My parrot turns twenty today. :)
Offline Twenty years ago I had a summer job at a pet store and fell in love with parrots. I had to have one of my own, so I bought Gabby, a baby double yellowheaded Amazon (Amazona ochrecephala oratrix). Gabby was about four months old when I took him home. Since he was so silly, I decided April 1st must be his birthday...or hatch day. 
I don't know his real hatch day or even where he came from. All I know is that he was a spoon-fed, just-weaned baby and he was very, very cute.
It's odd to realize I was still a fundy at the time. My mother and I taught him to say "hallelujah" and sing part of "Jesus Loves Me" (off-key). Luckily, those little items vanished from his repertoire.
So, say happy birthday to the large green lump on my shoulder.
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Happy Birthday, Gabby! Twenty? I don't believe it. Surely someone SO good looking could only be fifteen or so.
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Happy birthday Gabby!
Happy birthday to Gabby!! Parrots are so fucking cool. They can get pretty damn intelligent with the right training!
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He should still have some good years in him, Susan. Parrots tend to be long-lived creatures. The oldest
Here's a cool FAQ on Amazon parrots I found: http://www.upatsix.com/faq/amazon.htm
Question 8
I FELL IN LOVE WITH AN AMAZON, BUT HE IS 30 YEARS OLD. BECAUSE OF HIS AGE, I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL NOT HAVE MUCH TIME WITH HIM. HOW OLD IS OLD FOR AMAZONS?
Amazons are very hardy birds. Some breeders in England reported keeping them outdoors with very little shelter, even during the winters. I personally knew a Nape that died at 106 years of age that spent most of his life in Alaska. There also was a Blue Fronted Amazon said to be 117 years old. If the bird is healthy, thirty is not too old to consider adding him to your family. Be aware that in those thirty years he may have picked up some undesirable habits or language.
Because of their long life span, you may want to make arrangements for your bird should you die before him. Put down in writing what should be done to the bird. It would also be in the bird's best interest if you had a written list of instructions of how you have cared for him listing such things as favorite foods and brand names of pellets or seeds.
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My parrot is wonderfully intelligent. I should have him perform his tricks on webcam sometime. I've been thinking we should have "talent" nights or something like that. I should also put out a YouTube video of him. Probably the main reason I haven't is I'm not as photogenic as I used to be. I have an old tape, but then people would assume I was younger, blonder and thinner.
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Happy Birthday Gabby! Here is to a happy 20th and many, many more!! Parrots are awesome - very intelligent, great company and sweet.
(My three kitties say happy birthday too, but I fear their wishes are not as heartfelt as mine - lol)
I'm sure your kitties would love to invite Gabby over to play.
Iruka, does Gabby know what a cat is?
Actually, I've seen the pictures of Gabby keeping the world safe from evil blue towels. I'm not too sure I'd want Gabby to go after one of my kitties in the same manner. I suspect the cat would come out on the short end of that battle.
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Happy birthday, Gabby. Enjoy your twentyth year while you can. It all goes downhill at 25.
Gabby is 20! Woot! Makes me feel young being just barely older than a bird.
I knew parrots could live for quite awhile, but I had no idea they could break a century. Cool.
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