Manfred, my dear friend

[Manfred]

My beloved African Gray Timneh, Manfred, passed away on Oct. 31 after a 2 month illness. I posted the history of his illness on another forum,

(African Grey) Parrot Forum - Manfred's voice is not right

I had Manfred for 25 years or so, I got him when he was 2 and he was a wild little guy. But after working with him for a few years, we were inseparable. I truly know what an extreme bonding relationship with a bird can be. I am still crying daily, my wife just can't understand it.

I may get another parrot soon, hopefully that will help me get over this emptiness that is so profound. The house is so deathly quiet now.

Cherish your birds, they are truly a wonderful gift.

 

[osnyder]

I just read Manfreds and your story, now I'm weepy and so moved by how that forum supported you.

The last 2 years were our anni horribiles of pet loss-- our dog Moby, a rescued pomeranian, was lost suddenly, and our dear old long-haired black cat Rothko died of an untreatable tumor-- we had to have her put down. A hamster went to the other side, too.

Glad to have you here. You and Manfred had a pretty special thing going.

 

[suebee]

i am so sorry for your loss, there are no words

 

[noblemacaw]

I am very sorry for your loss. The pain of loosing a companion is so very much overwhelming. I lost my Diego this summer as he had a fatal stroke. The vet tried to save him but he arrested while she was in the attempt to restart his heart. When she told me he did not make it I demanded to see him. She brought me his body and I cried and held him for about hour and half. Dr. Blair held me as I cried for my companion of 9 years. My partner was stuck in rush hour but when she finally did make it to the vets she found me lying on the bench with Diego on my neck (He always laid on my neck when we were watching TV.)

Right now I am going through some serious health issues with my Noble Macaw Mihijo. He has very high cholesterol, enlarged heart and liver which is crowding his air sacs so he experiences labored breathing. I worry every day I will uncover my 16 year old parrot and find him dead. I read your story of Manfred's journey and it so reminds me of what I am going through with Mihijo.

When I lost Diego I did not think I could get another parrot. However Mihijo missed his friend so much it changed him. Now he is sick and we are going through this struggle. My partner did put a down payment and is paying off on a RFM from Texas. The breeder's current year's clutch is sold but will get a future bird from next years clutch. I am very grateful for my partner's kindness and generosity and am actually looking forward to having a baby in the house but at the same time I miss Diego so much and am constantly worried for my Mihijo that I stress out.

Please take my well wishes with you and grieve as you must. I understand what you are going through and hope that you can open your heart for another parrot companion. I am sure that day will come.

Take care,

Noblemacaw

 

[Spiritbird]

It s always a very sad thing when one of our family of birds dies. There are a few others here who have lost their African Grey bird also. They may be willing to offer you some experienced advice.

 

[Manfred]

Thanks for all the kind thoughts and words. I may go up north this weekend and see a 5 month old Yellow Nape Amazon, I know they can be a handful, but that is what may help me get over Manfred. I lived in Mexico several years ago and ended up with a household of Amazons, I was known as "el gringo loco". I would take parrots from Americans who were returning to the USA and give them a home. A lot of work, but so much fun having my flock greeting me whenever I came home.

I'll see how it works out. I joined this forum mainly because there is such a diverse group of bird owners here!

Thomas
Portland, Or.

 

[JensFlock]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It's hard to lose a friend. I think it's a great idea to look into getting another bird.
It will help to another another feathered one to love.

 

[Rio Mom]

Welcome to the forum. I am so very sorry for your loss. I read through that thread, and the love shown to you and Manfred was amazing. I know too well the way the deafening silence is. When Rio died, the silence was heartwrenching. While River of course doesn't "replace" Rio, he healed up the hole that was in my heart. Best of luck to you finding a new bird for your heart!

 

[Remy]

I'm sorry for your loss. :-(

 

[NatWatson]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Best of luck looking for a new friend. May Manfred now rest in eternal peace.

 

[lene1949]

Hi Thomas...

Just read your story on the Grey forum.... How sad! and how wonderful were the people with their emotional and financial support...

I lost my Quaker, Shrek, some time ago... The silence was deafening! About a month later I got a new bird, an Alexandrine... I couldn't even think of getting another quaker..

For the first time in my life I got a baby bird, which has been such a positive experience in my life.

I hope to have a quaker again one day, but it might be quite a while, yet...

 

[roxynoodle]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I lost my beloved Blue Crown at the end of October and I'm still crying all the time. It was a very sudden and unexpected stroke/brain bleed.

You should get another bird. I wasn't planning to at first as I still have my Nanday. But, she was depressed as well and not vocalizing much. A quiet Nanday is a strange thing. And she seemed to be getting worse instead of better. So I began looking for a new flock member. I found a nice, 28 year old Amazon, and my Nanday was immediately back to her old self the second I walked through the door with him. And I feel better as well with 2 noisy birds again. As it turned out, they are very similar in personality and love competing with each other for my attention.

I'm still grieving, but with 2 birds constantly interacting with me again, it helps. And there are a lot of nice birds out there who need a new home. I can understand not getting a baby bird again if you are getting up there in years. If that is the case, consider adopting an older one.

 

[Manfred]

I am glad you got another bird, it does help. I am still pretty emotional about the loss of Manfred, I can't talk about him much. It just sets me off, emotionally.

I did get another bird, a little Quacker Parrot. He needed a new home and a little understanding. His previous home had cats and toddlers, he is grateful to be in our quiet home, I'm sure! He is pretty noisy, but hopefully that will decrease as he gets used to his new home.

 

[noblemacaw]

I am so glad that you have a little friend to help you with the grief of loosing Manfred. I still am very emotional myself with the loss of my Illiger's macaw Diego. He was my friend, my companion and always made me smile.

I hope the Quaker brings you some comfort as he settles in. I bet you can tell right away he is glad to be away from all that chaos from his previous home. What is the new parrot's name?

Noblemacaw

 

[roxynoodle]

I'm glad you got a new bird.

I know also how you can't talk about the friend you lost yet. I can't either.

 

[Manfred]

The little Quaker is still unnamed, still thinking about it. But he's a really tame little guy, but NOISY!! He even started screaming at about 1am last night. We will see how this works out.

He can say quite a few words, good boy, thank you, come up, hi baby, plus the usual garbled chatter, which starts out soft and ends up into 106db screaming!! But if I put him in the cage a few times a day and partially cover him , he quiets down.

 

[beckybird]

I am so sorry to hear about your baby. This past year my lovebird passed away and I had him cremated. When I went to pick up his remains, I was also given this poem:

"Beyond the Rainbow

As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.
I saw the most beautiful rainbow, and on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful-lush and green and wide!
And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see
Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!
My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new
And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.
I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright
That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright glow pierced the night.
'Twas the glow of many candles shining bright and bold
And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.
For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,
We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the rainbow and listen with your heart."

I am sorry for your loss...
xo,
Becky

 

[goalerjones]

soooooo, how's ur new guy working out? have u named him yet?