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Remember the earlier story about Tango the cockatoo with frostbitten feet? Well, Rita came from the same breeder as Tango.
Rita is a 14 year old, female Military macaw. After weaning, Rita was sold as a pet, but by the age of 2 was no longer wanted. I can't imagine why, as she is such a sweet and mischievous bird. At any rate, she was given back to the breeder who then kept her in a breeding environment for the next 5 years. At age 7, we were asked to take her, as it was determined that she was never going to breed. By the time we got her, she was chewing her feathers into knots. Isn't it sad to think that a 2-year-old, sexually immature, baby macaw would be kept in such a way? Today, Rita is beautiful (although she still chews on herself) and more mischievous as ever. She occasionally tries to talk and has the most melodious voice we've ever heard. Her cage door is never shut and she has never come down off of it to explore, but rather, waits for our invitation by asking her to step onto our arm. |