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[InmemoryofRomeo]

About two weeks ago I found a little lost cockatiel on my dogs nightly walk. All attempts to locate an owner has failed so I guess he'll be staying His name is Sunshine

[RedwoodsMama]

Sunshine is a great name for a pretty fellow and now he can bring a ray of sunshine into your home on those cold winter days and all year long. What a great story. Very pretty fellow.

                    RWM

[Talon]

Awwe! That's an awesome name for a cockatiel. I had two growing up. They're really smart birds. One of mine was so tame he would purch on your shoulder or your head. His counterpart wasn't so nice and would draw blood if you tried to handle him too much.
Talon

[InmemoryofRomeo]

I hope I can tame the cheerful chap

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmBqRCKA2C4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmBqRCKA2C4</a>

[Talon]

Boy! That sound takes me back to when I was eleven. The birds did belong to my grandfather but his health was going. I got them as a birthday present from him and my mother bought me the original Go-Go my Walking Pup. She was a very basic robot dog with a remote control on her leash that would make her walk forward or backward. I've seen lots of her children these days from Fur Real and they are amazing.
Talon

[Crewella]

Awwwww, he's beautiful!

I'm guessing that's the end of peace and quiet in your house ...........   

[InmemoryofRomeo]

In comparison to my dad... Sunny IS quiet lol

[Floodsy]

Awwww!   What a sweet little bird!  Thats such a cute name for it too!

Sadly, I have a story about a lost animal that isn't so good... yesterday I came across a black cat with a horrible tail injury which I really don't want to describe... luckily today he was taken away for treatment I think.

[Talon]

I hope that's what happened to it, Floodsy. I had a black cat as a child. His name was Kidder. He disappeared one Haloween night and when he came back the next morning to eat, my step-mother wouldn't let me go outside to see him. She told me he might not live and that we didn't have the money to take him to a vet. Later in the day I finally got past everyone and managed to find my cat. My parents put him in a box behind the porch swing and wrapped him closely with bandages that nearly covered his body. He could only stand on his front legs but he lifted his head up to rub my hand and that was when I smelled it and realized what happened.  Mods if this story is too graphic you can get rid of this post. Someone had set my cat on fire with kerosene and a neighbor knew where he belonged and brought him back home. Luckily my step-mother persuaded a vet-tech she knew to come and treat him. He did survive but his fur didn't grow back in places and he just wasn't nearly as friendly as before. People can be very, very cruel.
Talon

[Floodsy]

I'm so sorry Talon.  I'm glad your cat survived... I think abuse may be what happened to this cat too. I really don't want to say what his tail it looked like because it may freak people out.  But it was horrible.  I even watched the poor thing eating and he/she was starving.  But I'm pretty sure the little guy was taken to the vet, because I had his case called in to animal control.

But I'm glad one lost animal was saved.  It's really kind of you to take in that bird, InMemoryofRomeo.  I'm sure he'll love his new home.   And sorry if I made your thread a little dark.

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Sadly I've got my fair share of horror stories But this one will have a happy ending Whatever days Sunny has left be it 3 years of 30 I'll do my best to give him a good home

[Talon]

Birds are awesome pets. I was always amazed that an animal so delicate and fearful would have enough trust to eat from my hand or scream at the world from my shoulder. I wonder what my Cockatiel Yellow thought I was? Some huge tree that moved around and brought him food I guess. Lol!
Talon

[Floodsy]

Yes, birds are amazing.  They might be the only animal that can actually repeat human words!   

[Lunamione7]

Yes, birds are amazing.  They might be the only animal that can actually repeat human words!   

Some dogs can be taught to say simple human words. Lots of them can manage to say "I love you" which is nice   

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Dolphins have also been known to imitate humans, albeit in a higher pitched dolphiny kind of way Also Gorillas have been taught to use sign language, that's sort of talking

[Floodsy]

That's true.    Animals are pretty amazing.  My bird is too stubborn to talk or even whistle.  Cockatiels are known for being amazing whistlers, IMR.  You may be able to teach your little guy how to sing a few songs.

[RedwoodsMama]

Congrats IMR, sorry I missed this post earllier, my brain fog took over... He is a chipper looking little guy. Very colorful too, I remember when I was very young, my parents had a parakeet, I do not remember the bird's name but they had this old 78 record made by the Hartz pet company that was to "teach the parakeet" to sing. It had nothing but other parakeets on it that were singing cheerful little sounding songs, I do not remember much about that bird, but he or she did sing, so they are intelligent , every animal has their own kind of intelligence and we can't judge what intelligence is by using our standards, because it is only our standards.

         I do think that Gorillas are amazing and Koko the famous gorilla was taught to use sign language, I remember one of the most heart wrenching sites I ever saw an animal express, was when Koko's little orange kitten, ( She loves kittens. ) was ran over by a vehicle on a road outside her enclosure, the trailer she lived in . When she was told that her kitten was "gone" dead", she was very sad and used sign language to convey how upset she was. She looked just like a mother that had lost her own biological baby. That is not "learned" behaivor, but true emotions. Koko is such a beautiful Gorilla and we are learning so much by having her around,
( I think the little kittens name was All Ball, because he was a little Manx kitten with no tail, and this is what Koko called him , All Ball cause he was all round when she held him like a ball.)
       If you get your little guy to sing and or talk, I would love to see and hear him sing in a video. ( Of course I will play it for my cats too, they enjoy good bird singing videos.............perks them right up! LOL

                                             RWM