# See ya later, alligator



## ChromeLibrarian (Jul 7, 2007)

Managed to catch my double yellow head Babe singing . First time she's sung this one while I had my camera handy.

[yt]NdPLewSnvwQ[/yt]


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2009)

that was so cute!


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## Dragonbeards (Dec 14, 2008)

Aw, that's adorable! Beautiful bird too.


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## N0z (Jun 3, 2009)

Haha that was awesome!!


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## butters (Jul 13, 2009)

Hey, Chrome i have a double yellow headed amazon too, I was just wondering is yours aggresive towards you?


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## ChromeLibrarian (Jul 7, 2007)

She doesn't care for my wife, but I don't have any problems handling her.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

OK I think this could be a hit. I already think I have the lyrics down...

"See you later alligatorrrrrrrr
After a while crocodiiiiiiiiile
After a while croakadile
SEE YOU LATER bop oom"

BTW who taught her this?


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## ChromeLibrarian (Jul 7, 2007)

We adopted her from an elderly couple who couldn't keep her any longer due to medical problems. This is one of the pieces she already knew when she moved in with us. She's picked up more since. She sings Popeye the sailor man, and "somewhere over the rainbow".

Here are a couple more vids

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[yt]kjnDsRou0wk[/yt]

[yt]uLZAjW5XBwA[/yt]

All told she has almost two hundred words in her vocabulary.


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## <3~Pleco~<3 (Jan 31, 2009)

Now I want a parrot!!!! lol
thats adorable.


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

Teach her show tunes and go on the road with her. LOL


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## ChromeLibrarian (Jul 7, 2007)

> Now I want a parrot!!!!


Not a decision to be made lightly. (I know you aren't completely serious, however...)

Cost of bird from reputable breeder - @$1000.00 (more if you go to a pet store)
Cost of appropriate cage - $400 - $1000.00+

For an initial investment of $1500+ you get a two year-old child that is going to remain a two year-old child for more than 80 years. They have their adorable days. They also have days when you just want to throttle them. Lots of people can't handle it. Check bird rescue organizations for the number of birds they take in annually. 

Adopting a rescued bird is one way to get a bird cheaper, but they will normally require previous large bird experience, and many rescued birds will require you to work with them to correct behavioral problems. In either case, you will need to spend time interacting with your birds everyday. If they get bored, they get noisy and destructive.

I love parrots, and I wouldn't trade Babe away for the world, but it is a lot like having a small child in the house for the rest of your life. It isn't for everyone, and it's a huge commitment, both it time and money


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## Dragonbeards (Dec 14, 2008)

Wow, I knew it cost a lot, but not that much. Well, I knew about the cage, I guess I never looked at it for the bird itself. I want an African Grey. Always have. Read all about them. 

Anyways, Babe is so adorable! I love "Oh Boy", and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is good too.


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2009)

i agree with chrome. though, not on age of the bird. i used to keep these lil fellows before a nutcase activist banned the sale of them here. i always got them as hatchlings, hand fed them and raised them to adult hood. i had a few that i set free and few that just flew away. i remember my hill parrot who would whistle at the passing cats just to piss them off (all our windows had metal wire mesh on them) knowin he was safe and sound.


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## ChromeLibrarian (Jul 7, 2007)

> I want an African Grey.


Still looking at @$1,000 from a breeder, more from a commercial source. African Greys are some of the best mimics. Double yellow-heads have a rep as the best singers. I've never owned one. I have friends with a pair. They're clowns. Babe is my bird. Only I can handle her without taking a chance on being nipped (partly because I know the signs that say "leave me alone right now"). She's drawn blood on my wife. On the other hand, my wife's Senegal parrot, Monkeybird has drawn blood on me.



> though, not on age of the bird.


In what way? The record age for a double yellow-head in captivity is 102 years. With the right care, 80 years old is not unreasonable.



> Wow, I knew it cost a lot, but not that much.


The cage I have Babe in is $800.00, and I haven't added the cost of food, the cost of toys (bored parrots are destructive parrots), the cost of vet bills (yearly checkup at minimum). Then there is the mess. You clean a bird cage more often, likely, then you clean your tanks. And the mess doesn't stay in the cage. A peeved or bored double yellow-head can pick up a full food or water dish and heave it across the room.

I'm not trying to scare anyone off of parrots, but they are practically the same level of commitment as having a kid. Do your research ahead of time, and be sure you want to spend the rest of your life taking care of them.


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2009)

as in, a 2 year old parrot will be more of task to train when compared to a fledgling. what am saying is that i wouldnt adopt or take a bird thats 2 years old. at that age they pretty much are developed in their personalities and traits.


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## ChromeLibrarian (Jul 7, 2007)

Yes and no. Just about any parrot can be retaught. It just takes a lot of patience and time, and the understanding that you may not be the person to do it. That is one of the reasons that rescue organizations and re-homers require people to have experience in large birds before they'll hand a amazon or other large parrot over to you.

If someone wants to adopt a bird, they need to go see the bird in person and see if they will be able to interact with the bird.


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2009)

ChromeLibrarian said:


> It just takes a lot of patience and time, and the understanding that you may not be the person to do it.


i agree. i tried adopting and it didnt work out for me. i have always had better luck with raising hatchlings. i agree. am not a very patient person and have quite a temper.


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## ChromeLibrarian (Jul 7, 2007)

Hand-raising a hatchling will almost always be better. However, even hatchlings eventually grow up to become hormonal teens. That is when people suddenly decide their bird is too much trouble and get rid of them. Double Yellow-Heads, Yellow Napes, and Yellow Crown amazons are all notorious for this. Not surprising since many believe them to be related subspecies.

The spring rolls around that the parrot enters breeding season for the first time, and suddenly their cuddly parrot is an aggressive, biting, bundle of nerves. It goes away some after breeding season, and eventually, they calm down, but by that time a lot of owners have given up and gotten rid of the bird.


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2009)

yupp. i've seen that happen. poor birds.


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## <3~Pleco~<3 (Jan 31, 2009)

lol yeah i have fallen in love with one of the parrots at my LFS, but the price is as you already stated, outrageously expensive.... so.... yeah scratch that idea from my brain. 

I think I will just stick with fish for now.


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## ChromeLibrarian (Jul 7, 2007)

Not that keeping fish is a cheap pastime. With fish, you can often lay out money over time, whereas with parrots, the expenses tend to come in huge lumps sums. Of course, you can stick with the smaller parrots, such as cockatiels, and budgies (parakeets). Both are certainly parrots. Both can be taught to talk, etc. Both are somewhat less expensive than a Double Yellow-Head, or Macaw. Since they need smaller living quarters, cages won't cost you a paycheck.


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## <3~Pleco~<3 (Jan 31, 2009)

Fish aren't cheap at all, but they are certainly cheaper than birds.


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