Celebirdy of the Month/March/Suncoast's Truely

[Marlene]

It is my great pleasure to introduce the Celebirdy of the Month, Truely.

Here is what Ginger had to say about her baby Truely.

1.HOW DID YOU AQUIRE YOUR BIRD?

Well, I hold Solo, Jaden and their Mommy’s totally responsible for making me want a Cockatoo in my life. Every time I watched a Solo or Jaden video something tugged at my heart. I loved watching Solo’s joyous playing. The video of him doing a somersault over his ball was when I knew for sure that a Too was for me. And Jaden’s crying didn’t make me want to run out of the house screaming, it made me want to pick him up and soothe him. As I did my research and realized how many of these babies were forced weaned and kicked out the door, I knew that I had to rescue one. I found Truely on Kiiji. Her family had bought her from a pet store in Bradenton at 5 months and they were told she was weaned. Of course she wasn’t and the people who bought couldn’t understand why she was crying all the time. She was crying because she was starving, but they didn’t know that, and it was the major reason they wanted to get rid of her after only having her for one month. Also they had a little boy, one on the way and a big dog and they said they just “didn’t have the time for her”. She didn’t even have a name, they called her Birdie. Craig and I went up to Tampa to see if she would fit in our lives. She was in a tiny cage with corn cob litter and eating junk food. The people had incense and candles burning everywhere (but it didn’t mask the ode de pot smell) and I knew she had to come home with us. We put the cage in the back of the car and she went into the carrier. On the way home we had a giant thunderstorm and we had to stop for awhile for an emergency snuggle. After we got her settled in, I made some hand feeding formula and when she saw that syringe she looked up at me with eyes that said “Finally! Someone who understands what’s wrong.” Her little mouth popped open; she ate all of it and then went to sleep snuggled up under my chin. You just don’t understand the power of a Cockatoo until you’ve had one sleeping on your chest.
She had been our little girl ever since and although she can be a Stinky Pants we can’t imagine our life without her.

2.WHAT IS YOUR BIRDS NAME, SPECIES, SEX AND AGE?

Her name is Truely. We call her Truely Girl, Truely Too, Little Miss Stinky Pants, Girl-Girl, Little Miss Goffin-Pot-Pie-o, and other silly names. She is a Cacatua Goffini, othewise known as a Tanimbar Cockatoo from the Tanimbar Island in Indonesia, G2 for short.
She is a hen and she was 2 years old on Valentine's Day 2010.

3.DOES YOUR BIRD DO ANY SPECIAL TRICKS?

She loves to play "Go Get It!". I will throw something up on the shelf at work and she flies up there, (usually with a good deal of screaming) knocks it off and then flies back down and waits for me to do it again. We can play this game for a good half hour without rest. She can dismantle an ink pen in about 5 seconds flat. She also is a world champion unknotter.

4.WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR BIRDS FAVORITE FOODS?

Truely is a cheese head. She likes any kind of cheese, Blue, Brie, Chedder, Mozerella, American, Goat... you name it and she likes it. I dare say that she would even probably like Limburger if I ever had it in the house (which will NEVER happen). She also likes carbonara, mashed potatos, chicken, corn on the cob and just about anything we eat. As far as kosher bird food, she will eat every pellet in moderation, and she loves the Cockatoo mix from Bird Paradise. She likes apples, kale, carrots and green beans.

5. WHAT IS THE FUNNIEST THING YOUR BIRD HAS EVER DONE?

Gosh, she does something funny everyday. It's hard to pick just one. I love the way she falls over into her feather boa and plays on her back. I love it when she starts up a running commentary in her best Donald Duck voice, I love it when she flies around screaming like a banshee, I love it when she goes into full Too display mode with cresty up, tail fanned out and wings held out in front of the mirror.

6. HOW HAS YOUR BIRD ENRICHED YOUR LIFE

Having Trinket and then Truely has helped me to heal from the loss of Petey and Peeper. I didn't think I would ever be able to love another bird after their deaths. I mourned and still mourn other pets, but for some reason, these two little birds left a giant hole in my heart that was never filled until Zamir showed up and reminded me what I was missing. I had let the pain of losing them make me forget the wonder and joy of having a bird as a friend. As for Truely herself... she has made me realize what is truly important (no pun intended) in my life. I'm not saying that I was pretty vain, materialistic and "me" focused before Trinket and Truely came into my life, but lets just say that I had been sucked into the Naples version of keeping up with Kempfers. (They are dear friends of ours but she is an heiress and they live a pretty amazing lifestyle.) In 2008 B.C (Before Cockatoo), I wouldn't dream of going anywhere in this town without some kind of status symbol on my person. Jewelry, handbag, clothing, you know all the "brand" name stuff and now I could care less because Truely will swallow the earring, chew on the leather handbag strap and poo on the designer label dress. Now if I'm neat, presentable and in bird washable attire that's good enough. She also makes me appreciate how amazing my hubby is. I have always loved how much he helped with the girls when they were little and now he is just as good with her. Loving, patient, and really interested in her well being.
Having Truely has made me educate myself about what it takes to be a good bird parront, and really think about what it means to be a forever home. Also having a Cockatoo makes you smarter because you need to keep one footsie ahead of them at all times. And last but not least, having Truely has allowed me to make amazing new friends in the bird world. I can't imagine having to do this without the love, guidance and support provided by my Avian Avenue Friends.

