The Parrot Man – Part IX
Monday, August 17th, 2009Baby Boomer Bird Bust Looming?
Christopher is anticipating a tidal wave coming in the next 10 or 15 years. It is thought that many baby boomers, a huge demographic, will feel that they are incapable of taking care of their parrots. So perhaps thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of parrots will need new homes. Those in the parrot rescue world are not looking forward to this, but they do want to be ready for it.
“Because we don’t have much funding and a limit on space right now, we can only take in the worst of the worst cases.” It is his hope that in the future, the aviary will have a bigger facility and more funding and be able to take in even the birds that just cause their owners “inconvenience.” He said the aviary gets a couple of calls a week saying that it is difficult for the owner to take care of their bird, they work a lot, whatever. It seems bad, but it is still a convenience problem. “We currently just take in birds that are in an emergency situation.”
Visitors At the Flight Cage: Yes!
Christopher does not want his flock to stress out about, “Being a prey animal in a small cage, unable to fight or to flee, and having unfamiliar people walking around your cage staring at you.” He prefers not to have too many folks visit the inside of the aviary; the birds would feel trapped.
However, he welcomes visits to the outside flight cage. The flight cage is big enough so that the birds could move to the other side if they felt nervous. On most nice weather days, with the temperature above 60 degrees, Christopher brings the parrots out around noon and takes them in around 4 pm. The birds are very social when they are comfortable. Please come and say hello. Some of the birds, and perhaps even Christopher, will answer you!
Christopher says, “Many people haven’t done research before they bought their parrot. They find themselves at the end of their rope with an animal they can barely take care of. In that case, I try to give advice that might make that situation easier. But my preference would be to talk with them before they bought a parrot, and hopefully dissuade them from doing so.”
Even hand-hatched parrots have the instincts of a wild animal. What is Christopher’s advice for someone who wants a parrot? “Look for another animal. Probably 90% of people who get a parrot will want to get rid of it within three years. That is why parrots get juggled around from house to house so much. And every time that happens, it takes a huge emotional toll on the bird. What you end up with are birds that are considered unhandleable. That is where this aviary finds its niche; birds that cannot be handled by anybody else find a home here.”
Christopher also used to touch people for a living, not parrots. “I was licensed as a massage therapist, and that entails a lot of knowledge about the bodies’ biomechanics and biochemistry. If a person works hard they produce a lot of toxins, and if you just go home at night, you’re going to keep them. People wonder why when they go to bed and wake up the next morning and don’t really feel relaxed. So you need to use your body in order to help your body. Cycling is one way that I use to get rid of the stress of this job.”
Christopher uses a misting system to give the flock a much-loved “bath.” This is a great tool to shower the flock with. Christopher says the rainforest parrots, the colorful birds, especially require showers. The Cockatoos, from the Australian continent, a dryer place, are usually not quite as exuberant during showers, but they still enjoy it.
“I wear ear plugs when I am inside doing this job, and I will listen to music,” says Christopher. He also will sometimes play classical music for the parrots. Christopher finds the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven a bit “bombastic.” He thinks the birds prefer Mozart and Handel, and maybe Vivaldi. Somewhat more soothing and calming music. Christopher says Beethoven’s music sometimes will get real quiet and kind of lull you, and then, BAM, he hits you. That’s when the birds start calling out. Christopher wants something more on an even keel.
Another item that the parrots love is hot peppers; the hotter the better! The capsicum oil that makes hot peppers hot, does not bother the birds’ dry mouth in the least. They eat them up like they were strawberries. Cantaloupe is another big favorite. A common theme is seeds. Parrots in the wild are drawn to fruit for the seeds. Seeds are a cache of nutrition for them.
Eventually, there was simply too much work for two people. So members of the Temple were asked to come and do some things, such as helping to clean the aviary. The volunteer staff grew, no one was yet drawing any salary. While Christopher was not officially the “head caretaker,” it was obvious that he had the greatest affinity for the birds. He was able to catch them, and handle and restrain them to do such tasks as clipping their wings and nails. Some of the volunteers would not be willing to get close to some of the birds, especially the larger ones. Those beaks could take your finger clean off!
A few years later, Jetsunma got another bird, a Green-wing Macaw named Hakan, who Christopher described as a “majestic” bird. He and Hakan got along well. Meanwhile, Jetsunma was doing research on how to care for her birds, and had found out about the parrot trade problem. People get parrots as pets, and then later realize how difficult they are to take care of; how high maintenance and problematic they can be.
Jetsunma was soon learning of many parrots that needed new homes. She cannot say no to a being in need, and began taking parrots into her home. In no time, the bird family grew quickly. The family, both the two-legged and winged members, moved to a different house in sunny Sedona, Arizona. A two-car garage was renovated and became an aviary, a home for the now dozen or so birds in the flock. With more space to house birds, Jetsunma continued looking for abused and neglected parrots to take in.