Rob's Birds
Tookie-too

Please read if you love parrots.

In April of 2006, I took in another bird, one I do not plan to keep long term.

Tookie-too (a female umbrella 'too) was purchased from a pet store by a couple who had no idea what they were getting into. The husband told me that although the pet store told him Tookie was very young (she was probably 4 or 5 months old, at most), he felt she must be 2 or 3 years old because she was so BIG! They put her in a 2'x2'x2.5' cage (on a stand), fed her an adult-bird packaged seed-and-pellet mix -- and peanuts -- and promptly started several months of very noisy home-remodeling projects. Contributing to the noise were their wanna-be rockstar son and three small yappy dogs (whom Tookie mimics wonderfully). They did apparently cuddle her, a lot.

By the end of about a year in their household, Tookie had pulled or chewed to stumps almost all her body feathers, and had only tail, wing, and head feathers left. She was under-weight, uncoordinated, and weak. She looked and acted more like a nestling than she would have when they bought her.

The first two weeks or so with me, she ate some, cuddled some, and slept LOTS. Her weight (after one week here) was 492 grams, not bad -- and more than Loki weighed when I got him.

Tookie looked like a black and white bird -- umbrella cockatoos' skin tends to be dark gray. (sorry, no early photos, I'd misplaced my camera). Her tummy was completely bare, with only the tips of a few pin-feathers just coming through the skin. She had pulled most of the feathers on her back, and chewed to stubble the feathers under her wings. She had also damaged her flight and tail feathers.

Tookie saw the vet the day after I brought her home. From the start, she would do a 'begging' behavior -- head back, beak open, wings quivering. Since she was clearly underweight, the vet and I both thought she was doing this because she was hungry. However, when the behavior continued (periodically) weeks after she was eating well and gaining weight, the other explanation seemed more apt. That 'begging' behavior is also done by hormonal adult female cockatoos. Since Tookie was less than two years old, her hormone levels should have been very low -- and almost undetectable by my boys. She arrived in April, which is when the boys usually start their spring hormone season. The boys were more reved up than usual, but at first I thought that maybe having a female cockatoo around -- even a very young one -- could be enough. But as summer continued and the boys' hormones stayed high and Tookie's begging behavior continued despite my careful handling of her, I began talking to my vets about lupron.

For a better understanding of the role of lupron in protecting our birds' health, please read this.

August 2006

Tookie has been growing LOTS of feathers, though not much new down yet. Her old feathers are so delicate, you can read through them. The new feathers are much more substantial, and larger.

Her weight is up into 520-525 gram range now. She's learned to beat her wings, and has become stronger and much more active -- and more independent!

We are definately into "the terrible twos." If she's not getting something she wants, she'll half-raise her crest, and rapidly stamp her foot! She gets nippy if she's over-tired or over-excited -- luckily, the same remedy works for both. I cover her with a small towel or the corner of a light-weight blanket, talk soothingly to her, and stroke her lightly once or twice through the cover. She settles down very fast, and will usually take a short nap.

The first time I brought Tookie down to meet the other birds, Chester said "pretty bird" when we came in. As we were leaving, he said, "Pretty girl. I could love."
Since then he says "I love her" several times during every visit, and sometimes "love pretty bird girl."

June 2, Chester said, "I love the cockatoo kid." He laughs when Tookie yells at the other birds.
(I've been telling the boys that Tookie is just a baby, a little kid.)

Boo-boo can say "Tookie", Alex says "Took-too."
Boo-boo will yell back at Tookie when she yells during a visit, mimicking her sound. Alex will bark with her, so with both of them barking -- and Tookie also growling -- my bird room sounds like a kennel.

Tookie can say her own name and uses it in several phrases: "pretty Tookie-too," "good Tookie bird," "Tookie-too bird" and combinations. Since she's been here, she's started trying some new words and phrases, but I can't quite make them out yet.

Sept '06
Tookie says "good kid" and "good bird."

Jan 07
Tookie says "see boys" -- I ask her if she wants to go see the boys.

5-7-07
When I uncovered her cage this morning, Tookie said, "I love you!"
Her weight is in the 530-535 gram range now.

Alex	Casey	Jasmine	Bert	Loki	Chester	Boo-boo	Tookie
Baby	Others	Things	Foods	Notes	Likes	Start	Store

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Please read if you love parrots.

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