Kiwi

~Written by Dawn, Dawn's Custom Designs~

Each of my parrots have a special and unique story. Some are sad, difficult stories, but all have a very happy ending. Here is one that was a roller-coaster of emotions.

I had been involved with rescuing and rehoming birds through the years. It was a very gratifying experience to see a bird that had come from a bad situation, that had lost it’s excitement to be alive or had health issues, become a happy, well adjusted bird that flourished more and more with each day.

The hard part was finding a new home for these birds and ensuring their well being. After all, I had put all of this time, money and most of all “myself” into helping them become happy, healthy and loved. I found out quickly that there were a lot of dishonest people who did not have the best interest of the bird as their priority. A lot of people saw this opportunity either as a way to make money (a.k.a “flipping”) or were just adding the bird to their already immense collection of birds. For me, I needed to find a home that would first and foremost love this creature and continue to give it the healthy environment that I had provided thus far.

For all of them, excellent homes were found but it took a lot of learning(the hard way!) and waiting for the right person to come along. One of the most gratifying rehomes I did was a male Eclectus named Kiwi.

He had been living with a woman in another state and she had somehow tracked me down as a fellow Ekkie owner as she was looking for advice on how she could help him stop plucking his feathers. At first I felt very happy that an owner was looking to help their bird and was not just giving up on him when he started having problems or wasn’t looking as “pretty” as when she first got him.

This correspondence quickly turned into her wanting me to take her bird and fix the problem. She just didn’t want to be bothered anymore. Of course when this happened, it was a huge red flag for me. She kept sending me emails and leaving me messages about wanting me to take him. So I began asking more questions as to his condition and environment. Through our conversations I learned that she had kept him in her garage with no windows since she had gotten him. I also learned that she was feeding him an all seed diet. It seemed that this situation had just gotten even worse when her messages became desperate. She wanted desperately to ship him off to me. I began looking for potential homes for this poor guy. I didn’t know his personality or how bad he really was. I asked her to please wait until the weather became warmer and he could be shipped safely. She agreed.

As soon as the weather got warm she was sending me messages incessantly. Again, she sounded desperate to “get rid of him." I asked for a bit more time as I hadn’t secured a potential home for him. She sent me a disturbing email the very next day which read: “I am tired of watching him pull his feathers. I am going to get in contact with my vet to see if he will euthanize him."

My heart sank and I knew I had to move quickly as this woman was not stable. I immediately got on the phone to call her. My voice was shaky and I was in tears. I pulled myself together and focused my efforts on getting in contact with her and getting him here quickly. Finally after hours and many calls to the local police dept., animal welfare and any people from TEC who lived close by, she finally called me back.

She agreed to ship him, rather than do anything drastic. I was relieved, but still needed to get him in my hands before I knew he was ok. I set everything up for two days later. That was the first available flight. I was anxious to get him here but also very nervous about what his condition was going to be.

He finally arrived. Cold, scared and very thin. Not to mention very badly plucked. The first thing I did was get him to my vet. Surprisingly everything was fine except that he was very underweight.

He was very scared to be in such an “open” environment as mine, with so much stimulation. He spent the first several hours just screaming incessantly. I knew it was going to be a long road to recovery as well as a huge challenge to find him the perfect home.

I spent the next weeks/months getting him healthy physically and emotionally. Over time he gained weight, learning to eat “real”, healthy foods. His eyes became brighter, his coat became shinier and he was even starting to grow some feathers back! There was a lot of follicle damage so he would never be fully feathered again, but that did not matter to me. What mattered is that he was happy, healthy and loved unconditionally. Finding a new owner to meet that criteria was going to be a challenge.

I had been searching for a potential new home for him but really never found the right fit. Some wanted me to ship him and others just didn’t answer my list of questions to my satisfaction. I would not ship him and I would not settle for any less of a home than what he deserved. He had been through enough.

