Our time with Cooper, the parrot we are babysitting, is quickly coming to an end. It has been an adventure, for sure. And it has made me question, are we ready/willing to become a three species home?
Cooper is a funny, engaging, feisty, and smart animal. So naturally, she fits right in here. She is a beautiful bird, with the prettiest tail feathers I have ever seen. She has a big personality, and always has a lot to say. She is never boring, and has kept us on our toes for the last two weeks. All of these things are things Dalan and I would look for in a new member of our family. If we were to get a new pet, we would not want one that sat in a cage all the time, but offered little back to the rest of the family. Animals, like fish, rodents, reptiles, etc, are generally more work than they are worth in my opinion, but a parrot is a pretty interactive pet. We have had endless Cooper stories for the last two weeks, and she makes us laugh.
However, Cooper is a lot of work, and keeping peace between the dog and the bird is even more work. Cooper can be really loud, and needs a lot of attention. She is also very messy. Piper and Cooper also like to bug each other. They have quickly become like siblings. Cooper likes to "meow" and call Piper. Piper likes to jump up on Cooper's table until Cooper squawks. Piper gets terribly jealous if anyone is paying more attention to Cooper than they are to her. Also, I am not a morning person. I am lucky to get up, shower, and get out of the door on time. If you add Piper's morning meds, and Cooper's morning feeding, I feel like I am running around like crazy to get everything done in the morning.
Basically, it comes down to, while Dalan and I have really liked having Cooper here, and love her and her big personality, we are not ready to become a three species household. Maybe, we could do it if we had a dog that liked other animals, but the added stress of making sure that the dog and parrot do not drive each other crazy and/or hurt one another has been too much. It kills me to say this a little, because I am always the champion of getting new pets, and Dalan is always the dream killer. I guess for now we will just have to remain a two species home. That is ok, though. As far as animals go, humans are ok, and dogs are the best.
2 comments:
As a member of a one-species-and-only-one-species home, I'm very impressed you managed so remarkably well for your stint into the three species world!
Is a baby another species? Sometimes I think so. I hope that doesn't deter the two of you from moving forward in that area.
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