My Congo African Gray, Firecracker, aka “Cracker” for short, is my thinker.  He will turn 31 this year and I’ve had him since he was a baby.

When I lived in Atlanta, someone left a cockatiel at my front door,  It was in a tall, round, broken, filthy cage.  

I immediately took her to the vet who determined that Rosebud was blind due to walking in feces and rubbing her face.  Quarantine, medication and putting her in a small cage worked wonders.  I finally found a bigger, wider cage and put in low perches and toys with bells. 

When I first put her in the new cage, she was uncertain.  I watched her struggle for a while.  Then all of a sudden, Cracker started making cockatiel sounds!  I thought, “oh, great, just what I need”.  But as I watched, Cracker was watching Rosebud.  And Rosebud was listening to Cracker.  She moved directly to her food bowl, then went to her water bowl.  I am positive Cracker was telling her where her food and water were.  I just sat there, amazed that I had witnessed something so special. 

There was a lot of cockatiel chatter in my house.  Every once in a while, Cracker will still make cockatiel sounds and chirps.

Amimals take care of each other and it is such a miracle to witness.

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