Snapdragon
Member
- Dec 26, 2019
- 112
- 8
- Parrots
- Tashi, almost-2-year-old female moustache parakeet, Indian subspecies (Psittacula alexandri fasciata)
Hello! I've been reading the forums for a few weeks, and thought I'd join in. I am here to learn.
I don't have a bird, but I do work at a nice parrot shop and am trying to learn all I can. I am low on the totem pole so my job mainly consists of feeding and cleaning. I do get to spend a bit of time socializing the birds and target training, and that is by far my favorite part of the job.
The store mascot, a large macaw, has decided that I am part of her flock and seems rather fond of me. We purr to each other whenever I walk by, and if I stop she comes to me and hangs from the bars of her cage by just her beak. (It always makes me laugh.) She also asks for pets and scritches on the head, neck, and (occasionally) wing-pits, and solicits my help with pinfeathers in hard-to-reach places. (She is super-cute when I'm working on pinfeathers: she leans into my side and closes her eyes in bliss.) We even have a special game I taught her: tug-of-war, complete with "growling" and shaking her head from side to side! When I clean the grate in her cage, she delights in gently freeing strands of hair from my ponytail. I always look up with a laugh and tell her that she is NOT helpful, and she quickly moves her head forward a bit, looks at me sideways, puffs her head feathers for just a moment, and purrs. (I assume that particular combination is a macaw laugh; please correct me if I'm wrong!) When she grows tired of that game, she climbs down to playfully pretend she's going to bite my hands or steal my glasses! Stinker. 💙 Silly girl reminds me of a mischievous puppy with a huge beak. Obviously I don't love that goofy overgrown chicken ONE BIT.
Just as a heads up, I don't plan to get a bird myself anytime soon. I have cats, and one is a former feral with a strong prey drive. She spends hours in the window each day, watching and chattering at birds at the feeder. I also am very aware that parrots need a great deal of time and energy, and right now I don't have that. I volunteer heavily in cat rescue and am very appreciative of people who come in to visit but aren't looking to adopt because they know their limits; I am careful to be aware of my own limits as well.
I don't have a bird, but I do work at a nice parrot shop and am trying to learn all I can. I am low on the totem pole so my job mainly consists of feeding and cleaning. I do get to spend a bit of time socializing the birds and target training, and that is by far my favorite part of the job.
The store mascot, a large macaw, has decided that I am part of her flock and seems rather fond of me. We purr to each other whenever I walk by, and if I stop she comes to me and hangs from the bars of her cage by just her beak. (It always makes me laugh.) She also asks for pets and scritches on the head, neck, and (occasionally) wing-pits, and solicits my help with pinfeathers in hard-to-reach places. (She is super-cute when I'm working on pinfeathers: she leans into my side and closes her eyes in bliss.) We even have a special game I taught her: tug-of-war, complete with "growling" and shaking her head from side to side! When I clean the grate in her cage, she delights in gently freeing strands of hair from my ponytail. I always look up with a laugh and tell her that she is NOT helpful, and she quickly moves her head forward a bit, looks at me sideways, puffs her head feathers for just a moment, and purrs. (I assume that particular combination is a macaw laugh; please correct me if I'm wrong!) When she grows tired of that game, she climbs down to playfully pretend she's going to bite my hands or steal my glasses! Stinker. 💙 Silly girl reminds me of a mischievous puppy with a huge beak. Obviously I don't love that goofy overgrown chicken ONE BIT.
Just as a heads up, I don't plan to get a bird myself anytime soon. I have cats, and one is a former feral with a strong prey drive. She spends hours in the window each day, watching and chattering at birds at the feeder. I also am very aware that parrots need a great deal of time and energy, and right now I don't have that. I volunteer heavily in cat rescue and am very appreciative of people who come in to visit but aren't looking to adopt because they know their limits; I am careful to be aware of my own limits as well.