Possibly Parront

Well, it's been a little while since I have posted here. I've been a bit busy, but since this is about my journey pertaining to parrots, I won't go into detail.

Last Friday, I visited the local parrot store I go to as much as I can. I asked the woman there what she thought made a better companion, an Eclectus, an Amazon, a smaller Cockatoo, or a Mini-Macaw. She replied that in her experience Amazons have been the best pets. I found this a bit surprising, but went along with it. She told me that they would be getting a Yellow-Shouldered Amazon baby in the next Friday. I hadn't ever heard of a Yellow-Shouldered Amazon, so I went home and did some research. In researching, I found that, according to their owners, YSAs are the most docile of all Amazons, sweet, cuddly, and smart. I thought that was pretty interesting and became more and more intrigued by the thought. I decided maybe I would just go for it and put down a deposit on the baby on Friday. I called the store and asked how much the baby would be, how old it would be, if it would be DNA tested, and how long it would be before weaned. They replied that the baby would be around 8 weeks old, DNA tested, it would come home around August, and that it was $1295.00. Whew, that's pretty expensive! However; YSAs are apparently pretty rare in aviculture in the United States. I still thought that this might just work, so we planned a trip to the store on this Saturday.

At the beginning of this week, I happened to be perusing the forums (when am I not?) and came across a thread about a very interesting subject. To summarize, it was discussing what happens when birds grow up, so to speak. As in, if you acquired a parrot as a baby, it sees you as it's parent. In nature, when parrots mature, they leave their parents to seek out lifetime mates. Therefore, if a parrot sees you as it's parent, when it matures it is going to want to leave to seek out an appropriate lifetime mate (albeit human or parrot). It really got me thinking.

As I was thinking, I thought about rescues. I tried to go to a rescue to visit last month, but they got shut down before I could visit... I cannot find a rescue within 5 hours of where I live, so that's out. All of the rescues that i have found have been to far away for me to adopt from. I am involved in animal rescue, mainly dogs and cats. I haven't been as active lately, unfortunately, due to moving and being pretty busy trying to get enrolled in college and working full time, etc. I used to help with volunteering, fostering, transporting, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed it and two of my dogs are from the Humane Society. I will never purchase a dog again. (Nor will I purchase a cat, but I'm not a big fan of cats anyway.) In working through rescues, I realize just how many dogs there are that need homes, etc. Although there aren't quite as many parrots, there are still many out there that need homes.

After thinking on this for awhile, I decided to just browse Kijiji. As I was browsing, I happened to come across an ad for a Goffin's Cockatoo. Now, when I first set out to get a parrot, I completely ruled out all Cockatoos. There is so much stigma attached to Cockatoos that I didn't want to take on that challenge. Then I stopped at a store and saw a Galah Cockatoo and thought I'd do just a bit more research. I did, and somehow came across Goffin's Cockatoos. I love their size, the way they look, their playfulness, their affection, etc. Since they are smaller Cockatoos, it is said that they are a bit "easier" than the larger ones. This is largely debated, I have noticed. Some sources say that Goffin's are smaller, quieter, and much less work than the larger Cockatoos. Some other sources say that Goffin's are even harder than an Umbrella Cockatoo. I think some of this is attributed to just what people think and the fact that they are stuck in their ways without even experiencing a Goffin's, but I believe that most of this is because, like each person and each bird, all Goffin's are different. I think it is most important to look at an individual bird than a whole species.

Anyway, I came across this ad for a male Goffin's Cockatoo about 2.5 hours away from where I live. The ad described him as sweet, snuggly, loves head scratches, etc. I decided to give it a shot (even if it was a shot in the dark) and e-mail the person who put up the ad. I got an e-mail back within a couple hours from her and she gave me a bit more information about him. His name is Ricco. He is 8 years old and she has had him for 4 years. He does the usual flock calls in the evening, but other than that he is apparently pretty quiet. (As quiet as a Cockatoo can be!) He likes head scratches and to be where people are. According to her, he talks, sings, and dances, which I have found is pretty common for Goffin's. Now, I don't know how much of this is true or exaggerated, but I decided I had nothing to lose. I asked for some pictures of him and she sent me some. He is literally the cutest bird I have ever seen. I fell in love with his pictures and decided I had to at least go meet him. After some back and forth e-mailing since we couldn't seem to find a date that worked for both of us, we decided on June 9th.

