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| Name: |
Muffin
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Age: |
Eight months old
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| Gender: |
Female
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Kind: |
Cockatiel
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| Home: |
Elmira, New York, USA
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Muffin
is a special cockatiel that came to live with my boyfriend and I in
May of 2013 when she was about five months old. I found her in a locally owned
pet store and knew that something was different about her from the start. Her
wings looked different and I wasn't sure what was wrong with them, but she
stepped up on my hand willingly and I fell in love instantly! She liked to
sit on our shoulders when she first came home, but we realized quickly that
she had very poor balance, so we made sure not to move around if she was on
us because otherwise she would fall. Her flight feathers were clipped and
whoever clipped her did a horrendous job, clipping feathers that are never
meant to be clipped. We soon learned that she could not fly and probably
never would be able to. However, she loves attention, especially head rubs,
and her personality shines through despite her disability. Here is a video of
her enjoying head rubs.
She moved into our living room in a cage next to our English Budgie, Chip.
They became comfortable with each other pretty quickly, so much so that I
would find her in his cage all of the time, even though hers was right next
door. I decided to upgrade and buy them a large flight cage to live in
together and they have been happy roommates ever since! She has become an
excellent climber and has gone through one molt so far where about half of
her flight feathers have grown back in. We are hoping that some day she will
have all of her beautiful flight feathers back, even though her wings still
may not work. She thinks she can fly, though, and will grab on to her perch
and wildly flap her wings like she is going to take off!
Muffin is such a sweet bird! I wish she liked me more; she is extremely
bonded with my boyfriend, but she will still come to me for snuggles
sometimes. She is a great example of how an animal with a disability can
still be a wonderful pet!
View more images of Muffin!
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