The Granola Board

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Luna's Story

Often, the test of courage is not to die, but to live. -- Vittorio Alfieri

Luna is an approximately 19-year old blind Severe Macaw. She came to us in July of 2003 after her previous owner had developed health problems and was no longer able to care for her. She is a shining example of how formerly abused animals can learn to trust and love again after terrible circumstances.

We don't know much about Luna's past, but what we've been told is pretty traumatic. We were told that originally she belonged to a couple, and at at one point they went on vacation, asking the next door neighbor to care for the bird. One day, while the neighbor stepped out to run some errands, her two boys went into Luna's room and abused her. They pulled out her tail feathers, they tormented her, and stabbed her in both eyes with a paper clip, permanently blinding her.

The couple was immediately notified, and they rushed home to find their poor bird in quite a state. They decided that being blind was no life for a bird, and that euthanasia would be the kindest option. Before she was put down, however, an elderly woman volunteered to take her. She stayed with that woman for 10 years, until the woman had to go into a rest home. Then she moved in with another woman who ran a pet store, where she stayed for another 8 years. She came to us when that woman became ill and was no longer physically able to care for her.

Although Luna had a reputation for being a very nice and loving bird, she also had more than her fair share of behavioral problems. Understandably, she's very fearful of children (especially boys) and can be a terrible biter. She's also developed a rather serious featherpicking problem and looks more like a plucked chicken than the beautiful Severe Macaw she's meant to be.

Luna came to us after we heard of her story on a Yahoo Groups mailing list. After we heard of her story, my partner and I lost of a lot of sleep and couldn't stop thinking about her. We realized that since she was blind and plucked, she wasn't going to be most people's first choice in a bird. We had two birds already, a Goffin's Cockatoo and a Congo African Grey, and had no plans for a third. Even so, we felt incredibly sorry for her story, and knew that since she would be looking at her fourth home in 18 years, we had to do something.

We contacted Luna's owner, and after discussing her situation at length, we decided to adopt her. Although several avian rescues had come forward to offer her a home, we were the only private home that had stepped forward. After careful consideration, we all agreed that Luna would likely be happier in a private home, rather than in an aviary situation where she might have to compete with other birds. We made the long 9.5 hour drive from Southern California to Carson City, Nevada to pick her up, and she's been with us ever since.

Life with Luna hasn't always been easy. When she arrived she was fearful and quite dangerous. Even though she's only a small macaw, she was able to give us many deep and bloody bites with her powerful beak. Things were made more difficult when the vet determined at her well bird checkup that she had an eye infection, and we had to go through the routine of giving her oral antibiotics twice daily and eye drops 3 times daily. Luna was NOT a happy bird!

With time and patience Luna has made tremendous strides in her behavior. Although she still plucks and still often bites, she's become much more gentle with us. She's learned that she can use her voice, rather than her beak, to get her point across. When she's asked to do something she doesn't want to do, she'll usually growl instead of bite. When she does bite, she's learned to reduce the amount of force she uses so that it's just a nasty pinch, rather than a severe bite that draws blood every time.

There's still plenty of room for improvement, but since she's been with us only a relatively short time, we are confident that things will change over time. She can be very loving and affectionate, and loves to sit on my shoulder in the evening and listen to the television with us. She'll snuggle up to my neck and quietly purr while I scratch her head. Despite all the trauma that has been in her past, Luna is a wonderful bird with a lot of potential for the future. Although she'll always be blind (a trip to a veterinary opthalmologist confirmed there's nothing that can be done for her eyes) she's got tremendous strength of spirit and a will to not just survive, but to thrive...

If you are interested in how we care for Luna and accomodate for her blindness, please visit her feeding, handling, housing and playing links.