We're in it Now
I brought Sigmund the African Grey back to the rescue for the duration of my road trip. I may have mentioned that we have done a lot of talking over there about how long a time is appropriate for a foster and the reasons that a bird is being fostered in the first place. We do not have hard and fast rules, but I make it a habit of taking a bird back to the rescue when I am on the road. A few reasons:
In my two longer-term foster assignments, there were good reasons. With Manu, the Amazon, the rescue facility was under construction for a really long time. The more birds in foster care, the fewer cages we were tripping on at the facility. I fostered him to adoption and it was fabulous.
My second long term foster was Eloise, an African Grey. She had been ill, was on long term meds and did much better in a home environment than at the rescue facility. I sent her to another volunteer’s home when I learned there was mold in my house last summer. (She was already on anti-fungal meds, so thankfully she was protected.)
I brought Sigmund home this weekend when I returned from DC. He had done fine most of the time I was gone, but started picking his feathers again a couple of days before. He seems happy enough and comfortable at my house and we want to see if we can get him to leave the feathers alone. He is a great bird – incredibly adoptable – he just looks funny.