Chatty parrot was so overweight she couldn't fly due to love of crisps

A parrot who was so overweight she'd drop to the ground when she tried to fly has shed her excess weight and is now loving life in her new home.

Amazon green parrot Bud arrived at our Mid Norfolk and North Suffolk branch in March 2020 when her owners could no longer take care of her.

The 22-year-old bird was extremely overweight due to an obsession with crisps!

Chloe Shorten - who works at the branch and now owns Bud - said:

"Bud arrived just a few days before lockdown hit as she'd become too much for her owners and they could no longer take care of her. Parrots are incredibly intelligent birds and need quite specialist care - and we certainly had our hands full when she arrived!

"She was also extremely overweight, weighing in at a hefty 620g - more than 200g heavier than she should have been. While it's tricky to tell from looking when a parrot is overweight you could tell when she tried to fly; she would literally drop to the floor!

"She has the hearing of a bat and can detect a packet of crisps being opened from four miles away so it¿s no surprise she was overweight!"

Crisps banned in Buds new home

Bud quickly won over the hearts of Chloe and her husband, from Norfolk, who had been fostering her once lockdown hit, so they decided to give her a home and put her onto a strict diet, which they also had to follow.

Chloe said:

Bud likes to chat and have a laugh 

Chloe continued:

"She's such a funny character and she brightens our days, particularly during this difficult time as she loves to sing. She loves my husband and likes to serenade him with her rendition of the Addam's Family theme tune!

"She's also really chatty and will welcome you into the room with a loud 'Hellooooooo'. She likes to confuse any delivery drivers or neighbours who come to the front door by shouting 'BYE!' half-way through the conversation; I'm sure they must think we have a really rude child or relative inside trying to get rid of them!

"She likes to make an appearance on video calls which always surprises people and she also sometimes wolf-whistles at people so that can take some explaining when I'm on a work call!

"She's learned how to laugh and often chuckles when my husband bangs his head or if someone says something funny; it's amazing how she can react as if on cue!"

Bud lives with the couple, their three dogs and three cats - but the whole family knows who rules the roost!

Chloe added:

"Parrots aren't for the faint-hearted. They're a lot of work and live for a long time so it's incredibly important that people do their research before taking one on. They are, however, great fun and incredibly rewarding. We feel very lucky that we can give her a forever home and we'll hopefully have many more years with her and her hilarious antics!"

We have parrots and other pet birds looking for a new home on our find a pet.