Macaw seeks petsitters /co-parents so we can vacation sometimes

Berkeley CA

Description

Hi, We are semi-retired and live in the Berkeley hills. We are looking for folks interested in sharing our parrot so we would be able to travel for 3+ weeks per year and not be worried for our sweet bird while we're away like we do in the current setup where he stays with family in Santa Cruz who aren't into birds. We are open to many situations ranging from PAID petsitting at your house or ours (even for long weekends) to shared custody or possibly even gradual re-homing of our Military Macaw family member. We would of course cover his expenses. We have 2 Lexan cages which helps with periodic squawking, as well as a huge wire cage on wheels that offers him exercise and more space. There's no expectation of physically handling him for short stays. His cages have touchless access to food and water dishes, but having him somewhere he can see people is key to happiness. He is a people-bird and silent when it is dark. He can get annoyingly squawky during times of change tho. He chills out quickly once there's stability of routine. This is not a situation for a thin-walled apartment or rental without landlord pet permission. Currently he squawks loudly easily less than a minute per day on average and our neighbors say they never hear him. He is capable of really annoying noise for sure though. He is also capable of biting a finger OFF even tho in the 30 years since inheriting him I have 1 scar on my finger and memories of 3 other nips all of which could have been predicted in retrospect. We cuddle him like a baby and groom him often so we think of him as a model macaw but unless you find a real love-connection with him and vice versa, it would be more of a "play tug of war and talk thru the cage" kind of relationship. He is very loving and can be great company if you are into birds. If you or someone you know is interested in sharing our parrot to some degree.... We would love to talk! Please: No smokers, be willing to skip Teflon/non-stick cookwear (toxic to birds when overheated), and avoid chemical perfumes.