Happy belated Gotcha Day Tucker!

Bad dad, I missed Tucker's gotcha day! January 12th, my boy Tucker has been with us for a whole year. He's come so far. A year ago, he had one tail feather, his wings were badly barbered and partly clipped, and he flew about as well as a rock. Still, he was an outgoing little guy. I have read so many stories about Ekkies being perch potatoes, but that's definitely not Tucker. He's on the go, all the time.

Fast forward a year... His tail has grown back in all its beauty, and almost all of his barbered/broken/clipped wing feathers are replaced. He loves to fly so much! He flies laps around the house for fun, and had his first "glide and swoop" a few weeks ago. Absolutely amazing to see! (He has about 50 feet from far side of the kitchen to his cage, and 17 foot ceilings) He continues to be"Mr. Personality" and loves pretty much everyone. In April, Baxter our YNA joined us, the object of Tucker's affection, however, she wants nothing to do with him. He still tries... In the interest of safety, I juggle the out of cage time between them.

All in all, Tucker has become the sweetest, most amazing little boy I could ask for. I still miss Patches every day, but Tucker and Baxter, with their unique and wonderful personalities have worked their magic in helping to fill the void. Love my birdies!

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Tucker is a gorgeous parrot! And I see his lively happy eyes. Happy gotcha day!!! Does he live in a skyscraper like Baxter?;?!

Laurasea said:

Tucker is a gorgeous parrot! And I see his lively happy eyes. Happy gotcha day!!! Does he live in a skyscraper like Baxter?;?!

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Thank you! Actually, yes, Tucker's cage is the same size as Baxter's, except sort of a dome top instead of flat. That's why I always felt bad about the little cage Baxter was in. Now they both have their mansions. Thank goodness I have a living room with enough space for them! Don't look at the mess on the bottom, he's been busy today, and he's a total slob with his veggies!

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Wow is a nice mansion! It's so awesome that you rescued both of these lucky parrots!!!

He a gorgeous parrot.

Laurasea said:

Wow is a nice mansion! It's so awesome that you rescued both of these lucky parrots!!!

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The lucky one is me! It's a bit of work, but they make life so much better. Totally worth it.

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Smart man!

Awwww, so sweet, Tucker clearly loves his daddy. Happy Gotcha Day Tucker, you’re a beautiful boy and your mansion is bigger than my house!

Congratulations, you've worked wonders with Tucker the past year!

Happy gotcha day to both you and Tucker! You’re perfect for each other

Scott said:

Congratulations, you've worked wonders with Tucker the past year!

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Thanks Scott. He gets all the credit. I just follow his lead. He's so much fun, and wow! personality! After a nice Sunday at home, just before bedtime, he decided to "whisper in my ear." Total new behavior. Climbed up, beak against my cheek, and went "psh psh psh psh" over and over, like a letting the air out sound. So cute. The more I laughed, the more he did it. Little clown!

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Jen5200 said:

Happy gotcha day to both you and Tucker! You’re perfect for each other

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Thank you Jen. He is pretty perfect, and, well, Baxter is as well. Completely different personalities, but that's what makes it great. So glad they chose me. I do wish Baxter would tolerate Tucker, so they could be out at the same time, but at least this way they get individual time/attention as much as possible. Tucker does get jealous of the attention, especially when it's Baxter's shower time.

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"whisper in my ear." Total new behavior. Climbed up, beak against my cheek, and went "psh psh psh psh" over and over, like a letting the air out sound. So cute. "

That sound my Quaker and GCC make, and it is a very special sound. I've taken it to mean "I love you". Now you make me think it might be a universal parrot word I sometimes make that sound first to my parrots, and the response in their behavior is immediate! They freeze get a happy look, lean in to rub faces, give kisses, poof for head scratches...

Laura, definitely not a universal sound. It felt truly special. We use the shh shh shh sound along with some gentle bouncing to help settle our 1 yr old granddaughter when she's upset. I'm thinking Tucker saw that I was a little stressed at the moment, and wanted to make me feel better. Goofball! It worked :-D They're so much more perceptive than we realize sometimes.

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Thank you kindly Mr Boats! While I was lacking in my parrontal duties by missing the date, we made up for it with a nice shared breakfast at the table. He had his own little bowl of oatmeal and some bird friendlier cereal. (Since he started by trying to steal my older son's food- not bird healthy stuff)

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Happy VERY Belated Gotcha Day, Tucker!

So sorry I'm late on this! Tucker is looking more vibrant and beautiful than ever! He's thriving under your care, my friend. Please give him some extra scritches for me.

I can't believe I missed this, Happy Belated Gotcha Day Tucker!!
Tucker looks amazing! You have totally changed his life, he looks like a different boy now. You two were definitely meant to find each other.

Hard to believe you have already had him a year, how time flies!

Thank you Stephen, scritches complete! Although only in the tolerated form of front to back and beak rubs. (Ekkies- don't mess up my "doo" lol)

I have you to thank for much of the knowledge I've gained about best care for him!

Terry, thank you too! It's been an amazing year with him. He trusted me quite a bit early on, but now... Wow! He's my little cling-on whenever he's out of the cage. I mean, beak in the face, kiss me now, all the time, cling-on. (Except when it's breakfast time and something yummy went in the bowl... Bye, Dad!)

The funny thing now is seeing an Ekkie with his tail. I'm not used to it, but I'm so happy it came in. It's beautiful, and I have to tell him so every day.

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saxguy64 said:

Thank you Stephen, scritches complete! Although only in the tolerated form of front to back and beak rubs. (Ekkies- don't mess up my "doo" lol)

I have you to thank for much of the knowledge I've gained about best care for him!

Terry, thank you too! It's been an amazing year with him. He trusted me quite a bit early on, but now... Wow! He's my little cling-on whenever he's out of the cage. I mean, beak in the face, kiss me now, all the time, cling-on. (Except when it's breakfast time and something yummy went in the bowl... Bye, Dad!)

The funny thing now is seeing an Ekkie with his tail. I'm not used to it, but I'm so happy it came in. It's beautiful, and I have to tell him so every day.

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My pleasure! I'm glad I was able to help in any way, but the care and the work and the love was all you, my friend. And it shows!

And so true with that, "Don't mess up my 'doo'" bit! Diet may be the biggest difference ekkies have with most parrots, but I'd wager their hatred of back-to-front petting would come in a very close second! Lol! I barely remember what it was like to pet a bird that way. (Not since my 'tiel passed back in 2011.)