I have a parrot: Ask me anything!
Some of you know him! He is a white-bellied caique named Flip! Seeing as how birds don't get as much exposure as other animals, I thought it'd be fun to create a space for questions about what life with him is like and hopefully teach you something new about the difficult but fulfilling world of parrot ownership!
thanks @ASilentObserver for encouraging me to make a post!
@Heather225 Omg he's so cute! His name is awesome! How old is he? Parrots can usually live a long time can't they? Oh boy I could probably ask a few dozen questions about him 😅
@mytwistedsoul
True to his name, he loves to flip over onto his back lol He was born in May of 2019! This particular breed's lifespan is around 25-30 years, and even up to 40 I've heard.
Ask as many questions as you want! 🥰
@Heather225 That is really interesting, so I wonder do they go through the usual stages, terrible two's, tantruming toddlers, testing teens etc?
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@MistyMagic
unfortunately for me they do lol he is in his terrible twos and it will be five years in may haha they go through hormonal phases. i hear it gets easier at around like age 7. it's just a matter of minimizing their hormonal "triggers" and making sure they get the right diet and a lot of sleep so they're a little less insane during peak seasons they wanna breed, nest etc.
@Heather225 When is Flip's birthday? You said May? Did we miss it or do we have time for a parteeeeeeeeeey?
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@MistyMagic
Whohoo misty, Thank you my friend for asking, I am looking for the response from H 💓
@Heather225 Sorry 😬 very delayed reply. It's amazing that they can live so long! Do you ever take him outside or would he fly away? Does he ever get into trouble? Do you have other pets and if so do they get along with him? Feel free to not answer these if someone else already asked. I can read through the thread 😊
@Heather225 Does Flip have a favorite thing to say? How long does it take him to learn to say something? Do parrots ever reach a limit of what they will repeat? What does Flip have to say to my questions? LOL just kidding, kind of but I’d be interested if he has a response 😄
Thanks for sharing about your awesome pet!
@FlatenedByLife @heather225 and Flip - yes this is my question too :)
Flip, do you talk? Like in English or maybe you only know parrot-language? Do you whistle? Do you, H, whistle? Do you H, know much about how to teach a bird to talk? I wonder if one language is easier for a bird to learn - My parrot knows French, oh? well, my parrot speaks fluent Chinese! ? (raises shoulders?!)
H, you did say AMA, right? <3 Platy
@cyanPlatypus6370
Hi Platy! <3 He is a huuuuge fan of whistling lol he's currently whistling away while I type. he likes to do the funny catcall whistle too. I don't know where he learned it since I am a terrible whistler but it's super funny so I won't complain lol
Teaching parrots to talk is literally all repetition repetition repetition. I recommend this channel to see how hard this guy works to train his african grey (and the parrot is hilarious so win-win).
Good question on language difficulties. I'll have to look into that. I'm curious now. It's soooo fascinating hearing parrots rattle off in other languages.
@FlatenedByLife
this breed isn't known for talking but he can say "good boy" which was one of the most common things we said to him as a baby so it stuck. otherwise it's just a lot of peeps and singing and dinosaur-esque growl and roar noises lol he's also very proficient replicating the air fryer and car open sounds
as for parrot vocabulary, it varies. i had a conure who could say like 15-20 things which was wild for a conure as their vocab is limited. large birds like macaws and especially African greys are huge talkers and have extensive vocabularies. it's frightening how human african greys sound lol
Flip's response to your questions (he's dancing next to me while I type)
@Heather225 awww wow! What a cutie, how do you get any work done!!!🤣
@Heather225 I like that his response to my questions is dancing and not dino growling 😂
He’s adorably cute and deserves a treat I think because he’s a 🦜 “Good Boy!” 😂
He is so super cute! His colors are so pretty!!!
How does he show affection and what kind of affection does he like being shown to him (i.e. head pats, belly rubs, etc.)? Also, what are his favorite treats?
@DitaBear
I love the silly blockiness of his colors. He reminds of a paint-by-numbers for kids lol
Scritches are his thing, on his head and on his cheeks. He likes his lil "ears" rubbed. It helps them, and it also makes him yawn, it's funny lol
His favorite treats are nuts (I use them as reward), oranges (he has to have one every morning first thing) and raspberries . oh and also what i call "popcorn" because he eats it at dinner time in front of the TV, a mix of pellets and seeds compacted into breakable chunks.
@Heather225
What a poserrrr! Flip might get a fanclub here lol! I love thisss! 🦜
Parrots are known for imitating human nature. Does Flip enjoy talking to y'all? :0
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou
He's incredibly photogenic lol
This breed isn't known for talking but he can say something that sounds very distinctly like "good boy" (what we've called him since he was a baby). He now uses it in a whiny tone when he's being a brat or fussy so it's not as cute anymore lol he can make phone camera click sounds tho!
