Bird Of The Week

September 27, 2009: Peep the Thickbilled Parrot

Click thumbnail to enlarge image. You can click on the image to close it.

Article by Donna Burleigh

Peep is a Thickbilled Parrot - Native to Northern Mexico and the southern US States. She is now 21 years old and had been paired up with a male when she was very young. He passed away in October of 2008. Peep had never been handled until this last October after her mate passed away.

It was a lot of work, but Peep and I became friends. She does now say one thing and that HUH, Peep has a different bird call then any bird I have ever heard. Yes she can be loud at times when she does her call.

What Peep likes to do is she finds it very funny to get at the dogs. She will have her head in the food bowl and watches for our dogs, as soon as she see's them she lets out a call and the dogs run to the door, thinking someone is here. She does this to them all the time. Peep sits in front of a big window so she can see outside.

Peep is also the best watch dog anyone could have... As soon as someone comes to the door, she also lets out a call to let us know someone is here. Peep is just an amazing bird, she like to sit on top of her cage waiting for me, she doesn’t like me too far away from her.

Another thing Peep likes - she loves her bath, which is so funny to watch, she will look around to see if anyone is watching and then she will put one foot in her bowl, then look around again to see if someone is watching , then the second foot goes in. Pretty soon after she is sitting in the middle of her bowl splashing away.

I take Peep to schools with me - to show as many people as I can about the Thickbills. She loves the attention and the kids. And all the children just love her.

Peep loves to chew up all her perches, she can at times go through a perch a week.

Peeps favorite food is Cooked corn, Pine nuts and chicken, but she does eat Volkman seed, with Zupreem Pellets, fruits and veggies. It's been a job to get her to try other foods, she can be very picky at times.

Peep is not fond of anyone else in the house but me, she does not play with toys, this has been a problem when placing them in her cage, she will not sit on the perch if there things hanging in there. She does not like going to the vet, she is a big baby when it comes to being vet checked. You could hear her for miles when my vet latches on to her (smile).

The sad part is I had a man foster the pair of Thickbills and he did not tell me he had PDD through his own birds. The Male thickbill died because of this and Peep has been exposed. They were intending on being donated to San Diego by me, but the male died just before all the tests that were required to go to the Zoo.

So here Peep lives with me and we have become great friends.......