I'm just finishing the paperwork to adopt a quaker parrot named Kiko from the local rescue agency. She's 5 years old and I was wondering about whether it would be a good idea to change her name or not. I'm coming across a lot of conflicting information and I thought I'd toss out the question here...

When taking in a rescue, do YOU think it's a good idea to give them a clean start with a new name, or is it better to keep them with the name they come with? Are there certain situations where you think one way would be better than the other?

I don't have her full background yet - all I know is that her previous family couldn't handle her - and I'm not sure how vocal she is and if she can say her own name. Those will both be determining factors to a point. I just thought I would pick your collective brains for information.

And this is my first poll... so I hope it worked... *crosses fingers*

i currently have a 15 yr old and a 13 yr old bonded pair of quakers that i recently took in. they didn't come from a troubled background but i believe they should keep the name that was given to them. Gator knows his name but i'm not sure about Sky because she doesn't talk.

i do know if you teach them "good boy" and they end up being a girl... it is possible to train them to eventually only say "good girl".

it's totally up to you though.

Sometimes you don't have a choice with rescues. One of my budgies had an offensive name, the "N" word. Yes, that's what the neighbour's son named her. Couldn't keep that name.
Then, another bird was called "Silent Sam." That budgie was caught outside and traumatized. She was scared stiff and didn't make a sound. I found the name mean and changed it. She is now "Snoopy' and still very quiet.
My Tweety got his name at the shelter, and he kept it.

I wouldn't think twice about changing a name....but only if you want to.

Sigrid

We don't know what Clyde's name was before, so we had to give him a new one, and had the same situation with Gigi. They were both strays. Jade knows her name and likes it very much, so we kept it. George's name was Bowser and we thought that was awful, so we changed it. After Clyde was here a while, we realized he says "Pepper" a lot and that may have been his name, but by then he was used to being called Clyde. Gigi took to her new name instantly, and George chose his new name. I tried out different ones until he perked up at one, and that was "George." The budgies and Henry didn't have names until we gave them to them.

I think it depends on the specific situation. With a rescue, if it's used to its name and recognizes it and it's not something just horrible or insulting or profane, I think I'd consider keeping it.

Since all my birds have been rehomes, I've kept all their names as they came to me. Most of them new their names and since none of them were truly offensive, I chose to keep them...Even though I might not necessarily like the name, or I don't feel the name fits the birds personality, that's what its been called.

I feel that even though they might come from a not so nice back ground the move is stressfull enough in itself let alone trying to call the bird by another name would only be more confusing and stressfull for it.

I guess that if one came to me with a truly offensive name, I would try to find something that rhymed with the name or was very close in sounding the same. Such as the example of coming with the "n" word I'd probably have changed it to tigger or digger etc..

In my Blue and golds case She came with the name Bailey...she was 18 and had been owned by the same person all those years so changing her name was out of the question as far as I was concerned...however, I have added on to her name and call her Bailey Boo or Bailey Boo Boo and she seems to enjoy it because it started out because we were playing peek a boo.

My Cockatoo, Cowboy was basically the same story, 15 years old one previous owner and they named her before they had her DNA'd Well actually they didn't have her sexed, I did...and she's a Cowgirl...but the she knew her name and says it all the time so...Cowboy she is.

Andie has a B & G who came with the name Maegan, the bird was only 4 I think hadn't been sexed and so After Andie DNA'd Meagan, she changed his name to Magnum it sounded very close to how he said Maegan and now he says Magnum

So there's my nickels worth...

I think it depends on the situation. Since Kiko is 5 years old I personally would probably keep that name, it's something familiar to him and he most likely understands it. If he had a troubled past where his name could instill fear (ie if they yelled at him etc.) then I'd be more apt to change it. Casey was a rescue but she was only a baby when we got her so we did change her name, but she'd only had her other name for a few weeks and didn't even know it.

Just take it slow and see how much he responds to it. If he says his name a lot and answers to it etc. then maybe just keep it, but if not you could try changing it to something very similar.

Congrats!

when we resuced our tiel she was named Rosie, but never responded to it, i think its just what the rescue called her during her stay there, so since she didnt seem to like it we now call her Izzy, (Isabella) .........she doesnt respond to it either , wish we knew what she started out as

I also think it depends on the situation, and if the bird had a negative reaction to his name would change it to something similar to Kiko. Again, it's completely up to you, though. Good luck!!!