PARROTS!

[Martin]

After the eye patch and the peg leg the thing that says pirate is a parrot on your shoulder. I have two sun conures. I acquired them as a birthday gift, then got a book about parrots telling me they are probably the loudest parrot. So my hearing is shot and I got bird s#!t on my clothes,I didn't have to lose an eye or leg.

[Island Cutter]

Here's a thumbnail image of "Buc" (short for Buccaneer, of course!)

... a "Florida Green Parrot" as a call him in states where his breed is disliked. They are great companions. Very "family oriented"

[Quartermaster James]

After the eye patch and the peg leg the thing that says pirate is a parrot on your shoulder.

Nah! It's roast parrot on the table! :angry:

[Rumba Rue]

I have a seven year old Senegal parrot, Gilligan.

I've taught him to talk like a pirate and can say lots of things, but mostly:

Ahoy Matey

Pirates!

Shiver Me Timbers

Pieces of Eight

Abandon Ship

Swabbie - we didn't teach him that, and have no idea where he learned it.

Good Morning/Night

I Love You

Tastes Like Chicken - it took a long time for him to pick that up.

Many more, just can't think of all of them at this time.

I also have a Mustached Parakeet - Corky, who pretty much says what Gilligan does, just a sweetheart of a bird, but squawks much louder than the Senegal.

And then I have my little blue Parakeet, Poppy who plays, with both of the other parrots.

I wanted a Sun Conure, but after I heard them squawking so loudly in the bird store and reading info on the Internet I decided against it as I was in an apartment at the time, plus my hearing couldn't handle it. Course now in a house, all the birds are just so happy they can't shut up most of the time! LOL!

Note: To anyone considering getting a parrot, please, please read up on the bird you are interested in BEFORE you buy one! There's tons of info on the Internet. It takes lots of time,dedication and work to keep a parrot(s) and geesh, they throw food everywhere...lots of vacumming needed. They may also outlive you - depending on the bird - you might need to will the bird to someone in the future.

[Professor Death]

I was seriously considering buying one at one time. then i saw..........THE PRICE!!!! holy shinto, theres no way i could cough up a thousand bucks for any kind of pet. then they told me that they have to be kept at a certain temperature or else they'll "expire", which has always been a problem for a cheapskate native like me who keeps the thermostat turned down in the winter when i'm not home (and only slightly above when i am there).

maybe i'll just go to south america and buy one illegally and smuggle it in like all the dealers do, it'll be cheaper and i can have a vacation to see some head shrinkers too.....

if i lived where it's warm i'd definitely think about it though.

[Commodore Swab]

I figured a parrot would be good on the boat but agree on the price -ouch- so since I willbe travelling thru central america if I decide to get one thats where it will be.

[Quartermaster James]

I was seriously considering buying one at one time. then i saw..........THE PRICE!!!! holy shinto, theres no way i could cough up a thousand bucks for any kind of pet. then they told me that they have to be kept at a certain temperature or else they'll "expire", which has always been a problem for a cheapskate native like me who keeps the thermostat turned down in the winter when i'm not home (and only slightly above when i am there).

maybe i'll just go to south america and buy one illegally and smuggle it in like all the dealers do, it'll be cheaper and i can have a vacation to see some head shrinkers too.....

if i lived where it's warm i'd definitely think about it though.

I have a Norwegian Blue I'll sell you cheap. Beautiful plumage!

[Rumba Rue]

Do you have a picture of your Norwegian Blue? If not, could you take one an post it? I don't think I've ever seen one.

My Senegal and Moustached Parakeet were both $500.00, and then you have to buy a cage big enough for them, that's another $500.00 or so, and then toys, foods, etc. and yes it's about a thousand dollar investment.

Thankfully I did not pay for them, my other half did, I could never afford to buy those birds on my own!

Here in the n.county of San Diego, the best place to buy a bird is Bird Haven in Escondido. They work with them as baby's to get them use to people and being touched. Good thing I don't have room for any more, otherwise I might have ended up with a Macaw or something just as big, courtesey of a couple of people I know.

Note: If any of you bird owners here save the feathers when the bird molts, could you save them for me and send them to me? I'll make you a feather hat pin for free if you do.

Rumba

[Rumba Rue]

Acccckkkkkk! I've been fooled by Quartermaster James!

No such thing as a Norwegian Blue. Apparently he was making reference to something in Monty Python.....

Well that explains why I couldn't find anything on the 'net'....

duh...

I should make him walk the plank!

[Quartermaster James]

Well, there is this: Norwegian Blue Parrot really DID exist!

[Iron Bess]

Back in the day… someone gave my grandparents a Hyacinth Macaw as a wedding gift.

