Quincy couple adopt parrots discarded by prior owners

Their latest, Walter, an approximately 60-year-old African grey, wasn’t even supposed to move in. In January, Coady and Hahn were baby-sitting Walter (named before it was determined he was a she) for their friend, Karen Windsor, who runs Foster Parrots , a rescue in Rockland, and the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary in Rhode Island. When Windsor returned for Walter, the bird turned around and walked up the stairs like she was already home. And for the last nine months of Walter’s life, it was.

Hahn got his love for birds from his father, a bird-watcher and owner of the cute parrotlet that later inspired the couple to buy their own from a breeder.

That was about 13 years ago, when they didn’t know about the controversies surrounding the commercial breeding of parrots, which are hard-wired wild animals that can make for very difficult pets once they reach maturity. Many owners of exotic or wild birds abandon or give up their birds for adoption once the daunting reality of the extent and expense of care sets in, or when the birds — which can be aggressive — don’t form a bond with humans.

By the time their parrotlet died, Coady and Hahn had begun volunteering at Foster Parrots and become educated about the thousands of parrots sitting in rescue facilities throughout the country waiting for homes. The average bird is rehomed six times, Coady said.

“We went there and discovered this world of animals that get dumped when they become inconvenient and it’s a very, very, common thing,” Coady said. “I don’t want to do that to them again. . . . We spent a lot of money renovating this house, but then the other part is, who cares? It feels much better to me to not throw them away. They’re little beings, and they give a lot of joy.”

Two bedrooms on the top floor of the home — equipped with very large and expensive cages to encourage flight — are dedicated to their rescued birds: Kendi, an 8-year-old African grey; Daisy, a white lutino cockatiel of unknown age; Nabby, a blind pearl cockatiel, possibly elderly, but of unknown age; Ro Laren, a 20-year-old Vosmaeri Eclectus ; Mango, a 20-year-old sun conure ; and Kiki, a 19-year-old greencheek conure .

Coady and Hahn also give their birds a break from their nice cages to play around the house, including flying and sunning themselves in a screened in porch.

Those who want to keep a bird as a pet should consider adopting, not buying, Coady said, adding that even then, people should spend six months to a year volunteering at a rescue facility like Foster Parrots to ensure they know what they’ll be getting into.

“Birds are different from dogs and cats; they respond differently. You can never yell at a bird to do something. It has a very opposite effect,” Coady said. “We really do feel pretty dedicated to these animals. It’s important to us, we want them to have as good a life as they possibly can.”

Walter illustrated the uncertainty of taking on a frail, elderly pet. The bird, Walter, believed to have been caught in the Congo, was relinquished to Foster Parrots by the widow of her owner after he died. Walter had been kept in a cage much too small for her, so her feet were severely swollen and deformed from arthritis. She had plucked so much of her feathers that they stopped growing back.

Nursing Walter back to health took immense time and patience, including Epsom salt soaks three times a day; giving her an anti-inflammatory drug; fashioning a sweater out of a child’s sock to keep her warm; and laying down a trail of yoga mats from the living room to the kitchen so she could have a soft surface to walk on freely.

Walter regained some use of her feet and became an Internet sensation on Foster Parrot’s Facebook page, where she was known by the more regal “Lady Walter.”

A couple of weeks ago, it was discovered Walter had some kidney issues. On Sept. 13, the old African grey, who days prior whistled at passersby from her window perch, died of kidney failure.

“Walter deserved a good last chapter in her long life,” Hahn said in an e-mail. “The love and care and fun she had here allowed her to live much longer than she would have.”

Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @GlobeKConti.