One of my friends...

DrDan · Post by **DrDan** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:37 am

Is Miles my Blue & Gold Macaw. He lives in my veterinary office and is the "Meeter/Greeter". He has about a thirty five word vocabulary which he keeps adding to all the time. One of the funniest things he does is pretends that he is answering the phone when it rings. He says, "Hello" and then continues on with "Uh huh", "Yah", "Ohhhh", "Uh huh", etc. just like he is having a conversation with some unknown person. He also has learned to hum in the morning from copying my receptionist. He thinks all dogs are "Ralph" since he knew my early dog "Ralph" and calls them all "Ralph". He also grunts when he's taking a crap which is quite often. The gals who come in are always thrilled when he wolf whistles at them.
He is about 30 human years old now and will live to about 70 years old. Came from Brazil. His favorite foods are banana's and he goes nuts for McDonald french fries. That beak can easily crack any nut yet he is articulate enough to peel grapes before he eats them. One time I gave him a popcicle and he held it by the cold end with his foot and chewed the stick - stupid guy dropped it and started shaking his foot!
He's quite a boy to share life with!

DrDan

huntman · Post by **huntman** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 8:25 am

That so cool Dr. Dan!! I would love to own one of those one day! What does a bird like that cost??

Charlie Booze · Post by **Charlie Booze** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:13 am

DrDan thanks for the story and the pic.

DrDan · Post by **DrDan** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:29 am

I had a person offer me $3000 for him one time and turned it down. I'm not really into the money thing unless I don't have enough for my hunting stuff LOL. My nephew who is a carpenter was passing through about 20 years ago on his way to NC for winter work and dropped him off for a short stay. Yah right! He had a chit cage which he destroyed in two weeks and started on the woodwork in a rental house. There went my security deposit! It cost me $600 for a cage to house him... Well nephew never came back!

So he was free but not really too free. He goes through about $30 or $40 in nuts, fruit and parrot feed a month.

I saw an Eclectus at PetLand for $1100 awile ago. Man that bird was beautiful. Had red body fading into purple under neck area. The place was going out of business and I offered $600 and they didn't take it. You can get them from rescue groups for free. That is my idea of paying for a pet. I try to avoid money excehanges for pets. I just give them a good home and pay whatever they need for good health, but there is something about vets buying pets that doesn't gel.

I know where there is a sulfur crested cockatoo right now for free. Beautiful bird but he screams and makes noise and the womans husband is gonna leave her if she doesn't find him a new home. LOL I a bachelor so an occasional scream doesn't hurt me any. In fact sometimes Miles and I have screaming contests particularly on stress days. Feels good to scream at Miles on occasion.

I didn't mantion his cuss word vocabulary - I don't know where he picks up some of this stuff!

Yes they are really cool to have as a companion. I figure you can get one for $1200 if you go to pet store.

DrDan

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:56 am

He sounds like he would be interesting to be around!

chris4570 · Post by **chris4570** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 2:51 pm

While working as a vet tech I spent four years at an exotic practice. Birds, reptiles, ferrets, rabbits etc. We had many feathered visitors come in, including a couple hawks(cool!!).

There was one blue-front(I think) amazon parrot that would board with us. She loved to hate me.

I could get her wound up by just being in the same room. Well she was a great singer".. da, da, da, da da ,da poooookie birrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd..' She would also brush her "teeth" while making the sounds. You could tell that the couple who owned the bird got into some verbal arguements because she would repeat certain phrases, or mutter under her breath.

I've heard african greys mimic so well you would think that the person they were mimicing was the one talking!!

Very intelligent! I think there intelligence is compared to that of a five year old.

Lucky Lar · Post by **Lucky Lar** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 5:04 pm

With just a little training maybe you could teach him to do a fly over, spot the coyotes, make the wounded rabbit sound and lead them coyotes right past you!