Finally I got the email I had been praying for. A woman who had dealt with traumatic loss when her beloved Eclectus passed, just a year prior. She felt she was ready to open her heart and home to another Eclectus and wanted to know more about Kiwi. We spoke and I had a gut feeling that she would be his forever home. I felt an immediate connection with her and was excited about the possibility of her being “the one” for Kiwi.

She met Kiwi and there seemed to be a spark between them. I knew as soon as I saw the two of them interact that it was right. I then visited her home and my gut feeling was confirmed when I saw the amazing environment that she provided for her birds. Clean, healthy and full of light and love. Her husband also shared her love for the birds which was wonderful. Kiwi had finally found his forever home!!

I feel like she was his angel but also that he was an angel sent to her. I could not have been happier in being a part of this miracle, which is what it had felt like. It truly seemed that they had been destined for one another.

Kiwi continues to thrive and has a personality that just makes you smile from ear to ear. I now have the privilege of being a friend to his owner as well as caring for him whenever she needs me to. It could not have worked out better for everyone!

Kiwi when he first arrived in April 2008.

Only 7 months later, in October 2008.

Kiwi's wing feathers are almost fully grown in!

Kito the African Grey

~Written by Dawn from Dawn's Custom Designs~

This is the story of my bird, Kito. He is a very special bird, not just because he's cute, quirky, handsome or talks well. He is so special to me because he had the will to survive and gives me more unconditional love than he or anyone will ever know.

Kito came to me in a very unplanned, sudden circumstance. He was the "product" of a greedy, uncaring breeder who was in it for one reason and one reason only. Money. When Kito was born, he was born with a severe spinal deformity. It was not known to what extent his disability would affect his quality of life but that was not even the issue for the breeder. The question for her was, "can I sell this bird"?? After a few weeks of Kito not eating well and thriving, she brought him to her avian vet and he determined the severity of the deformity and the inability for Kito to even eat without support or help. He needed to be fed with a tiny dropper because he was so weak he couldn’t hold his head up enough and there was a huge risk of him aspirating and choking. His curvature was so severe that it was affecting his digestion and breathing and we learned later that there was also nerve damage. When the breeder was told of his severe condition she told the vet she had too many baby birds to feed and care for and could not afford medical bills nor had the time to care for a "special needs" bird and that he should just euthanize him. She signed a form relinquishing him to the vet and over the next several hours, emails and phone calls began to circulate. I was contacted by someone who had gotten word of this poor bird and within the next hour I was in contact with the point person.

I was on the road several hours later, in my car for 8 hours, on my way to Iowa to pick up this poor, sick, weak little bird who needed a whole lot of care and love and had a long road to recovery. I had no idea how my life would change. When I got there, he had been receiving sub-Q fluids and was being tube fed. He had some strength but was still extremely weak. I brought him to my vet the next morning and ran every test possible. Everything was out of wack. He had fungal & bacterial infections, was still dehydrated and severely underweight. He was only a few weeks old at this point. With medication, around the clock feedings and lots of care and constant attention, Kito began to thrive and bounce back more than we could have hoped for. Where we once thought there was no hope for this poor, weak bird to survive, and someone had wanted to just toss him aside because he was “broken”, we now saw a beautiful, bright eyed bird coming to life and showing us the fight he had in him. No handicap was going to stop him. No deformity was going to deter him from surviving. No selfish, money hungry person was going to get in between his true fate in life. He was destined to be a happy, healthy bird that would give a family more love, laughs and unconditional love they could ever imagine.

In summary, he had a severe spinal deformity, a curvature of the top portion of his cervical spine. We were told he would never fly and would have trouble perching, and would need special exercise and perches for balance. We were told he would need a special diet and extra calcium & vitamins. We were told he might need to be on pain medication the rest of his life and may have tremors due to nerve damage. Several years after we brought him home, by some miracle, he decided he would prove everyone wrong and took flight. It was the first and last time he would ever fly but every bird should be allowed to fly free at least once! I cried like a baby as if one of my children had just taken their first steps.

