Beating the Odds
The odds were heavily stacked against "Sunny and Ruby" ever becoming a
"bonded pair" of Solomon Island Eclectus. They came from completely
different backgrounds. From a fledgling, Ruby had the Rolls Royce of parrot
lives, with humans who adored her and catered to her every whim. Once she
joined our family, she quickly became an important part of our lives. Young
Ruby was included in almost everything our family did. She went everywhere
in the car with us; went on family vacations; and even had her own spot at
our dinner table. To say the least, Ruby probably thought of herself as a
human instead of the beautiful cobalt blue and crimson-red Eclectus parrot
that she is. Ruby's future looked promising indeed, and she knew it.
Just the opposite seemed true for Sunny. Unfortunately, it seemed as
though the tires on the vehicle for his life journey had been punctured and
were going flat. During his rebellious stage (around two years of age), he
began to bite the hand that fed him. It did not take long for his owner to
become fearful of him. As a result, the loving touch of human hands became a
thing of Sunny's past. The scarred hands that formerly fed him nutritious
meals, now delivered parakeet seed. When his owner realized that she was no
longer providing for Sunny's needs, she cared enough about his welfare to
search for him a better home. Thus our journey began.
On February 5, 1999, my husband and I began a nine-hour road trip to pick
up Sunny and bring him back to his new home. I must admit he looked just
awful and I worried that he might be ill. I even wondered whether or not he
had the strength for the long trip home. Twenty-four hours later, he was
being seen by our Avian veterinarian, who tested him for all the dreaded
diseases that we feared. Sunny was obviously suffering from malnutrition, so
much so that he had not molted in over a year.
He no longer looked green;
instead the "stems" that were once beautiful forest-green feathers had
turned a sickening blackish shade. We immediately put Sunny on a nutritious
diet and began working toward winning his trust. Finally, all his medical
test came back and we were relieved to learn that he was fine! Then came his
last day in quarantine. On that eventful day, Ruby was in our family room
when my husband brought Sunny out for his first visit. With Sunny sitting on
his arm, he walked past Ruby and into the kitchen.
When Ruby saw Sunny, she
flew down off her cage and ran faster than I ever imagined she could.
Straight to my husbands leg she went, and literally climbed up his jeans to
get a closer look at Sunny. For the two of them, it really was true love
at first sight!
We moved their cages next each other and joined the two homes with a ladder. It did not take long for us to realize that there was no need for two cages. All they needed was a honeymoon cottage to call their own! These two "love birds" were bonding quickly. Over the next three months, we watched their relationship blossom.
Although it seems Sunny has not forgotten the adversity of his past, he is working hard at overcoming it. By the use of "Intensive Love Therapy", we are steadily gaining his trust and he is once again realizing how wonderful the human touch can be. I am happy to say that the ugly duckling is molting into a beautiful Eclectus swan.
Although Sunny has displaced me as number one in Ruby's life and heart, she
is still a wonderful pet. She comes to "her mommy" for a reassuring snuggle
just before laying her eggs and will allow my hands to enter her nest box.
If you believe what you read about how the fiery Eclectus matriarch is
supposed to act toward intruders in her nest, this is unbelievable; but then
again, the whole story of Ruby and Sunny and how they beat the odds to
become a pair is pretty incredible-and pretty wonderful!
