Mehlay
Mealy Amazon
Born: ?? 2002
Female
Mehlay's Photo Gallery is under construction..
The Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa) is one of the largest Amazon parrot species. The species is called the Mealy Amazon in the United States and the Blue-crowned Mealy Parrot in the United Kingdom. Mealy Parrots typically are 15" - 17" tall from the tip of the tail to the head and typically weigh between 540 to 700 g (19.01-24.64 ounces). Some Mealy parrots, however, are much larger than this. Though less colorful than related parrot species, Mealy Parrots have a patch of blue, purple, or violet on the top of their heads. Along with the purple or blue crown, Mealy Parrot sometimes have patches of yellow on the head and usually have a green or mostly green body, with tail feathers being light green or lime at the tip. Some Mealy Parrots have a light blue/teal sheen to their green coat, and an undercoat of yellow, blue, purple, red, and/or teal. The beaks are usually yellowish. The eyes are a reddish-orange color, and underneath the eyes are usually white unfeathered rings.
Mehlay was rescued by us in October of 2006 from an individual who no longer had and interest in her. She lived with many large dogs and was rarely let out of her cage and had few toys. This individual had purchased her from a pet store several years prior. However, things had changed and she wanted to focus on her dogs and wanted to find a new home for her bird.
We were told Mehlay was a male. When we got her home and had her vetted we had her DNA'd as well and learned she was a girl. Since she did not seem to know her name we decided to call her Melay (Mehlay) which means Loving in Hawaiian.
She can talk up a storm and does so all the time - however you will be hard-pressed to know what she is saying until you have been around her for awhile....she doesn't move her beak to "enunciate" and thus comes across as a very poor ventriloquist!! HA! She is very loving and will allow you to touch her anywhere you wish. However, she does not get along with any other birds that are not of her species and prefers constant human interaction.
During the first year and a half we had Mehlay, she would spend her days in the bird room keeping to herself - not playing - and just waiting for us to come in and get her. She only seemed to be happy when she was with a human. Apparently, she never learned when she was younger what is was to play with other birds or even by herself. She has always relied on her human to make her happy. She was never demanding...but was just not happy being left alone. Because of this we made the very hard decision to rehome her in the spring of 2007 to a facility where she could have just that - human contact 24/7. She deserved whatever we could do. Mehley now lives in an educational animal sanctuary (closed to the public) and receives the very best care. The sanctuary is funded my Plano ISD and allows elementary aged children to tour and see/learn about exotic animals in a structured and controlled environment. As we had guessed, Mehlay seems to be thriving in her new environment and very happy. She LOVES meeting new people and being the center of attention. She is handled and played with daily by the staff and enjoys a very large cage and toys during "tour time" but spends the remainder of her days out. She is a favorite of the staff and since the place is very busy there is always a favorite "human" around ready to love on her. The facility has strong funding and the highest standards - Mehley has found her lifetime home. ....but we do miss her.