More on Koji

Koji is a Nancay conure that is bald except for his head, wings and tail. For those of you who are new to the club, my first story about Koji appeared in SQUAWK in the May 1994 issue. Koji is bonded to my pied cockatiel Sam. Both these birds were neglected/abused by their previous families. Koji is sweet, shy and VERY LOUD, while Sam is vicious and stupid. I love them both very much and hope they live forever.

This spring I noticed that Sam had a bare spot on his back. Sam had not been a feather plucker in the past so I was somewhat concerned. One day I was in the bird room and Koji plucked a feather from Sam's back, so the mystery was solved. I didn't want to separate them but by this time, Sam looked old and tattered. I put Sam with Loretta, my cockatiel hen (who loves Sam, but it is not mutual) across from Koji in my very small bird room. I would let them play every day when I got home from work and that made the separation a little more bearable for them. When I put them to bed each night they would call to each other until the lights went out. It was heartbreaking to see them so upset, but at the same time, Sam began to look less tattered. I kept them separated for about a month and then reunited them.

It was so touching to see them together again, feeding and preening each other. I think Koji plucked Sam because it was breeding season. Sam is about 10 years old and Koji is older than that, but Koji didn't pluck Sam after they were reunited.

During that time, I decided to try to handle Koji. I had been longing to hold him since he came to live with me, but he was always so afraid. I turned off the lights in the bird room and took him out of his cage with a piece of velvet material so I wouldn't hurt his delicate skin. I then took him into the darkened and quiet living room and held him close to my face and talked and sang to him. Koji is a very intelligent animal and he realized I wasn't hurting him and began to relax. I slipped my hand under the velvet and touched his bare skin. What a shock! You cannot imagine how hot his skin was. It was like touching someone with a raging fever.

After a few minutes I let him go and he flew to a floor lamp in the living room. I put my hand near him and to my amazement he flew to my hand for the first time. I praised him and told him how much I love him. We made a big breakthrough that night and we are still making progress. He is still very shy and wary but he trusts me more and more. I still take him out by himself periodically and it gets easier every time.

Please folks, if you share your life with a challenging parrot, don't give up trying to befriend him or her. The rewards when you make a breakthrough, no matter how small, are cause for celebration. Our friends didn't ask for the problems they experience in their lives and they need our help to solve them.

Good Luck!