In his pictures, I can see that it looks like he is a bit of an over-preener. I don't see any bald patches, but his feathers are definitely a bit ragged. I believe this might be due to the fact that his cage is a bit small, he is on a seed diet, and/or he may not be getting enough baths or sunlight.

I am going to meet Ricco this Saturday. His owner seems confident that I am a good match for him. I am so excited to meet him! I can't stop thinking about his adorable face. I can only hope, dream, and wish that he likes me just as much. As people with birds know, birds are not like dogs. Birds are very choosy about who they like, so I am really going to try to get a bird that "picks" me and that clicks/meshes with me well. I am really hoping that it's Ricco.

First Visit With A Bird Person

I went to visit a man last weekend. He has parrots, falcons, hawks, eagles, chickens, etc. I had such a great time!

We found his place and drove up. We didn't see anyone around, so we went ahead and rang his doorbell. Nothing. I was getting a bit worried that he wasn't home or something! Finally, we heard a "Hello?" coming from around back, so we ventured back there. The first thing we saw was a falcon sitting on a perch under a tree. She was gorgeous! We met him and he was just as nice as he was on the phone! He didn't waste any time and took us over to the falcon and picked her up. Let us kind of look at her and let me feel her talons. He then took us over to where a Greenwing Macaw was sitting on top of his cage outside. I think he had just had a bath and was basking and drying out in the sun. He said he was nice, but didn't like men. He got him down off the cage after a few attempts, and the GW let me give him scritches. After that, he showed us two Bufon (sp?) Macaws that kept wanting to step up and blushing at us. 

After some talking, we went back into where his aviaries were. When we first walked in, he explained how everything was set up so that we wouldn't be taken by surprise if a bird happened to fly at us or something. We went back and the first thing we saw was a HUGE Golden Eagle. She was SO beautiful! He picked her up and held her for us. Then, we went back to the first aviary, which held two Peregrine Falcons. That one had a clutch of babies and he removed one and let me hold and interact with it for a bit. The baby was humongous! Haha I didn't think the baby would be that big! 

After all of that, we went and toured the rest of the aviaries. He had Peregrine Falcons and Gyrfalcons. They were so gorgeous. Some of them were strictly breeders/hunting birds and some of them were more of pets, he referred to them as "imprint" birds. One of them even played fetch with him. It was so much fun. After seeing some one day old hatchling falcons, we moved on to his parrots. He has breeding pairs of Umbrella Cockatoos, Molluccan Cockatoos, Greenwing Macaws, and Blue Throated Macaws! The Umbrellas weren't much for people and went straight into their nestbox and didn't come back out. The male Molluccan was in the nest box, but the female used to be a pet and came out and watched us. The male Greenwing was wild, but the female used to be a pet and can talk. He said when she gets a bit stressed (like she was with strangers in there) she reverts back to more of her pet life. She would repeat "Pretty Birdy!" over and over. The male would then get angry with her. It was neat to watch. The Blue Throated Macaws were my favorite in that room because I had never seen that species before! It was very interesting. He told us they were very smart and they were the only ones that had to have a padlock on their cage!

All of his birds were in great feather and seemed very healthy. The female Greenwing had her head plucked a bit, and he explained that during breeding season the male over grooms the female, and then once breeding season is over she goes back to being fully feathered. I thought that was pretty interesting. 

