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Let's continue the discussion of things done right.
Small Things
26-06-2012 06:37PM
You know how people who have small children seem to do nothing but talk about their kids? I have discovered a corollary to that— people with small parrots seem to do nothing but talk about their parrots. I am a case in point.
One thing I managed to get straight last year was to invest in a new pet relationship. April last year brought a new delivery to my household, and based on his mischievous nature, he was named Loki. Other nicknames include Loki Monster and Velokiraptor. No matter what he gets called, every day brings new amusements, aggravations, challenges and triumphs.
Some adjectives to describe what I like to think of as Loki's personality, which, though he is not a person, is distinctive and recognisable:
- Greedy
- Affectionate
- Playful
- Assertive
- Impatient
- Social
- Noisy
This year Loki's younger brother
Tanuki (aka Tanuki Bear) arrived. Unlike Loki, Tanuki's wings had accidentally been clipped by the parrot breeders, inhibiting (but not completely eliminating) his ability to fly. It's hard to say what is nature and what is nurture, but it's hard not to assume that this has had some impact on Tanuki's personality.
If I were to characterise Tanuki, I would say he is:
- Cautious
- Quiet
- Communicative
- Patient
- Solitary
- Contented
- Focused
Owning (intelligent) exotic pets has also provided a supreme opportunity to geek out. New areas of research like animal behaviour and parrot nutrition have appeared. New creative outlets have arrived in the form of making toys, perches, and foraging for food for my little buddies (interestingly, most Australian flora is extremely parrot friendly due to the large number of parrot species that are native here). New routines and methods for organising my life around these two little feathered balls of energy have emerged. And figuring out how to train them and trying to teach them what to say is generally entertaining although not always successful.
If my blogging streak hangs on, be prepared for more parrot talk to fill up this blog.