Second chances/a>

Today we introduce the latest member of the Namaste Farm family, our Eclectus parrot named Laali. Her name means red girl in Hindi. Since both of us have had parrots in the past, we have been looking for the right bird at the right time. I saw Laali on Facebook and fell in love. She comes to us from the Exotic Avian Sanctuary of Tennessee, rescued from an animal hoarding situation. It seemed the perfect fit for us.

If you wonder why Laali looks so bedraggled, it’s because she has plucked out her feathers, probably because of the stress of her former living conditions. It’s a very bad habit, which we hope will go away when she’s had time in a loving home with lots of attention. We’re already seeing some signs of feathers coming back in, so keep your fingers crossed. Parrots are long lived creatures that need a lot of attention and stimulation, not birds that you can let languish in alone in their cages. We think that neglect might be the cause of Laali’s bad habit.

Laali’s age is unknown. She is a mature female who obviously has picked up some words and sounds from her previous home. Growing accustomed to a new home, especially after moving on from a foster situation, made Laali shy at first. This is true of all rescue animals. Imagine if you relied completely on strangers that kept changing every so often. We are starting to see her gain confidence, so we occasionally hear her start to say words and laugh like someone she’s heard in the past. At the same time, we use clicker training to train her to do simple tasks, like stepping up on a hand to come out of her cage. More about clicker training in future posts.

Laali’s breed is unique in that she eats about 80% fresh fruit and vegetables, plus a small amount of special pellets and occasional treats like pistachios, cashews, and sunflower seeds. She cannot fly at the moment, we think because of the feather situation, but it’s obvious from her behavior that she hasn’t flown in some time. She lives in a large cage at night, but she joins us on a perch or a shoulder whenever possible. She seems to thrive on the attention. We are looking forward to a time when she becomes the gorgeous, fully feathered, confident bird she might once have been, but only time will tell.