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 8:47 pm

I'm hearing a lot of positives but what about the negative side--like bird droppings,feather dust,dander,crud all over the floor from the bird flinging stuff out of the cage or flapping its wings and blowing all sorts of crap out onto the floor and bleeding(you) if the bird takes exception to you and lays on a nip. My wife has 2 birds and we kept one for a friend for over 2 years. I was very happy to see that bird go down the road --he was a beautiful green winged macaw with a great personality but he took up a lot of space and created a hell of a mess. THINK many times about getting a bird.They are a long term commitment.Greys will live 40+ years and some macaws can live 80+. If you want to take off for a hunt for several days who do you know who can look after your bird?--Not too sound too negative but know what you are getting into if you make parrots a part of you life.

DrDan · Post by **DrDan** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:23 pm

Yup you gotta clean up after them but what the hell my whole life is one mess after another so I guess I used to it. I have several girls who I can hire to care for him when I'm gone. If he is getting nasty you go into his cage with a spray bottle in one hand and he backs off. He doesn't like getting sprayed. It's a commitment - yes with a Macaw a lifetime commitment, but you know yah just get used to having the bird offer witty comments all the time and some of their antics make you laugh!

I thing the good outweighs the bad but that's only my opinion.

I forgot to tell you - if you hurt yourelf he will laugh! I was working on a LandRover in the garage and a wrench broke loose and I mashed my knuckles and he started laughing. I flung the wrench at his cage and it bounced off and then he really cut loose with insane laughter. I couldn't do anything but laugh too.

And then I used to smoke a pipe and coughed constantly. Well he has my cough perfectly mimicked.

Then we used to live next to a residence that had two Schnauzers that barked all the time. Well Miles soon had the bark down perfect and was living on screened in porch at the time. Whenever the damn Schnauzers quit barking he would start and get them going again.

Now he lives in my veterinary exam room and he really gets off when cats yowl if you have to do something that hurts. He can mimick several cat in distress sounds.

Yes if I could get him to do a dying rabbit sound and do fly overs he could help me bag a few more coyotes.

Guess what his favorite music is? You got it - he loves good screaming heavy metal. Ozzy Osborn is his favorite! He starts dancing when Ozzy is on.

What a maniac...... I think he was imported inside a hub cap that's why he is so nuts.

DrD

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:31 pm

My wife's friend in St Kitts. Sarah always remembers us.

DrDan · Post by **DrDan** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:35 pm

Boo...

Wow what the heck kind is he? I've never seen one like this!

DrDan

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:49 pm

She's rare, a Hyacinth Macaw. She's a spoiled brat. She treats my wife like a long lost friend and is always teasing me by stealing things from me. My wife gets kisses and pretty much wants to hang out with her. Sarah loves fries too and has tries to pluck the buttons off my camera. Everyone around her has got to be told to remove their ear rings!

DrDan · Post by **DrDan** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:12 am

Wow!!! Super Cool Boo... I never seen a Hyacinth before...

Sara is beautiful! Yes I know all about earings. Miles also likes to groom my girlfriends long hair. He just picks up strands and runs them through his mouth and coos while doing it. He loves her! They got such a big beak they just look goofy!

Yes I had a brand new vet office two years ago and it took no time at all for Miles to split off splinters of the oak trim I so carefully routed edges on, hand sanded and finished. He also enjoyed the synthetic plastic floor moulding and tore hell out of that. I caught him doing that and just grabbed him by the neck and slammed him in the cage. I was so mad I just lost it! Now it's just one of those things he's ruined. They costantly have to be provided with toys to chew up or they find their own.

DrDan

TYE · Post by **TYE** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:46 am

I wish I had a pet bird that talked. I think it would be the coolest thing in the world.

I used to deliver papers and this one house I used to have to collect $ at, they had a talking bird. Always got me laughing when I went to their house to collect. The lady who lived there was an old woman, but she was always nice. Her bird liked to say the odd smartass thing to me though.

TYE · Post by **TYE** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:11 am

This video of a Macaw cracked me up, lol.

Dancin' to the Beatles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idFExP7kMKY

This one seems pretty smart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTz1ura3SGM

Beat boxing parrot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnFV-fvgOu0