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| Name: |
Pasquale
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Age: |
Eight months old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
Congo African Grey parrot
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| Home: |
Mount Prospect, Illinois, USA
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This
is Pasquale, a Congo African Grey parrot. He's about eight
months old and a real character! He loves me, but he's truly
bonded to my husband, his "Daddy", and will give a plaintive
little "reeep!" call whenever he goes out of Pasquale's sight.
Greys are known for being extremely intelligent and good talkers,
but like any animal, ability varies from individual to
individual. Pasquale doesn't "say" anything yet, but he will
imitate my husband's chuckle, our microwave's beep, and the vocal
intonations of the phrase "I love you." I sometimes wonder if he
didn't learn that last one just to counteract the annoyance
caused by the microwave impression!
Not many people are aware that greys are smart enough to be
potty-trained, but they are. We are training Pasquale to hold it
until we get him to a safe place and use the phrase, "Do your
thing", and it's been going really well. Patience and praise
seem to be doing the trick.
Some of Squally's favorite treats include potatoes of any sort,
pasta, and unshelled peanuts... but probably his number-one thrill
is to get popcorn! He'll fight with Daddy over the kernels,
ducking his head as if he's going to bite, but he never really
does.
He's unusual for his breed in that he also enjoys being snuggled
and petted; most Greys are known for being a little standoffish,
but apparently no one ever told Pasquale that. Very often I'll
come into our rec room and find him wrapped in a blanket with
Daddy, watching a movie and getting a nice head-scratch.
Birds aren't for everyone, I know. They make messes, they can be
noisy, and sometimes they can be as frustrating as a two year
old! But my husband's gotten me hooked, and I can't imagine
doing without Pasquale now!
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