Kito takes no special medication, vitamins or supplements. He doesn't need a special diet or special perches, gets daily exercise and is perfectly feathered and healthy. He is one of the 5 feathered loves that I feel so very blessed to share my life with...but he is my very special boy that was appropriately named Kito, which means "precious" in Swahili and it suits him perfectly.

Thanks for allowing me to share my story about my precious boy.

Kito as a baby in October 2006 and now in August 2010

Tilly's Story

~Written by Anna~

We have several wonderful re-home stories in our family. I will tell you the one that is most memorable for me. An older gentleman was being moved into a nursing home. He had fallen and broken his hip. His family would not take Tilly, his peach faced love bird, so he placed an ad in the paper looking for a new home for her. When my Aunt and Uncle went to go and look at Tilly she was sitting on the gentleman's lap playing with him. He was tossing a little bead and she would fetch it back to him. He cried over Tilly and my Uncle and Aunt promised to provide a good home for Tilly. You could tell he really loved her.

When she first came home, Tilly flew around cheeping, as though she were looking for her former owner. Once the old man got settled, he would call sometimes and they would put him on speaker phone. Tilly would fly over and cheep at him and he spoke to her. After he started calling, she perked up.

It was an adjustment to come to a new home for Tilly because she had to be caged part of the time living with my Aunt and Uncle. They had to teach her to play with toys and entertain herself for a few hours each day.

During the four years which my aunt and uncle had Tilly, she was a very confident and sociable bird. She loved everyone and would fly to greet them. They installed a door between the entrance hall and the rest of the house so Tilly could be free flighted. This way even if she did get into the entrance hall, the outside door would always already be shut. She would often play fetch with anyone who would toss her a little colored bead.

There was , however, one thing that Tilly did not like: red hats! She would chew out any visitor who came over wearing a red hat. My family were 49er fans, so around football season everyone joked about checking their hats at the door so as not to upset Tilly. In some ways she was like living with another person, just one who spoke a different language than we did.

My Aunt got the address of the nursing home where the elderly gentleman went, and once a week she would go in with pictures of Tilly and tell him about her. Tilly's owner passed away about a year after they got Tilly. He said that knowing Tilly had such a good home made it easier for him to go. Tilly died about 5 years ago after developing a cancerous tumor.

Tilly was a friendly and loving lovebird because she had been taken care of by a great owner in her first home. My Aunt and Uncle not only got a fabulous pet, but they made a new friend as well. So many people want big birds because they can talk. Tilly was able to get across exactly what she wanted to say without ever speaking a word.

Odds and Ends

Pika and Pixel, along with Jezebel the tiel, were finally able to make their way home. They are now settling in, and seem very happy. I know they will be taken great care of there! I am still helping a woman in Kentucky with a tiel she took in when no one wanted him, Jeffrey. He would really like a permanent home, hint hint! He was very frightened when she got him, but he is really coming around, and becoming quite the quirky, always adorable little tiel!

I would also like to bring up Happy Endings again, in case anyone new reading this has one to share. If you have had a positive experience with your rehomed or rescued parrot, and have had them for more than 6 months, I would love to hear your story! It doesn't have to be long, or even a story! Photo essays, poems, however you want to tell it. Just leave a comment or email me through my profile.

Recently the program Trees for a Change was brought to my attention. As we all know deforestation for whatever reason is a real problem, but it costs quite a bit of money to re-plant an area! Trees for a Change allows you to "purchase" trees to be planted in one of our National Forests as a gift or memorial for many different occasions. One of the tree memorials they offer is a pet memorial. Planting a tree in honor of an animal is so very fitting, especially for birds. You get a card or certificate on recycled paper, and can add your pet's photo to their website. Plus, you actually get to see where your tree was planted, which I think is wonderful; it really makes it seem so much more personal. I am definitely going to look into doing this for Cone, my first tiel that died of a complete prolapse after attempting to lay an egg.

