Riley's Story

By Bev Ault

About a year after we got our cockatiel, I began thinking about getting another bird. It actually started the day I saw in person (or in parrot maybe), a Hyacinth Macaw. Of course, I wanted one, but all the little kids that invade my house everyday made that pretty impractical, along with a slightly lacking bank account. I then subscribed to Bird Talk through a fundraiser at my daughter's school, and begin reading about a lot of different birds, still thinking I wanted a macaw.

Then, in January, about a year later, I was in an out-of-town bird store, and an Amazon said hi to me in the sweetest voice ever, and I was hooked. My husband later told me that all he could think was "oh, no". The reason we were out-of-town was that we are on a family getaway, as my Army Reservist husband was being activated in a couple weeks. After we left the store, my hubby told me to get the bird, as he thought it would help me and the kids feel better while he was gone. So once we were home, I started researching Amazons.

I then started realizing that in catalogs and magazines, there were pictures of these little green birds that always caught my attention. I decided to check this out more, and discovered it was a Green-Cheek Conure. So my research changed gears...and I realized that this was the bird I truly wanted. This led me to questioning the three pet stores in my town if they ever get these. No, no, and the third said no, only suns. Then the online search to find a breeder - none around here. Called the bird store where I saw the Amazon. They do have a local breeder, but not getting any soon. So I'm at least on a waiting list now.

So, a week later, I am looking at the classified ads in my town's papers, when for some reason I think about checking the online classifieds in the paper of the town where that bird store is. I had some weird logic behind all this. The very first pet ad is a brand-new ad for someone selling a 2 year old Green Cheek Conure! Which is weird, because this is a rare bird in my area. So, I make arrangements to meet this bird the next day, as it is a two-hour drive. And then I start thinking how odd all this is, and maybe there is a reason that this bird is supposed to come into my life.

So the next day, I load my kids and my mom into my van, and off we go (getting completely and totally lost). We finally find the house, and I'm not impressed by the outside, but tell myself not to judge. We get inside, and there is a blue haze of cigarette smoke. I spot a bird cage, and me and my three-year-old son immediately head over to it. We had to sit on the floor to see in it, as it is sitting on a table about a foot off the ground. The cage is actually a large parakeet cage (my mom's new parakeet is quite happy in it). Inside the cage, is a couple toys, a dish of seed, a dish of water, and a scared little bird on a shredding rope perch. About that time was when the most pathetic looking cat I have ever seen walked by. During all this, my mom, daughter, and other son were noticing the overflowing ashtrays and liquor bottles laying around. I started to talk quietly to the bird, and he hopped over to where we were sitting. Then the owner came over, and he hopped back to his perch. She reached into his cage and he started nipping. She then showed me the little perch they use to get him out because he bites. When she tried to get him out, he refused. She said he doesn't like to come out. She then walked away from the cage, and he hopped back over to us and he let me pet his head a little through the cage bars before he nipped at me. He also let my son pet him for a second. I started asking questions. What does he eat: here's his food (seeds) and his treats (seeds). What fresh foods does he like: puzzled look - we didn't give him anything but this (seeds). Does he talk, do tricks, play games, baths: puzzled look - no. Oh wait, they tell me, he does like pop.

My dilemma: Will my hubby kill me for bringing home an anti-social bird that may have lung cancer, and God knows what else? Will my kids be upset about the bird being mean when they were so happy and excited about getting a new bird?

And then I looked at his sad, little face, and knew I could not leave him in that house. I handed over the money (was that painful), and they gave me the bird, the cage, and the food. We were only there for 10-15 minutes, but we all completely stunk of smoke. We then went to get lunch, and stopped at the bird store to buy a new cage. My three year old had to go out to the van several times to check on "the baby bird".

He only squawked a couple times on the way home. When we got home, I carried in his cage and set it on the coffee table, and wondered how long it would be before we could get him out this cage and into the new one. His cage stunk of smoke. After about 10 minutes, my daughter said, "you know, I think he wants out". I was thinking the same thing. We decided she could open the door and we would deal with the consequences later. She had the door only halfway open and he jumped out! Thought he didn't like to come out. Within a few minutes, my kids were getting him to step up, although they were wearing thin knit gloves because he bit. By the next day, we could pick him up with a bare hand. Since he came out so easily, I decided to get the new cage ready. When I was done, we put him in it, and immediately he was all over exploring.

We also changed his name to Riley that night, as it seem to suit him, we hated his old name, and thought that maybe a new name could help him forget his old life. He now only nips when a stranger's fingers get too close, or when we forget and put Spike the tiel to bed first, and Riley knows he's next. Then, he bites. We had to keep an eye on him for respiratory illness, as he was more susceptible while his lungs were healing. We do think he went through nicotine withdrawals the second week we had him. Our next big problem was that Riley stilled smelled like smoke, and did for several months. It was worst when he was wet. We didn't know what our future held, but we were going to love every minute we had.

I definitely believe that fate was completely involved here, right from the time I decided to get a Green Cheek. Even my mom now believes that. When I told her on the way that I felt for some reason this little bird needed me, she looked at me as if I had gone off the deep end. When we were loading Riley into the van, she told me I was right. Rescuing this bird is one of the best feelings I have ever had, and I hope I have been able to teach my kids something along the way.

Editor's Note: Riley passed away on November 30, 2006 after a brief illness. He was much loved during the years he lived with Bev and her family. Fly free, Riley!