After this, and after visiting with his chickens, we went into his house to sit down for a bit and talk. He let me borrow one of his books on parrots, which I really appreciated! He was more into birds of prey, obviously, than parrots. And more in to breeding than the pet trade. We talked for another hour or so about what I was interested in, etc. He also had Cuban Amazons, but they are being housed at a friend's home because they needed a quieter environment. He talked to me about some rescuers that he knows as well as some breeders and gave me their name and numbers, which I thought was very nice of him. We got along great, and I had the best time that I have had in a very long time! 

As we went to leave, we went to visit the Greenwing Macaw one more time. His name is Bandito. We went up to his cage and the man (I'm not mentioning his name just in case he doesn't want it mentioned) decided to try and get him to step up again. Like he had said before, Bandito doesn't like men and kept lunging at him. He finally got him to step up and Bandito let me pet him again. My girlfriend tried to pet him and he went to bite her. He let me scratch and scratch him for awhile, until finally the man asked me if I wanted to hold him. I said yes, even though I've never held such a big bird! He was huge! I asked him to step up and he came right to me. I kept giving him scritches on his head and after awhile of this, he laid his head on my chest and cuddled with me! Oh my goodness, my heart melted. I've never really been a big fan of Macaws, but this guy hooked me. I fell in love with him. He loved me, too, it seemed. Cuddled with me for a few minutes and if anyone else tried to come close, he lunged at them! He was gorgeous and sooo sweet. 


Like I said, I had an awesome time. I am planning on meeting with a bird breeder next weekend, as well as a lady with 16 parrots! I will post here about my experiences with them as well.  I will add pictures when I get home! 

Hiking With Paulie

Most people think of someone who is "spoiled" and someone who likes to hike as two very different people. And I get called "spoiled" at least once a day. Now, I don't think that I'm really spoiled. You see, I have a fiance. We'll call her M. M and I have been together for almost 4 years now. We live together. I have a very assertive and dominant personality and she does not. She's very submissive and passive, and because of this, we get along very well. It's just a given that in our relationship I usually am the one to take the wheel and do things, make decisions, etc. Obviously I consult her about every decision that needs to be made, but in the end, since I have the more dominant personality, it's just how it is. Our friends are always commenting on this, and honestly, to outsiders it probably looks like a not so nice relationship that we have here. But to us, it's what works. It's just how it is in our relationship.

Anyway, so after people see how she treats me (she jokingly refers to me as "Princess," as do my other friends) they are astonished to discover that I am a very outdoorsy type person. I love hiking, I love getting dirty. I love bike riding. I love walking, running, swimming, canoeing, working out, playing on jungle gyms, rock climbing, etc. You name it. If it involves being outside and/or exercising, I'm there! Hiking, aside from swimming, is my very favorite. Especially if there are no trails. I am thankful that we just moved to a house with acres upon acres of woods in the back. I've only been out there once so far, and it was so much fun. I went with my brother and we made our way through the dense forest together. We found some very beautiful and interesting plants, and I even fell in a hole. It was so much fun to discover the plants, nature, and wildlife in our area. I also bike ride at least 3 times a week, for at least 8 miles at at time.

Here are some pictures I took the other day in the woods behind our house:

How does this pertain to parrots? Well, I am hoping that once my parrot and I develop a bond, I will be able to take him or her outside with me. I plan on buying a harness (I am still undecided about clipping) and taking them with me hiking/walking.

Have you ever seen the movie Paulie? It's a lovely movie (starring the Pepsi girl) about a parrot. He's a Blue Crowned Conure named Paulie. *SPOILER ALERT* He is originally purchased for a young girl (I know, not a good idea, but in the movie she takes very good care of him) named Marie. Marie has a speech impediment and her parents aren't very nice about it. So, she uses Paulie as a friend and a teacher. Paulie can talk. Not mimic, but actually talk. But he only talks to those who he thinks deserves it. He teaches Marie how to speak better, but he is too afraid to fly. So one day, Marie tries to teach him how and she falls off her roof. After that, her parents decide to get rid of Paulie. He is bounced around different homes for years and years until finally he gets back to Marie as an adult. They live happily ever after!

