My little green teenager

My lovebird Zip is 13 years old today, making him a teenager. It's hard to believe I've had this little ball of feathers in my life for 13 years.

For the first few weeks, Zip and his brother Zap just huddled in the bottom of their cage in a little clump. Soon they discovered their hearty little lungs, and I've been living with squawks, squeaks, and chirps ever since.

Zap passed away at about eight years old, after some type of illness that lingered for several months. He was a sweet bird too, but he had a habit of picking his tail and neck feathers that made him more vulnerable to germs. On the other hand, not having a tail gave him some advantages over his brother. He could hang upside down from the top of the cage like a bat!

Zip was mostly a hands-off pet until the last time we moved, November of last year. Now, he just can't get enough head-scratching. Every morning he cuddles up to the front corner of his cage, looking cute and pathetic, and makes little rusty squeaks. This means that he wants his head scratched and his neck rubbed.

Comments

cede said…
I had a turtle - it was the same age as me, got it when I was eight and it passed away when I was twenty-three. It was just as cuddly and affectionate as I'd never imagine a bird to be, but animals are surprising - marvellously so - in that way :)
teletypeturtle said…
I was really surprised when I learned that turtles have so much personality. Did you know that sea turtles like to have their necks rubbed as well? I was able to test it out on a visit to the Turtle Farm on Grand Cayman ....

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