Zac the 9yr old Cockatiel

My husband Kevin and I were fortunate to be asked to adopt Zac about 6 years ago, as his owners were moving overseas. He was very social and they had trained him to do various tricks and allowed him out of his cage during the day, which we continued.

Zac flies around inside the house and has found his special places to hide: behind the washing machine, on the shower railing, behind the TV, under the bed and other interesting places. When we can’t find him, we use a squeaky toy and he flies back to his cage. He sits on Kevin’s knee or shoulder while watching TV and lets him know when he wants his neck rubbed. In the study he’ll sit on the computer or on Kevin’s shoulder. During Zoom sessions he joins in chattering away, or singing and chirping.

He chirps the Adams Family Theme Song very well and when the phone or doorbell rings, he starts saying “Hello”. He has the usual bird-talk repertoire plus lots more of his own.

Zac is ‘toilet trained’ and never leaves any droppings on us or on benches. He has trained us well too, when he wants a shower he goes to the sink and starts tapping his beak for us to turn the water on and of course we comply! Zac has been so amusing and such good company during lockdown. While Kevin is doing jigsaws, Zac goes in and picks up the pieces and drops them on the floor.

They can live to 20 years of age in captivity, and the way he is looked after Zac should do that.

By Maureen Duggan