Parrot fed on diet of beer and chips lost all his feathers

Two-year-old Charlie the African grey parrot has settled right in to his new Warrington, Cheshire, home after his previous owner could not cope. Charlie had been brought up on a diet of chips, monkey nuts and beer and was sat in a darken corner alone with no interaction or socialisation. Parrots have a brain equivalent to a four-year-old child which means they need lots of stimulation, lots of love and care.

The stress of his situation caused Charlie to pull out his feathers and when he was rescued he was mostly bald. Alison Haybyrnes, his new owner, said: “It was heartbreaking when he arrived. He looked like a piece of meat you would see on the shelves of a supermarket because he was that bald.”



Thanks to the love and care of Alison, aged 40, after six weeks his plumage is starting to come back. And his cheeky character is on show for all to see. “He makes me laugh every day, he’s so funny,” added Alison. “He eats my wallpaper, he’ll bite the cats’ tails if they get too close and he’s started talking.”

And thanks to a special diet, including bottled water and plenty of fruit, his taste in healthy foods is helping him on the road to recovery. Alison said: “He loves red grapes and he will throw green grapes back when I try to feed him them. He loves toast too at breakfast with me. It’s a bonding thing to eat with him, he hangs off his perch and he has a piece of toast.”