Quote:
Originally Posted by oldE
This morning my wife brought home a big bag of bird seed. Stitched into the end of the bag was a card which proclaimed, "Caution. Allergy Alert! May contain peanuts."
I asked her if we had to screen the birds regarding possible allergies.
WTF?
Best
Les
|
True bird seed story -
In the 1980's a friend of mine had a Blue Cheek Parrot that was something like 30 years old. It was given to him when the owner was getting on with age. He was instructed to feed it a particular type and brand of food and never to deviate from it. Joe the Parrot was a great bird. Friendly, affectionate and generally good personality for a bird that could tear your fingers off -literally.
That certain type of bird feed went on back order. (actually tons and tons were held at customs) so friend gets another brand for about 2-3 months . Joe the Parrot went full nuts. I got bit and had a nice chunk of knuckle torn off. Then Joe bit my friend pretty good. This bird was not a biter in the past.
My friend was ready to let him go free and at the time would probably done well with the old Busch Gardens flock that was running wild and amok around the San Fernando Valley.
My friend takes Joe to a vet thinking he has some kind of bird illness. The vet asks what he feeds Joe? Vet smirks and tells my friend Joe is a junky. Yes a big time junky due to his age, how long he has been on this diet of seed mix and going through withdrawal. All Joe's life he had been fed a steady diet of bird heroin. A feed mix that has a high poppy seed ratio. Joe was an addict. All the bird Vets knew about this seed mix.
"Your bird is so calm and well behaved" is not from training or good behavior. They are comfortably numb.
The Vet had a line on a similar brand and type of bird seed mix that got Joe back on his fix. The original brand of seed mix finally came back on the market. Joe lived another 12 years as a very cool bird and back to his usual self again.