Fast forward a few months later and I am out of college, sitting at a desk in a new job, and very bored. I began browsing around on the Internet and for some reason or another ended up on a site about parrots. Now, I had always had a special place in my heart for birds because my dad had raised a couple growing up and always spoke highly of them. They always captivated me with their intelligence and beauty. I went to an aviary with my sister a few times to pick up supplies for her birds and I always found myself drawn to all the cute baby parrots there. So, I brought up the idea of getting a parrot to my boyfriend and of course it was not automatically welcomed with open arms. It was a brand new concept, adding a parrot into our lives, and we both knew so little.
We visited the local aviary (DJ Feathers Aviary) and decided on a Black Headed Caique because we read that they were very energetic, playful, and clown-like. He was adorable with his big brown eyes looking intensely into mine. We named him "Gingey". We quickly became aware that we had not brought home just a parrot, but he was actually a little feathered-puppy with the mind of a human toddler (with a knife attached to its face). Numerous bites, scratches, and bruises later, we went back to the aviary for more! We brought home Gingey's clutchmate and named him "Donnie" who happened to be of a much crankier temperment and would screech with displeasure if we tried to stop him from chewing up all our clothes (or flesh).
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| brotherly love |
It has been a little over 6 months now and I cannot imagine my life without them. There are days when I love them dearly while other days I absolutely hate them and want to throw them and their cage out the window (although that would actually be physically impossible, mind you, since the cage weighs more than I do).
It was a whole different world living with parrots. They were unlike dogs, who love their human family members unconditionally and forgive all wrongs almost instantly. Gingey and Donnie on the other hand, demanded that we "earn" their trust and refused to hand it over to us for free. We bribed them with hundreds of dollars worth of toys, playstands, and of course, food and treats! They constantly test our love and patience by screaming at the top of their lungs (sometimes right into our ears) and one thing we've learned about parrots is to never "react" or yell back when they are screaming (as this only excites them and will encourage the behavior..so what is a girl to do??) But I have to say, with all the added chaos and bleeding of the ear drums, I find tons of amusement in their little antics! I tell them to be quiet with a stern "No!" and they will pause for a few seconds, staring at me like I have just morphed into the Devil himself, then nonchalantly begin their fits of noise once again. I say this is amusing because sometimes it truly feels like they are laughing at me, and of course if they are laughing at me, the only thing I can do is laugh back (or with them, I suppose)!
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| I didn't do it! |
Every day is an adventure. My Gingey and Donnie are very moody, unpredictable, but loyal. They could outsmart me in ways I never thought was possible and they have shown me how intelligent and underestimated these wonderful creatures are. I realized I've learned so much more from them than they've learned from me (I don't have much to offer anyways, as I am still young and unwise), and I am very thankful that we can continue this relationship for the rest of my life, since they will most likely outlive me (parrots live for a VERY long time, up to 80 years in some species! Yikes!)
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| You can pet me only if I let you |
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