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Name: |
Rosie
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Age: |
21+ years old
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Gender: |
Female
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Kind: |
Galah Cockatoo
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Home: |
California, USA
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Rosie
is a fantastic, and very special galah cockatoo. Much of her past is
unknown, for all I know she could have been smuggled out of Australia, or
born in a tropical paradise. She came to me double open banded (a band on
each leg, same ID on each), so what I know is that pre-1992 she went through
a private QT station in New York.
Eight years ago was the fateful day Rosie entered my friend's life, and later
mine. A women was outside of a local chain pet store giving her away. Her
husband was going to kill Rosie! My friends who happened to be walking by
gladly adopted her. Once home they had to cut the cage to get Rosie out(tiny
cage!). Rosie was completely terrified of men, and also had a broken leg.
Sadly my friends didn't realize her leg was broken, so now she has a bad leg
that aches and makes her walk slower, but she has no idea she's different.
My friends had Rosie for five years, they helped her get over her fear of men,
and gave her a safe place to live. Unfortunately they never gave her toys,
and only fed a staple of sunflower seeds and unhealthy treats like jelly
beans. She also lived in a conure-sized cage with two perches and a playtop. I
was always Rosie's favorite, mostly because I'd sit for hours petting her.
When my friends could no longer care for her I adopted Rosie, and absolutely spoiled her.
Rosie was a sad sight when I brought her home, her legs were too weak to
stand on hands, she was emaciated, had organ failure, a calcium deficiency,
and a terrible case of learned hopelessness. It was slow going, and I spent
several nights crying over her state of health. It took over a year and a
half for her to fully recover physically, and longer to recover mentally. she
now lives in a massive toy filled cage, eats an amazing diet, and is mentally healthy.
Rosie loves adventure, she gets to go on walks, car rides, and see some
pretty amazing things that many companion parrots are sadly unable to do. She
also flies in her aviator harness, does trick training, and meets new people.
Rosie's had a lot of hardship in her life, but now things are better. She's a
happy, healthy birdie who only recently started to play with toys. Often
strangers will see her while we're out and about, inspired by Rosie they want
to run out and buy a parrot then and there. It's a bit scary, and I often use
Rosie's story to tell these potential "parronts" that a bird is not something
to adopt lightly.
Rosie is a amazing cockatoo, and I cherish every day I share with her.
View more images of Rosie!
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