Paco's Story

~Written by Jude Vickers~

When my husband told me his cousin had given us a bird I was somewhat less than thrilled, having had a mean parakeet when I was in grade school. I told him I didn’t want a bird, we didn’t need one, and we were not taking it. I reminded him that we lived in the woods, with hundreds of birds in a dozen varieties flocking to the feeders right outside our windows year round. We could enjoy them from a distance and I saw no good reason to bring one into our home. I even argued that having an animal pooping inside would set a bad example for our dogs! Then Les explained the reason Wendy had given us Paco, who I would later learn was a Solomon Island boy, was because the bank had foreclosed on their home. The place they were moving was smaller, and while they could make room for her cockatiel’s cage, there was no place for Paco's bigger one.

Les then went on to explain that Paco didn’t warm up to just anybody but when he stopped by Wendy’s on his trucking route, Paco always came right to him. Les had also seen other truckers with parrots and thought that since his Great Dane had gotten too old to get in and out of the big truck that Paco would make a good traveling companion. He assured me that Paco would only be home with me for a little while, while my husband figured out the logistics of having a bird in the truck.

Reluctantly, I began to accept the fact that we now had a bird. I asked Les when Wendy would be bringing it to us and was told we would have to go get him; that started my complaining all over again! Finally the big day came; Saturday, June 28, 2008. It was a 140 mile ride to Wendy's during which I was still trying to see the upside of having a bird. When we got there her place was chaotic, but we all took a moment to gather in the kitchen. As Wendy began to tell me about Paco, the most gorgeous bird flew past me and landed on my husband's shoulder. Green has always been my favorite color and I had never seen a living creature so vibrantly green!

“Oh!” I exclaimed as I put two and two together “That’s the bird we’re getting?”

Tears filled Wendy’s eyes as she nodded, and my attitude toward having a bird turned completely around. We watched my niece share her scrambled egg and toast with him as Wendy’s family told us all they could about Paco. They had rescued him some years earlier from a woman who’d long been tired of him, and Paco apparently hated Wendy. While he seemed to have no problem with the rest of the family, Paco would dive-bomb Wendy when ever he got the chance. It was Paco's obvious affection for Les, and my well reputed way with animals, that made them pick us for his new family.

Before long it was time for the guys to load Paco's cage up on the back of my husbands’ pick-up truck. Inside, Wendy gave me a Ziploc baggie full of seeds and brightly colored fruit shapes that she said contained all the vitamins and supplements Paco needed to stay healthy. Soon everything was all loaded up but before we left there was one more thing Wendy wanted to do; clip his flight feathers. Paco had been fully flighted at her house but Wendy was concerned he might try to escape from our unfamiliar place and trimmed back the first four feathers on each wing. I figured she knew what she was doing, but oh it made Paco mad!

All we had for transportation was the Chihuahua sized kennel that didn’t quite fit behind the front seats of that Ford Ranger. We did a little improvising to make it work before Wendy toweled Paco and brought him out. Then we all hugged good-bye and my dear cousin cried her eyes out as she watched us go. Paco was very mad but soon settled down and started looking out the back window; wherever he was going he knew the cage he’d always had would be there too. About halfway home, I was surprised that Paco turned and began looking where we were going instead of where we had been. Les and I decided that was a good sign.

At the house, we brought the cage in then toweled Paco to bring him in. He went willingly into his cage, undisturbed by our dogs; a Great Dane named Mack and a Pit Bull–Rottweiler mix named Josie. Mack seemed more interested in the cage; it was even bigger than him! Josie was fascinated with the bird, sure we had brought it home for the sole purpose of entertaining her. Josie loved watching the birds on the feeders, as well as all the forest life around us, and could hardly believe her eyes that she had what we began to call her own personal live bird tv.

