[KarenBoo]

Well even though you've got your decision made for now, I'll just put this here for thought.

I had a bird from age 12-18. It was a ringneck parakeet, and my dad actually caught it in south Florida! He went outside and held up a cracker and it landed on his head. He believes it escaped from someone during a storm. This was before the internet y'all, so he just gave that bird to me. I tamed it, and I still have a scar on my hand from when it bit me! It bit me a lot!!

Anyway, I *loved* that bird, and it *loved* me. She was crazy for me! Whenever she saw me, she'd do a funny dance and song, and she couldn't wait to get out and kiss me and let me love on her. Until....we moved from FL to TX. And I had maybe only had the bird for a year. We did clip its wing, and I would wear it on my shoulder for walks around the block. Yes, it pooped all over me, so I had to change my clothes a lot.

When we moved, I had to live with my dad for a couple of months while my mom and step-dad went to TX to look at houses. They took the bird with them. During that time, the bird transferred its love to my mother!!! When I arrived in TX, I was so overjoyed to see my bird again, but that bird no longer was crazy about me. It only tolerated me. It *loved* my mother! And even though the bird was put in my bedroom, it never transferred its main love and affection back to me ever again. I can not describe how heartbroken I was...for months!! And my poor mom, she tried to ignore the bird so it would love me again. It did not work. I never blamed my mom - I understood that she had not done anything on purpose to win the bird over. But, I was just heartbroken!

Even so, it was my bird and I had to feed it and take care of it, and so with whatever colored glasses those may be (of the bird not really loving me anymore), taking care of her was drudgery! I had to vacuum every single day. She was noisy. Fresh food and water daily. Taking her out to play with her daily. (trying so, so hard to win her affection back!!!) I think the worst part was taking apart the cage to soak it in the tub because stuck on bird poop is very difficult to clean! I had to do that every week or so. And I had to put in fresh newspaper daily (or so) in between cage cleanings.

We eventually moved her cage to the kitchen (after we realized that she would never love me again like she now loved my mother.) She got more attention there from the entire family. When I left home at age 18, my mom tried to make me take the bird with me!! I told her that the bird was hers and we all knew it, and there was no way I was taking it with me!!