Tico Tico

Since I have been so busy and had virtually no time to myself, my parents have been watching my parrot Chico. He is a White Bellied Caique and loads of fun. I am beginning to miss the crap out of that little bugger, so I figured I would blog about him today J

His name is Chico, and he is 2 years old. I purchased him when I lost my Quaker Parrot Petrie.

Petrie was older when I got him, but he loved me all the same. He however, ONLY loved me and would bite anyone else who came to close to him or me. He was my guard bird! When he passed away I was sad, but I had a huge cage with hundreds of dollars invested in toys and such so I didn’t want to see it unused or sold. That was when I began my search for another bird.

Birds make great pets for those who don’t want the responsibility of cleaning a litter box or taking a dog outside to potty, without sacrificing the kinship (ex. Fish). The newspaper at the bottom of the cage is not hard to clean up, and despite what some people say, birds are only messy if you allow them to be. They do require attention and love, but what pet doesn’t?

When I found Chico I immediately fell in love with him. The woman who had him brought him out and was rubbing his belly and he puffed his little cheeks up and fell back on her like a dog getting his belly scratched. I knew I had to have him. He was 8 mos old at the time with black still on his head, and he was weary of newcomers. I didn’t want another Petrie, I wanted a bird that was nice and would love everyone in my family. The woman informed me that he hadn’t been very well socialized but he was still young enough I could mold him and socialize him to be a more people oriented bird. For weeks I went to the shop and took fruits and veggies to allow him to see I meant well, and that he could trust me.

All the time paid off! He began coming to me, and by the time I took him home he was my new little love. But soon I found out all the research I had done that claimed these birds were “clowns” and “a handful” was true. Petrie was an old man compared to my new toddler!

Chico makes me laugh every day. He dances, and whistles, and sometimes I don’t know if his brain is all there because he acts so crazy! Either that or he knows when someone thinks he is funny, so he does it for our entertainment J

As all pets do, Chico has gotten a few nicknames.

My sister had a small parrotlet who was names Weezy. He had huge feet, so we started calling him Weezy Boots. Chico has similar feet (very big and awkward) so he has gotten the nickname Chico boots… sometimes we just call him boots boots, tico boots, little man, yiddle man (baby talk), or tico man. I think he likes it J

My parents love him too, and he loves them (which is a relief!). My mom has even begun to call him her “grand-birdie” which makes me smile. Sometimes I think he loves her more than he loves me L then I make myself feel better by remembering that my mother is just one of those people who all animals love. I think they may just sense her good nature and patience. I don’t know exactly what it is, but animals just love her!

I can’t wait to be done with school so I can have a regular schedule and get my baby back!!

I miss my little man, and I can’t wait to see him! He is a handful, but he keeps me smiling and feeling loved . . . and he is an only child for now . . . until I get my bully J