Grumpy Old Men (or Cockatoos) as the Case may Be

This is Fancy. He came to me as a Foster/Adoption through my Avian vet's office. He is 21 years old and had lived with the same gentleman his entire life. This man loved Fancy (whom he thought was a female) very much and carried him everywhere. While this nice man was alive, life was perfect for Fancy. Unfortunately, this kind gentleman became ill and passed away. His wife gave Fancy to the vet. During the husband's illness Fancy injured a wing and shoulder and it wasn't properly cared for (not intentionally). Soon Fancy became lame. He was lame when I brought him home and had very little extension in his wing and shoulder. He also missed his human companion terribly. Once home with us, we began working with his wing and shoulder and he has a much larger range of motion, but he still will never really fly. He has a permanent bald spot on his chest and has naked little legs. Fancy can destroy Macaw toys and is one of the best destructo birds I have ever met! He has to be kept busy with lots of toys. Sometimes he is hilarious, others he is grumpy. I am grumpy occasionally myself so I feel his pain. LOL. Fancy is content with us, he may even be happy - I'm not sure. He is one of our birds that I hope just the right person comes along for. A patient person, with a lot of time to spend with him - someone who enjoys the Cockatoo crazy call during the morning meeting time and the evening flock time. Someone who finds his hide and seek game adorable. Until that time, he will be with us because I promised him when he came home with us that if we weren't right for him, he could stay with us until the right one came along. I meant that.

This toy on the right is the toy that Fancy killed in about 20 minutes the other day. It used to have Finger Traps on every rope piece and leather tied onto both ends of the Finger Traps. He went to work right after he went on the hanging stand and when he was done with it, he unhooked it and threw it on the floor. Then he looked at me as if to say, "my work here is done, where is my oatmeal?".