Dudley

[heidib]

Hi all.

Well it seems a new fid has come into my life. Dudley is his name and he is a Yellow Nape Amazon. A friend of the family is going through some major life changes at this time and we're all helping him out. A couple of weekend's ago I went over to help him get his house ready to be put on the market. We were talking about his dog that my sister had taken and it's progress of settling into her family. He mentioned that he still had a parrot at his mother's house that had never actually made the move to this house because of the crazy hours he works. He told me how his mother was in her late 70's and starting to have health issues and it was too much for her to care for the bird. He said that he had tried and tried to get her to let him get rid of the bird but she was just too attached to the bird. A couple of months ago she had become unable to get to the bird in her house and her other son would come over to feed it.

In the beginning he said that Dudley was a great bird but had turned to having fits and his brother now didn't want to feed the bird because he had bitten him several times. He said when he had gotten the bird ready to come over my house and had taken Dudley out of the cage he said it was a real fight and the bird was real nasty.

I was real nervous when he told me this and I started doubting myself if I can bring this bird around but when I took one look at this bird my heart broke. With the feather condition of this bird he has definately in my opinion not been given a proper diet. His beak definately needs attention because it looks like if it grows any more it will start affecting his eating and the skin on his talons doesn't look healthy. The first thing I wanted to do is give this bird a shower.

I've had Dudley now for two days, within the first half hour while he was still in his carrier I gave him a couple peanuts. Yesterday I decided his eating habbits were going to turn healthy. Fred, our friend gave him a huge bowl of seeds and water and said this will be enough until I he came over this weekend and we could take him to get that beak filed down, wings clipped, and toenails clipped. Fred didn't want me going to near Dudley's cage because he didn't want Dudley to take off one of my fingers. Well, I'm not always good with that listening part especially when in my heart and gut I feel we're just dealing with a bored, ignored bird that isn't being given what it needs to have a happy healthy emotional lifestyle. So I started trying to feed him some veggies. I wondered how he would take to them because all he's been feed is seed mix and peanuts.

I hand fed him wax beans through the bars in his cage. I figured the trust needed to start somewhere. Well he came right over to the bars and took the wax bean and backed away again and sat and started eating it. I think he thought it was a peanut at first but it was so funny because it seemed he couldn't get enough of them. He ate a good deal of beans and then I decided that if he likes this so much I would give him some desert and gave him a grape. He bit into the grape and you could just tell from the look in his eyes that this was way better than peanuts.
I was amazed and releaved at the gentleness he had and how careful he was when he took the food from my fingers. Not like my Sun's who aren't hand tame and jerk it out of your fingers. There's hope for Dudley.

[imported_Jason]

Sounds like that bird is in a good place now. I'm sure you will spoil him!

Jason

[heidib]

He is such a joy to have in the house. Last night we had pizza and every time we have pizza (maybe 2-3 times a month) I give a crust piece to the birds. It's just a treat that they enjoy. Well I figured I would try that with Dudley. He loved it. It was cute because my daughter especially saved her's for him and she loves the crust. I let her give it to him (carefully watching were her fingers were) and he took it very gently from her and even said "Thank you"

Dudly is very intelligent and picks up very quickly on words. The first night after the kids had gone to bed Dudley started calling my son. He said Pat...Pat...Pat..Pat. I was on the couch and my son Pat comes running down the stairs saying"What mom, what do you need." I told him I didn't call him Dudley did. He got a big kick out of it and walked over to Dudley's cage and said "You really like me" After Patrick had gone up stair Dudley began saying Josh....Josh....Josh....Josh. My oldest came down stairs saying "What mom." I said it wasn't me it was Dudley. Joshua didn't think it was so funny and when back upstairs. I turned to Dudley and said "knock it off Dudley they have to get their sleep." He didn't do it again that night.


I am going to try starting to take him out of the cage and start stick training with him on Sunday. I hope it goes well.

-Heidi

[imported_Jason]

Wheress the pics of your new found friend?

Jason

[heidib]

Here's Dudley...




I started with the dowel training yesterday and I want to say my 20 minute session was successful because although Dudley bit on the dowel it was more in playing and by the end of it I was touching his head and back with the stick and he was just sitting there. His favorite was when I was scratching the back of his neck and when I would stop he would get a hold of the dowel and put the dowel back up to his neck so that I would scratch it again.

At the end I did put my arm out for him to step up on and he didn't bite it but he did hit it lightly with his beak.

I so want to get him into the shower. I don't think he's ever been near water and that will help him with his scratching and the condition of his feathers. His poor feathers.

He goes to get his beak dremeled, wings clipped and toe nails trimmed tomorrow and then I will feel a little more confident handling him.

[heidib]

Well training with Dudley continues.

Last weekend poor Dudley got trimmed, beak, nails and wings. I got the nerve up to use my arm and he did fine for the first ten minutes, stepping up was not a problem. He then wanted to play a game called bob his head wildly, laugh uncontrollably and bite me. :o

Well I didn't give into it and thank god I had put on a heavy sweat shirt to do this. I was proud of myself I didn't yell, scream, or sob at the pain. What a beak.

He broke the skin on all five wounds he inflicted that day and caused huge bruises that are now very colorful. Back to dowel training. He's gotten better I must say. I've read that Parrot respond to your facial expression and the "evil eye" works well. I've been trying that and it's help alot. He now doesn't try to tear apart the dowel when I first introduce it he just light moves it away with his beak. It'll still be a little while before I try him on my arm though.

He is enjoying his spray downs with the spray bottle every morning and I have to say looks beautiful. The different colors of green he has have really come to life.

I keep reminding myself patience....he's only been with us for two weeks.

So I have to know. What is the latest on Dudley? He seems a really great bird and you seem like the perfect "Parront" for him.

Anyone willing to take a few amazon bites to make friends with a bird is my kind of people. :)