Fun question: What has surprised you most about parrots?

[Alyce Johnson]

I've owned a lot of pets over the years. Cats, snakes, lizards, frogs, myriad fresh & saltwater fish, rats, mice, a ferret (she was actually my parents' & I just baby sat her). But the one thing all these creatures had in common was that they were all predators. Birds were the first non-predators I'd ever owned, and I started with budgies, which are fairly self effacing (at least mine have been).

Then we got Emerald, a 10 yr old tiny green cheek conure. Not much bigger than a budgie, really. And very docile at the store with us (and also for the first 2 weeks in our home). Then she settled in, and decided she owned the joint!

I was so surprised at how un-docile such a tiny thing could be!
She terrorized the cats, first off, by lunging for their noses & ears whenever they came near her. Now that we have a "gang" of conures, they're even worse! My husband has nicknamed them "The Criminals". When the cats see us carrying them out to their cage, they literally clear a path, to avoid being the victims in the birds' favorite game of "bomb the cat". Imagine being a cat - a predator, and eatter of birds, in theory - and having to clean birdy poop off of yourself. How humiliating.

They also like to go take a bath on whichever side of their cage a cat is sleeping near, so that they can watch & cackle! The the cat wakes up startled as all get out, wondering how in heck he's getting rained on - indoors! I've seen them take turns taking baths on both sides of the cage, and stopping for some "half time" entertainment in between to have a group laugh at each of the rousted cats.

And the macaw is even worse. I've already told you all how Berta delights in chasing them out of their cat beds so she can prance around in the nice warm spot, doing her "victory dance".

So the thing that has surprised me most about parrots is how inherently "naughty" they are! They know they're getting one over on the other critters - and they positively love it. I thought cats were the world experts at finding ways to get into trouble - until I lived with parrots! And here I thought they'd be easily frightened little prey animals...(and maybe just a little bit boring to own, even though they're very beautiful) HA!

Instead of their feathers being the best feature, it is their spunky little spirits that I now so adore!
They are utter delights, all of them, and for totally different reasons than I ever expected.

So what surprised you the most, after you became a parrot owner?

[smallonion]

I too love their little spirits. However, what surprised me most was how affectionate and emotional they could be. My mom and I were just talking about that. When Corbett came into our lives about 10 years ago, we had no idea about parrots. When Corbett recovered from the neglect she suffered, she fiercely loved and clung on to my mom and her husband. When I saw them be able to put Corbett to their chests, and Corbett would put his head down onto the chest and close his eyes while they petted his head, and looked like he was in ecstasy...well, I thought you could only do that to a puppy or kitten! But Corbett loved it. And he became SO attached to my mom and her husband - his rescuers.

[The Outlaw]

Everything about them surprises and usually delights me. I think their ability to speak, often in context, is amazing.

However, hands down, the thing that MOST got my attention was how destructive they are. I had no real idea. I have so much sheet rock completely missing from the birdroom, that I'm simply letting them finish the job. Then I'll replace it with something less tasty.

[mamalovesrico]

I am an animal lover and have been my whole life. Rico is my first bird ever! The thing that I found most surprising is their intelligence. I look at Rico when I offer him something he's never seen and you can see how intensly his little mind is ticking. You can see him thinking in a way unlike any pet or animal I have seen. You can see him thinking like a small child would think when he/she puts his/her hands on an intriguing toy.

[Spinnergirl]

Great Thread!!

I agree until a person spends "real' time with our feathered friends, you may not notice how many special qualities they have. Like Outlaw pointed out so nicely. LOL
You soon realize they are not just beautiful the are smart..I am most impressed at there thinking ability. Not that my dogs and cats don't think..they sure do. But not like birds...I am just amazed at how they communicate and try to relay infomation to us.

[Stizby]

I have been most surprised at how darn addicting they are! I have had cats, dogs, horses, and fish as pets. None of them made me want to keep adding more members to the house. Only ever had 2 dogs at a time and 2 cats at a time. But now here I sit with six parrots! Now I have to sit down and figure out why I find them so addicting!

[cfulhage]

I just can't believe how smart Ollie is. Little things about her just continue to amaze me. I walk into the kitchen and she makes the microwave beeping noise, or the creak of the cupboard shutting. I walk into the bathroom and she immediately starts making the ever so annoying squeaking noise the toilet makes when it flushes. I ask her if she's hungry, and if she is, she replies with the same sound every time. About an hour ago I told her she needed a bath and proceeded to act like I was all excited about it. She got all excited too, and when I turned kitchen faucet on she jumped right in!

Even if Ollie never learns to talk, I still know how brilliant she is by the way she acts and the things I know she understands.

[LMPego]

I'm surprised by them everyday, but honestly I think the thing that surprised me the most is how much I love them. I think it's because you have to work at your relationship and one day you realize how much they trust you and it is amazing that you have gained the love and trust and respect of a "wild" animal.

[PEANUT]

I am also surprised every single day with Kramer's curiosity, love and being a total clown. The more he makes me laugh, the more he seems to clown and jabber. it surprises me just how much they are like a little child. there is no double Kramer knows what i am saying to him and he responds. He can be stubborn, loving, hyper and sometimes just a little s--t. but I love him and would not change a single thing.

[jimpierce7]

I guess it would have to be their loving nature. I have been an absolute animal lover my whole life. (I even let a CAT or two in my heart...miss you Mongo) Even Benji, who never wants to be handled, will do anything for attention and wants to be spoken to etc... The way our birds undoubtedly match a dogs love with even greater intellegance blows me away.