Jellybean was an Umbrella Cockatoo who came to our rescue after her previous owner reached out to surrender her. By the time she arrived, Jellybean’s health was already declining, and it was clear that she had lived for many years without the care and environment she needed. She had spent much of her life in a very small cage where she could barely turn around, and her diet consisted largely of table scraps and coffee. She had also plucked most of the feathers from her chest. While feather plucking can have many causes, her condition was another reminder of just how difficult her life had been.
After decades of an improper diet, poor hydration, and an unhealthy lifestyle, Jellybean’s body was showing the effects. We took her to the veterinarian as soon as possible for an examination and blood work. Testing revealed cardiac health concerns believed to be associated with her long-term diet, high sodium intake, inadequate hydration, and poor nutrition.
From the very beginning, Jellybean formed a special bond with our founder, and that connection became an important part of her journey. Helping Jellybean change the habits she had known for decades was not easy. She had become very accustomed to the foods she had been given and knew exactly what she wanted. Our founder began slowly introducing healthier foods and baby food while working to transition Jellybean to a more appropriate diet.
Pellets were ground and mixed into her food, but Jellybean was incredibly smart and could often tell the difference. She would sometimes refuse the healthier options, and coffee was an especially difficult habit to break. When Jellybean saw a cup of coffee, she could become anxious and determined to fly toward it for a drink. Changing her habits was a constant challenge, not because Jellybean was difficult, but because she had spent decades learning to live a certain way. She was suddenly being asked to give up everything familiar to her and learn an entirely different way of living.
Jellybean also had a history of having her wings improperly clipped, and for much of her life she had never experienced what it truly meant to fly. When her flight feathers finally grew back, Jellybean discovered that she could fly, and that opened an entirely new chapter in her life. Our founder wanted her to experience the freedom every bird deserves, so they began working together on free flight, the ability to fly freely outdoors and return to her person when called. It was a gradual process built on trust, patience, consistency, and love.
For Jellybean, flying became more than simply learning a skill. It gave her the opportunity to feel the wind beneath her wings, experience the open air around her, and discover a freedom she had been denied for much of her life. Jellybean’s health remained a constant concern throughout her time with the rescue, and we knew there were no guarantees about how much time she had. That was one of the reasons her freedom became so important.
We could not undo the years of poor nutrition, confinement, feather plucking, or neglect. We could not give her back the years she had lost. But we could give Jellybean something different for the time she had left. We could give her patience, proper care, a safe place to call home, and the opportunity to fly.
Jellybean passed away in 2023, and her passing was a deeply sad day for everyone who had come to love her. Yet when we remember Jellybean, we try not to focus only on where she came from or the hardships she endured. We remember the bird who learned to trust, the bird who was loved, and the bird who finally discovered what it felt like to fly.
Before she passed, Jellybean had the opportunity to feel the wind and air beneath her wings and experience the freedom she deserved. We could not change her past, but we were able to give her love, care, trust, safety, and freedom during the time she had with us.
Jellybean’s story reminds us that rescue is not always about how long we get to have an animal in our lives. Sometimes, it is about what we are able to give them while they are here. For Jellybean, we hope what she carried with her was the knowledge that she was loved, that she was safe, and that, for a little while, she was free.
