Meet Seven - Seven is a Quaker Parrot, also known as
a Monk Parakeet. Seven was hatched on April 21, 1999. Her* parents are Houdini &
Hilda. She is a hand fed bird.
Why the name Seven?
I have a tradition of naming my pets after television characters. In recent history that
is becoming more and more difficult since I have found less and less worth watching.
However, there is one show that I still watch most weeks - Star Trek Voyager. On Voyager
there is a character named Seven. Seven is extraordinarily intelligent and incredibly
beautiful. An appropriate name, don't you think.
I purchased Seven because I was looking for a
different animal (not dog or cat) to train
using operant conditioning. Since I live in the city I couldn't get a horse, goat or
llama. I didn't want any rodents and I wasn't sure reptiles consumed enough food to be
useful. I decided that a bird would fit my needs. I wanted a small bird because frankly I
really just don't want to suffer a bite from a large bird. Second, I've heard Macaws
scream from happiness. I'd have to kill it! (No offense Macaw owners.) I've had budgies
& cockatiels and they didn't like enough different foods for me to use as
reinforcements. So I learned about Quakers.
Seven is learning to like and trust me. She is
trying to talk but it is still got too much "Quaker" in it for me to understand
any words yet.
Seven has learned to touch a target stick so far. We haven't progressed
too much past that. She will reach up, down, right and left and she has taken several
steps towards the target to touch. Seven is working on learning her first "agility
obstacle" an A-frame. She learned to go up quickly (going higher is natural for
birds) but learning to come down is taking much longer.
*I don't really know what sex Seven is. Both the
male and female look exactly alike to us humans. That was another reason I thought Seven
would be a good name, it would fit regardless.
an addendum: Seven no longer lives with me.
We tried very hard to be buddies but we just never hit it off as friends so I decided that I better find
Seven a good home while s/he was still young. I did that. Seven is with a new mom &
dad that love birds and s/he has many new bird buddies and even another Quaker to be pals
with. I still believe that Quakers are good birds, but it turned out they just weren't
right for me.
using operant conditioning. Since I live in the city I couldn't get a horse, goat or
llama. I didn't want any rodents and I wasn't sure reptiles consumed enough food to be
useful. I decided that a bird would fit my needs. I wanted a small bird because frankly I
really just don't want to suffer a bite from a large bird. Second, I've heard Macaws
scream from happiness. I'd have to kill it! (No offense Macaw owners.) I've had budgies
& cockatiels and they didn't like enough different foods for me to use as
reinforcements. So I learned about Quakers.
Seven has learned to touch a target stick so far. We haven't progressed
too much past that. She will reach up, down, right and left and she has taken several
steps towards the target to touch. Seven is working on learning her first "agility
obstacle" an A-frame. She learned to go up quickly (going higher is natural for
birds) but learning to come down is taking much longer.
but we just never hit it off as friends so I decided that I better find
Seven a good home while s/he was still young. I did that. Seven is with a new mom &
dad that love birds and s/he has many new bird buddies and even another Quaker to be pals
with. I still believe that Quakers are good birds, but it turned out they just weren't
right for me.