Parrots need love too!
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: Parrots need love too!

Prezli

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 05:13 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Tongo’s Story
By Tongo

Mmmm, mmm, good! Mmmm, mmm, good! That’s what Tongo is, mmmm, mmm, good. Oh, hi. My name is Tongo and that is what I tell anybody who will listen (and some that don’t). I am an African Grey Parrot. I live with Ron, my dad, Debbi, my mom and Paul, he is a ten-year-old human. I know all their names and say them often. I love to play tricks on my humans. I make the sound of phones ringing, microwaves beeping and doors opening. Sometimes, when I make the telephone sound I answer it and hold a conversation, i.e., “Hello…,uh huh, uh huh, yeah.. the prettiest bird you ever saw! Uh Huh, okay! Love you, bye.” But, there are plenty of times that I just want to play a stupid human trick and make my house noises to see who I can attract. Did I mention I do voices too? I can do Debbi calling Ron and Ron calling the dogs but my personal favorite is Ron reprimanding Paul. When I do this voice it places me higher up in the pecking order (excuse the pun.)
I love my family but it wasn’t always that way. I used to live in a different home where nobody talked to me and nobody was ever home with me. I was not loved because sometimes I bite when I get scared and the people I lived with did not understand what scared me. Being lonely scared me, not being fed properly and played with scared me too. People sometimes forget when they see a pretty bird like me that we require more care than most pets and that we can live for a very, very long time. The family I lived with must have not known these things because they left me alone all day, only fed me cheerios, and got angry at me when I bit there son (I was innocent I tell you, the kid was playing way too close to my cage). Well, that was the end of the line for me. I ended up as a three line classified add in the Inquirer the very next day.
AFRICAN GREY PARROT 1 YR OLD TALKS
A LITTLE. CAGE AND PERCH INCLUDED.
$600.00 TAKES ALL- FIRM
Luckily, Debbi was looking for me. Ron had heard about my brand of parrot (African Grey) and how smart we are. I am the smartest of all the African Greys but they did not know that yet. Anyway, back to my story. Debbi was reading the classifieds because she had researched parrots when Ron decided that he wanted a talking bird. She found out that parrots require tons of care and a lot of attention. She had other pets but thought that a bird would be a good addition to their family. So she called the phone number in the want ad. I heard the conversation and I was scared. I only liked men at the time and did not want any women to come and look at me! When Debbi showed up she brought Ron with her. I guess that helped a little. They took me home that night (me, my cage, my perch, half a box of cheerios and a cup of pine nuts). That’s all my old family gave me but they really gave me much, much more! I got a new lease on life!
My new family only cared about what I wanted and needed. They played with me every day and talked to me all the time. At first I was very nervous and bit them as often as I could get them. I especially enjoyed biting Debbi. Did I mention that I hated women? But after awhile that changed too. I started to like Debbi a little. She fed me and talked to me. I learned most of my four hundred plus word vocabulary from her. Now, we have some great conversations. Here is a typical one:
Me: Debbi
Debbi: Yes, Tongo?
Me: Tongo needs breakfast, with apple and pine nuts.
Debbi: Okay Tongo
Me: and water…
Debbi: Soon Tongo
Me: warm water! One, Three, Four, Five!
Debbi: You forgot Two Tongo.
Me: Tongo right! One, Three, Four, Five!
See what I mean? I am really smart and now I am happy too because the family I lived with recognized that we were not a good match. I was lucky that another family researched my needs and decided to adopt me instead of getting a brand new baby bird. Hey, I know I have issues but doesn’t everyone? How would you like it if your family gave up on you the first time you did something wrong? Okay, well maybe it wasn’t my first but whose counting? One, three, four, five…… watch it! Tongo Right!

Mystery

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 01:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
What a cute story!

Bridgetlovesbb

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 02:52 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
AWWW How cute! My sister has a Mini Macaw and he is her BABY!

Kstme

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 04:08 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Tongo IS one lucky parrot!! What a great way to educate someone on the breed! Besides...Tongo counts like I do!lol

Lancecrossfire

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 04:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
What a great story--and so very accurate! Birds like an African Gray are special in what the give and special in their needs.

If imprinted on humans (brought up and fed from an early age, they basically conisder themselves to be human and get very attached to humans. They are VERY intelligent! They need a lot of affection, although also return it in kind.

Often they will like one gender over another, but the degree of that can vary widely. Yes, they do bite out of fear, but not nearly as hard as htey are capable of doing. Not only can they learn 400 words/pgrases, but will also take on the voice or voices of those around them.

These animals are pets for a life time, with life spans of 100 years. These types of parrots will match or exceed dogs and cats in the amount of personality they have.

Kstme

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Lance...you haven't met Oliver!

Prezli

Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 05:03 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Lance, are you owned by one of these little guys too?

Lancecrossfire

Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 03:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Kstme, no I haven't--although I feel like I have through your wonderful descriptions of his antics:) The bigger parrots (grays, amazons, macaws) can be extremely playful and cuddling. I saw one owner of an African Gray cradle it like a baby and hold it for 20 minutes--the bird was in heaven.

I've seen birds that watch TV with their owners, and talk about begging for food! They are amzaing at that! LOL

Prezi, I have not been the owner of a Gray. My ex bought a Muluccan cockatoo when we were together, and he was something else. I've known people who have had some of the various parrots though. I have also done some research about them, as I figure if I ever get a pet, it would be one of the parrot family birds.