@Heather225 - Great pictures here, H and Flip! like Suni said, Nice pose-ing! :D
@Heather225
Ooooh this was fun to know lol and Ooomg yesss, we need more pictures, H!😭
Alsoo, what does he enjoy the most, when it comes to food? :0
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou
Maybe I'll start a separate photo thread!
His favorite treats are nuts (I use them as reward), oranges (he has to have one every morning first thing), raspberries, and what i call "popcorn" because he eats it at dinner time in front of the TV, a mix of pellets and seeds compacted into breakable chunks.
@Heather225
Oh my god, how adorable!!! 😍
I love meeting fellow parrot owners, I also have a rosy-faced lovebird named Kiwi! She has quite a chaotic personality, is Flip any similar? 😄
Attaching a picture as well!
@BabybluC What a beautiful color rosey chest there too!
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@BabybluC
awwwwwww kiwi is adorable
@BabybluC
So beautiful, looks like he is thinking what should I do now.....LOL
@BabybluC Adorable! Love her name 😊
@BabybluC
BEAUTIFUL BABY 🤩 And yes Flip is chaos embodied. It's never a dull moment with him. He needs constant entertainment and he has what feels like limitless energy lol Please tell Kiwi I love her.
@BabybluC Wow, Kiwi is gorgeous. They remind me of a family pet we had growing up before he passed away. 💔 I might actually get another peach-faced love bird -- at least two of them. I heard lovebirds need a companion, ours didn't have one. :( I guess in a way our mother was his companion? She was his main owner, so he grew an attachment to her.
How are you and Kiwi doing?
@ImpudentIncognito
Awww, I'm so sorry to hear that :( I would be devastated if something happened to my lil mango. I encourage you to get a new one!!
@ImpudentIncognito
We're doing good, thank you for asking! 😊 Kiwi is chaotic as usual, eating my plants as I'm typing this😋
How are you doing today?
@BabybluC I'm glad you are doing well! I love your Kiwi's picture. and her name! excellent.
For plants, you don't have any poinsettia plants around, do you? They are beautiful! but "No eat 'em" no no. Not for birdy. Not for people or small people! No canine or felines either! Just look at and water and enjoy the poinsettia beautifying your home! I've no idea where you live... but you have a beautiful bird Kiwi! :) I'm Platy, I live in central time zone in USA! Enchante haha. <3 Platy
@Heather225 How lovely. What is Flip's most favourite food? Do they really like dried chillies?
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@MistyMagic
Flip's favorite foods are orange slices (he has to have one every morning 🙄 lol) and several different types of nuts. Those are reserved for treats. And yes! He can handle all the spiciest foods, including jalapenos. If I'm not being mindful of what he's eaten and I give him a kiss I suffer lol
@Heather225
aww! we love underappreciated pet love (: (i have a rabbit aha)
lemme just say flip is adorable (: do you worry about him getting lonely? is he noisy? whats his favorite toy? whats his favorite actually good for him pet treat? my bunnies is bananas and apples (:
@AvyIsKing
my partner and i altered our lifestyle to limit Flip's alone time. thankfully i work from home so he's rarely on his own. he is very noisy lol it's just the parrot experience. his noises are not terrible though and not nearly as bad as some of the bigger parrot species.
his favorite "toy" is the Nintendo switch. it excites him and he hates it at the same time. i do not let him play with it bc his idea of play is tear it apart lol he can spot it across the room if i have it. now i just show it to him when i want him to run around and tire himself out lol
flip loves apples too! he goes wild for green ones. he also really loves oranges (they're his staple fruit), raspberries and peppers.
would love to see a bunny pic!
@Heather225
Awwww flip is so adorable!!! Let me share some jeffy pictures 
@Heather225
Hi H! 😊 ❤️ Great post! Opening the floor for the AMA with Flip is really neat! I have wondered things so this sounds like a lot of fun.
Okay, lets see...what originally attracted you to the idea of being a birdieee owner?
Will Flip bob his head when music is playing?
What are Flips favorite things to do?
Is Flip funny, do they make you laugh and how so?
Does Flip ever give you "attitude"? (if so, you'll know what that means, lol 😊) That is funny in and of itself when animals do so.
How do you show love and affection to Flip?
How does Flip show their love and affection for you? (somehow hoping that Flip snuggles underneath your chin and I imagine that would be me "projecting" what I think would be a sweet way for a winged baby to show love as I don't know a lot about them. Fur babies do that sometimes).
*high fives* 😊 and *hugs* ❤️ 🐥🐥🐥🦜🐦🐤
@Heather225
Flip is handsome. Has he ever repeated something he heard that was not good to repeat?
@WorkingitThrough2
thankfully no! lol they're not a big talking species. my last bird i would say "stop it" too a lot (he was a bratty conure) and he eventually caught on and would scream "STOP/stop it" back at me... lol
@Heather225
Heather, I love it😂