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Sunny is a Blue Fronted
Amazon who came to Foster Parrots in August of 2000.
Estimated to be between 20 and 25 years old, he had
already been through a number of homes. While Blue
Fronteds are infamous for their decidedly aggressive
dispositions, Sunny seemed determined to live up to the
legend of his species. Though he exercised moments of
tolerance, this was generally not a pleasant bird! Yet
somehow Foster Parrots volunteer and glass artist, Caryn
Samuell, saw a glimmer of hope in Sunny and filled out
adoption papers on him in October of 2001.
Sadly this adoption failed
within a year due to Sunny's surly and unpredictable
behavior patterns. He was adopted one more time by
another woman who hoped to rehabilitate him, but Sunny's
moody disposition thwarted his chances of finding a
forever home. He was finally returned to Foster Parrots
in February of 2003.
All of this re-homing
seemed to take its toll on Sunny. He was given a home in
a large floor-to-ceiling enclosure in the top of the
barn. His roommates were two other equally unsocialized,
but non-aggressive, Amazons. The door to their enclosure
was never closed. The trio was free to come and go as
they pleased. But Sunny never left the cage. While his
cage mates cruised in and out of their home at will,
Sunny hung by himself near the top of the enclosure
day-after-day. He would only come down to eat.
We recognized Sunny's
depression and tried to draw him out. We would climb a
ladder each day and slip him coveted treats like walnut
pieces and apple slices. We would talk with him and coax
him into whistling his favorite song with us. We would
scratch his head when he offered it sometimes. We did
our best, but Sunny clung to his unhappiness.
And then came Kim.
Kim Woolwine had begun to
volunteer at Foster Parrots shortly after losing her own
Blue Fronted Amazon to sudden illness. This had been a
completely wild Amazon when Kim acquired him many years
ago, but she had worked with him patiently and over time
her bird was transformed from a nasty biter to a big
mushy cuddler. The loss of this bird had effected Kim
deeply, and she missed him terribly. When she met Sunny
and heard his story she knew he needed her. She adopted
him in March of 2004.
It's unusual for someone
to take on a problem child like Sunny. Most people want
a pet. Kim took on a challenge. What she
discovered in Sunny was a highly social, affectionate
bird with tremendous character, but a bird prone to
typical Amazon grumpiness and seasonal periods of
aggressive behavior. With a full understanding of the
ebb and flow of Sunny's temperament, Kim accommodates
his behavior patterns and simply accepts him for the
bird he is. Sunny finally has found his home.
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