably no men as I was told by her that Milo was severely abused in his first home by his male owner, and therefor hates all men/boys.
I thought the first couple times he attacked Brandt that we could work with him. But this time, he actually flew to the other side of the house to bite him! No warning, he wasn't provoked in ANY way. So clearly, keeping Brandt away from the bird's side of the living room is no longer enough. I cant' have my child living in fear in his own house, and I can't just tell him he has to deal with getting his ears bit off. So sadly, and this is just KILLING me, Milo has to go.
He is still here..
I couldn't get ahold of that lady. So in my panic I emailed the lady that owns the parrot store that I know is friends with this lady thinking she could help. Well, she did some digging around (the parrot community in Alberta is very small, and it is becoming apparent to me that everyone dealing with birds knows everyone) and she found out exactly who and where and when Milo really came from and passed the info onto me.
The first part of what I was told about Milo was true. He was bought at a pet store in Edmonton by a french couple. he did attack the husband. But not because he was abused.. but because he is very much a one person bird and defends his 'mate' relentlessly. They tried to keep him, but he just kept on attacking, until one day, he almost took his 'dads' ear off, it ended up with stitches and some reconstructive surgery.
So they got in touch with their very good friend at a rescue in the same city and she took Milo in. She had him for 2 years, until she found what she thought was the perfect home with the lady I got my lovebirds from. She adopted him to them for free, just asking that they paid his vet bill, which was only about $50. She also gave him with a large cage. They signed a legal adoption contract stating that they can never give away or sell the bird, if they can't keep him, he was to go directly back to the rescue.
Well, it turns out they turned around and SOLD him for $500 just a couple weeks after they adopted him! They had also sometime during all this removed his band, and told the buyers that they didn't know his age or where he came from and didn't provide any papers with him. They weren't at all truthful with the buyer, told her that Milo was severely abused and neglected in his first home, which is why he hates/attacks men. They never ever told the rescue lady that they rehomed Milo, and in fact, they sent her pictures that *I* had sent to them saying that they just took them off their camera, and Milo was still with them and doing well!! (that's later in the story tho.. sorry got off track!)
So then the lady who bought him, and he didn't even get sold with the cage he came with, they sold him to her with a crappy small hagen parrot cage...
He ended up attacking her teenaged son and husband. She didn't tell me much info at all about Milo when she offered him to me.. Just that he dislikes men, and is otherwise a very cuddly, sweet bird. Which he was/is.. to ME. She didn't know how old he was, where he came from, nothing.
I eventually found out, as I had posted a couple months ago, that Milo infact came from the same lady who I got the lovebirds from, and I was so excited that I could finally find out his history, age, etc. Well, it turns out all I got were lies.
So I have been working with this lady from the pet store, and now the lady from the rescue all week trying so hard to find Milo the perfect home, where he will not be passed around anymore. I HATE it when people play 'pass the birdy' and I feel so awful for resorting to rehoming myself.
If Milo were biting/attacking ME, then it would be a completely different situation. But him attacking my 8 yo son, I can't have brandt sit there and take these bites while we figure out a way to work with Milo. I can not do that to him, and it isn't fair to Milo to be locked up all day when Brandt is around either. Milo is so stressed this week, he has lost 8g in body weight, and he is just NOT a happy bird right now.
So the lady from the rescue is asking one more family if they would want to adopt him, she does not hold anything back when telling them about him and his aggression. If they don't take him, then she will take him back and will never adopt him out again, he will be at the rescue for life. She was in tears just as much, if not more than I was all day yesterday while we were talking on the phone.
So I will probably be going to Edmonton this week sometime to take Milo to her. if this other family wants to take him in, they will do so through her anyway, as they are 5 hours north of Edmonton and I am 2.5 hours southeast of there.
It is breaking my heart just thinking about this, but I know it has to be done. It is the best thing for everyone involved, especially Brandt and Milo. I have been SO picky with where I am willing to take him, and it resulted in me getting into contact with the lady from the rescue who knows Milo very well. I think this is meant to be, that he be back with her.
So anyway, that is the story. Thanks for staying with me and reading this if you made it. I feel so horrible, I feel like I am giving up on Milo, which I vowed not to do. But Brandt just can't be subjected to this anymore. I hope you guys understand. :disb