It outlived BOTH of them and no one in the family would take him since he had gotten a mite cranky in his old age so (of course) I didn’t want to see Tiki put down and I took him home. (My dog never forgave me)

I had him several more years before he *expired* at the ripe old age of around 80 or so. SMART bird though and very loving in his off moments. I just don’t think he could ever understand what happened to his family. He was with them over 70 yrs and then they were both gone.

Kinda sad. If I can find an old picture I’ll post it. He was stunning in his day!

[Rumba Rue]

Well, there is this: Norwegian Blue Parrot really DID exist!

Ya, dead and lifeless, that's a Macaw in the picture.

Yes, the dark blue Hyacinth Macaw is the rarest of the Macaws and the most expensive, about three grand or more these days.

[Quartermaster James]

Yes, the dark blue Hyacinth Macaw is the rarest of the Macaws and the most expensive, about three grand or more these days.

Yes, I do like my parrot a bit on the rare side...

[Iron Bess]

Yes, well... back in THOSE days not so rare and not so pricy.

And it's amazing! I'm sure his whole life was spent NOT getting all the detailed care as they say they need today and he lived to be 80 or more!

Go figure.

[Professor Death]

theres a funny joke i heard about parrots, its not "g" rated though. so i'll censor it

this lady goes and buys a parrot, the seller of which tells her, "well you need to know it came from a whore house". she thinks it over and buys it anyway, and takes it home. while she's cooking in the kitchen she hears it say, "hey wanna F----". shocked she just stands there and looks at it for a second, then shrugs it off. her kids come home and the bird says, "hey girls, customers". she laughs it off. when her husband comes home, it says "hi bob".

i told that to a couple dullards once, they never got it. i thought it was hilarious. still do

a guy i worked with had a virtual menagerie in his house, including some small kind of bird, which had babies. he offered me one or all of them, but i didn't have a cage, or money to buy one. i was going to get chicken wire at lowes and some 2X2 boards and make my own cage, and keep em in the basement where the furnace was, and the temperature stayed pretty decent even in the coldest of temps, but never did.....

one of the biggest reasons i wanted to get a parrot originally was for the feathers, indians like feathers. i managed to pick up a few from a friend that fit my nose, but when i found out how expensive they were, i kinda gave up on it. i located a bird store near here, and approached the owner about some feathers, but she refused, even offered to buy them or work in the shop, she still refused. she said that HER feathers had "magic in them". i realized i might be in the company of some whack job and excused myself, especially after she started talking about them biting off my fingers . no macaws for me!

[Black Hearted Pearl]

I can completely relate on the parrot issue. I have been taking care of two and had the chance to keep them. I passed.

One is a red-tailed Macaw. Sweet, but hadn't been handled in years. Screeched the paint off the walls when you vaccummed and threw his poop out of the cage. He was deafly afraid of wooden perches.

The other was a yellow-napped amazon. She would draw you in with cute phrases and then nail you if you tried to keep her from running off and boy, could she run fast. She would give you a reason for an eye patch and a nose prosthesis unless you held her foot to your hand with your covered thumb.

The new cage for the Macaw cost over $500 and I spent days scrubbing the Amazon's cage. Beautiful feathers, but I can't wait for them to go to their new home. I'm done being the mother of two-year olds.

[Black Hearted Pearl]

Back in the day… someone gave my grandparents a Hyacinth Macaw as a wedding gift.

It outlived BOTH of them and no one in the family would take him since he had gotten a mite cranky in his old age so (of course) I didn’t want to see Tiki put down and I took him home. (My dog never forgave me)

I had him several more years before he *expired* at the ripe old age of around 80 or so. SMART bird though and very loving in his off moments. I just don’t think he could ever understand what happened to his family. He was with them over 70 yrs and then they were both gone.

Kinda sad. If I can find an old picture I’ll post it. He was stunning in his day!

The store in Escondido had several of the Hyacinth Macaws. They are beautiful and HUGE! There was a 'couple' and the male would hiss and poop on anyone who came near the cage. The female was always leaning against the cage, trying to get pet, but the male wouldn't let anyone near her. He was purple with jealousy.

[Iron Bess]

Oh yeah, the Hyacinth's can be VERY loving.

Tiki (in his softer moments) used to shuffle up onto your lap or stomach and then put the top of his head under your chin. He loved to cuddle. I'd rub the sides of his head and he's make little popping noises. He had his sweet moments to be sure.

He ate the tops of two doors too.

(Shrug) Oh well, kids will be kids even at 80 years old.

[Gibbet Jones]

I had a half moon midget parrot growing up. His name was buddy. He could wolf whistle, say pretty bird, and imitate a telephone since that is what he would sit next too, he'd say hello as it rang. Sat on my shoulder and nudged me on the check with his beak. Didn't like to be picked up though. Died of cancer at age 20.

I've always loved parrots though I've never had one since Buddy.

Beautiful birds I see posted on here.

Edited November 20, 2009 by Gibbet Jones