JAZZ IS ON THE RIGHT, GOMEZ IS ON THE LEFT
Just finished watching my wife's Cinnamon-Cheeked Conure Parrot take
her bath. I turn a Corning Ware glass lid upside down for a shallow pool
and let lukewarm water run into it in the sink.
Jazz, (aka JazzMatazz and Jazzis) walks down from my shoulder,
down myarm and leaps into her bath from my hand. It's fun to watch her
splash around and swish her feathers, taking her parrot bath. When
she's done, she shakes off the excess water, like a dog does when it
stands next to you, getting you and anything nearby soaked, then walks
back up my arm and takes her place back on my shoulder. ( She was
sitting on my arm as I type this, watching me - but she just jumped
onto the keyboard and is presently helping herself to my coffee.
She believes in sharing. Anything I have to eat, is hers too. It's a one
way street.
I enjoy making a salad with her. She sits on my shoulder and
supervises. She oversees what I cut up and put into my bowl, then when
something catches her fancy, like pineapple bits or cheese, she gets
off her shoulder perch, walks down my arm, perches on my hand and
helps herself to whatever she wants in my salad plate. Never mind that
I am still cutting things up, she noisily complains that her "perch"
is moving, but continues to help herself.
Right now, she is on the printer, yelling back and forth with a good
looking male Dusky Parrot that we inherited from our science teacher
daughter Nicole (which was rescued from an abusive home). he doesn't
much like it when Jazz leaves the living room. It upsets the balance of
his little nature preserve in the living room, you know.
Birds have a temper. You wouldn't know it - but they do. If I offer
something to Jazzis and she doesn't want it, she politely turns her
beak away. If I am stupid enough to offer it a second time, telling
her this is good and she should take some - she gets irritated and
will give me a good "beaking" while at the same time yelling at me. It
doesn't hurt but it sure gets her point across." I told you once, now stop it!"
she seems to say. I get the message, but I can be a bit slow at times.
It is a pleasure to come home and walk in the door and see a bird fly out
of the kitchen and straight at you, only to land on your shoulder and loudly
start telling you all about her day. I don't understand a thing she says,
but I certainly enjoy hearing it. It sounds like it must make sense to her.
I love how she observes what I do, and will perch down on my arm so
she can look up into my face, when she wants a bit of attention.
She's a sweet little bird and I love the little thing, believe it or not.
Whoever said animals can't think, hasn't been paying attention. Dogs
even have a sense of humor, or so it would appear.
It is my observation that if a person doesn't unnecessarily dominate
an animal, their little personality will show itself and flourish. I
try to show our pets full respect and allow them to keep their
dignity. Just because you have power over something doesn't mean you
need to use or abuse it.
Our girls knew, growing up, that if you bumped into an animal, you should
bend down and stroke them and apologize in a soothing voice, so they
understood you weren't abusing them in any way. They understand body
language and tone of voice very well. I think they greatly enrich our lives
and am thankful to share my space with them.
