Hei Hei the Quaker Parrot Sponsorship

Hei Hei- Quaker Parrot 

DOB/Hatch Date: unknown 

Date Surrendered: May 10th, 2020 

Rescue Story: 

On May 9th, 2020, we were tagged in a post on Facebook.  A bird was found weak on the sidewalk in Houston with an injured toe.  We were in contact with the rescuer shortly after because they had seen us on the news months before with the parakeet rescue.  Turns out it was a Quaker Parrot.  We love Quakers!  On May 10th we were able to drive for an hour to go pick him up.  Upon the initial exam he was thin and tired but friendly.  We knew this had to have been someone’s pet.  We brought him back to the sanctuary to get him warmed up and to have a proper diet.  He was posted through several social media outlets, but the owner was never found.  It was then decided to offer him permanent placement. 

Hei Hei is not like other Quakers.  While he is goofy, and likes human interactions, he’s not very smart and is scared of new toys.  (He received his name because he’s kind of like the chicken on Moana.)  We’ve found very few toys that he will actually play with.  This is highly unusual for these normally outgoing, brave, and adventurous birds.  He does talk.  He says “Goodmorning” (it sounds like Kermit the frog from New York when he says it) and “What are you doing?!!” with a lot of enthusiasm.  His favorite, though, is “Let me out!” so he can be let out to climb up on top of his cage and supervise everyone. 

Quaker Parrots, AKA Monk Parakeet, are native to South America but have feral populations in the US and Europe due to the pet trade.  They are illegal to house, and sell, in many states because they are very hardy and can survive even New York and Chicago winters.   They build stick nests and live in large colonies.  The nest often has separate entrances for each pair of breeding birds.  These nests can become quite large, and when built on power poles/power lines they can cause power outages and transformer explosions.  These birds are mostly green with gray on their face down onto their chest.  Breeding in captivity has given way to other color morphs.  Quaker Parrots will live 20-30 years. 

At BEARS Etc. Hei Hei now has his PEACE of the Wild, living near his friend Olive (in hopes of them being introduced to live together), getting to do what Quakers want to do.  Hei Hei does not currently have a sponsor.  His sponsorship is $25/month.  Sponsorships include monthly emails, with picture or video, and an annual gift from Hei Hei.  This sponsorship helps us provide the best veterinary care, the best diets, and, of course, their favorite enrichment and toys!