Man's Pet Parrot Takes Flight, Won't Come Down From Tree
CITRUS HEIGHTS (CBS13) - A Citrus Heights man is worried sick about his pet parrot after the bird flew the coup and stationed itself atop a nearby tree.
Fitz has been stuck since Wednesday night around 6 p.m.
"It's a horrible thing," said Ray Teel, a friend of Rick Grimmett.
"It's really frustrating," Rick said. "He took off out of my garage like a 747."
Rick says the fire department even came out and shot water up in a tree, but that just spooked him and made him fly to another tree.
"I just hope my son's not watching because I haven't told him," Rick said. "He's an 8-year-old at school right now. He would just be devastated to know his bird is high up in a tree."
Rick, a master goldsmith and diamond setter at Kenny G Jewelers, hasn't caught a wink of sleep - he called out of work Thursday - and has tried everything to lure Fritz out of the tree.
He wheeled out his cage, peeled bananas, brought his bucket of food out and brought another bird out for moral support.
"I've never seen such a thing," friend Ray said.
Rick says he purchased Frtiz from a family in Lodi last weekend who claimed the parrot had his wings clipped. It turns out it wasn't the case - and now he feels he's missing a part of his family.
"I'm a single dad and have my son 50 percent of the time," he said. "I have these birds that keep me company, as well as a lot of entertainment."
The bird switched trees at about 11 a.m. Thursday and is 35 feet off the ground.
