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| Name: |
Giorgio
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Age: |
Nine years old
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| Gender: |
Male
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Kind: |
Moluccan Cockatoo
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| Home: |
Franklin, New Jersey, USA
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This
is Giorgio, one of our sanctuary parrots at
Under My Wing Avian Refuge
in Franklin, NJ. Giorgio was surrendered a week before last
Christmas, he is a total baby at heart. He mostly loves to do snuggle
time and adores getting caressed. He's so sweet! Giorgio often comes on
our education programs for schools because he is well behaved around
children. He is very a very gentle and sweet bird, so is perfect to help
children learn to understand and appreciate our feathered friends.
Giorgio is a wonderful bird. I am not too sure why he was relinquished,
other than what was told us. The owner called us a few weeks before
Christmas last year, she wanted to permanent place Giorgio because he
had started to pluck his chest, which is a sign of stress, and they had
to go away for two weeks. In searching for such a place, the Paterson Bird
Store in Totowa referred her to us. When he was brought here, she told
us that he was brought up on lamb chops - he sure loved table food and
still does (now he gets healthy foods). A package of toys arrived in
January from a very well known pet toy store and he acted like a child
at Christmas morning even before we opened the box. From the toys he
received and the ones he came with, you know this bird was well cared
for with mental stimulation. Giorgio's owner spent a very large amount
of money on Giorgio, all his life he had the best. Giorgio is a wiz at
opening everything, from cage locks to food dishes, knots and bolts. He
is our mechanical wizard, anything that locks he opens and anything
that's screwed he unscrews. He is not destructive of household items
like window treatment wood like some of our other birds.
Giorgio's diet now consists of Zupreem pellets, lots of fresh fruit and some
vegetables. Giorgio is not too crazy about peanuts, nuts and the like,
although he will pick at them from time to time. He would rather eat an
orange. Another of his favorite foods is cooked food, he likes to eat
things that stick to a spoon such as oatmeal bean mix. He will hold the
spoon and feed himself until the spoon is clean, likewise if you offer
him a small food dish, he will hold it up to eat out of it.
Giorgio is a very passionate bird, he will bow his head down like a
child if you tell him "no" to something, and then look back up to see if
it's okay to continue whatever he was doing. Giorgio has a huge King
cage but is only in it at bedtime and when we mop floors. He barks like
a dog when he wants fresh water and he whines like a child when he needs
affection. Quite a character, he loves to snuggle on the bed or couch
under covers and adores attention from children.
When bathing and or getting wet with a spray bottle, Giorgio will dance
and bow and jump like a little child, making wonderful sounds. He
seems at his happiest and it lasts for hours. His excitement brings the
rest of the Cockatoo room to join in, and it's amazing to watch them all
in action. Before bedtime, all the Cockatoos like to give their night
calling and we allow fifteen minutes or so for what we have named "The
Cockatoo Showdown." We hope to make a movie to put on our website soon.
Giorgio, since day one, has never shown any aggressive behavior. He will
let you know if he is not ready to come down off a play area or his
cage, but usually by speaking very sweetly to him, he will come closer
and closer for you to pet him, and after a few caresses he steps right
up. Giorgio is not too keen on other birds, he usually tends to separate
himself from them, however on occasions he shares space on the table
with them.
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