I want to tell you a story about how my pet birds, Baby, Beenie, and Buddy, changed my life forever.
I had Baby for 22 years, Beenie for 19 years, and Buddy for 8 years.
Both birds were like keeping two perpetual toddlers in my home. (I had Buddy and Baby first, and then I had Baby and Beenie.)
Baby and Beenie were both cockatiels, and Buddy was a parakeet. All 3 birds were little parrots. These birds were intelligent and curious and could get into trouble if left unattended.
I always supervised my little parrots when I let them out of the cage and onto the floor to play and fly in my bedroom or living room. There were too many dangers in my home that these little guys could get into like light sockets and electrical cords, so I needed to baby sit my birds.
I did not like trimming my bird’s wing feathers because it caused them to become depressed.
I could tell from Buddy’s and Baby’s body language if they were depressed because they would sulk from not being able to fly, and Buddy began to over eat. Beenie would put up a huge fight if I tried to trim his feathers. After a few years, I decided feather trimming was cruel and stopped trimming Buddy’s, Baby’s and Beenie’s wing feathers.
My little parrots had the emotions of 2-year-old human children and the intelligence of about 4-year-old children – possibly. Cockatiel intelligence has not yet been proven scientifically but African Gray parrot intelligence has been shown by Dr. Irene Pepperberg to be that of a 5 or 6-year-old child.
When a bird brain tops a Harvard Students on a Test.
When I first had Baby and his little friend Buddy (my parakeet that lived for 8 years) in the late 1990s, I knew nothing about birds.
25 years ago, I didn’t think birds had hardly any intelligence or feelings because that’s what I was taught about animals when I was growing up. One of my Catholic grade school teachers told me animals had no souls, and I was devastated. I dearly love my mom’s dog, Brassy, back in the 60s, and unfortunately this changed how I thought about animals when I was a young girl.
I was about to find out that the idea that birds were stupid and non-emotional was a short-lived concept. My life would be forever changed for the good of birds and all animals!
I learned about Dr. Irene Pepperberg from Bird Tricks.com when her first colleague Alex passed away suddenly at 31 years of age. I bought healthy bird pellets from the Birdtricks site.
I must also give credit to my tiny parakeet, Buddy.
I read an article about how intelligent parakeets were in Bird Talk magazine in the late 90s!
I told my mom and sister how smart Buddy was, and they told me I was crazy.
I was so happy to find the article in the magazine about parakeet intelligence, because I knew I wasn’t crazy. I brought the magazine article over to my mom’s and sister’s house to show them and to prove that I was not crazy and that parakeets were indeed smart!
My Buddy looked very similar to this parakeet.
Learning about the intelligence of birds gave me an entirely new outlook on life and more of a reason to live.
I had a more positive outlook on the world, knowing that birds were so smart!
I wanted to teach other people about how intelligent birds were and are!
I could now defend myself when people called me crazy, with scientific evidence of bird intelligence as a fact.
I was not insane anymore for saying my tiny parakeet was smart.
I was, and I am a sensitive human being.
In my younger years – back in the dark ages – being super sensitive was a sign of mental illness instead of a gift.
I had proof to show my family that I was not crazy. I was so delighted! This was indeed a scientific breakthrough!
I was always more in tune with animals than with people.
All my days were filled with spending time with my little parrots.
I learned how, to be calm and patient while taking care of my cockatiels and parakeet.
I didn’t know how affectionate parrots could be and how complex their emotions were.
I learned this over time with Buddy, Beenie, and Baby from 1995 to 2021.
My cockatiels loved to be petted on top of their head and cheeks.
I didn’t know I could try and pet Buddy, but he was not hand raised like Baby and Beenie.
Baby and Beenie were hand-raised by humans from the day they were hatched, so they thought, in a sense, that I was another bird!
That is why pet birds are so often friendly towards people. You still need to be cautious with larger birds because of their sharp beaks and hormones. Pet parrot’s hormones are another story.
Buddy, Baby, and Beenie taught me what love is.
I never had anyone love me the way they did.
My little parrots cared about me and gave me unconditional love and affection for many years. I was one of the flock.
I could feel it from their little/big hearts all of the time. I could feel the loving energy Baby, Buddy, and Beenie gave to me.
My tiny parrots energies of love were so vast, unique, and something I had never experienced before.
It is so hard to explain the feeling of love I received from my little parrots. Buddy, Baby, and Beenie taught me what true love and responsibility were/are all about.
I have heard the same opinion about love from other bird owners on YouTube.com – BirdTricks and Marlene McCohen - many of their videos I watched and enjoyed!
When my birds loved me, I learned how to give love back.
Losing my birds was extremely heartbreaking, but their beautiful spirits are still with me.
I am so very grateful for all of the hard work I did taking care of my little parrots. I enjoyed every moment with each bird, and I held each little parrot until his last breath. Their beautiful spirits live on with me forever.
