Sitting at home alone, watching the rain out of my window on my birthday. I realized we’re not sure when Fred’s birthday is. Fred, our beloved parrot, came into the family in the summer of 1989. They did not give an age. Last summer, as we looked through family photos, we noticed that in the older pictures of Fred, he appears smaller than he does now. So, he must have been young. I declare Fred’s birthday is January 1st, 1989.
New Year’s Day is easy to remember, and I always have it off from work. I thought of making it December 25, 1988, but thought that might be distasteful, and New Year’s Day keeps it in the year that he came into our lives. Fred has a metal band around his ankle, which means he was taken from his habitat. Imports of wild birds and that industry was banned in the United States in 1992. That might be why he’s hard to train and can bite people.
I wrote a brief blog post about Fred in November; here’s the link: https://mcallison.com/fred-is-number-one/ I’m happy to report that since then, Fred and I have bonded. I hold him several times a day. We moved him here in August, and I think it’s good for both of us. Last summer, while we were doing at-home hospice care for my dad, Fred wouldn’t let anyone hold him. He has shown aggression towards caretakers when I’m away, so there is still room for improvement.
Also, I should grocery shop more; we would both eat better. The book I read stated parrots should see an aviary veterinarian every year, but without a car, that’s not happening. I enjoy having Fred around, and it’s the first time I’ve had a pet as an adult. Last summer, with my father’s death and my mom relocating to Chicago, we had to think fast. I’m glad I agreed to take care of Fred. He is a family bird, though, and he or she may live to past 80. We are 90 percent sure Fred is male. Female parrots can lay infertile eggs without a partner, but not all female parrots do that. Fred has never laid eggs, so the chance that he is female is lower.
Fred makes sounds, so I think he tries to communicate, but I’m having a hard time teaching him actual words. I say, ‘Hello Fred,’ probably 100 times a day. He used to say ‘Hello’ regularly. When I leave my apartment, sometimes he says ‘bye-bye,’ loudly. Also, when I leave, he fidgets in his cage and makes noise. I’m not sure what he does when I’m not in the apartment. With work and other activities that is a substantial amount of time. I think he likes days like today, when we simply hang out all day.
Everyone deserves a birthday, even if not all of them are celebrated with a party. I’m glad I thought of declaring Fred’s birthday on New Year’s Day. Now I need to think about how Fred would want his birthday celebrated. He can’t eat dairy or sugar, so a cake is not needed. Parrot psychology is a little tough, so it’s hard to know what he wants. Thankfully, I can tell if he’s in a happy, welcoming mood or when he’s agitated.
Thanks for reading. Next year will be the big 50 for me, so I’ll make some plans for that one. Here are some more photos of Fred.
