Adjusting is hard, but I'll always love you

Caitcultclassic

New member
Aug 26, 2019
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Percy the RB2
Yoshi was a rambunctious 9 year old little devilā€”he ruled the house and he knew it. I have cats and dogs and they all begged and listen to the all-powerful Quaker. He somehow convinced my dogs his food was dog-treats, and often had them begging and doing tricks for him. The cats ignored him, and in my book that's basically owning the cats.
Yoshi didnā€™t like to fly, he preferred to run on the ground or be carried everywhere. Unless there was food he really wanted. I actually, for the first year didn't think Yoshi would even fly at all. He would glide a lot, but never take off. He proved us so wrong. My mom was eating some jam filled cookies, and was walking toward the living room. Yoshi had a bird stand by where I usually sat and we would hang out there. Suddenly Yoshi was flying! He grabbed the cookie out of my momā€™s hand and flew back to his stand. We were both dumbfounded. We thought he was too weak to fly, nonetheless pick up a cookie half his weight and fly with it. I was so shocked I didnā€™t immediately take it away, so he bit it, then dropped it. And had this smug look on his face like ā€œyeah, I just did thatā€. He really never flew unless it was food driven, and you couldnā€™t predict when he would want something.
Except for mashed potatoes. They were, for some godforsaken reason, were his favorite. I mean, I canā€™t really blame him, but he wasnā€™t allowed to have ā€œpeople foodā€ (we gave him fruit and veggies but they were the birds food, not the people food). He knew this, but man he was willing to risk it all for some mashed potatoes. I didnā€™t realize how much he loved them until one day we were making them, and he was in a different room on his stand, but he smelt his favorite food and next thing I know I have a bird nearly head diving into a pot of steaming food. He landed on my arm, thank god, but after that he was put up every time we decided to make something with potatoes.
When it came to eating things, I always had to watch him. Usually he was good, but he had some habits that surprised me (and we either had to get out of him or take away completely). The first one, was the dog food. He liked to ninja run to the dogā€™s food bowl and just throw the pellets all over the floor. Then chase after the dogs. This would happen in 10 seconds (I swear he was the bird version of the flash). He also, for some reason, thought the dogā€™s water bowl was better than his. Whenever new water was put in he would run over and try to drink itā€”with the problem of animal saliva I did my best to stop it, but you know how Quakers can be. He then would be super sneaky about it, and if you managed to catch him half way there, he would just turn around and climb back to his stand looking defeated. He always knew when he was doing something he shouldn't, but didn't care unless he was caught.
He also loved juice boxes, and this was a super rare treat for him, since he liked to drink out of the straw he only ever got a few drops, but man he really like Hawaiian punch. And yes, he had to drink it out of the strawā€”and I donā€™t know why. This was a super rare treat, and it made him happy (plus it was adorable to watch).
He also, we quickly learned, liked soap. I would take him in the bathroom when I would shower, and he would usually have his own bath then. One day he discovered Dial, and only Dial. He wouldn't eat it, just rip it up. But it isnā€™t fun trying to wash soap out of a birdā€™s beak. From them on the soap went up, because a few times he would go after it. He also thought the faucet was magic, whenever water came out he would get so excited. It was so much fun to see him get fascinated at this small thing.
The strangest thing about him though was that besides these house hold objects he would only play with ladders. I tried all the toys of all sizes throughout his entire life. And he only likes to play with ladders. At first I thought he was using them as nesting tools, but he wasnā€™t. I noticed a pattern, and he only got upset if I took them apart if he was in the middle of a ā€œpieceā€. I swear this bugger was making art out of these ladders. He would interlock them, break them, and use them to make something. If he was done, I could take it apart, if he wasnā€™t it was as if I destroyed his masterpiece. He never got truly territorial with them, so Iā€™m sure they werenā€™t used a nesting materials. He also got upset if you taunted him with the ladders. He would gift them to you for a small period of time, but you always had to give them back. Iā€™ll never understand this, but he loved them, and I loved him for it.
Yoshi loved morning cuddles, and even though he loved the mornings he knew I didnā€™t and let me sleep in on tough days. On sick days he even let me go as late as 11 am, so long as I opened up his cage. But then he would kick me out. Yoshi demanded alone time. Every day from between 11ish to 3ish, Yoshi wanted to be alone in his space. I could get it. In fact it was nice cause I could go to school or hang out with friends without feeling guilty. I think this came from me getting him while I was still in middle school, and he just kept up with this schedule. Even though he was my bird, my mother was lovely enough to help out.
Yoshi hated my brother all animals love and loved my brother all animals donā€™t. My brother Niko just couldnā€™t accept it. It took 4 years for him to be okay with my brother sitting next to him, and 7 for him to pet him. My other brother Jesse could hold him from day 1, it made a nice and strange brotherly competition.
I have guilt, because I was gone a lot for the last 4 years of his life. I was in college and came home on weekends and breaks. I was also in Japan for a year studying abroad. I assumed ā€œwhatā€™s a few years when heā€™ll have so many more with me after this?ā€. I was finally going to live out of a dorm, and had a bird friendly-ish apartment. He was going to come with me. I made my class schedule around him, I planned my job around him. He was going to be with me forever now. But then he wasnā€™t.

