Parrot Spent 12 Years in a Garage. Now He Lives Life to the Fullest

When I first met Petey, he didn't trust a single human. He was imprisoned for 12 years. He was just left alone. I was a real estate agent and the tenant is who had Petey. The lady told us that it was her son's bird and she hated the bird but she got stuck taking care of it. Petey was in a tiny little cage just locked away in the garage and never had food or water. He just looked real skinny. He was like a dull green. His feathers were all mangled. He just looked horrible. I think he was literally surviving off of eating cockroaches. So I actually worked for a couple months trying to convince the guy to give Petey up. But I think he was trying to see if he could sell Petey first and get some money. Hey Pete, are you going to eat some of your blueberries today? He didn't really have any empathy for Petey. And he wasn't able to sell Petey because Petey wasn't friendly. He wasn't used to being handled. And then on the day that they were moving, he actually called and just pretty much said like come get this bird, I don't want it anymore. And that's how I was able to get Petey. So the first days with Petey were really stressful and overwhelming. The metal cage we brought him home in was infested with cockroaches. It was like an absolute nightmare. And I wasn't able to actually handle Petey. So there was definitely a lot of trial and error and a lot of blood and bites. But despite everything, I felt like our connection just happened immediately. Because he was just so relieved that he got out of that horrible situation. And he knows that it was me that took him out. But in the first probably like three months, I just wasn't sure I'd ever earn his trust. My wrists were all bit up and I was exhausted. I didn't know if he's ever going to end up letting me touch him, hold him, if he's going to be happy here. But I kept showing up every single day. Whoa, jeez, that is so aggressive. And little by little, something started to shift. I think a major bonding point, that was when I played music for him. He was like, okay, I don't think this person is out to hurt me. I don't think that Petey had ever heard music. He was just so excited. He still didn't fully trust me, but it was the first time that we bonded. So I started playing music for Petey every day. And he has favorite songs that he likes. And we have Petey playlist of his favorite music. He does little dancing and like clicking noises. He puts his feathers out when the song comes on. And he says, oh yeah, oh yeah. He really likes music. He's not a big talker because he was neglected. So he didn't learn to use that skill. So I think music is a way for him to like feel connected to me. And then he started to show his real nature. He is learning that he not have to be constantly like on the defense. That is just rude. Oh my goodness. Petey is very, very curious, but because of his past life, he's very guarded. He's not really a super cuddly guy. But when I am upset, I feel like he knows and he'll always come over and stand on my chest or my shoulder. It's really sweet for a bird like Petey who was neglected and doesn't know how to be affectionate. With Petey in my household, it can definitely get chaotic. He definitely has a sassy side to him. He has an attitude. He likes to talk back. Say hello. He wants to destroy my baseboards. And then as soon as I tell him no, he tells me whatever. No. Then he'll purposely, while I'm talking, start talking over me and his little bird chatter. When I leave the room, he yells, what? What? And then the second he can see me, he'll stop. He wants to protect me all the time. Oh my gosh. And because of the owner who had him, he doesn't like men. So he will actually try to attack my grown sons and my husband. How could you not be afraid of that beak? He really thinks he's protecting me that way. Oh, good boy. And he's actually pretty smart. Get set, go! He pulls out his big wing feathers and cleans and scratches inside the ear hole like a human would do with a Q-tip. I actually called the vet the first time that happened because it surprised me so much. I thought maybe something was wrong. But he gives himself all day with his feather. Who's that handsome bird in the mirror? And then he likes looking at himself in the mirror. Eventually, as time went by, I knew he was trusting us and really wanting to be involved in whatever activities we were doing. So I bought a bird backpack and I would set the backpack out so that he knew it was there. You'd catch him walking by and like looking at it, but not wanting anything to do with it. It took probably four months of every single day until I was able to actually get him over to the backpack and touch it. But we're now at the point where when I bring the backpack out, he's like super excited. He'll fly over to the backpack and be like, let's go. And so he goes. We go on walks with him. We also bring him in my daughter's old baby stroller, so he strolls around with us. He goes for hikes and to the beach. I took him to the river also. You're a cute river chicken, Pete. Every single day, Petey seems so happy. He gets to move around a lot. He gets to be free. I just can't even believe that that is the same bird. Petey kind of came along with a really crappy time in my life and pretty much saved me. I know it sounds crazy, but he truly is my best friend. He's a great companion and I just am so thankful for him.