Approximately two weeks ago, I said good-bye to another one of my beloved pets: my beautiful Lutino Ringneck bird, Tweety, who lived in my home for the past eight years. In our (U.S.) society, companion animals comprising of dogs and cats have the appearance to be more revered than other classifications of animals such as birds, turtles, hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice, snakes, etc.
Make no mistake, my Tweety is/was as important as my dogs. Although she was “seriously in love” with my husband (ringnecks gravitate to the opposite sex in humans), she and I became alot closer in the last few years. She let me know for a long time that she preferred “him” to me but I learned how to not only gain her trust but her fondness for me. Truth be told, this was the first time that a pet of ours preferred my husband over me. Perhaps it was my husband’s expertise of birds that I have learned to love birds for their unique personalities as much as my dogs or it could be the fact that I simply love animals in general.
When I worked at the Animal Rescue League of Berks County, I visibly saw the sheer number of animals of all types that were surrendered and available for adoption besides dogs and cats. I was astonished, to say the least. This is the place where I came to know and love ducks. I can’t begin to tell you how many broods of ducks my husband and I fervently took care of over the years.
I also can’t begin to tell you how many ducks and birds have died in my hands as I tried so arduously to nurse them back to health. No matter how young or the length of time they spent on earth, when in our care, they recieved the best care anyone could give. I gave my all to each one of them but too many died in my arms and I have a better understanding of the reasons. (Animal) mothers will leave their young ones behind because the mom is instinctually cognizant of an underlying illness that we, as humans, can’t detect by sight.
Tweety wasn’t one of these birds that was left behind by her mother. She was abandoned by her owner. My husband, being the caretaker that he is with birds, knew she wouldn’t survive outside after witnessing her inability to fly properly and slamming into a wall, nearly breaking her neck.
The next thing I knew we had a new addition to our family. Being a novice with a ringneck, I observed my husband handle and interact with Tweety with such ease. Not me. It was obvious she hadn’t been socialized very well. She wanted to bite me and succeeded a few times. It was nothing more than a pinch. Nevertheless, it was apparent she wasn’t handled frequently when very young and didn’t care much for me.
She never wanted to be held, not even by my husband. She loved the attention he lavished on her while stroking her beak. One of the ways we could tell how much affection she held for my husband was evident with her eye pinning. Eye pinning refers to birds expanding and contracting the pupils of their eyes when they are feeling excited, happy, curious, contentment or sometimes, aggresssion. You must observe your bird to understand what this form of communication means. For Tweety, it was ultimate contentment. A behavior she finally acquired for me in the last couple of years. I was so thrilled that she finally accepted me as part of her inner circle. I relished our new relationship. She now could look to me to feel contentment. As our bond grew, she allowed me to know her better. I began to study more about ringnecks and realized this girl was never taught anything by her previous owner.
Ringnecks are highly intelligent and able to observe and learn behavior very easily. They can possess quite a vocabulary and can outrank a cockatiel or similar smaller birds. They have the capacity to learn up to 250 words. Most of their speaking success will depend on how much time is spent with his/her owner. Once again, Tweety never spoke words but she certainly was vocal.
One must take the time to teach a ringneck certain behaviors and words and it needs to start at a young age. Ringnecks love to play and need a variety of toys to keep them entertained. We enhanced her cage with lots of toys- toys she never gave a second glance. We tried to encourage her but she wasn’t interested. I can safely say the one thing or should I say the one person she was most interested in was my husband.
Over the years, she has seen our home filled with ducks and other birds as mentioned earlier as we took care of them until they were ready to be on their own. They always peaked her interest. We kept her in a room with our two doves but in time, I reailzed it wasn’t enough. She needed to be around us more often. I felt the best place for her to visibly see more of what was happening was the living room. Once her cage was moved to her new living quarters, her vocalizations calmed down. She was happily gratified. She was always curious about our dogs. I often held them near her so she could see them up close.
Tweety and I continued to get closer as we shared more time together. Every morning, she was so animated and fired up when I rolled out of bed. She would cling to the side of her cage and do a song and dance while bobbing back and forth signaling me to give her food. This was a daily ritual. I knew she finally trusted me when she allowed me to pet her beak and body without wanting to bite me and at the same time I saw those inquisitive black pupils become miniscule in size. I was ecstatic!
We shared more rituals and spent more time together over the last few years. Rituals I won’t forget. I can’t forget. She was an important part of my life. Then one day, nearly two weeks ago, my husband asked me to look at her. Talk about instincts. The previous day she was doing her song and dance routine and now with one look, I knew something was seriously wrong with Tweety. I’ve been around an unlimited number of birds to know what I was observing- a dying bird.
Tweety’s eyes spoke volumes. No longer did her pupils change but instead, her eyes took on an eerie appearance and she could barely keep them open. She was sleeping with both feet on her perch. Ringnecks and similar birds sleep with one leg tucked up in their bodies. I called my vet as I saw Tweety had fallen off her perch three times-something she had never done. Obviously a somber warning.
I had told him how she appeared perfectly fine the previous day and prior to that. He told me that birds won’t show how incredibly ill they are until they are unable to hide it. These are their natrual instincts kicking in to protect themselves from predators in the wild. Any side of weakness and they know a predator will grab them.
My vet said she was going to die and wanted me to be prepared to find her lifeless body on the bottom of her cage. Each day for almost a week, I watched how she became weaker despite my husband feeding her favorite foods. She always wanted to eat. She didn’t appear to be suffering so we allowed nature to take its course.
With each respective day, I spent alot of time with her but I also accepted the fact that she wanted to be left alone. I also knew she wanted my husband to be with her but she allowed me to take care of her and finally allowed me the opportunity to pet her entire body. We knew our bond , here on earth, was coming to an untimely end.
The morning of her death, I found her at the bottom of her cage trying to eat. We placed food there at the advice of our vet. She tried but didn’t have the strength to eat. This is where she stayed. She slept in the same position until her body finally and peacefully could no longer live.
As I grieve for my dogs, I’m grieving for Tweety. I know there are many people who won’t understand the depth of my grief or can’t conceivably believe one can grieve for a bird.
It doesn’t matter the type of animal that you love. All that matters is what you feel and don’t let anyone tell you differently. I learned alot from Tweety and I miss her dearly. I’m glad she gave me the opportunity to form a bond with her.
My home is less noisy and a bit emptier. Last year, my Shadow died unexpectedly and now Tweety. It’s never easy to lose a pet. NEVER! Jazz, my other dog, is now sullen again. He took Shadow’s death quite hard. Jazz slept beside her cage on top of our sofa whenever we were away. When Jazz realized Tweety was gone, he moved to the other side of the sofa and remains there whenever we are away. Don’t anyone tell me animals don’t have feelings.
Tweety girl, I miss you and thank you for being a part of our lives. We miss you so very much. Now you can fly freely and soar whevever the wind carries you.