7.WHAT WOULD YOU TELL PEOPLE WHO WERE CONSIDERING THIS SPECIES

You need to be emotionally and financially prepared to allow this wonderful creature to be a large, large part of your life. In truth, I think they should be only birds because they require all the attention you can give and then some more. They may survive being alone 8 hours a day, but they will thrive being the center of attention and having as much contact with their flock as possible. I know many people feel that it’s a mistake to give them a lot of attention when they’re babies but I don’t agree. I think they are like children, in that the more love, care and time you can give them the more secure, confident, and happy they will be as they grow up. The mistake happens if you just spend all your time cuddling. Toos need structure, they need training time, playing time, bath time, toy time, eating time, harness time, folding laundry time… all the things you do in your life that they can be a part of, let them. As far as personality goes, they are loving, cuddly, extremely active, smart, strong willed, spunky, single minded and very empathetic. They require a large space, and I’m not just talking about a cage. They really take over the entire house and even that isn’t large enough. They need to fly, they need to chew, scream, they need toys to annihilate and food to toss to the universe. They are NOT neat, quiet, soft spoken angels. If you have treasured antiques and valuable art, store it, cover it or sell it because your Too will most likely destroy it. At the very least your Too will poo on it. Having a Cockatoo in your life is like adopting a human child. It’s an all or nothing proposition. You must commit to being there everyday in everyway or it won’t work. (As well as your family.) And just like a human kid, they are expensive. If you’re not financially stable, a Too is not for you. I cannot give advice about what it’s like to spend your life with an sexually mature adult Too as Truely was just two years old in February, but I’ll keep you updated as we go along. Fasten your seatbelts though, I expect it’s going to be a bumpy ride. If you are bringing home a baby, be prepared to hand feed. Most Toos in the wild do not fully wean until they are almost two years old. DO NOT let the breeder tell you otherwise. They NEED that comfort food and bonding time with their new Mom and Dad and if you let them cry, it will damage them for life and it could lead to all kinds of behavior, plucking and self mutilation problems down the road. They will let YOU know when they are ready to wean and most of the time once they have fledged they will wean themselves. Fledging might take a year or more if they have had their wings chopped off which is what happened with Truely, but once she started flying she had no more interest in comfort feedings. She was way too busy, with places to go, furniture to chew and people to bite.

8.WHAT IS THE ACTIVITY AND NOISE LEVEL OF YOUR BIRD

On a scale of 1 through 10 with 10 being the extreme, I would rate Truely a 7 1/2 on the activity front. Activity is essential for a healthy adult Too, and that requires flight. Babies aren’t as active and I think that might be another reason Toos get rehomed more often than other birds. You bring this docile, ground bound cuddly baby into your life and they play where you put them, but once they have fledged and are weaned, it’s a whole new ball game. Truely is all over the house now and even though I have spent a small fortune on toys and play stands she wants to chew the rubber seal off the refrigerator door or maul the chairs. She also loves traditional kid games. We play hide and seek everyday and this good exercise for both of us. On the noise level she can be quite loud and boisterous but it’s only at certain times of the day. Toos have many different vocalizations, ranging from a rather annoying “rawr” to the funniest Donald Duck sounds to learning how to talk.

9.WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR BIRDS QUIRKS

She’s a champion knot un-tier. She puts her footsie on her head when she wants to be cuddled. She’s deathly afraid of any kind of stick. She has a vendetta against Mr. Squirrel who runs across our lanai. She likes to eat soap, bar or bottle, so it’s all put away. She definitely a sentinel bird and screams like a banshee when something or somebody foreign crosses her line of vision.

10. WHAT IS THE MOST SURPRISING THING YOUR BIRD HAS SAID?

“Bye, Bye.” I had been trying to get her to say it, but she never did, except for one day when we had an 18 month little girl come to the office with her Mom (who is a client of ours) to visit and when Abby was leaving she said “Bye bye” to Truely and after considering a few seconds Truely said it back. She hasn’t said it since.

11. WHAT IS YOUR BIRDS FAVORITE TREAT?

A Lays Potato chip.

Here is a video of Truley:

[pynkzephyr]

Congratulations Truely and Ginger!!!

I am so happy for you!! what a wonderful interview!!

[itzmered]

Congrats Truely! and Ginger too

[southernbirds]

Wonderful interview. Congratulations to Ginger and Truley.

[birdlvr466]

Ginger congratulations! Your interview was amazing. Chris you did a great job on the video too!

[Nikki]

Congrats! Lovely pictures and video! She is just a cutie pie!

[magni]

what a beautiful girl. I loved the interview

[CarmieJo]

[rockoko]

Congratulations!!!

[ANNE & GANG]

congratulations Truely Too and Ginger...awwwww...that interview just made my cry and laugh and awwwwww....