Then my husband had to go back to work, leaving me home with Paco who was one mad little bird. Paco didn’t know me, he missed his family, and he was very upset about his wings. As I tried to find a way to relate to this new creature in my care, it soon became clear that Paco and I had something in common; we'd both had our primary mode of transportation taken from us. Where Paco had had his wings clipped, I had lost most of my left leg in a motorcycle accident some years earlier. From my wheelchair, I pointed that similarity out and began promising Paco that when his feathers grew back I would personally make sure they were never trimmed again. I commiserated every point I could about the similarities in our situations, and Paco soon began listening. I could almost see him making connections in his little birdie head as I talked.

Things began to improve as Paco realized I was not his enemy. As he warmed up to me Les began to realize that he’d lost his potential trucking buddy, but Les was not terribly surprised by that turn of events. He was pleased that Paco and I had become such buddies. And Paco delighted me daily; before my accident I had been an attendant in Michigan's state run psychiatric hospital system. I had spent years observing behaviors and found Paco’s antics to be so much more entertaining! Knowing nothing about birds but a whole lot about behavior training, I began searching the internet for information on Eclectus Parrots. There was a lot of information out there, a lot of conflicting and ambiguous information. In all the listings of birds and their sizes, I could not find an Eclectus listed anywhere!!!

Then I found a site called Land of Vos. While I didn’t know what ‘Vos’ meant, I recognized the green guys pictured there. I was amazed at the color differences between the genders, and awed at the beauty of a pair. Then I noticed a link to something called The Eclectus Connection. While I’ve never been much into forums and confused by how some of them post information, I sent an application anyway. Carolyn soon welcomed me to TEC and it didn’t take long to realize I’d hit the jackpot of ekkie information! With a few changes in my approach, and in Paco’s diet, we all became a whole lot happier.

I’m not exactly sure how long I had Paco before I began thinking about finding a companion for him. Birds are, after all, social animals. And TEC often cross posted birds in need of new homes, but they all seemed to be half the country away. Then a poor, plucked and neglected Michigan hen showed up… but that’s a story for another day.

Happy Endings

So often I hear people say that they do not feel they have enough experience to adopt a parrot. This, to me, is one of the saddest myths perpetuated. Perhaps because of the term "rescue", perhaps because of poor taming, training and home transition advice, perhaps simply because baby parrots are so cute, but for whatever the reason, rehomed parrots are seen as being far more time consuming than getting a baby parrot.

When considering buying a baby parrot, it is important to remember many things. One, baby parrots are almost always going to "choose" everyone that picks them up. They are cute, adorable, and fluffy little guys that can gain control of your very senses with just one soulful gaze. However, even with the very best care taken to raise them as well socialized, "perfect" parrots, you will hit problems. If you are prepared for these problems, and are committed to continually changing and adapting to keep potential problems at bay, aware that hormones will come and that your relationship will not stay the same forever, you may not really notice any major issues. Unfortunately, you also have to deal with your parrot's adult temperament; the sweetest babies can grow up to be extremely difficult adults, regardless of all the perfect care they have received.

When rehoming a parrot, it is important to recognize how much you feel you can reasonably handle. Most parrots needing a home are not rescues, but simply rehomes- parrots that can no longer stay in their current home for whatever reason. Most are very happy, friendly, well socialized and well adjusted companions. Given some time to re-adjust to their new home, they will show themselves to be wonderful parrots, beyond the hormonal teenage stage and well settled into their adult temperament.

Rescues, as the term implies, are a different story from rehomes. There are varying degrees of rescues. Some come from poor conditions, but were never very abused, perhaps neglected, and quickly adjust to their new home if their new family takes care to allow them to adjust and works to gain their trust at the parrot's pace. I believe this is the majority of rescues, and though you do have to be prepared to go slower than you would with a well adjusted rehome or baby parrot, they are still not too hard for anyone with patience, time, and understanding. The most difficult category of rescues are true rescues, those not only from poor conditions, but also sorely abused. These parrots should only be taken on by those either with experience dealing with such parrots, or by those with lots and lots of patience, time, understanding of the parrot and of how to tame them, as well as a positive outlook and the ability to keep all stress from entering their relationship with the parrot.

