Marlene
Welcome to the neighborhood!
It is with great pleasure that I introduce the Celebirdy for the month of October,
The one and only, beautiful, AMANDA!
The one and only, beautiful, AMANDA!
This is what John, her daddy, had to say about Amanda.
Thank you for choosing Amanda for this honor. Her dad is very proud.
1. How did you acquire your bird?
Amanda came to us about 6 years ago now. We are her sixth home. She is truly the sweetest, most gentle and easy going cockatoo I've ever seen. She does not have any what I would call behavior problems other than the last couple of years she has started to lay eggs a little more often than I would like. Not a serious problem at this point but concerning enough. I'm dumbfounded that she's had that many homes because of how good she is (now anyway). If a bird this sweet has been rehomed so many times I can only imagine how many times a bird with real issues has be rehomed. The most previous owner was a single woman who had her for just under 5 years. She was a woman who was climbing the corporate ladder and her life was becoming more hectic, demanding and busy as each year past. She did the best she could with what little she knew but was realizing she was not giving Amanda the time and dedication she needed.
Amanda lived in the cage we now use as her sleep cage (which is all it's adequate for). The previous owner only wanted what was best for her and to find her a good home and she found us through an acquaintance. No money changed hands.
2. What is your birds name, age and sex?
Amanda is a female Umbrella Cockatoo who is now 23 years old. She weighs in at around 500ish grams.
3. Does your bird do any special tricks?
She does not do anything special in the way of "tricks" as I am not really into trick training. I prefer to interact with them more on their terms and let them choose how that is.
Is flinging food and chewing 8 inch round holes in the walls a trick?
4. What are some of your birds favorite foods?
I would say Amanda's favorite food is a freshly cooked chicken bone from the drumstick. They never quibble over food but if she's done eating her bone and Tika isn't, she marches right over to him and just takes his away.
Another favorite is Kiwi fruit. You have to slice it nice and thin and then cut the slices in half or she'll fling it. She also likes almond butter, beets and romaine lettuce.
5. What is the funniest thing your bird has done?
When Monty the rabbit was still alive, she would fling food at him to get his attention and then just drop food underneath her perch to entice him over. Then she would try to poop on him. Poor Monty never did catch on.
6. How has your bird enriched your life?
That's a pretty deep question. All the birds I've had in 30+ years have each given me something and taught me a lot. In my youth I was not a terribly nice person. Driven, compulsive, impulsive, not terribly compassionate or passionate about too many things. They have taught me consideration as in we are equals, just different. They have given me the patience of a stone. They have shown me unconditional love and devotion which makes me happy from within and that's all that truly matters.
We were never fortunate enough to be blessed with children and I think the big guy upstairs saw the hole in our hearts. He decided to "bless" us with two perpetual severely hyperactive, destructive plier carrying 3 year olds who will never grow up and never move out. Maybe blessing is not the right word?
7. What would you tell people who are considering this species?
Please please consider adopting a bird that is already here and just needs a home like you and I.
Read, learn and research everything you can about cockatoos and then be prepared to start out at square one anyway because "nothing" can prepare you for actually living with one 24/7/365 for the rest of "your" natural life.
8. What is the activity and noise level of your bird?
There is furious activity in the mornings and evenings when it's dad time. The in between time is spent chilling and doing her own thing. We encourage and have a 5-10 minute screamfest each evening just before bedtime. The rest of the time it's pretty quiet around here.
9. What are some of your birds quirks?
She must have lived with dogs at some time in her past because if she gets really worked up or scared she barks perfectly and does not scream. Don't get me wrong, if she wants to scream she can crack ear drums.
10. If your bird talks, what is the most surprising word or sentence it has said?
Amanda does not talk. Well she does say one word. "Uh-huh" which is the answer to any question you might ask her. Very agreeable. When she really likes something she grunts.
11. What is your bird’s favorite treat?
No question it's the marrow from a chicken bone.
Again, thank you for choosing Amanda as Celebirdy of the month.
Here are some pictures of the lovely Amanda
Congrats! Amanda is beautiful!!!
Wow! Thanks John!!
