Meet Tookie

tiedyed

New member
May 25, 2013
10
0
Huntington Beach, CA
Parrots
Nanday Conure
Hi everyone! One of our neighbors acquired Cookie a few months ago. I wasn't sure what kind of environment he was in before they got him, but the bird seemed to be more than they could handle. The few times I went to their house, Cookie did nothing but scream repeatedly. I'm no bird expert but I've always loved parrots (a friend in my teenage years had a halfmoon that I adored) and found that Cookie would quiet down if I went over to his cage and talked to him. Ultimately they offered to give me the bird, 2 cages, food and everything else just to get the screeching monster out of their house. So I thought about it for a couple of days, and discussed it with my other half ('kissedbypix' in this forum) who didn't hesitate to say she wanted him. I'd never interacted with this bird before other than brief discussions through the bars of his cage. When I went to retrieve him, I had to get him into a tiny little carrier. I was told he would step up, but I also knew that since he didn't know me, he would probably resist. And resist he did. I used the let-him-bite-you-and-don
t-pull-away approach since I had no time for introductions. So he bit the hell out of my finger before climbing aboard. Got him over to our house, put him in the smaller of the cages, because the larger one looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months, and we wanted to clean it good first. Once he was in his smaller cage, he was fine and quieter than we expected. He slept through the night. His previous owner would try to keep him quiet by covering his cage. With a white sheet. Duh. Not very DARK in there. He was apparently ignorant of the fact that the cover is supposed to darken it. Of course, Cookie would simply chew holes in it to see out. But I digress. While he was settling in to his new environment, we researched everything we could about Nandays (which brought us here eventually). We got his big cage (which is plenty big for him with loads of toys) all cleaned and sanitized. Placed it in the corner of our bedroom/office where we spend almost all our time. We found we had to change his name to 'Tookie' because saying 'Cookie' all the time was driving our dog nuts. He must have figured out that biting me wasn't getting him anywhere, so would step up for me without a problem. Pixie was still hesitating and he would try to bite her at first. But after about 1 day, he figured out that this isn't such a bad place. In fact we found him to be absolutely delightful. He loves coming out of his cage and will ride your shoulder making contented little noises (he hasn't said anything yet, we don't know if he's ever talked) and seems to be as happy as a bird can be. He's LOADED with personality. He likes to pick at my face hairs, and walks up and down my arm while at the computer to investigate my trackball before climbing back up my arm. He's decided he likes us and now (after 3 days) can pet him on the head, front, & back. Doesn't seem to like his tail messed with though. And now, if he doesn't want to be taken off the shoulder, doesn't bite, but will push your finger away with the top of his beak. We've discovered what he likes. He's probably been deprived of any fresh fruit or veggies, and will gobble down almost anything. Last night Pixie was trying to eat an eggroll with Tookie on her shoulder and, well, he decided to cling to the front of her, reach out to her hand and help himself. Yeah I think we'll keep him :)
 

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tiedyed

New member
May 25, 2013
10
0
Huntington Beach, CA
Parrots
Nanday Conure
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I should probably clarify that my neighbor only had him a few months, and I was told he's 10 years old. I just don't know much about his background or situation before my neighbor got him. Obviously he's very social. And is probably very delighted to be getting attention again. His noises of contentment have increased substantially, especially when shoulder surfing.
 

JerseyWendy

New member
Jul 20, 2012
20,995
24
Welcome to the forum tiedyed and Tookie. :) Gosh what a SUPER CUTIE he is!!!

"Shoulder surfing?"

I'm certain that Tookie knows he's in capable and loving hands now. :) AWESOME that the two of you took him in.
 

antoinette

Supporting Member
Jul 6, 2009
13,114
Media
9
18
Sunny South Africa !!!
Parrots
African "Grey"
"Mishka"
Male
7 Years old
Welcome to our wonderful forum

Love your statement He's LOADED with personality
Tookie sure sounds like quite a character

Over the next few weeks you will notice so many different things Tookie is able to do.... mark my words LoL

Glad he is not getting the attention he so deserves

 

josiesmom

New member
Jun 13, 2012
147
0
Pennsylvania
Parrots
Josie - blue and gold macaw
Welcome! I'm so happy you were able to give him a happy home. Keep the updates/pics coming. Enjoy your new Tookie!
 

lotosha

New member
Jun 29, 2012
757
0
Parrots
A pair of cockatiels
And pair of African Greys
Welcome. Always glad to hear that a bird have finally found good home and someone to take a god care of it.
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
Media
2
43
Parrots
Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
Glad to know he's settling in and doing well!

Just a note of caution, you should be careful of where you pet birds. It's most often recommended to only pet them on the head as anywhere else can lead to sexual behaviors and unwanted hormonal problems.
 

JadeC

New member
Apr 27, 2013
310
0
Seattle, WA
Parrots
White bellied caique
Welcome to the forum!! I love your little birdy!!!! I wish someone would just hand me a well socialized bird!!!!! Congrats :)
 

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