Skeeter the Red Bellied Parrot

[KimberlyAnn]

Awwwww! That's so cute! I love when they sing their own music! How lucky you got it on video!

[Pajarita]

Awwww, what a cutie!

[Weka]

Thanks, all!

Okay, now that we're approaching the one month mark, I'll save this thread just for interesting/cute Skeeter stories, and post elsewhere in regards to training, etc.

Here's an interesting one. I discovered today that while Skeeter likes some music, what he REALLY likes is poetry! For some reason while talking to him I started making up little parrot-themed nursery rhymes, i.e.,

"Skeeter, Skeeter, pellet eater
had a wife but couldn't keep her;
Put her in a shiny bell
and there he kept her very well."

Or

"Sing a song of sixpence!
A pocket full of rye
Four and twenty parrots
baked in a pie
When the pie was opened
the birds all took to wing
Wasn't that a dainty dish
to set before the king?"


He was entranced. So I kept it up until I ran out of nursery rhymes and then began to recite all the fancy-pants literary poems I could recall off the top of my head. I think the all-time fave was "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. He murmured and swayed and clicked contentedly -- so cute!

Time to dust off some old books for more material....


--Weka

[KimberlyAnn]

Omg, I can't believe I'm doing this...but this is what I sing/clap to Emmi that she loves! Lol I teach preschool after all, so I sing these songs daily at work. I changed it for Skeeter.

_Circus Clown

Clap to keep the beat or sing to "The Noble Duke of York"

I know a circus clown
His name is Skeeter
Watch him go into the ring
And do a funny thing
Da-da da-da da-da-da
Da-da da-da da-da
Da-da da-da da-da-da
Da-da da-da da-da
Hey!

And to the same tune...

Skeeter is a bird
He likes to dance and sing
Watch him as he dances round
And dances round again
Sometimes he dances high
Sometimes he dances low
Sometimes he dances really fast
And then he dances slow
Yay!



_The Bird Song

Clapping again or sing to "The color song" which I can't find on YouTube. :/ I will add the real lyrics if that's helpful. This kinda reminds me of a southern bango porch song. It's fun.

Bird bird bird bird (Pick a color)
If you are a bird (If you're wearing "color")
Stand up stand up
Turn yourself around
And jump up and down
Bird won't you please
Sit down sit down

---

Emmi also likes....

Does eat oats
And goats eat oats
And little lambs eat ivy
A kid will eat ivy too
Wouldn't you!

And

I'll tell me ma
When I go home
The boys won't leave
The girls alone
They pulled my hair
They stole my comb
But that's alright
Til I go home
She is handsome she is pretty
She is the belle of dublin city
She is courting one, two, three
Pray would you tell me who is she
Emmi!

Poetry has a great rhythm to it. I think that's why they like it. I can't help, but sing and clap because Emmi likes it. Being a teacher with specialisation in music, I know how important it is to brain development...finding that rhythm. It has to be the same for parrots because they pick up on it.

Emmi loves when I put her names in songs and will chant her own name all day long while dancing. Except when I hit record for a video...someday I will catch her!

[Weka]

Aw, how wonderful that you have all these chants and songs for Emmi! Thanks for sharing.

I might have to try a few of 'em on Skeets today....

[cml]

Dont worry, I also sing for our birds all the time and I am not a teacher. A bit crazy perhaps , but the birds love it. Usually, I just make up the lyrics as I go, using whatever tune is on radio for the rythm and background music.

[Pajarita]

Yes, parrots love it when you sing to them. I have three main songs that I sing to them everyday and the Bad Bird, bad bird, whachugonna do when they come for you while I clap my hands and bounce up and down with them doing the same thing -LOL- Parrot people are the craziest of them all!

[KimberlyAnn]

I'm so glad I'm not alone. When I had cats, I would sing to them too. They would just stare at me and wonder if this musical included tuna or whisker lickins.

[Pajarita]

LOL - No, cats don't appreciate human song, what they do like is when you purr back at them or talk to them making a grrrr sound back in your throat - but it has to be done very softly or they think you are growling -LOL They also love little nips because that's the way they kiss.

[Harpmaker]

No, cats don't appreciate human song

Pajarita, I agree with your comment for most cats, but I did have one that would run the length of the house to sit at my feet while I played the harp.

Corsair is fascinated with the harps as well-maybe because she can SEE how to play it, and it works when she plucks a string as well. She hasn't started playing tunes on it yet, though.