My little birds

[Jenwood]

I have some really great memories of my two quaker parrots that I owned, but two of them are my favorites. My first quaker was named Sydney. He learned to talk and pick up new words very quickly. Well, one day my parents had a man from their insurance come to the house to talk about a new policy being offered to customers that didn't smoke or drink. They were sitting in the living area where Sydney's cage was located and all of a sudden Sydney started saying, "Where's the cold beer...cold beer's in the fride!" over and over! The looks that came across the faces of my parents were comical, but the look that came across our visitor's face was a kodak moment. Of course, this little phrase was taught to my bird by my older brother. My parents did end up getting that policy, but that day is a day worth remembering! LOL!

I am a big Disney fan, The Lion King being my all time favorite Disney movie, and this being said, I used to sing quite often the songs associated with this movie. Well, one day I heard Perry mumbling what seemed to be a song that I had been singing...In the Jungle the Mighty Jungle. So, I listened and grabbed the tune and started singing the song to him. To my surprise...he sang right along with me!! I couldn't believe it! My little quaker was singing! I tried to teach him other songs, but that seemed to be his favorite. *big grin*

I was very lucky to have been the proud owner of two quaker parrots that talked up a storm! I sure miss those guys.

[Amanda]

Hi Jenwood and welcome! Those are really hilarious stories about your quakers. Hope to hear more stories about them.

P.S. What happened to them?

[Jenwood]

Hello Amanda and thanks for the welcome! I have some wonderful memories of my birds.
Let's see...birds have always fascinated me and I was working at the zoo when I first got Sydney in 1993 at a pet store in one of our local malls. I usually get my pets from a breeder, but I couldn't leave the store when I saw this little guy. He was the only quaker out of the bunch that was trying to stand on his head! LOL! So, I bought and him and took him home. He was hand fed and grew up healthy. My whole family had a blast with him and he would fly to all of us. He had free reign of the house during the day when I was home. One day in 1995, he was flying from the back of the house when I heard my mother holler for me. I came into the front room and he was lying on the floor. He had flown into the window. I picked him up gently and he just looked at me. I had tears streaming down my face as he died in my hands. His vet said he broke his neck. It was very odd because he never had a problem with any of the windows in our house. I buried him outside my bedroom window and cried.

I bought Perry not long after I had lost Sydney. It got pretty lonely not hearing the talking and sqawking of a bird. Perry was comic too. He was always doing the funniest things. If you were in the middle of something, he would have to join in and it didn't matter what it was. I joined the military in 1996, but didn't ship out until April of 97. I had been gone 5 months when I returned to a bird who was very upset with me for leaving and he showed it. It was hard for me to deal with, but finally after working with him for almost a year, he started to come around. In the months that I had been gone, my father had been his "buddy". It didn't help matters when my dear father left and my parents divorced. Perry was a family bird and he loved everyone. I guess it hurt him badly as well. He started to get angry again, and we had to begin keeping him in his cage more and more often. :( He still talked and he would still sing, he would let you pet him, but he wouldn't fly to me. If he did get out of his cage, he would just sit atop it. It broke my heart, but I had tried everything that I could think of. This lasted a few years. One morning in December of 2002, I noticed that he looked unsteady on his perch and I began to watch him. By the end of the day, he looked about ready to just drop. I immediately took him to the vet, where he was diagnosed with an infection in his blood stream. The vet said he would like to give him a shot of antibiotics, but that he probably wouldn't survive the injection. Sadly, the call I received the next morning from the vet, confirmed that Perry hadn't made it. I picked him up from the vet and came home and buried him next to Sydney. My beloved quakers, as I call them, will forever remain with me. I have not had the heart to get another bird. They can be such a joy to just watch! ;)

[Love Bird B]

What a horrible thing to have to deal with, to have your beloved pet die in your hands. It's horrible when they die when you're not around either. The worst thing about having pets is when they leave us. This reminds us to appreciate them every day they grace our lives.

[Amanda]

I'm really sorry to hear about Sydney and Perry. :( It is always difficult when we loose someone we love, and sometimes it makes it harder to open our hearts to another. You remind me of my son ... he lost his budgie a couple of years ago and after her death, he has not wanted to be close to another bird until recently. Hope you stay around and tell us more of your memories of Sydney & Perry ... they sound like they were awesome birds.