I think the African Grays and the Yellow Napes are amazing. Right behind them for me would be a Yellow Head or Double Yellow Head.

I am totally take by Macaws, especially the Hyacinth Macaw--the biggest of the family. I wouldn't have a Macaw though unless I had a bigger place--I would want it to have a lot of room!:) Also, being 47, getting a younger one would mean I'd have to will it away before it even got very old. I don't think that is very fair to such a wonderful bird.

The Cockatoo's vet indicated that they have the intelligence of about a 2 year old human. The bigger parrots are more intelligent than cockatoos.

Prezli, I'm glad your Gray was able to have a family take on the care and attention he needed after he experienced an environment that was so bad for him. They are very special creatures.

Aerojunki

Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 04:18 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Here is my Grey, Max..I took it tonight. I have 11 birds..Love them! Plus..A Dachshund, Toy Silver Poodle & a Tiger Cat! (Grin)

my picture

Aerojunki

Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 04:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I have a Blue & Gold Macaw (Paco) & just lost my Yellow Naped Amazon to a tumor a month ago..Thought I was going to die. :o(

Aerojunki

Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 04:34 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
My Yellow Naped was named George & he sung the song *George Of The Jungle*..it use to drive me nuts..Wish I could hear him sing it again! :o(

Aerojunki

Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 04:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I also have a Nanday Conure (Lucifer) LOL!

4 Cockatiels

1 Love Bird (From Hell)

2 Budgies

Lancecrossfire

Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 04:46 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Aero--very nice picture of Max!:) Sorry to hear of the loss of George. I hope you have lots of good memories of him in your heart.

Aerojunki

Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 04:56 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thank you Lance..I have very good memories, just miss him so much! Never hurt over a animal as I did him, was like losing a child.

Show time! (Grin)

Riviere

Sunday, September 15, 2002 - 01:52 am EditMoveDeleteIP
It's great to see a good parrot tale or two around here, mateys! Aaarrghh, if ye knew my life in the wilds of the Amazon Forest, where I was kidnapped as a youth, shipped to California to spend six months in quarantine, then flown up to Alaska of all places to find myself for sale in the local department store, you'd count your lucky stars.. It was a bitter cold snowy Dec 26 in Kodiak, the day I met my true love (she calls herself my Mom but that's beside the point). I was huddled in a small cage by the cash register with a Blue Front on one side and a Yellow Nape on the other. Both of those had lower standards and actually mimicked human speech, rewarded with better food, bigger cages, and attention. Me, I didn't want anything to do with humans! My goal was to get home to my forest, being an OrangeWing Amazon and jungle born, I decided then and there to never mimic human speech, I was special! I'd already decided to refuse to eat and bit any and all human hands, mostly the pesky children who walked by sticking their fingers through my bars to annoy me. I was scared, but put on my tough bird act for survival. But nothing worked, the manager just kept sticking a lower price tag on my cage while the parrots beside me went up to $1200, and meanwhile I started getting sick and more depressed than ever.. Then on Dec 26, 1987,
my whole world changed again, for the best.. The man saw me first, he called his wife over to look at me, she had the nicest friendly dark eyes and quiet manner, I could tell she had a nature bond but she said no, he's sick, and his wing might be damaged beyond repair.. I rallied my strength and raised my wings to show them I had spirit, so the man pleaded my case saying his birthday was Dec 27 and I'd be his gift from her.. She looked at me closely and said, maybe, but she wouldn't pay what the store wanted. After bartering with the manager, it was agreed I'd cost $230 with my cage and many starter supplies, so off I went to join my new family.. First thing I noticed, they had a nasty cat, and a Collie dog, and they kept telling me my name was Sailor, which I started to respond to despite myself. I was only about 3, what's a parrot to do? I tried to scare them but from the start the lady wasn't afraid of me, she'd take me into a closed room and use wooden dowels to get me near her hands, before I knew it she was petting me! I learned she was fearless the time I walked up her arm and bit her hard as I could on the fleshy tender part by her elbow, and she just smiled at me! I sawed my beak back and forth until I got no response then stopped, I heard much later she cried and it left quite a bruise. She never lost patience with me.. Most times after that if I went for a nip at her she'd hold my beak gently between thumb & forefinger and say 'NO' and then just pet my neck and coo, she knows how to deal with anxiety.. She always promised I could fly, and she's never clipped my wings. With a diet of fresh fruit, veggies, and my favorite chicken bones, I'm in fine feather.. About 1991 I was used to being on her shoulder or nearby, even outdoors, but one day a construction crew startled me, I flew away into a forest of 80 ft Sitka Spruce behind our Alaska home.. I knew my yard, I was just stubborn thinking of freedom again, but the eagles and gangs of magpies made me homesick for my kingly cage and my family.. After 2 nights in the trees I saw my love in the yard and flew to her, my home, toys, good food! Awhile later I decided she was so wonderful that I wanted her to be my lifelong mate, so I have tried to feed her and make her nests in my big cage.. So far she admires my work but every week she removes my nesting material so I just start again.. I've been in Bird Talk Magazine 3 times including my photo once, they say it's unusual a misfit wild parrot like me could ever bond and select a human mate? Like I said, I'm really very special... :) ~ Sailor the Orange Wing