Preface ....
I lost my heart to Parrots years ago but it came from a sort of 'pretzel logic'. Having put yet another aged dog to sleep (with a few 19-20 year old cats preceding - grief beyond measure to lose an animal as you know), I'd said to my husband: "Next time I'm going to get a parrot - something I KNOW will outlive me - I can't go through this again" :(
Choosing to bring a companion bird into your life is NOT a capricious decision. Getting a parrot is like marriage: For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness in health, etc... Of course you also have to add the caveat: "in flung food and poop, molting and grooming, screeching and biting, 'til death do you part". Take my word: If you are not prepared for the whole tamale, and this after reading everything you can get your hands on about keeping and training parrots, and find it hard to imagine the SAME pet in your life for 15-75 YEARS, 'el Paso' on this option for an animal companion. Still, they'd intrigued me for years, greatly admiring both their beauty and intelligence - and armed with just enough knowledge to be dangerous, I purchased my first parrot; a lovely Umbrella Cockatoo which I named "Nani" (Hawaiian for 'beautiful' ~ which she most certainly is) Nani's temperament made Parrot training look like a walk in the park, but more about that later. She was naturally gentle in spirit, intelligent, an oh so cuddly, if you can imagine :) Cockatoos are by nature 'Love Sponges' but if one is not self-disciplined enough NOT to hold them 24/7 when first acquired (which will BE your natural inclination if you don't know better because they are SO adorable), your little 'Too' will go from Love Sponge to Velcro Bird to SCREAMING, FEATHER PLUCKING, NEUROTIC NIGHTMARE in a matter of weeks .... But I digress ~
And Then There Was One ....
I found 'Nani' at a pet store, or should I say she found me, when she was 3 months old (and I do believe the adage that we do not pick our birds, rather our birds pick us) and she had me at 'Hello'. A tiny little fluff of white feathers and silky down; not quite on all solids yet. Her brown eyes gave credence to her girlie-ness as did her petite stature, but is was the little beaky 'smile' (and YES, birds do smile!), the look of unabashed love in those limpid eyes that had me knowing it was Birdie/Owner kismet ~ she would be mine. I continued to visit her every day to hold and bond and play ~ counting the days until she could come home. I also had benefit of an experienced breeder/shop owner with 30 years of parrot raising, 'Roberta' became my mentor ~ Sensei to my "Grasshoppah" ~ teaching and preparing me (as much as a neophyte can absorb) for feeding, caring, cleaning and entertaining this little Too. I busied myself readying our home for her, chuckling at the fact that I'd spent just about the same money on my firstborn's nursery~ The roomy cage; the toys; cuddly tent; concrete, manzanita, rope perches; floor perch, birdie bean mash mixes and diced papaya; sprays for bathing and grooming; cage disinfectants; 10 pounds of Parrot Raising/Training books which I devoured nightly to be Parrot Mommy ready for my new arrival :) Then there was my husband and kids - curious, open but not completely wowed about the whole Parrot concept. I'd heard the whispers of "Mommy's mid-life crises, keeping her busy and out of the malls", etc.... No matter! With parrot paraphernalia in place, roadblocks cleared and the Parrot Boot Camp I'd put my husband and kids through behind me - EVERYBODY was ready for the big day. I was possessed! Prepared! Armed and Educated! ...
Then ~ My Baby came home ... and I was terrified! Every squeak and squawk brought me running! Did she eat enough? Did she eat TOO much? Don't hold her so tight! Hold her tight enough to make her feel safe! Should poop be that color? Where did the rest of that toy go! GET the dogs away! Is she choking?regurgitating? yawning? I needed a "Red Phone" like the White House, direct line to breeder only, on call 24/7 at a moment's notice! Thankfully, Roberta chose to see my angst as endearing rather than the rantings of a lunatic and answered each question and concern calmly. Within a few days I had confidence in all the basics. Little Nani Too did the hard part, calmly tolerating my clumsy but well-intended ineptitude with the same calmness and grace which hallmarks her nature 7 years later. together we fell into an easy rhythm, and fell in love, and she continues to entertain and enchant her family flock every single day ~
Coming up: Whose training who??!!!