10 amazing days after I got back from Japan Yoshi passed away suddenly due to cluster seizures. We donā€™t know why. He went to a specialized avian yet every 6 months, and had bloodwork done every year. He basically died in my arms, we did take him to an emergency vet, which was also his normal vet office, but by the time he arrived you could tell he was just so out of it. And they were happening so rapidly, as soon as one stopped another began. I think he knew. The last day he had been more cuddly than normal, and right before bed he had been avoidant. Trying to hide, I look back and akin it to how a cat acts at the end of its life. Iā€™m sure he knew. Luckily I was awake, because I didnā€™t hear him in his cafĆ© until close to 11pm. I normally would have been asleep. At first I thought he juts was up and playing, but the second time I heard strange noises I checked on him.

Iā€™m so grateful for the time I had with him, but I miss him so much. I keep thinking ā€œyou should be here with meā€, and I feel guilty. But thatā€™s just because I love him so much, and always will love him so much. He was honestly the best thing that happened to me, and Iā€™m adjusting to life without him slowly and hard. But he deserves to be remembered as the adorable goofball who would conveniently laugh while standing on top of my math homework. As the fearless Quaker who ran the house. As the mashed potato loving fiend. As my best friend.

I still hear him, and I do believe his spirit is still with me.
Rest easy my little fluffer-nutter, Iā€™ll be with you soon <3.
 

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Jen5200

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2017
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Baby - Sun Conure;
Tango - GCC;
Bindi - Sun Conure;
Stanley - Pineapple GCC;
Screamer Ć¢ā‚¬Å“ScreeĆ¢ā‚¬ļæ½ - Cockatiel;
Tee - Pineapple GCC; Jimmy - Cockatiel
Iā€™m so sorry for your loss, I can tell you loved him dearly.
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
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USA
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Full house
What a wonderful tribute to Yoshi.
May the memories always be a light in your heart,..thank you for sharing with us.
 

wrench13

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Parrot of the Month šŸ†
Nov 22, 2015
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Yellow Shoulder Amazon, Salty
Oh No! I can see hoe much Yosje meant to you.
Becasue its medical issue, I am making a donation to Cornell Univ Parrot and bird studies, in Youshi's name. He will be rembered. I can sendyou the little thank you note they send to me every time I make a donation. I am really sorry for you and him.

Wrench and Salty
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
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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.
Thank you for sharing a beautiful and moving tribute to Yoshi. I hope posting will be cathartic, may you find comfort with his sweet memories.
 

GaleriaGila

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month šŸ†
May 14, 2016
15,045
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The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
Thank you for sharing that beautiful memoir with us. Now we can all listen for his little fluffer-nutter noises. He was really one of a kind, wasn't he?

This may sound completely weird, but...

I don't like country music much, nor vintage/classic music, usually, but Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" just popped into my mind. I'd like to share with you.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDqqm_gTPjc"]Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You - 1974 - YouTube[/ame]
 

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