In Memoriam: Ciro #2, Nov. 2000 - Feb. 2012, Part 1

In less than a year, I experience the loss of another dear little lovebird, Ciro. Words cannot express how I felt...and still feel, which is why I've been delaying writing about this.

Just as the first time, this will be a long post as I recollect many memories of this little companion.

I got Ciro as soon as I moved to Austin, around February 2011, when he was about 3-4 months old, so he lived for about 11.5 years. I missed my bird Ciro in Bosnia so much, that I named this bird Ciro as well. I got him as a male, and Ciro is a male name, but it wasn't until two years later that I discovered Ciro was a girl: there were eggs! Nonetheless, I kept the name, and kept referring to her as "him".

Ciro was very, very wild when I got him. He would flatter all over the cage when someone just as much as walked by it. At first, it took few weeks for him to not react so frantically when I'd pass by. Then I would approach the cage, and stand there until he completely calmed down, which might have been 20 minutes. That went on for couple of weeks. Next, we moved onto me touching the cage and waiting for him to calm down. When we mastered that stage, and I could touch the cage without him going all berserk, we started training with my hand inside the cage. This probably required the most patience, as I had to sit motionless with my hand inside the cage for up to two hours at a time before he would calm down. This lasted another few weeks, until finally, after about couple of months, I could have him sit on my hand inside the cage. I kept talking to him and telling him how one day he'll love being in my hand and me patting, scratching, and grooming him. And, oh boy, how true would that be!

I have no idea now what prompted me to do that, but when he was in my apartment for just 3 days, we let him out of the cage to fly a bit. I had a big sliding door leading to the balcony, and at the moment the blinds were not closed all the way on the side. Ciro, not familiar with the surroundings at all, not knowing where to land in the apartment, and still afraid of me to come to me, he flew into the sliding door glass, head first! He fell to the floor, several feathers around him, and a scar on the side of his forehead. Poor thing. :( There was no blood, thank goodness, but I always wondered what lasting consequences that hit might have caused.

Ciro's 1st photo, above the sliding glass door. His first month at home.

Within the first year, Ciro found his favorite places around the apartment, and had no trouble maneuvering into any rooms. He was tame to step up on my finger or sit on my shoulder. It made it much easier to get him back into the cage, although he knew when he didn't want to go back in. We somehow discovered that we can easily get him to jump into an oven mitt, which he would attack fearlessly, and that always worked to get him back into the cage. At one point he became very protective of the cage, and all we had to do was call his name with a stern voice, sometimes with hand clapping, and he'd come right back flying into his cage.

Over the next few years, Ciro became a great play mate. A mischievous little thing, I always had to keep an eye on him. When she started laying eggs (the only time I referred to Ciro as a "she" was when I'd talk about her egg laying events), she started chewing on....everything! Any paper left around was a fare game. I remember getting a basket for bills I planned on keeping next to the phone. No way Ciro would allow it! That didn't last a week and I had to move it. He loved getting into the books and albums on the living room shelf. If it was quiet, I knew he was into something. That clapping thing to get him back into the cage worked really well then. Cords on the window blinds were another casualty, but I didn't care so much about those - I was only renting there!

He also loved hanging out in the kitchen. He liked making noise, although not as much as Ciro #1, but the main attraction for him were all the hiding places in the kitchen. As soon as I'd open the drawer, he'd jet inside and peak from the back. And you better not stick your hand in there; you literally might loose a piece of your skin! He found it first, and anyone else who wants it better be ready for some serious beak power. I had to pry him out with utensils, or with that magic oven mitt.

After a few years, and repeated practice, he figured out how to open and get inside one kitchen cabinet. I know, you'd never think a bird this small would be strong enough to open a kitchen cabinet door. But this little one was stubborn, persistent, and had a mighty strong beak. He would get on the corner of that upper cabinet and repeatedly push it open until he succeeded to open it just enough to quickly slide inside. And when I then open the door, he would beam with excitement! He could get in, but not out. I was afraid he might get in while I am doing something else for some period of time, and then maybe freak out if he can't get out for several minutes. I decided to get some lock for the door. I remember asking at a hardware store for a child safety lock, and explaining I don't need anything fancy, just something small enough to work for a bird. I got weird looks.

But he also could be very gentle. He absolutely loved giving kisses, and could easily spend couple of hours parked in front of my face and ever so sweetly giving kisses.

Those first five years we've spent in the apartment, Ciro was an absolute rascal. Nothing was out of reach for him, and I still have things that have his beak marks on it. He even got into the bathroom and chewed on the shower curtain!

Gosh, thinking back on these stories and remembering Ciro in the last year or so, seems like worlds apart! It feels like those were two different birds.