RIP Maglite (the bird)

[bykfixer]

My peach front conjure named Maglite passed away today. He died of complications from flying into a wall. We were the third caretaker and he was reportedly 20 when he arrived. They can live up to 30 years. He was about 23.

Later dude.

 

[knucklegary]

So sorry to hear that happened. Tralfaz is going to be lonely wondering where his buddy went..🕊️

 

[bykfixer]

He's already wondering why he won't play. I have him under a blanket on the floor of his cage in case he's not really dead. Tomorrow he'll be buried with George and Marvin the chameleons and frick & frack the sail fish(s).

Maglite was one of those pets who let you know when somebody was at your house. He'd squawk whenever company would arrive before they'd knock on the door. We let him roam free this last year and he was actually potty trained. He'd only poop in his cage. Nowhere else. Well, sometimes he'd poop on us, but he didn't just poop any old place like a wild bird does.

He slept in a box behind his cage and let us know when it was 7:00am. If you didn't turn off the light near his cage by 8:30pm he'd throw a temper tantrum after his 8 o'clock temper tantrum if the food in his dish wasn't freshened up.

I wouldn't have taken a million bucks for him but frankly won't give a nickle for another one.
Rest in Peace little buddy.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Respect

 

[nbp]

Sorry for your loss. We get so very attached to our pets.

 

[chillinn]

That is so sad, bykfixer. I'm very sorry for your loss. From just the photo it's easy to tell he was a magnificent beauty.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

The freedom you gave that bird is so admirable.

 

[bykfixer]

His casket
A box he liked to chew

 

[PhotonWrangler]

My peach front conjure named Maglite passed away today. He died of complications from flying into a wall. We were the third caretaker and he was reportedly 20 when he arrived. They can live up to 30 years. He was about 23.

View attachment 40157
Later dude.

What a little beauty. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[xxo]

Sorry for your loss.

RIP Maglite.

 

[bykfixer]

So quiet this morning without that "squawk, squawk, screech" from the bird.
He was really mean when he arrived during the pandemic. Mad at the world about everything but after a time he settled down. He still had his moments though.

He used to like to fly out the door but then once outside "oh crap, somebody save me, please". So after the third or fourth time he stopped doing that. One time he's two doors down up on the roof of a shed all hollering. I'm like "shut up before the hawk and owl hear you" while reaching out with a stick for him to climb onto. He's screeching "no not that end hand me the other end" refusing to climb on. I reverse the stick and he climbs onto it then back onto my shoulder. We walk home like nothing happened.

Sometimes he'd scream out for no apparent reason and the parrot would say "shut up Maglite" in my voice". And mumble "stupid bird" in my voice.
This morning it was too quiet. Even the birds outside are quiet. Every night I'd toss the bird food he didn't eat onto the front walkway. At 6Am there'd be a dozen birds taking turns. Today.... not even the robins are chirping.

In memory of Maglite I'll toss some out each evening. Afterall, they'd gotten used to breakfast each morning for the last 3 years or so.

 

[RWT1405]

I'm so sorry

He was a handsome boy

 

[bykfixer]

Thanks folks.

 

[Jim Bonney]

Sorry man. I had a blue Mackaw for a short time. He was the single coolest and most annoying living thing I've experienced, so I hear the million bucks/nickel analogy loud and clear. I also had a chameleon. He made 7 years which is a solid run. Chameleons generally die a very slow, very painful death and he had lost his ability to climb. Common problem. I wound up euthanizing him myself, which is a trick with reptiles as they're so damn tough. He went quick and I was very surprised at how much of an effect putting him down had on me considering that unlike more sophisticated forms of life reptiles have 0 bonding ability. I was never more than a moving tree and food supply to him. Losing a bird you've bonded with as you have, well I'm sure that's not exactly a picnic. I also know you won't miss the noise.

 

[bykfixer]

The chameleon thing I never understood. High maintenance, zero entertainment value. After the second one bit my wife a few times she was done with that idea. I supported her about them but never had any feelings towards them one way or the other. One got an "egg stuck" the vet said so I did try to nurse it back to health to no avail.

Maglite came to us after a person died and the person who inherited him dropped him off at the pet supply store my wife worked at. You know the story, baby in a basket with a note tied to it left on a door stoop.... it was like that. So he was a mess for a while until he got used to us. He never was the "loveable" "charming" "adorable" pet all of the forums said he'd be. But that was likely because he was old and cranky (like me, no wonder I liked him).

I still look for him to fly out of a crevice or from behind an object in the living room and land on my head each day. Trouble was sometimes he'd bite the heck out of my ear for no reason. He was turning into a marvelous burglar deterent.

The other day I saw a bruise on my hand and it made me sad. "Awe, that was the last time he bit me" I thought.

 

[Chadder]

Sorry for your loss!

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Fixer thank you for writing your words. Family members can be from many species, and appreciation/affection is universal don´t you think?

 

[knucklegary]

Byk, Thanks for sharing your stories and feelings🙏

I think that's what Kitro is saying..

 

[E=mAh²]

Sorry for your loss man.. a girl I dated in high school had a family bird "paco" was a yellow nape he too came from a previous owner but he was I wanna say in his 30a or 40s even I could be mistaken. But it was interesting to hear the things that he picked up from his previous owner(s). Like he would sing this really creepy sounding song that gave vibes of something the twins from the shining would be singing I don't remember a single word now but it was eerie and he would sing it late at night when he thought (I assume) that no one was around/could hear.

Paco was partial to female voices and by partial I mean paco hated men.

It was that green and yellow pretty tropical amazonian bird that made me aware of just how many lbs of pressure those pretty birdies are packin' in those beaks..



Sorry about your loss man rip "mag"

 

[bykfixer]

Fixer thank you for writing your words. Family members can be from many species, and appreciation/affection is universal don´t you think?

I read this and thought that family is family. Not always kin by blood or even the same species but yeah family is just that... family, warts and all.

Byk, Thanks for sharing your stories and feelings🙏

I think that's what Kitro is saying..

I spent a lot of time alone as a teen healing from Evel Kneivel attemps on bicycles, skateboards or just random acts of stupidity. To quote that guy in the movie Blow "my ambitions far exceeded my talents". I wrote stories to entertain myself. I suppose that's where it comes from.

I actually started writing a book of short stories at one point. Mostly fiction about critters and creatures I'd see in the wild while healing from a divorce. "The dove wedding", "wasps are just plain rude sometimes", Mr Woodpeckers dream home" and stuff like that. I lost all of the material at one point when moving from city to city for work then life just went a direction that no longer involved much alone time.

@E=mAh² my wife has an African gray named Rudy. All three previous owners said he was a boy. One day Rudy layed an egg. Next day another. After a few times we decided Rudy is probably not a girl. She hates everybody but my wife. Sometimes we play chase, where Mrs Fixer sets her on the floor and she chases me around the house whistling and saying "come eer"... She does low battery for smoke detector sound, doors creaking, sneezing, squeeky toys, sneezes followed by "bless you" in my voice and "thank you" in the wife's voice. She arrived with a smokers cough and barked like a chihuha (sp?) dog. And unlike Maglite who'd leave a welp or bruise, she draws blood. She can crack a pecan shell like it's made out of cardboard. I learned to heat water in a coffe cup 1:04 on the microwave puts the handle where I want it. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry and push buttons it'll run 14 seconds where she made a microwave beep sound and I thought I had hit the 0 button but actually hadn't.

One day the plumber stuck his hand in her cage and says "is it friendly?" Suddenly he answered his own question. Yikes.