17/03/2022
A couple of milestones tonight with Kona Jo!
First, as she sat on the arm of the chair next to me she told me "Hi Pumpkin". Pumpkin is a new word for her, one I've probably been saying for the past 6 years and she finally said it back today. "Pumpkin" puts her word count up to 95 unique words and the combination of "Hi Pumpkin" puts her phrase count at 71 unique phrases. Her most recent new word/phrase was "Stop Out!" which is apparently a combo of "stop it" and "chill out". (I live with 6 parrots, I definitely say both multiple times a day/week!) She hasn't mastered "chill" yet... "Out" was the new word for that one. Stop and it were already in her vocabulary. Earlier tonight while in her room off the kitchen she kept telling me "Hi pretty girl" and I would say it back to her and she'd respond with "How are you?" and I'd tell her I'm fine and ask her "how are you" and she'd start the cycle over again with "hi pretty girl" She's still working on her conversational English!
While Kona is a prolific talker, she's quite the shy, skittish and nervous girl. She tries to be friendly to everybody but doesn't really trust or step up for anybody but me. She LOVES meeting new people and if you stop and talk to her and then leave, she screams bloody murder in protest of your sudden departure. She thinks everybody is here to see her.
It took me a full year from the time I got her to the time she allowed me to scratch her head. She doesn't preen her tail feathers which results in very long keratin sheaths on her tail feathers and her tail is generally a mess and when the feathers molt out, the sheaths are frequently still on them. I ask the vet to preen them whenever she goes in for exams and nail trims and it always "stresses her out too much" and they cannot complete the job. He's recommended that I try, and lord knows I've tried but NOBODY touches Kona's tail feathers.
But tonight, the night she picked up a new word, at the age of 9 yrs old and almost 6 years after I got her, she called me Pumpkin and let me preen her tail feathers!!! I didn't get them all (they are a mess indeed) but this is AMAZING progress.
I follow a lot of parrot and macaw groups on FB and people who have re-homed parrots are always asking how long it takes to bond and to be able to touch them and, of course, everybody wants it NOW! but that is not always the case and you MUST go at the bird's pace. Sometimes it takes time (lots and lots and LOTS of time) and patience (lots and lots and lots and LOTS of patience) and allowing the bird to gain trust with you and then they come around. Kona Jo has been the most reserved bird I've ever met.
I'll be honest and say I've considered rehoming her over the past 6 years because I feel like she's too shy and skittish and too afraid of the boys and has to be completely separate from them or she freaks out and I've felt like she might do better in a single bird home and I have to split my time with them and split their time out in the main areas of the house and aviary, but when it comes down to it, I wouldn't trade her for the world! I absolutely adore her and have since day one! It's a juggling act with 6 parrots in the house who don't get along with one another, especially when some are flighted while others are not so proficient. I think I've finally found a good balance, but then I thought I did a few years ago and that seems to be ever changing. I'll keep adjusting and changing with them, they are worth it!
