Meet Frodo

Frodo was new at the World Parrot Refuge about the same week I started working as a volunteer. Apparently the first day or two after his arrival he hid inside his travel cage and wouldn't come out at all. A couple of days later I was browsing the new arrivals area when he saw me and immediately 'told' me I was accepted as part of his flock. He moved toward me and put his head down - indicating he wanted to be groomed on the back of his neck. After just a few moments of this his foot came up indicating he wanted 'aboard' and I offered him my arm.

I stayed with him just grooming and petting and talking to him for about an hour. When the time came to set him back on his perch I told him and he responded by gripping my hand more tightly and putting his head down so I couldn't put anything in front of his feet to make him 'step down.' I realized just how lonely the little guy was so I went and sat down with him for another hour.

During this time, Esther joined us. In a while Frodo gained enough confidence to move down from my arm to my knee, then the arm of the chair. He still demanded more grooming attention, and later when he sat on the back of the chair he returned the favor and 'groomed' my hair. His technique is very rough which probably explains the terrible condition of his own back, belly and tail feathers. They've been shredded by over-grooming and chewing - sure signs of stress.

Most likely Frodo began life as a hand-fed, weaned-too-early, bird at some local breeder around Calgary. From there he most likely went to a pet store, then to a new home where he was 'king of the roost' -- for a while.

But the emotional insecurities inflicted on baby birds stays with them forever (as with humans). And when the day came that his "owner" found him to be too demanding, too loud, too much of a commitment (Life Happens - people move on... etc.), Frodo most likely became 'last years toy' and was forgotten on the shelf or abandoned in a cage. And that's probably when the feather-picking and over-grooming began. I don't know how many times Frodo was passed on to yet another "good home" before he ended up at the refuge.

(This may not be Frodo's exact story, but it's a good approximation of the life of most "companion" birds.)

On Frodo's third or forth day at the refuge, another bird flew onto his cage and got into a fight with him. Not all birds turn into 'sweeties' after they've been captured and abused (again, much like humans). So for a couple of days, for his safety, Frodo was kept inside his cage. Whatever had sparked the problems with "Mad Max" the wild little Goffin Cockatoo that roams the special needs area, it seems to have passed.

Frodo has slowly become more and more comfortable with his new home since then. In fact, or perhaps due to Max's hostility, Frodo moved himself over to the hospital area where life is a little more calm and there are fewer visitors (both human and avian). Greys can be more solitary than other kinds of parrots, and after living as a single bird in a quiet room somewhere, maybe this feels more like home to Frodo - at least for now.

On the weekend a fifteen-year-old young man also visits Frodo and apparently they also get along famously. Slowly Frodo is letting his belly feathers re-grow and he seems more and more content to make his way at the new home.

I still spend lots of time with him, both one-on-one or while also cuddling others. I'll keep you posted regarding his progress.