Pepper, the cursing bird who went viral for his foul mouth, has found his forever home
A New York bird who went viral for his R-rated language now has a new home alongside another bird with a colorful vocabulary.
Pepper, a white-fronted amazon, now lives in Olean, New York, about 74 miles southeast of Buffalo, according to the Niagara SPCA.
“We checked in with his adopters, Tiffany and Tim, yesterday, and they report Pepper is settling in nicely,” the organization wrote on July 13. “He hasn't cursed at them just yet, but we know it's coming. He loves his veggies and always greets his adopters when they walk in the room.”
His new owners also have an African Grey named Shelby who, according to the SPCA, makes Pepper look like “a saint.”
“We love that Pepper found his home with adopters who won't be phased by his colorful language, and who know their birds,” the SPCA said. “May Pepper have decades of issuing threats to his new family! Now, go kick some a$$, Pepper!”
What to know about the viral bird
Pepper first went viral last month when the SPCA made a plea on social media for bird-lovers to look into adopting the bird, calling him a “potty-mouthed parrot.”
“Forget does Polly wanna cracker?” the shelter wrote last month. “Does Pepper wanna kick your a$$?! is the real question.”
Pepper’s last home was in Buffalo, where he cohabited with an unruly dog. The dog’s owner would sometimes try to get the dog to listen by asking “Do you want me to kick your (expletive)?”
Pepper seemed to take a liking to the phrase, Amy Lewis, the executive director of the shelter, previously told USA TODAY.
Prior to his most recent move, Pepper had two previous owners, the shelter said. They added that since their initial post about the bird, they received over 300 adoption inquiries.
The shelter was careful about rehoming him this time because workers want this home to be his last, they said.
Some factors they looked for in Pepper’s new owners included:
- Experience with large birds
- Someone who understands how chatty and loud the birds can be
- Someone who can meet Pepper’s nutritional needs
“These guys require a lot of time,” Lewis previously told USA TODAY. “They're not really caged animals. They like to interact with their people. They need regular enrichment.”
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].