#meyer parrot

[dopescissorscashwagon]

Being watched by a Meyer’s Parrot!

📍Nyandungu, in Kigali, Rwanda

📸 by Will Wilson @2wsphotography

[montana-the-meyer]

Montana, Pest Extraordinaire

Of course I didn’t mean for her to think her name is “Pretty Bird”, but the chances are quite high that that’s what she thinks it is regardless. Oops. 

I’ve been Montana’s human for four years now. She was a rescue from a very unfortunate situation--a whole pet store was seized for bad animal care practices, and 550 birds had to find foster homes before they found their forever homes. The details can be found here, if you’re interested. (CW: the link shows images of birds who have plucked/are missing feathers.) Montana was being happily fostered by a teacher of mine while I was completing a three-year college program, and that’s where we met and where I fell in love. I became her new foster family, and once the organisation that seized the birds won their court case against the pet store, I became her human officially.  It’s been four years of learning about her, four years of bonding, four years of her chewing my door frames and making holes in my clothing and nipping at my fingers for scritches. Four years where she’s given me cuddles and a great reason to wake up in the morning to start her routine. She is a pest in the best way and brings such life and light to my life.  Very recently, she was diagnosed with PDD/Proventricular Dilatation Disease, and it’s been rough on me emotionally, and I’m sure it’s been rough on her. I’ll have more posts outlining how the diagnosis came to be, and what we’re doing to manage her lifestyle now that the symptoms are manifesting. PDD has no known cure, very little data available, and a poor prognosis. It’s likely something she contracted very early on in life but that stayed dormant, though it’s unconfirmed what triggers the disease to manifest in some birds but not others. We can’t treat the disease itself, but I’ll be doing my best to treat symptoms as they come to make sure she’s comfortable and happy for as long as possible. 

[chewybitart]

Look at this sweet girl 😍 Thank you so much @cathartes-flora for commissioning me to paint her sweet heart, and I hope things get easier for you.