boyfriend of a 'parrot person'

[PapayaTheConure]

My mistake dorp,


The poor mistreated dorp; running away from his cuddly, lovable, beautiful, sweet, and feathered attackers. I am absolutely terrified (cough) not.




BOO!
I scared you didn't I, dorp?

[Maria]

I already sent you a PM about this:

It is generally considered bad etiquette to multi-post back to back responses on a forum thread. Instead, try to post all the responses as a single reply with multiple quotes. You may not have known this, but you can quote a bunch of different people in the same response.

When you click reply to a topic and get to the reply box, scroll below this. You will see a list of recent posts on the topic. You can click "quote" next to each one you want to quote and it will paste the quote into your response area. It's also a good idea to remove all extra text in your quote besides the specific points you are referring to. Otherwise the response gets very long and redundant with complete reposts of other posts.

If you realize you forgot to mention something in your response immediately after, instead of adding another reply, you can go back and edit your post. On the other hand, if more than about 15 minutes has gone by, don't edit your post because people may have already read your response and not realize you added more to it since.

With over 15 posts in a row, it is absolutely ridiculous. It is unfair to other members to have the thread entirely hijacked by a single member. There isn't really a limit to how much you can post in a single response, but posting so many responses makes it difficult for other members to be involved in the discussion.

Yes Michael, I saw your PM over the weekend before last, I believe, and PM'd you back saying, understood, and that I didn't know, etc., and that I'm sure your mentioning and suggesting this kind of thing is also helpful because it cuts down in multiple posts, etc. Just now able to come back into this site now.... I'm sure you received your PM reply. Thanks....

[Maria]

The euthanasia part was because she would't want her parrot to be re-homed or something as she knows how volatile that creature is but I explained to her that the parrot would forget about her almost instantly and find a new 'mate' or whatever but she didn't seem to believe me.

The parrot will not forget about her. The parrot will die, if the second hand owner is not told or taught how to adjust the parrot correctly. This is because once a parrot bonds to a person, they can get sickly and die because of missing that person, hurting for that person. This is also part of their sensitive emotional make up. So what you are thinking, and telling her, is incorrect.

If an option were to be to second home the parrot, she would need to tell the person to bring them back to the formula stage with pureed banana for a week, as well as leave a tape of her voice for the parrot with the second hand owner, as well as leave a form fitting type shirt rolled up in the cage, which she has worn and not washed, so it still has the smell of her. These are most big parts of helping a parrot adjust when they lose their person, in order that they have a chance to adjust well and won't die. This is too much to explain in typing, but also one of my posts on one of these forums talks about the simulating the formula stage for this with pureed banana and why, etc., and how to do it. If you can do a search somehow and find it; I don't remember which one it's on.

As well, even some people I knew who had parrots, their parrots died when they themselves either passed away, or went on a trip for like six weeks, because the parrots had no such adjustment for these reasons. For the person who went away on the trip, the avian vet (parrot veteranarian), told this person about this, and what she should have done, why they died, and she didn't know. They were healthy, happy birds, and she found this out from the avain vet.

You come here for help and education, but in your posts, you seem to be very negative about the help that people are giving you and suggesting to you here. All you seem to do is come up with alot of rebuttals. It doesn't, therefore, come across to me, as if you're trying, but only maybe that you want it all your way or no way. And you're coming across closed minded.

[Maria]

Birds (haha?!) don't have emotions? You're going by old school stories. Humans have been advancing in our intellect and in debunking myths. If mankind still lived by archaic tales and never thrived for new information, we'd all be doomed.

There is conclusive scientific evidence after a 30yr research that parrots have the intelligence of a 5 year old human child.
Do 5 year old human children have emotions, yes or no?

Sorry but this is completely wrong. What you presented is a logical fallacy. Just because the Alex studies found that Grey Parrots can demonstrate understanding concepts akin to a 5 year old human child, and that 5 year olds have emotions, does not in any way imply that parrots have to have emotion. Just because Alex was able to count, add, identify shapes, etc does not all prove any kind of emotion whatsoever.

There is no proof that parrots or any animals for that matter have emotions. Heck human emotions aren't well understood in the first place. Behavior can be observed, studied, reproduced, and understood. Emotions are highly subjective. Virtually all talk of animals + emotions are nothing more than projection and anthropomorphism. It gets us nowhere in terms of better understanding/interacting with our pets.

They can feel fear. They can feel sorrow at a lose. They feel happiness when they play. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THEY FEEL LOVE. If no one else believes this way then I have been dancing in the wrong ballroom.

Yes, they also definitely feel fear and stress. The five emotions are anger, hurt, fear, sorrow, and love. Another main way parrots can die is if they get highly stressed. Liz, they do feel all these things you’re talking about. I disagree with what Michael is saying on this aspect. But I think he’s also trying to say that it is “possible” that parrots and animals have emotions.

