Dear Parrots magazine,
It was recently when my husband and I decided we wanted a parrot, as my parents used to have an Amazon, that we went to a local pet store. As you do, we fell in love with a Yellow-crested Cockatoo that looked to be in excellent condition. We were a little concerned, as he was quite noisy and boisterous, but the pet store owner said that all the activity around him was making him excited. So, without hesitation, we both decided to buy him.
An expensive cage also followed and off we went home with our valuable cargo! The cage together with Charlie, as we have called him, was positioned in our lounge and so we looked forward to a long and happy time ahead with him. Charlie was still very noisy, but we thought he would calm down once he got used to his new environment.
However, when we let him out to fly around and get his bearings, he flew over to both myself and my husband and decided to take chunks out of us. This was not only disappointing, but very painful too. We were told he was about two years old and had come from a couple who had broken up seemingly putting him through a lot of stress. Our first reaction was to take him back to the store, but on reflection, we didn’t want him to go through any more unpleasantness.
Well his behaviour didn’t get any better, so we did some research and came across an animal behaviour specialist. This lady clearly knew her stuff with animals and after a few weeks, Charlie had completely calmed down, and now is the dream bird we both wanted. It is thought that, in the past, Charlie had probably suffered abuse, which had turned him into a difficult teenager. It just shows what patience and caring can do.
Mary Schulz, Ohio, USA