Thursday, April 18, 2013

A to Z: Pico Prefers Peanuts

Pico is a Yellow-Naped Amazon parrot that my father inherited after my paternal grandmother passed away almost 25 years ago. He's in his mid-50s.

Pico's favorite treats are peanuts that are still in the shell, and cream cheese. He can only have a couple of the peanuts, and a very teensy weensy bit of cream cheese, because those treats are sort of like candy for a bird. They are OK in very small amounts, but should not be the main course.

Pico also enjoys strolling atop his cage, taking short jaunts around the house as the dog sniffs his butt, and long walks on the beach. OK, maybe not the walks on the beach, but he does enjoy having a beach-like atmosphere. He loves to go outside and get hosed off on a sunny morning. That really makes him sing and flap his wings.

My grammy never really trained Pico well. He used to chew the knobs of the cabinets, and even bit my dad's finger to the bone once. That was back when my dad thought he could still scratch Pico's head when he stuck his finger in the cage and said, "scratch, scratch?" Pico didn't take kindly to that the way he used to.

It's OK though. As long as my parents keep him at arms length by using a broom handle to transport him from place to place, he's happy. He obviously enjoys our company, just not our fingers inside his cage, unless they are transporting some sort of sustenance.

Pico loves to sing and dance. He sings opera, and dances to music. He'll also say things such as "Wanna buy a bird?" "Polly want a cracker," "Where's Erik?" (Erik is my dad), "I'll mow ya down!" "Wanna buy a duck?" "Better buy Bird's Eye!" "Hello Pico!" and "I love you Pico!" He clearly cares deeply about himself, but you can't love others until you love yourself first. At times, he sounds like a self-help CD.

Even though Pico will bite your hand off, he is a very sweet bird. I know that seems like a contradiction, but it's true. He's a sweetie-pie, and I love him to pieces.

My only problem is that I don't think people should have birds or reptiles as pets. These are animals that really need to be able to fly or roam free. My parents actually taught me that, and never would have bought a parrot on their own.

They will take the best possible care of Pico, but we all feel bad that he can never fly free. Once they are domesticated (especially one that has lived inside for so many years), you really can't send them back to the wild.

So, I feel a bit sorry for him, but I'm glad he's as happy as he can possibly be as a domesticated bird. I love you, Pico!

30 comments:

  1. Beautiful bird. I just love it when they talk. I've never had a bird, never wanted one. We had a rat that bit my hubby Ken all the time but after a couple of months of me holding him several times a day he stopped biting Ken. For the most part... lol

    Dark Thoughts Blog

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    1. Awww, well all your rats are so cute. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Pico! Loved that name and beautiful bird too. I had a toy parrot who talked and I used blabber the whole day to it.

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    1. Haha, yes, I tend to imitate the bird more than the bird imitates me. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. I think this was the most enjoyable post I have read in the A to Z so far!!

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    1. Aww, well thank you so much, that's so sweet! Thank you for stopping by too! :)

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  4. Im not a fan of birds as housepets either, my mum is scared of birds...more when they flap at her i think. pico looks lovely! out of interest where does he get "ill mow ya down" from?

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    1. I think that was something they taught him at the pet store before my grandmother even bought him. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Have you ever seen that movie, We Bought a Zoo? I think you would fit right in :-)

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    1. Haha, no. I'll have to check it out. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. What a fantastic sounding bird! A great member of the family. Your pets are so terrific sounding, and you have done a great job writing about them, and bringing them to life for us to read about.

    Chuck
    valleyoftheoldones.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much, that's so sweet of you to say. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Did you name your bird after the street? Pico & Sepulveda is a famous corner.

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    1. My dad says that my grandfather made up the name Pecko, and my dad said something like Pelo. So then my grandmother said, well how about Pico, like the street? So yes, he was named after the street, in a sense. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. When we were about eight, me and my brother were crazy about parrots. We would buy them, groom them for two weeks on an average and then set them free. The best part was opening the cage and watching them spread their wings and fly away. :)

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    1. How sweet! I'm glad to hear that some of the parrots out there get to be free before they are totally domesticated. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. When we were about eight or nine, me and my brother were crazy about parrots. We used to buy them and then after about a week of grooming and trying to make it 'talk' we would tire and set him free. In summers a lot of parrots come in our backyard and we can't help but wonder if they are the same ones we set free all those years back.
    Enjoyed this post.

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    1. Oh, how cool! I love the part you added here about the parrots that may have come back. How nice. :)

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  10. I love birds and parrots but I've always been a cat lover too and I figured the two didn't really go well together. Since the cats were around first, I thought getting a bird would just be silly.

    Now that our cat has passed on, I wouldn't mind getting a wee bird.

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    1. You were probably right about that. Birds can be sweet pets, but it's not so nice to keep them in a cage. It may be better to get another cat. :) Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. A very informative and funny post! How long do the Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrot's usually live?
    #1229
    A to Z April Blogging Challenge
    http://mauldinfamily1.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/q-is-for-queasy/

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    1. Thank you very much for the compliment! They can live to be almost 100, but they normally only live between 3 and 25 years because most people don't know how to care for them. It's important to do your research, or just not have a bird at all, since it's sad to have to keep them inside.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  12. Please read the post at Blogging from A to Z today (Friday April 19). I've featured your blog to help you gain some new blog followers. Don't forget to visit those who are your new followers and have left comments so you can thank them and reciprocally follow their blogs. We're trying to accomplish some fruitful networking today!

    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Thank you so much! I had thanked the commenters who came from your blog first. Now I'm trying to catch up with everyone else. :)

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  13. I loved your alliteration with the title of your post. Good luck with the A to Z!
    Kids Math Teacher

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    1. Thanks so much, and thank you for stopping by!

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  14. Your post on Pico is quite entertaining.I agree with you about not keeping birds in captivity. The human equivalent would be me forced to live in a 6 x 6 space all day everyday.

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    1. Exactly, it's very sad. Thank you for the compliment, and for stopping by!

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  15. I enjoyed watching Pico! I once owned an Amazon, but as it tried to take food from Baby Girl when she was just a tot, I feared for the safety of my children and had to re-home the parrot. I admire your parent's commitment to Pico and your message regarding why birds shouldn't be kept as pets. I agree.

    I'm glad I've found your blog through the A to Z Challenge and I look forward to reading more!

    -Cristyl @ www.mychillthoughts.com

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  16. Thank you so much, and thanks for stopping by! I'm really enjoying your blog as well. :)

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