Dear Parrots magazine,
Lesson Learnt
I have a Senegal parrot that was bought as a chick and we’ve had him for just over nine years. I have read warnings about windows and doors being left open when warmer weather comes, but I still left a small window open and he had the freedom of our lounge. It was when I thought he was very quiet that my heart missed a beat and I went rushing into the lounge. He was gone. I nearly died.
Panic is an understatement as I went rushing outside, but he was nowhere to be seen. I searched and searched until my husband came home from work. We scoured the neighbourhood but with no luck. But later the next day, a neighbour from a few houses away said he had found a parrot in one of his greenhouses. He soon discovered that we had lost a parrot and very soon, he was back.
It may seem crazy to a lot of people, but to lose a bird can be devastating. My Senegal has a micro-chip, although it was not how we got Skipper back, but just in case he had gone further afield, a chip would have been vital in finding him. Still I have learnt my lesson and I won’t be leaving any more windows open with Skipper about.
Irene Walton, by email