GIFTS OF KARMA - INTRODUCING OUR NEW FAMILY PET

Today I and my folks decided to go shopping and we usually go on foot, and on a way to the shop, we usually pass next to one building. One elderly woman lives there and she is exceptionally familiar and friendly with everybody.

My husband was always a bit surprised and confused with her open and straightforward social behavior but me, as a complete extrovert have no problems with it whatsoever.
Today as usual, as we passed by she said hello and how are you, and later I said to my husband that probably that lady has a reason to be less reserved than other people.
I mean, you can't know.

We did our shopping and on the way back we saw a huge birdcage placed on the eco-green isle next to the dumpster. I and my kid was immediately all over that new item and decided to take it with us.

When I was a child I wanted to have a parrot so bad, but the bird was too expensive to even think about it.

My husband asked in wonder where do I plan to get a bird. He assumed I want a parrot - because what else a human parrot would like to have.

He said, I don't know what is the price, but I bet they are not so cheap. And he was right. Parrots are expensive and there was no way I could get one.

I said to him, listen I did some nice things recently and some people give pets they can't take care of away for small sums or for free. The parrots are the birds known to live for a long time and some owners get bored and wish to give away into the good hands.

Now, my husband believes in higher forces just like me and we already witnessed so many good things, opportunities and wishes being fulfilled to us almost instantly.
I mean, I know, a parrot is not something, but still, it is kind of a wish.
So, I said we will see about it and we continued walking back home.

As we were passing next to the lady's building she call us as usual and asked me, wait do you plan maybe to have a bird.

I said, well, yes, but I have no knowledge of the birds at all or where to get one.

A lady said, there should be no problem, I have a bird and I will give it away because, you know, I recently lost my husband and I am in no mood for any overly social companion.

So, there it is, a true reason for her friendly social behavior. She lost her husband and it was a huge shock for her.

If you want, she continued, you can come inside and see a bird for yourself.

She said a name and a type of a bird but I told her straight away I really don't know what that is so it will be the best to just show me.

I and my daughter went to her apartment and she showed us a bird. And it was a parrot. That is all I knew by the first look at it, so I told her to wait and we will be back with the money. She decided to sell it to us for the very low price.

We dragged our bags and a birdcage back home and I went to a few websites to see what we are dealing with.

An old gal decided to sell us a Lutino Cockatiel for 20 bucks. A calling price is anywhere from $175 to $300.

I read a few lines of the crash course instructions and said to my folks about it. Family briefing - 'It is a social animal, doesn't like to be alone, has to be talked at, I want it.' End of a briefing.

We got cash on the ATM and went back to old lady's place. She told us that a bird is in her possession at least for a month but she and her folks couldn't establish any social connection to it at all, but as a bird produces a high pitched squeak at times, sometimes it can be really weird.

Her son told us to keep fingers away because a bird likes to chop off fingers or anything that tries to touch him.

I took a piece of a cloth with me and covered a cage to carry a parrot, but it took me some practice to keep a cage steady while walking.
I had to make at least five stops to rest and to calm the bird who was very vocal.

When we came home I removed our lap cat to another room and take a cage with the bird in our study room where I and my kid spend the most of our time together.

I placed a cage on the cabinet stand in front of a huge mirror to give a bird an illusion of being in the company of another of his kind.

The bird looked in wonder around producing a few noisy squeaks and after noticing another feathered party wobbling in a mirror, it sent a few gestures to the mirror, sat closely next to it and calmed down.

The previous owners got an adult bird with already developed instincts and some of them were not satisfied.

First of all, a cage should be in an elevated position, emulating natural elevated places like the branches of a tree. previous owners did the best they knew but they kept a somewhat big cage on a floor, and a bird felt frustrated. Now imagine yourself being in a cage and giants walk around you... All those feet...

Second, a mirror was a great idea. Those birds feel much better in a company of their own kind, so that part is covered.

Third, all birds like a lot of light and they do not feel safe in the semi-dark places.

Noises are also welcomed, and like most of the birds, they like monotone repeating sounds that calm them down. They will squeak on almost anything sudden and/or thumping. So, yes, music on. Wild Betty electronic remix did the trick.

Tomorrow I will move our new pet pal into a big cage, ( which by the way weights a tone when you have to drag it for a couple miles by foot) and for today I will leave him to accommodate to the new environment.

SHORT CRASH COURSE ABOUT LUTINO COCKATIEL

Warning: when you get a new pet, please read all you can find about the animal. It is an equivalent of having an alien in the house. No, you don't know everything and most of us humans are born dumb, so make some reading - immediately or you will end up with a dead pet, empty wallet and a crying child.

The most me and my parents had on the farm were chickens and fowls, but even that is enough to get what the birds are about. They are social but not tactile, and they usually communicate with gestures and voice, unlike other furry animals and us humans. So, unless you are a bird's handler from a start, keep your paws away from its feathers.

Lutino Cockatiel, is in short, a gorgeous bird. It is extremely visually appealing. His natural predecessor is Grey Cockatiel which is found in Australia and Tasmania. Keep the bird in the environment that is warm enough for you, keep it in the well-ventilated room, but not near the air conditioning.

As said by experts, they are easy to handle, keep and maintain, not noisy, accept changes quickly and doesn't require non-stop attention.

They change a position of their crests according to their feelings - erect when excited, lowered when afraid or angry, in-between when relaxed.
They also hiss when threatened or afraid. I heard this hissing, and it is very noisy, you can't mistake it for anything else.

Size of the fully adult bird is up to 12 inches ( 30 centimeters) which means our specimen is young.

The cage it came with is too small, so the huge one I dragged home will be perfect for climbing and playing. They have to have some space.

A bird appears to be a male based on its appearance and variety of the chirps, complete resentment to comply ( crest doesn't go down when you approach him) and vile hissing, and based on his feathers and behavior it is in the great shape.

Males can be trained to talk, but it requires a lot of practice and communication and as this fellow was pretty much in social disposition I am not so sure he would be willing to repeat words easily.

I trained a cat to obey simple commands, I am sure I could be able to train a parrot to squeak my favorite tune. If he starts mumbling words that will be a plus.

A bird is widely accepted and preferred parrot pet, but it is also an expensive one. I think that the price is one of the major factors that protect bird breeders to sell the birds to the owners who don't really want them.

The Cockatiels prefer a wide variety of the food, fresh and green food is advised as well the vitamin supplements. With the right care, a bird can live 20+ years.
The fresh water should be given every day and they also like to bath so a plate of a water on the bottom of a cage can serve for that.
Covering a bird over the night is not necessary unless a bird feels better that way and more secure.
The social interaction is very important for these birds otherwise they can even develop the depression.

This is all for today about our new family member, I will write about it some next time with more information and more details.

I took a few more pictures of our parrot, but he was not happy about it and he accessorized his annoyance with a very angry pose as you can see and a very loud raw of hissing.

My daughter is truly happy and excited for having a pet she could only dream off, and I am also very happy to receive such a wonderful gift of the Karma.