Meet My Birds!

Know may know me as a plant (specifically orchid) lover but I also have quite a few pets as well!

My birds are one of my favorites but they can be a challenge so I thought I’d introduce mine to you and tell you a little about parrots!

Cookie (Picture 1) is a 30 year old Quaker parrot. I adopted him around 2 years ago when I was living in nyc. He came from a wonderful home that unfortunately could no longer care for him. Since I had experience with birds I offered to take him and give him a home for the rest of his life. He has been a wonderful and lazy bird. He will sit wherever I put him for hours. He talks a little bit, he says “good boy” and “cookie boy” when he gets excited along with a few other varieties of those.

Cookie can’t fly so he often waits for me to come and get him and bring him places.

Jersey (Picture 2) I got when she was 9 months old as a graduation present from my parents. I had previously adopted and fostered a few other birds at that point and wanted one bird that grew up with me and my rules as it’s easier to train if they start young. Jersey sadly didn’t get a bit of socialization with other people during the pandemic and is now very particular with who she likes. She is a moody girl but will do anything to be on me for as long as she can. I absolutely love her and she keeps my life very interesting! She can open her own cage and loves to wander into places she shouldn’t go. Not all birds are the cuddly ones you see on social media. In fact that’s a pretty small minority. Jersey can be but definitely has her moods.

I had previously had a cockatiel, sun conure, and budgies. They were all adopted from other people and while I love adopting and fostering but it’s hard to get them especially towards the end of their lives.

Birds and parrots especially are massive responsibility’s and shouldn’t be adopted lightly. That’s why I have gotten so many birds. People don’t want to care for a bird.

These birds are highly intelligent (generally around the intelligence of a 2-3 year old human) and need a lot of things to do. They are also extremely messy. Their beaks are made to destroy and chew things so they break toys and constantly need new ones to keep them happy. I generally rotate toys every week or 2. This also means they are VERY messy eaters. They drop about half of their food on the ground.

They are LOUD. Because of this these animals aren’t the best for apartments. They also need a lot of direct interaction. Around 2 hours of playing with them a day. That is out of the cage training or playing or sitting on you. It’s a lot more work than a dog or cat.

For me their personalities are worth the work but I also did about a year of research before adopting my first bird. Smaller parrots lifespans average 10-30 years while the larger ones can be 30-80 years so these animals are very long term commitments.

Think about future housing, finances, where they will go if something happens to you. These animals often outlive their owners (I have gotten 2 for that reason) and family often doesn’t want it or know what to do with it.

I love these animals but they need a lot of research and dedication to keep them happy. But I love them.

#lemon8diarychallenge