Once upon a time there was a bird.....

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January 1st, 2008
Hey folks! This is the story of a bird. A bird that came to me abused.
And...this is the story of me! Me, knowing very little about actually training a bird.
I have owned birds, and other pets, but never realy worked with training them. As a matter of fact, my first go with a bird was not successful at all. (see 1970, my first bird). I have read, reread, experimented, documented and lamented to get to where I am with her today.
Cleo, formerly known as Baby, came to me from Indiana. She was rescued by a lady there named Glenda. You can read the bird's history in Cleo's song.
I had met Glenda on a forum and she asked me to take Cleo because she had other birds and couldn't give Cleo the attention that she deserved or wanted. On July 4th, my son and I met Glenda 1/2 the travel distance at a Cracker Barrel and I took Cleo home. It was nice to meet Glenda in person as well. She is such a giving person. You know when you setup a meeting of someone you met online, there are those "you'll end up on CNN" thoughts. haha.

Cleo and I have so many things to accomplish still. But, above all, I've accomplished trust; trust from a bird that was dropped for punishment from biting...trust from a bird that was featherless on her wings and tail from attempts at forced breeding..trust from a bird that was found in a hamster cage at the back of a store, all alone in a now closed pet store.
She's become a companion to me. My family says she's pretty quiet until she hears my diesel truck pull into the garage, then she starts screaming.
I have found a lot of fun in bringing her with me to the office and let her play in the basket of seashells on my desk. I let her make messes that I'd take the kid's allowance away if they did. We have fun in having her at the kitchen table when we eat. Fun when you give her new food and she cocks her head to the side and says HIIII! Not fun when she's in a bad mood and wants human flesh for supper.
My hopes are that she'll start talking more. And that she'll become less cage territorial. I look forward to being able to take her places with us.
I'm going to continue to do my level best to keep on this path with her. Maybe it comes from my history of not wanting to waste anything and wanting to maximize effort. But, what a great blessing this bird has brought to my life. A blessing thru challenges met. A study into normal animal psychology and abnormal human pshychlogy that would torture an animal.
Sure, she's messy, yes, she poops big dragon piles. And she still bites occasionally.
And yes, she is still sort of nervous and skiddish. But you know what?
She's MY nervous, dragonpile pooping, biting, Amazon!
Thanks Glenda and to all my parrot friends on ParrotChatter and BirdBoard. There is nothing like encouraging words when you are discouraged and not sure you have made the right decision in taking in a rehomed/abused animal. And a BIG thanks to my wife and kids!!! They are very supportive and understanding.

Mark