My Companion Criquette

My beautiful Double Yellow Head Amazon parrot has been with me for eight years. We hit it off straight away when I brought her home. She is now twenty-five years old and is in great health according to her vet.

I adopted Criquette from some friends who could no longer keep up with her. When they first adopted her my friends did not have two kids and two dogs and parrots require a lot of attention because they are very social and need an enriching environment for them to thrive. Since I brought her to her forever home she has pretty much taken over my house and thinks it is hers. She will chase away people that come to visit, especially females. She is very smart, talks a lot and very affectionate -- too much so at times.

Although she was given to me, I have spent lots of resources on her to keep her healthy and thriving. I purchased a very large custom surgical stainless steel cage for her; she had no trouble accepting her new abode as her other cage though large was not as roomy as her new one. Criquette is out of her cage as long as I am home and she enjoys flying from room to room exercising her wings. I also have health insurance for her and it has come in handy for her annual checkups and related visits. She is also quite the acrobat and enjoys climbing challenges.

At 25 years old she is still young; amazons can live 80 - 100 years. I have created a fund for her so that she will be taken care well beyond my lifetime. Criquette has her own legal documents including notarized adoption papers that I take with me when we travel.

Though parrots make wonderful companions it is not for everyone. If you are considering adopting one, please do your homework and read up a lot about their care. It is not like having a dog or cat. Unfortunately, many parrots end up at rescue centers because people can't manage or spend the kind of time these creatures need. Interestingly, my parents had parrots when I was growing up and that's the only kind of companion I have mostly had in my adult life. They are beautiful creatures that have their own personalities, but most of them live a long time. It is quite the commitment if someone adopts a parrot; so think twice about venturing down this journey.