This
is Contessa, she has been in the United States for twenty-four
years. Contessa is a wild-caught Amazona autumnalis, a red-lored amazon
parrot. I don't know a lot about her past, but I met her in a basement.
A friend of mine told me about an amazon that needed a home, and I went
to visit her. Her owners housed her in a cockatiel cage (she couldn't
even spread her wings) and fed her sunflower seeds her whole life. This
caused her to gain a lot of weight and have health problems.
Since she had never been handled and lived in a basement, she didn't
have a lot of human interaction. Her owner promised me that Contessa was
the meanest, loudest bird she'd ever seen (and she had a lot, up to thirteen
at one time). She swore I'd never handle her.
Two months later, Contessa was eating every healthy food in sight,
exercising, and giving me kisses! We now go everywhere together. She
lets me kiss her beak and massage her toes. She loves to preen my hair,
and takes special care of me and worries when I'm sick. Which is most of
the time. I couldn't have asked for a better friend.
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