Goliath -- Poicephalus Meyeri
"Over the last few years, I have
been watching the website and the newsletter. Some birds come and go
quickly, however, there was always one at the top of the list that seemed
to be stuck in the adoption process — Goliath. Being a foster and adoptive
parent, I know that every bird does not thrive in every home or flock. I
decided to ask if I could foster Goliath. Shawna and his foster father
approved the move. Goliath and our family are delighted. Goliath had been
mistreated in one of his homes before coming into WAES, so he has a big
fear of hands and being grabbed. He doesn’t mind stepping up on my arm
though. We took it slow and built the trust that I would not grab him. He
has never tried to bite, but he does squawk around a bit before deciding
to step up. Sometimes he will dunk himself into his water dish and then
walk over and climb up on my arm. I had a larger cage, so we made some
housing changes and outfitted Goliath’s cage with natural perches and lots
of things to play with and chew up. We also installed his favorite item, a
treat dish. My husband is the king of bird treats. Every day he prepares a
special treat for each bird. The treats consist of fresh fruits and
vegetable, noodles, cereals, and leafy greens. It only took a couple of
days for Goliath to catch on to the routine. He eats almost anything he is
offered. Goliath enjoys being misted, so last week I decided we had enough
trust to try a big shower. He was so funny. He stood on my arm in the
light spray, and then stretched his neck out long until he was in the main
stream of water. He closed his eyes and let the water run into his beak. He
showered for almost 20 minutes and was soaked to the bone. We also
discovered that he enjoys the warm air from the hairdryer. I found out
last night that my application to adopt Goliath had been approved. We are
delighted to have him as a permanent member of our flock. He is not the
right bird for everyone, but he is the right bird for us. Thank you
Shawna, and thank you WAES members."
-- Margie French
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