While it is very important never to embark on a mission to help a parrot if you are not fully prepared for anything they throw at you, I believe this applies just as much, if not more so, to baby parrots, perhaps simply because they seem so innocent. As long as you are careful to truthfully reason how much patience, time, and ability you have, and find a rehome that fits with this, it is one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling undertakings. If you are unsure of how to find this perfect parrot, or even of how much you can handle, I always recommend going through a reputable rescue.

To show that you do not have to be an internationally accredited bird whisperer to help a parrot needing a home, I am starting a compilation of "Happy Endings", stories of parrots, from rehomes to tragic rescues and everything in between, that transitioned happily into their new homes. If you have a story you would like to share, please feel free to email it to me!

Tito, Vosmaeri Eclectus, adopted by Maria

Paco, Solomon Island Eclectus, adopted by Jude

Tilly, Peach-Faced Lovebird

Kito, Congo African Grey, adopted by Dawn

Kiwi, Eclectus, fostered by Dawn

Tito's Story

~This story was written by Maria from The Eclectus Connection~

Tito, a Vosmaeri Eclectus, came to us when he was 6. His daddy, a very busy and successful executive, used to work long hours and Tito was alone at home for 12-14 hours/day. Despite this, I know he was happy, well loved and well cared for. I first met Tito at the office, I was new there; his daddy and I used to work for the same company and he would bring Tito to the office prior to leaving on a business trip to Europe. Tito was then taken to a boarding place for a week or more.

It was love at first sight for me, I’d never seen an Eclectus parrot before…I kept watching this beautiful parrot walking through the office, searching for his dad, couldn’t believe my eyes how quiet and good he was. He angrily refused the treats his dad gave him (to make up a bit for his upcoming absence). I went to him and offered my arm without knowing that it could have been dangerous; Tito just stepped on, taken by surprise!

In the meantime, Tito’s dad had gotten married and his wife was expecting the first baby. One day I heard Tito’s father asking everyone in the office whether they would like to take Tito. He and his wife felt they couldn’t take good care of Tito and the baby at the same time. Tito’s mother was not a parrot lover.

I was shocked and saddened!

When his dad asked me about Tito, I promised to discuss this with my husband; we had long discussions, neither of us was really convinced that we needed a pet at that time. I was extremely depressed after major tragedies in my life (my parents’ death, my beloved dog’s death) and couldn’t even think of another pet. I used to have parakeets years ago and for some reason imagined that it wouldn't be that difficult to take care of Tito. We started reading books about Eclectus parrots and searching the Internet; the more we read, the less ready and more concerned we felt. Such a responsibility!!!

We finally decided to bring Tito into our home…He came with his huge, expensive cage, favorite toys, and 6 years of a happy life with his special, intelligent dad. When I picked him up he was in a small carrier, scared and vulnerable, trying to get his dad’s attention. In the car, while I was holding the carrier, he was very agitated and desperately called his father’s name in a sweet voice. It was the first and the last time he called his dad… I felt so sorry for him, I was almost crying.

After we released him into his cage (it was already at home, with his toys and beautiful bowls), he felt better and tried to take a nap. At bed time we left him in the living room and went upstairs, though we worried about him. When I heard him moving through the cage, wing flapping (exercising before sleep) I was so worried, thinking he was sick. The next day we left him alone in his new home, as we had to work. He must have felt so lonely and lost. Tito was always very good, though, quiet and well mannered. We never heard him screaming. He would make sweet noises, sometimes asking “What” in French.

