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Louie's story is one of those that will touch your heart! He is currently doing well, but his start in life was a sad one. Louie was rescued by a little girl who went to deliver a computer to a man who turned out to be very mean and abusive. He told her that he had no money and couldn't pay for the computer she brought, then pointed to a small parrot and said "I'll give you this darn bird instead." After seeing the man hit the little bird, she quickly took him and left; later she gave him to a Mickaboo volunteer. So begins the story of Louie the green cheek conure. We don't know how long Louie had lived in that apartment before the girl rescued him, but his experience there left emotional wounds. He was a very angry, frightened bird when he first came to Mickaboo, especially (understandably) scared of men. He was extremely cage territorial (aggressive and unapproachable inside his cage) and a hard biter. Yet even then he had a sweet side you could see. His first foster mom said he played happily on his cage and play-gyms when he was at her house. Once away from the cage he would relax and become friendlier with people, even enjoying head scritches. Louie's foster parents worked with him for many months to overcome his mistrust. Beginning with stick training, they got to where he would step onto wrists and even onto hands, including inside his cage sometimes. And they discovered a very sweet, playful spirit beneath all that anger and defensiveness. Louie's quality of life has improved in many ways since then. He seems to be a very healthy bird now and enjoys a good diet, with Roudybush pellets as his mainstay. He likes veggies and sprouts, some fruit, walnuts, and he relishes his morning almond half (a treat that has become a ritual). As conures go, he is fairly quiet. In the morning when he's first up, he'll chatter a bit and practice his contact calls (he can say his name, a few other words, coughs, and he can speak budgie!). The rest of the day he's more subdued, responding to calls from other birds, or calling out when he hears someone walking past. He enjoys playing with a variety of toys, especially noisy ones, and loves to shred paper. Louie had been adopted through Mickaboo and got a lot of love from his new family. Now, though, his adoptive family is having a second baby and felt they couldn't give him enough attention anymore, so they have returned him to us. During his time in homes where he was well treated and cared for, Louie has mellowed out a lot, becoming calmer and better behaved all the while. He can still bite sometimes when he feels threatened. His human companions just need to respect him and watch his body language. According to the family returning him now, he still is distrustful of men, sometimes only slightly suspicious but sometimes much more than that. Reportedly, he played dead (on his back, feet in the air) when one prospective adoptive family met him. He was terrified of the husband. Louie needs a loving home; probably with a woman would be best. He would benefit from someone who has previous experience with parrots and definitely needs a human who is patient and doesn't expect him to be a cuddlebug, but who can give him plenty of time out of his cage and time to keep building trust again on his own terms. A former foster parent describes him as being "so-so" with other birds, but added his lukewarm attitude may say more about the particular birds he's encountered so far. The fact that he talks with them suggests he is at least interested in some interaction. In fact, we suspect he may have a diplomatic streak, because like C-3PO, the famous protocol droid from the original 'Star Wars,' he can speak Budgie (UNCLE OWEN: "Do you speak Budgie?" C-3PO: "Of course I can, sir. It's like a second language to me..."). Print this page |