Anyway, that whole paragraph had a point. Really, it did! In that movie, there is a scene where Marie is taking Paulie all around her back yard and pointing to things. She'll point, and Paulie will ask, "What's that?" Marie would then respond with the correct answer: "Flower, chair, rock." Paulie learns the words. I would love to do this with my bird. Just take them around the yard, around the house, around the woods, the park, etc. and teach them things. It's one of the things I am looking forward to most about having a bird.

In fact, I am really looking forward to teaching my bird a lot of things. Tricks, for instance. My Chihuahua has been trained (by myself) to obey over 40 commands. She's only a year old. I love teaching her, and I use positive reinforcement, so I think I am at least a bit prepared for teaching a bird. And I feel that birds can do so much more than dogs. (No offense to dogs or anything.) I just can't wait to teach my bird all kinds of things!

I can only hope that my bird bonds to me as much as I know I will bond to him/her!

Pick A Parrot!

I wish I could pick a parrot already. Okay, not THE parrot, although that would be nice too. I wish I could just pick a species! I am pretty active on one specific parrot forum, and I am quite sure that everyone there is absolutely sick and tired of me whining about the fact that, for the life of me, I cannot pick a species and stick to it!

At the very beginning, I was sure I wanted a Cockatiel. I read a book on Cockatiels, and then decided against one.

Then I found Marnie on YouTube. Marnie is a blue Indian Ringneck Parakeet. I decided I just had to have one like him!

Then I changed my mind again and decided a Green Cheeked Conure was right for me.

Then it was a Peach Faced Lovebird.

After that, I moved onto a Senegal.

After reading that Senegals were less docile than Meyer's, I was stuck on a Meyer's.

After reading that Meyer's were more like cats and Conures were more like dogs, I was back on a Green Cheeked Conure.

After deciding that Green Cheeked Conures were a bit too small for my taste, I decided a Blue Crowned Conure would suit me much better.

Then I visited a pet store in another city and saw a gorgeous Rose-Breasted Cockatoo. I was sure that this was way out of my league, but decided to do research on them anyway. I was stuck on a Galah (Rose-Breasted Cockatoo) for awhile, until...

...I discovered a Goffin's Cockatoo! But, after reading about how neurotic Cockatoos can be, I got a bit scared off of Cockatoos, and decided that...

...An Amazon parrot might be better for me. First, I went with the one I have heard of the most often. A Double Yellow Headed Amazon.

I then read that DYHAs are one of the "hot three" Amazons, so I decided to go with a Lilac-Crowned Amazon instead.

After widening my horizons a bit, I found that a Mealy Amazon would be pretty neat too.

I then went to another pet store and saw a Vasa Parrot there, and was stuck on those for a short while.

After the Vasa Parrot, I was back to flip-flopping between species again.

Then, just last week, I went into my local pet store and saw a beautiful Red-Lored Amazon. I had no clue they were so small! I was then stuck on Red-Loreds.

I then got to thinking about African Grey parrots, and thought one of those might be a great companion...


Which brings me to the present. Welcome back! Now, I usually am stuck on one species for an entire day, and then I wake up the next morning on the other side of the spectrum. One day, I decide that a Blue Crowned Conure is definitely the way to go. I just know I won't change my mind. The next morning, I'll wake up, go to brush my teeth, and think, "Hey! I think a Mealy Amazon is a much better choice!"

Alas, after doing all of my research on each individual species that I have ever been interested in, (because yes, I do that) I have decided that each bird is an individual, I keep reading that. So, I have decided to just try not to dwell on "species" so much as "bird." I want a parrot, we all know that much! So, I am going to ask the experienced people that I am visiting for their opinions of what species might best fit me. And, if after all of that, I still can't decide on a species... Why, then, I will just wait and let the bird pick me!

I Want A Parrot

I want a parrot.

