Stumbled across this girl through assorted craigslist adds.. she and a male were picked up from a shelter, and the woman was attempting to trade them for a healthy unplucked Amazon or Grey, or cash + a large cage. Through talking with a couple other people, one was able to actually get ahold of the woman and talk her down on the price considerably (down from $600 and a large cage, to $300 and no cage). I would like to have not given the woman any money at all, but it was one of those moments where I was instantly attached to these birds from their photos. I've always wanted an eclectus, and I was up for the challenge that might come from a severely plucked, possibly ill tempered bird. They were being kept in cages barely large enough for a parakeet (keep in mind, this bird is about 15 inches from head to tail.. imagine living in a stall where you never had enough room to stretch your body all the way).

The one person who had negotiated her down picked them up the other night, and I drove up to Seattle to pick up the girl and split the cost. We have named her Evelyn, which, by complete accident, goes well with the name for my Senegal, Normandy, as Evelyn comes from Aveline, a Norman French name.

Her feathers are tarnished - She's bald where she could reach to pluck, and her feathers that exist are ripped apart from living in a tiny cage. She seems a little weak, possibly from poor diet and not enough room to exercise. We have the Senegal at a friend's house temporarily, as I can keep them quarantined. While Eve's feathers seem healthy, just physically destroyed by her/her cage, and her beak and face is healthy and eyes clear, I don't want to risk her possibly having PBFD, and spreading it to the Senegal.

She is the absolute sweetest, most docile creature to exist. I'm amazed at how friendly she is, considering what she's been through. Either somebody in her past loved her dearly at one point, or she's just a very forgiving bird, desperate for attention.

She's been getting a mix of beans, long grain rice, and nearly every vegetable I could find at the grocery store that was safe for birds. She does NOT like star fruits (sad, I do), and keeps flinging her leafy greens around the cage rather than eating them, but she is making progress on her alfalfa sprouts and habanero peppers

I don't know if she'll be able to get all of her feathers back, or just some, but there has been some spots of new growth that she hasn't tried pulling out. With better attention, frequent showers, some diluted aloe juice, and a healthy diet, I'm giving her the best opportunity to regrow her feathers. Even if she always looks like a vulture, she's a lovely girl =)