Yes, they really do notice when things change

Surfincr

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Nov 13, 2013
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Ziggy (African Grey) and Elvis B&G
So i've been debating on sharing this story but after posting the story about elvis i figured i'd share this one as well. My house has been affectionately called "the zoo" since the last bird came in. its been called this since we had 2 german shepherds, an old world black lab, an african grey, a blue and gold macaw and i have a bunch of truely tropical plants (banana's, strawberry guava, a dwarf orange tree, dragon fruit, yellow cactus pear, bird of paradise and a lot more)

unfortunately on june 19th we lost our black lab at 7 years old due to lyme nephritis (which turns out to only happen when the dog has an underlying auto immune disease) after a 4 day stay at the hospital. unfortunately it caught us off guard since all the symptoms up to that point were not out of character, which made us realize he had long term underlying condition, which the vet never picked up on. As a side note this taught us, ALWAYS ask for a copy of the blood work and look it over. the day after we dropped him off at the hospital Ziggy (african grey) would throughout the day say "Rookie !"(the dogs name). Even after we lost him she would throughout call his name which unfortunately killed my wife as it was her first dog. i kept explaining to her zig knew he wasnt in the house and something was different. i did say to zig "rookie went bye bye" as zig does know when i walk out the door thats bye bye (she always yells out "bye bye, see ya later", but i always come back so it didnt help zig understand.

then of course 3 weeks later my female shepherd winds up staying overnight at the hospital due to diarrhea and vomiting (she has IBD which was kicked off by a vet visit 2 days prior). after leaving her at the hospital when i got home about a half hour later ziggy yells out "Nela!" and then does the "come here" whistle. then about an hour later zig yells out "Nela! come here!" this continued throughout the rest of the day and the next, until she came home. The good thing that came out of this was my wife finally realized birds really do understand when things change and zig really wasnt trying to upset her by saying his name, Zig really did want to know where he was and why he wasnt here.


Sorry for the book
 

JerseyWendy

New member
Jul 20, 2012
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Book? What book?? Please, Chris, don't apologize for this absolutely heart-warming story!! :)

Firstly: I am so sorry you and your wife lost your Rookie :( That had to have been so sad!!

Does Zig still ask for him/call him? And how's Nela doing now? Better I hope! My AmBull also has IBS, and it can be quite a PITA (literally).

Many years ago, after losing our first dog, "Dollar", a Golden Retriever, our Hunter asked for him for months to come. Six months after losing Dollar I lost my beloved cockatiel Sparky. To this day Hunter will imitate Sparky's whistling, accompanied by calling her name. It runs chills up and down my spine each time she does it. Yes, our animals are quite intuned with their environment, aren't they?
 
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Surfincr

New member
Nov 13, 2013
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Ziggy (African Grey) and Elvis B&G
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Book? What book?? Please, Chris, don't apologize for this absolutely heart-warming story!! :)

Firstly: I am so sorry you and your wife lost your Rookie :( That had to have been so sad!!

Does Zig still ask for him/call him? And how's Nela doing now? Better I hope! My AmBull also has IBS, and it can be quite a PITA (literally).

Many years ago, after losing our first dog, "Dollar", a Golden Retriever, our Hunter asked for him for months to come. Six months after losing Dollar I lost my beloved cockatiel Sparky. To this day Hunter will imitate Sparky's whistling, accompanied by calling her name. It runs chills up and down my spine each time she does it. Yes, our animals are quite intuned with their environment, aren't they?

Thank you, after treating Nela for a UTI she's doing much better. IBS is definitely a pain, normally she has the runs for a couple days and then is right back to normal this time however she made herself sick

Zig still does once and a while but its been awhile since she has. though she did use her favorite made up name this morning of "rookeelah" (rookie and nela combined). i should mention nela is said as "knee Lah"

you did just remind me though Zig learned rookies bark and howl, it was very funny to hear a bird howl but she had/has it down. She still does his howl here and there which is, as weird as it sounds, nice to hear since it reminds us of him in a good way
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
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San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
When Rachel died, her favorite amazon was absolutely inconsolable...

Every time they opened his cage, he went from room to room calling for her, by name, at the top of her lungs, for weeks on end...

I'd be on the phone with her mom, and all you could hear in the background was that bird screaming "Rachel! Rachel!"

Don't think for a single second they don't feel loss, or mourn... because they absolutely do...

When Tusk was gone for three weeks, Lila spent the entire time with her beak pressed up against the glass, looking for him to show up in our tree again...
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
They notice everything, but may or may not react. With some birds I must be very careful not to disturb the position of a perch after cleaning or it will cause angst.

Last night I had a very hard time placing Peanut (wild caught female Goffin) in her cage. It's a new dome-type cage with a frontal auxiliary door at top that drops 90 degrees parallel to the ground to form a small stand. It is secured closed with a rotating circular catch secured by a screw. It has never been opened in her presence, but earlier in the day somebody (probably Squeaky, her youngest son) dropped it open. I closed it and thought nothing further until it was night-time! I don't think she forgot it for a moment!
 

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