This is all my friends and family have been listening to for the past year or so. I want a parrot, but I refuse to simply go out and purchase a parrot. Most people who want something go to the store and buy it (if they have the means, of course). Not me. When I decide I want something, whether it be a car, a bicycle, a book, a movie, lotion, or an animal, I never simply go out and buy it. Oh, no. I must read about it first. I must find every book on the subject at the library and at the book stores. I must travel distances to have experience first. I must look up reviews or otherwise research on the internet. I must, or I feel as though I may have made a bad decision.

Call me crazy, but I believe this is the proper way to do things. For instance, what would happen if you wanted a horse and just went out and bought it? Then what? How would you get it home? When you did get it home, where would you put it? What would you feed it? How would you groom it? Now, a horse is a bit of an extreme example because they are so large and, some would say, high maintenance. But why don't people think of hamsters in this way? How would you get a hamster home after your spur of the moment decision? You would probably pop it in a box and be on your way. But is this the proper way to transport a hamster? If you did your research before hand, you would find that a hamster can easily chew its way through a box. When you did get it home, where would you put it? You would probably put the hamster in a fish tank, or perhaps even a plastic hamster cage. If you did your research, you would find that a fish tank doesn't provide enough stimulation for a poor hamster. What would you feed it? I'm betting you would feed your hamster some type of hamster seed mix from the pet store. Or, worse yet, you would feed it some bread and water. If you had done your research, though, you would find that these things are not suitable for a hamster, no matter what the pet stores and T.V. commercials would have you believe.

Do you see what I mean? People make impulse decisions all of the time. It's really not a big deal when the impulse buy is on shoes or a blouse. But it is a big deal when the impulse buy is on an animal. An animal is a living, breathing creature. It is not a blouse that can be tossed in the trash or given to a friend when you find out it's not the right color, or perhaps it is too big. The worst part is that people usually impulse buy puppies at pet stores. The average person may not think too much of this. However; If one was to do the necessary research that should be done before acquiring a dog, they would learn that pet store puppies come from puppy mills. If you don't know what a puppy mill is, Google it.

Boy, have I gotten off topic. I'll probably do that from time to time. Anyway, I want a parrot. I decided I wanted a parrot about a year and a half ago. Since then, I've been reading up on them. I have joined multiple forums (some bad, some good), read too many books to count, read way too many websites to count, and have visited numerous pet stores to try and soak up as much experience as I can. I can almost guarantee that I have put in more research into parrots than half (or more) of the typical owners out there. And it's not a chore to me. No, not at all! I love it! I have more fun researching parrots than hanging out with friends. Not so typical of a nineteen year old, would you say?

Well, that brings me to another point. I don't like people. I won't get too much into this, maybe another day, or perhaps another blog. But I do not like people. I think it mostly comes from living around them. (Haha, just kidding) I really think it comes from working in animal rescue and seeing what people are capable of, and what they choose to do to "lesser" beings. I would much rather spend my time on the internet, by myself, or hanging out with my animals, my three dogs.

Which is why, like I said, I would rather read about parrots than hang out with friends or go to the mall. I would rather educate myself on something I am interested in than go and mindlessly (and aimlessly) walk around the mall for two hours.

I have been researching parrots for awhile now, and it has gotten to the point where everything textbook is boring to me. I have read everything when it comes to general knowledge, like what is written in most books. I have also done my research on specific species of parrots that I am interested in. I am now at the point where the only thing left to do is browse forums, ask questions, and visit rescues/stores/breeders. I am planning on visiting a man who raises babies soon, hopefully around the beginning of June. I am also scheduled to visit a man who raises parrots, falcons, hawks, and eagles! I am very excited for this trip, which is this weekend. I will update here after, hopefully with pictures! Other than those two sources, I visit a bird store that is about an hour away from where I live frequently. I try to go every weekend, but sometimes that is not possible, obviously, what with life getting in the way and all.

This blog will be about my journey. I believe the journey is all the fun, not the destination. So, this blog will be about my journey in researching parrots, and finally, hopefully, acquiring my lifelong companion. After I do acquire him or her, this blog will be about the journey through taming the parrot, training the parrot, and our lives together.

Wish me luck!