When Debbie the parrot was finally found, she had been sitting alone in the house for two weeks after her owner passed away. By then she was weak and it was clear she needed help fast, so the shelter took her in right away.
The shelter manager said: “She could barely stand. She would eat and drink, but very slowly. She required a lot of support (special perches, padded enclosure in case she fell, heat source, special lighting, careful handling) and an enriched diet.”
At the start she barely showed anything, no personality, almost no movement. She was just trying to get through the day. Over time though her body began healing, and as it did her spirit showed up again. The manager explained: “As she felt better and got stronger, she got brighter and a bit more sassy and opinionated about things.”
Her family said she is around 40 years old, which is pretty remarkable. That meant she had been through a lot already, and now she had another chance because she made it out of that house. She ended up going into foster care while she kept on recovering.
Her foster mom shared: “She’s made a lot of progress since she first arrived in foster. She used to hunch over and quietly hiss at me the whole time. After a few days of strategic corn deployment, she’s now very curious whenever I approach and wants to see what goodies I have for her. I sit right next to her open cage when I work, so there’s a lot of one-on-one time and attention. She doesn’t want to be touched yet, so we’re just taking it slow, getting her used to hands being near her.”
Debbie has picked up the habit of saying “hello” in the morning and then asking “Whatcha doing?” right after. She likes watching out the window, especially the garbage truck, and she makes happy noises whenever food shows up which is most of what she cares about right now.
Those who care for her think she would do best in a quiet home where someone understands how to handle senior parrots or birds that need a little extra. Sunlight, windows, and time around people without a lot of handling would make her feel comfortable. That’s what she is used to at this stage of her life.
She has already been through enough, and right now it is just about giving her the time and space to be herself again. There is no rush, she is safe and she has people around her now who want her to have that.