A week later, while Tito and I were alone at home, I heard someone talking in a very deep voice in the house…I was frozen, my heart almost stopped!!! When I was able to move, I started running through the house checking on every door, window and closet. All the horrible thrillers that I used to see when I was very young came to my mind…I was ready to call my husband or the police when I heard the voice again; I was terrified, and ran to see how Tito was. Tito had been taking a nap, but opened his eyes and watched me for a while. He was so calm that I decided I needed to calm down too. I suddenly had a feeling that Tito might have been the one talking, because he called his father in the car... but that deep voice?! I was so anxious to ask his daddy the next day that I wasn’t even able to concentrate on my work after my horrible sleepless night. He confirmed that Tito had such talking abilities! I wish he gave me more information on Tito before!

Tito was a “closet talker”, and he spoke French... but after 3 weeks he was calling my husband's name, hesitantly at first, then perfectly pronounced within several weeks.

Another surprise was to discover Tito on the top of his cage when we came back from work. We would usually leave the cage door closed during our absence. What had happened, had a stranger broke into our home and released Tito?! I found out later that it was piece of cake for Tito to open the door.

It's now been 7 years since that August day when Tito became a family member.

He's been through a lot since then (we have moved twice, and our new apartment building has undergone repair/demolition works for 4 years – extremely loud noises such as jack hammering, etc.). When I came home once I saw Tito desperately flying and crashing against walls/windows... I understood what he had been through during my absence! I had to take him to a boarding place (very nice, clean, professional people, but still a boarding place, noisy because of the numerous birds) where he spent many months, coming home only on week ends, going back on Mondays... Every separation was heartbreaking, we were already very attached to each other and our little boy couldn't understand why he didn't have a home any longer.

In 2006 I wasn't able to stand that situation (repair works going on forever, Tito deprived of a real home, me stressed on daily basis) and started looking for a new home for Tito.

I discovered Carolyn and asked for help. She was wonderful, gave me advices, supported me... I will never stop being grateful for her kindness and understanding.

Many people were interested in taking Tito; we even met with a few people from the TEC list. I probably exchanged hundreds of emails at that time. Tito was watching me with a sad look, I was sure he understood what I was doing. All the people we have been in contact with were very nice, however I couldn't find that special home I was hoping for... The last tentative attempt to place him was when we took Tito to someone's house, they were extremely nice people, who liked him very much. We were determined to leave Tito with them. Tito, though, was terrified, stressed and started obsessively calling my husbands' name. It was too much for all of us, so we just took him home and he stayed with us.

For the next 2 years we've been “under siege” (I was working from home at that time, while my husband was sick): very loud repair works all day, every day even on week ends, moving Tito's cage all around the apartment, desperately trying to avoid those disturbing noises. On several occasions we rented a small room for myself and Tito in order to escape the nightmare. Not even once was Tito a bad, nervous boy! All the people who met him said how well behaved and mannered he was: always sweet, patient, dancing, enjoying our company, grateful for every moment we spent together. He is so sensitive, he knows when I am depressed or sad...

For the last 2 years we haven't heard him saying long sentences any longer, probably because of the stress he had in his life with us. I don't mind that he never calls my name and that he stops me when I raise my voice or he thinks I am not nice enough to my husband (he adores him from a distance).

He still doesn't like showers (he loves to take a bath in his bowls), he never lets me do his nails or hold him on my lap. Tito gave me kisses very shortly after he came to us; however he would rather talk to us from a distance, watch us, dance. But he has never failed showing us his love!!!

We were dreaming about taking a companion girl for him, he's been too lonely. Unfortunately, not the best moment now... I feel I still have tons of things to do for Tito, but I am not able to achieve all of them: we don't really take him outside very often, he doesn't see many people. Tito doesn't have many toys...He has 2 trees and the living room as his own room. His diet is good, thanks to Carolyn and all the other members, who posted advices. Carolyn has been with me for all these years, she has helped us so much!

Thank you, Carolyn, for understanding my concerns, my fear and our stress!!

I learned so much through Tito, from Tito and for Tito!!! We love him deeply and I hope he knows that...

Thank you, Meg, for giving me the chance to write Tito's story!