Species

This is what we know:

Pooger is an African Grey with a whole lot of life behind him and, apparently, opinions about how things should be done.

We were originally told he was 47, but his leg band is actually a wild-caught import band, so the truth is we really don’t know exactly how old he is. What we do know is that he has been around a very long time.

Pooger spent most of his life with one man, and when his owner passed away a couple of years ago, a neighbor took him in and did her best to give him a better setup, better food, toys, and more enrichment even though she readily admits she was never really a bird person.

He is extremely talkative and has a pretty good vocabulary. “Give me a kiss,” “hello,” “hey girl,” “you’re a bad boy,” “get back,” “stop it,” “want a peanut?” and, naturally, “oh shit” are all currently in rotation.

Handling is not really Pooger’s favorite hobby. He has historically preferred the security of his cage, and if you open the door, sometimes he will literally grab it and close it again. Message received. 😂

He can bite, and he is not a bird we are going to pretend is going to walk into a new home and immediately become somebody’s snuggle buddy. He needs somebody who understands Greys, respects boundaries, and is willing to build a relationship at his pace instead of insisting he interact on ours.

There is a softer side in there, though. He has enjoyed having his head scratched and will make little cooing noises when he is relaxed and comfortable. He also likes destroying toys, nuts, television, and apparently having a running commentary on life.

Pooger has had a very long history with humans, and a lot of that history happened before he had any say in the matter. We’re going to give him some time here, get to know who he is now, and let him tell us what kind of home he actually wants next.

Age: 40+

Sex: Male

Prefers: Males/Females: Doesn’t seem to have a preference

Other Bird Aggressive? We haven’t allowed this bird to interact with other for their safety.

Cage Aggressive? He doesn’t love your hands in his cage, but he’s not attacking when feeding. Happily plays the “gimme a kiss” game and takes treats from us.

Adoption Fee: $1000

Cage Available: Affordable used cages available to purchase starting at $100-to 250 up to 1000.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: He’s an old geezer. If you’re an old geezer - you might enjoy twilighting together!

***Information that is universal to every bird:

1) Birds are typically not family animals. They usually choose a favorite and at best you can expect them to tolerate everyone else.

2) Birds are not great with kids, dogs, other birds, and are not cuddly with everyone, nor can they really be trained to be. Birds are flock animals, who are social creatures that need to be in a communal area where they can see the rest of the family, or you may eperience serious vocalization and behavior problems. We’ve never met a bird who is great with kids, but we have met kids who are respectful of birds.

3) Birds bite. But, you shouldn’t “take the bite”. If you’re getting bit, you haven’t earned the trust of the bird, and are pushing the bird past his/her limits. You must figure out what the bird needs, and make what you’re asking of the bird more attractive than what they are already doing.

4) Birds are not “dominance” based creatures. Your only option for birds is to earn their trust. If they are, say…on top of a cage and don’t want to come down, that is where they feel safest, not a dominance thing. They are not trying to exert dominance, they just don’t want to come down. Your job as a parrot owner is to figure out what you can do to help them trust you, and whatever you are asking to be more attractive than what they are already doing.

5) NEVER send money over the internet for adoption with any individual or organization for the adoption of an animal you have not met in person. That is almost always a scam.