Tori's Information

Tori
Companion of Carol Palmore [Email]
[Visit My Birds Homepage]
[Saturday July 22nd, 2000 at 10:53:12]

Home

• Home: Ohio, USA
• Number of Capes You Have: 1
• Pet or Breeder: Pet
• Why you chose a Cape Parrot: I had read Jean Pattison and Scott Lewis raving about Capes on the Jardine/Cape email list for a couple of years. I knew I enjoyed my Jardine's parrot a great deal (both the Cape parrot and Jardine's parrot are in the Poicephalus family of parrots.) A Cape (the price was somewhat scary) or a TAG were at the top of my list of species I was interested in. Scott Lewis had mentioned a very sweet, older baby Cape in his nursery, and I had been thinking about that baby for a month or so. Then Scott made a special plea that he really wanted this particular baby (now over a year old) to go to a good pet home ... he thought he would be miserable in a breeding situation. That email was the final push I needed - and I am so glad Tori now lives with me.

  Physical Characteristics

• Sex: Male
• Sub-species: Fusicollis
• Hatch Date: 11/98
• Weight: 300g.
• Coloring: red-orange wing edges and "anklets". Many of the "grey" feathers on his head are shaded with red-brown or green. Many belly and wing feathers are edge in black.
• Length:

  Breeder

• Where Purchased: Scott Lewis, Old World Aviaries
• When Purchased: 12/99
• Age When Brought Home: 1 year
• Hand Fed: Yes
• Price: $800 (special situation)

  Personality

• Shy or aggressive around strangers: hasn't met strangers ... I think he would be polite at least and perhaps friendly
• Talking ability: Scott Lewis reported that Tori didn't talk for the year he lived in his nursery, but he picked up words rapidly after he came to live with me. I have heard him say many words and short phrases, although some of them only once or twice. His favorite words currently are "hi" (said to people, other birds (including the mirror bird), and his dinner) and "up" (used as a command to his humans when he wants them to pick him up.) He makes all kinds of silly noises. I have a silly little song made up for each of my birds, and Tori would like to be able to sing along, but hasn't quite figured out how. His voice was gravelly and unclear when he first started talking, but it is clear now.
• Noise Level: He has a loud WAACK WAACK WAACK when he is hungry, and has the capacity for the greatest volume of my birds, but he is very quiet for a parrot (noise with parrots is relative!). He makes all kinds of silly sounds that I love to listen to.
• Activity Level: Everything is a toy - he is very playful. He takes naps at particular times of day, but when he is active, he is very playful and silly.
• Likes to bathe: He comes into the shower with me, but prefers just a bit of mist. Sometimes bathes in his water dish - prefers me to hold the water dishs so he can run up and down my arms in between dunks, so that I can get all wet too!
• How cuddly or affectionate: Tori is an incredibly sweet bird. He lives with me and sees my boyfriend on a regular basis and is equally affectionate with both of us. He loves head skritches and will move his head all around so all the right spots are skritched. He'll touch his beak to a mouth and make a kissy sound if he is asked "give me a kiss?" He likes sitting with his people. He is extrememly soft. Unlike my Jardine's, he doesn't particularly care for full body hugs or to be cuddled in a towel. Tori is a very gentle bird. He has never even thought about biting me. He does mouth things (inlcuding fingers) alot, but he doesn't apply pressure. I have been bopped with his beak when he is wound up when playing, but just with the outside of his beak, and it doesn't hurt.
• Territorial: He isn't territorial so far. He would very much like to be friends with my Jardine's, but the Jardine's isn't interested. Tori doesn't like my 2 budgies buzzing around him (they are flighted) and will chase them off his gym.

  Cage

• Size and type of cage: "Maui" model of an Island Cage (power coated) - 3'W x 2'D x 4' internal H
• Favorite toys and perches: everything is a toy, but he particularly likes chewing up strings of smallish wooden pieces.

  Diet

• Regular Diet: Hagen Tropican pellets in cage at all times. Breakfast: sprouted seed/grain mix, some sort of raw high-vitamin-A veggie, and an almond. Dinner: various varieties of grain and/or bean soak-n-cook, with assorted fresh or frozen veggies and fruits added. He gets another almond at bedtime. Dry pasta "crunchies" are the most common treat he gets.
• Favorite Food: almond

  Vet Info

• Avian Vet or other Vet: avian
• Wings Clipped: Both
• Health and Accidents: no problems
• Comments:

  I had heard Jean Pattison, Scott Lewis, and other breeders raving that Capes were special on the Jardine's/Cape email list for a couple of years. I love my other birds dearly (Lesser Jardine's, budgies), but if Tori is a typical Cape, I am definitely a Cape fan now too. He is an incredibly gentle, silly, playful, affectionate bird. If he is a typical Cape (and from the few experience with Capes that I have heard about, he is), Cape parrots are one of the great unknown treasures of the companion parrot world.
  On the subject of adopting an "older" baby: Tori came to live with me when he was over a year old. He had lived in his breeder's nursery until then.
  He was very frightened when I picked him up at the airport (a subcontractor at the airport had given very bad service -I don't know if he was traumatized by that or by the flight in general), and was a "Cape statue" for a few days.
  He was immediately polite, never thought about biting me, and would accept kisses. However, it took about 3 months before he would let me skritch him. He would complain and gently push my finger away if I tried. However, after that initial time of deciding he trusted me, he has become an extrememly affectionate bird. He loves his skritches and sitting with his people. He has completely adjusted to his new home, and I can't imagine he could be any more affectionate, friendly, or bonded to me if I had gotten him as a newly weaned baby. So ... my experience with adopting an "older" baby ... it took a little longer for him to completely trust me than it did my Jardine's (who I did adopt as a newly weaned baby.) However, after a few months, he completely settled in and bonded to me with no lasting effects of being adopted after he was a year old.
  On adolescence ... Tori is a bit over 18 months old now. One Cape parrot on the Jardine's/Cape email list (now 5 years old) was reported to go through an adolescent period around 18 months old where his behavior was a bit difficult. I have seen no signs of difficult, adolescent, or "terrible twos" behavior in Tori so far.