Rescue an abused BFA?

[Sarah88]

Hello everyone its been so long since iv been on here lol but thought i would get your advice on something. here in wilmington where im moving to there is a women trying to rehome her blue front amazon, from what she was told he was previously severely abused by a man who kept him in his basement and would periodically beat him (who knows why?!) and so an elderly women took him in but was so afraid of him that he was locked in his cage the entire time he was with her (not sure of the time period) so now this woman that got him from the elderly woman has had him for a year and a half and apparently in PA (where they lived before) he was getting alot better and was starting to talk and come out of his shell however when they moved here for some reason he reverted to his old self and has been attacking them and her Grey, so she is trying to find a home that could work with him, now heres my question lol this poor baby is guessed to be around 35yrs old, and i really want to help this poor baby overcome his fears but do you guys think that after spending so much time in fear and learning the only way to protect himself is to attack do you think it would be possible to get him back to being a normal happy bird? (i dont care if he never becomes cuddly or anything like that just that he not be overwhelmed with fear anymore and come out of his shell, i know it would be alot of work) but yeah so just wanted to get your guys advice on this as this would be my first actual rescue bird (have my gcc and then have worked with my friends greys one of which was rescued and is iffy about who handles her but has come ALONG way since they got her) iv researched all this stuff but dont really have the actual personal experience besides with the grey and she wasnt nearly as bad off as this poor baby so any advice would be greatly appreciated in helping me make my decision (i havnt seen him yet will hopefully go visit him sometime this week)

[LovelySydney]

Hi Sarah - so sad about that baby!! That is horrible that its had such a life - and at 35 years!! Thats very sad. I think that this bird can be taught love and compassion. I just don't think it is has enough time in one single home to learn to trust the person its been with. Im glad you realize this WILL be a challenge, a bird with a life like that, i cant even imagine what is engrained in its brain regarding humans and interaction.

I think it is worth a shot. I say that because you are not having unrealistic expectations - you are not wanting a cuddly bird who lets you preen him and scratch him, you just want to show him that all humans are NOT evil and that he is capable of being somewhere that is safe and loving!!

PLEASE keep us posted on what you plan on doing, I think that is so great of you if you bring this guy home - what a big heart you have!! In the very least this bird deserves to know love.

[Sarah88]

Yeah exactly i just want him to know he doesnt always have to be on guard, the poor thing but yes i have some long thinking ahead of me, i just want to take it slow, and not get caught up in the excitement of a new addition and then later be overwhelmed, so hopefully i go visit him this week and then im still in the process of moving furniture into my new home but the lady said if she thought i was the best home for him then she would keep him until i was all settled in so we will see but i will def keep you guys posted and maybe even get some pics when i go visit (said she was gna try get pics of him and send some tonight so hopefully she does!)

[ThreeX]

If this will be your frst attempt rescuing, such a inherently difficult animal as a BFA i'd advice against it. You may well end up with plenty more than you can handle (and i am not dissing you) it's just that i have first hand experience with BFA's and know they can intimidate all but the very toughest people and make them consider the unspeakable alternative..

[Phenomenon]

Make sure you can afford the Vet bills and doctor bills that may result.

Good luck.

[Jag]

It won't be easy.... I took in 2 conures (Sun and Jenday) who are both males, bonded. They had become aggressive (I won't go into any more details) and I got them as a rehome. I put them in another cage with plenty of toys and gave lots of treats and good food. They see our interaction with the other fids, and they are talked to all the time. They don't scream or move away when they see me anymore...and I have gotten them to eat out of my hand. However, they are going back to biting my hands when replacing food or water. I've got open spots on 2 fingers right now that came in one day.

I can only imagine the damage a BFA could inflict. Nothing like a GCC... even the bigger conures have a much bigger bite. I've had them just over a month, and we're kind of at a stand still. I don't know what I would do if I had to get them to the vet quickly...beside towel them and that would probably destroy the progress I've made with them. It's not an easy task, and these boys I have are only 2! This poor guy has endured abuse for 35 years! It's commendable, but I wonder if they should go to a rescue that has a lot of experience with abused big birds. There are days when I wonder if I'm the right owner for these boys... if I'm doing all I can be doing for them.

Not trying to say don't do it...but just something to think about.

[Sarah88]

threeX i wouldnt take it as dissing lol thats the whole reason i asked for advice is so that people who have more experience than i do can give me the whole truth so if i did decide to go with it i would be fully prepared and everyone else thanks for your advice too, i have alot of thinking ahead of me this is definitely a hard decision i would love to help the poor baby but dont want to take on more than i could handle and then end up having him go to yet another home/rescue if i did take him i would def want to be sure i am going to be his forever home and i wouldnt take him in until i was sure that i would be, the last thing he needs is to move around even more

[Sarah88]

So he has found a great home here is what the lady sent me:
I am sorry to have to tell you but I have found a home for Paco. In my heart, I really think this will be best for him. He went with a young couple who have both worked with special needs birds and have great success with biters. When they came into the house and approached his cage, he came right up front with no hesitation and no aggression! The man opened the door and put his arm in the cage and asked Paco to step up, all Paco did was take 2 steps back. No aggression at all. Kelleys mom has parrots and she has been around large birds her entire life. Kelley does not work and her husband is a nurse so, he will be getting lots of one on one. From the update I received this morning, he appears confused with his surroundings but, Kelley was feeding him his cooked oatmeal and he was taking that from her with no problem.. Oatmeal is a definite favorite meal for him and he loves to be spoon fed. Typical male...lol.
so it sounds like she found an awesome home for him!!

[Newticus]

That's great! I'm really glad Paco found a good place. It was really nice of you to consider helping him, damaged parrots really test your patience and methods with birds. I'm currently working with a phobic black lori. She doesn't bite (that I know of) and she has only JUST started to look at me when I am near her cage - which is a huge improvement. I have had her for about a month so far.

Melanie

[LovelySydney]

Oh, I hadn't read the update about Paco - what wonderful news!!! Im so happy to hear he will have new parronts who can give him tons of time and love. I LOVE happy endings = )