Parrot’s interactive nature is also tied to their emotions. (playing, etc.). And when they feel sorrow at a loss of “their person” who they’re bonded to, you can tell, because they will show signs of “depression/”sickness”. They will withdraw, become listless, their feathers will become & stay a bit fluffed up when they’re sick (signs of sickness in birds). When they are afraid, they tremble, and their heart beat increases. When they calm down from being afraid, or upset, their heart rate slows back down to normal. I have actually heard my parrot’s heartbeat doing this in both instances. (was touched to hear my parrot’s heartbeat too ). I couldn’t help but hear it, it was actually volumnized to a point where I could hear it! This was because when he was upset one time, I held him and cuddled him up close to me to help calm him down, so I heard it!

(Mona, excellent post, by the way). You’re right on the money.

I also disagree that animals do not have emotions. You can even tell that they do by seeing how dogs, cats, as well as other animals, react regarding their interactions, or the lack thereof, between them and the humans they become bonded to.

I also want to recommend watching the movie “Hachi”. It is also based on a true story. It is a very good movie about the emotions of animals, and how they bond, etc. It is a beautiful story. Rent it. That is the exact name of the movie, and exactly the correct spelling. 

Dorp – in one of your posts you referenced something to the affect that there are times you want to just turn around and hit the parrot. My response to that was mainly about the parrot’s bones, and the fact that the parrot would surely turn on you, never to return to trusting or letting you become friends with it again. I also wanted to say, though, that, if you’d ever reported here that you had hit the parrot, not only my heart would break for the parrot, but your girlfriend’s heart would also probably break, to the point where she may not want to be with you anymore. I don’t know if you can understand that. And myself, as well as she, would probably be very angry with you as well. So before you ever think of reacting that way, you should either get more help with this, or leave the situation totally. Don’t let it get to a point of abusing animals simply because you don’t understand them.

I also know that anyone who would not accept my parrot, would not be a boyfriend or husband of mine.

You also don’t seem to have “compassion” in general.

I also know, ya’ll, that it is interesting to note, that the smartest animal (parrot) in the world is a parrot – it lives in New Zealand, it is a wild mountain parrot. Watch youtube videos of this. Use this search criteria (“New Zealand wild mountain parrot”) – to bring up videos on them, with narratives, documentaries, etc. Really neato.

I also think that birds have something to do with God, because of their sensitivity with emotions, and their intelligence. And look at the dove; it is symbolic of Jesus.

[dorp]

[Cage Cleaner]

Three things that are just sad in this thread:

1) the fact that Dorp started this thread/is still posting here.
2) The fact that anyone else is even responding to this anymore.
and 3) The fact that I had to mention it.

[Maria]

professional trainer and animal psychologist, Irene Pepperberg.

Identifying objects:

IE:
Key chain
Telling trainer that he wants a banana.
Carrot
I want corn, soft corn
When given the corn, he says, “Cold” - - - and watch . . . . and listen to what the trainer says after that (he identifies cold and warm, etc.)
He says, “Go pick up corn”, when the corn niblets fall as he’s eating the corn ….. then listen to trainer. . . . . .
Using his beak he could tell you what matter objects were made of
Rock
Wood
Wool
(watch/listen)
He could tell you the number of squares from the number of balls
The number of each color – Trainer asking, “How many blue balls?” Alex the parrot saying, “Four” .

Alex telling trainer: “Wanna go eat dinner” . . . . then watch/listen to trainer ….

“Wanna go back” (when Alex says that, he means he wants to go back to his cage)

Alex's last words to Pepperberg were: "You be good. I love you."

CLICK LINK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqPvsB9-_J0

[dorp]

we're back together and now I'm choosing to never go to her house again
forgetting about the parrots in general has been helpful

[gabbagabbawill]

we're back together and now I'm choosing to never go to her house again
forgetting about the parrots in general has been helpful

Dorp, don't ever think you're going to change your girlfriend. If she does change and give up her pet, she will resent you. If you really love her, you will learn to accept her, even for her eccentricities.

Learning to accept something that you don't like is probably one of the most difficult things to do in life. Think of it as a challenge, one that you can mentally and emotionally overcome. If you really love your girlfriend, overcoming this kind of challenge will show her you love her more than anything else could. It will also make you a stronger willed and more compassionate human being. If you can't accept this challenge, then may your girlfriend find out sooner than later that you are not the one for her.

[liz]

Dorp (and I sure hope that is not your real name) why don't you study up on the kinds of birds she has. If you learn what they are all about and what they are capable of maybe you won't be such a butt about them.