Sorry for a slightly long post but I'm brave enough to post the tale of Milky Joe. Why brave? Well it involves the most controversial action of all...opening the cage door and letting the bird go. I'd welcome any reponses that slam me, I think I want to be slapped but on a really base level I think I did the right thing.
When I arrived here it was my first chance for a parrot ever, I'd been waiting over a decade. I went to the local pet dive and fell totally for a Grey. He was in a budgie cage, behind a glass screen, cornered in by conures and lovebirds. As you would expect at this point he was being fed green water and sunflower seeds.
He connected with me instantly in that Grey way and gave me the "get me the f out of here" look. I started what was to be a month of negotation with the owner. He wanted 900quid which was just too much, but I was starting to fall to heart over wallet. I was a parrot nooby and was told on a forum it wouldnt be humane for me to buy a grey and then inflict house moves on it over the coming years. I took it at face value and stepped back. The Grey died 6 weeks later in the shop.
A few weeks later I went to buy a pedigree Ringneck. In the shop (slightly more upmarket) there was a female 9ish month Ringy segregated. The shop said "She no come to hands, she fight with other birds". Rescue bird, red rag to a recently bereaved bull, I went for it.
Fast forward a bit. Over 9mths of the most carefully controlled training, Milky was no closer to being a domestic bird.
The critical issues were:
1. Despite 9 mths of 30 mins an evening (and the rest!), MJ wouldn't step up. If you touch she would freak.
2. Because she wouldn't step up or return to her cage by herself, she stayed out of her cage for 9 months.
3. If I needed to cage her, it could only happen at night using "blind and towel" with the lights. Any other circumstances would result in blood.
4. Locked in cage, she would stand catatonic. Absolutely nothing.
Time passed and we had a nice status quo. She lived out and spent months glaring at me. I didn't mind, ringies are beautiful birds and she was spoilt rotten ( full length mirrors, indoor waterfalls). She grew into a beautfiful IRN but, although i tried to convince myself otherwise, she was never any fraction tamer.
Then Oodie came on the scene. I was windowlicking in the skanky pet shop (they had a 'Too) and in a gerbil cage on the floor I saw Oodie. I thought he was a male IRN because of his birth ring and asked to see him. He was calling for food and head bobbing and the shop assistant started slapping him on the head and laughing. [censored] Oodie was home with me 10 mins later.
For three months Oodie and MJ were fine. He would be locked up during the day and she would taunt him from outside. Not friends, but company. Ideal really for the human. She had a major moult, I think she hit maturity and everything changed. She started by being territorial, within days she was preventing him eating and drinking (even with bars between them). then it got to the point she would attack him on my shoulder...totally unprescedented.
I had to do a night raid and lock her up with no immediate idea of when or how the two birds could share freedom (remember she is uncageable).
There was always a strong underlying suggestiion that Milky was a trapped bird. I wish there was something I could 'prove it with' but after month and months it was clear she was very intelligent and very, very unhappy with being a domestic bird.
After 9 mths I put her out for the morning to try and get some life into her. Within minutes:
Striped male was the daddy, the total flock is 12ish. It looked like the flock could do with fresh genes based on the one on the middle left who looked like he should be playing a banjo.
I watched this for about 3hrs, including the interaction, and based on everything, opened the cage. There was never a moment of regret or indecision. It was so clear that she was one of them, and not one of us. I couldn't let her fester in a cage, I had seen what that does.
The climate here is roughly the same as her natural habitat, I live in an 'oasis', with plentiful food and water, and that flock is a regular feature.
fast forward one week and:
Milky Joe and her boyfriend popped back for breakfast.
Interestingly I know she watches me (she lives in a tree about 100yards away). She has a very distinctive oik oik noise when rattled and, funny enough, every time I walk onto the veranda...oik oik oik.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't regret it. Parrots are like James Bond, the first one is the one no others live up to, but I've seen her flyby the house in a formation o f 4 (her tail fan is broken on the left) and it's fantastic.
Like I said sorry for a long post. I guess I needed to clear this one because of the context it gives to anything else I say or ask. If you think I've made a terrible mistake please say, I need to work this one through my mind.