My Sweet Na-Nook went to the Bridge yesterday, October 21, 2005 at 1:45pm. He had renal failure and heart failure. One night he seemed fine, the next morning he was not. At necropsy, Dr. Doolen, thank you Dr. Doolen so very much for your special ways of caring for our feathered babes, you are an angel, noted that my Na-Nooks heart veins were stiff. Most likely caused by the severe vitamin A deficiency he had when I had bought him years ago. Who would have known it would come back to kill him. He had a very healthy diet for the years I had him but never the less he is dead and I am a Mama who is feeling the loss so terribly. Na-Nook, I will always love you, your bratty ways and your so very loving ways. Your quish quishes, only you could give such good kissess. I will never forget our daily games of peek a boo and you yelling at me," HEY WHATS GOING ON AROUND HERE,HUH, WHATTYA DOIN?" For one last time, Night night time, but this time I won't see ya in the morning but you will remain in my heart forever.:*****( Mama loves you ...

     The YCM got it's name because of the yellow band of feathers around the back of it's neck, the collar. The only thing mini about these little guys is their size, they think they are full sized Macaws.
     Na-Nook will be 23 years old this year, 2005. He is a DNA sexed male. I have had him for almost 4 years now. I had never seen a YCM and saw an add in the local paper, I just went to LOOK... I went to the home and looked, picked him up and the first thing he did to me was to take a hunk out of my finger, look directly at me and spit that hunk out on the floor. It was then that I knew I had to have him. I saw something else in those orange eyes of his, maybe a longing, maybe a dare to me, I just don't know. All I do know is that I wanted him. The next day Na-Nook came home.
     Na-Nook was not a healthy boy. He was kept on a total seed diet and his previous owner had him from a baby. His feathers were very dull, he was fat and he had a severe Vitamin A deficiency because he only ate seed. I felt so bad when I first saw him, shut in a room with only a Conure for company. A room upstairs where it was very hot, not very airy at all and away from everyone because,"They are noisey." Of course they are noisey, after all parrots are noisey. He was given beer by the husband of his owner and that mad me so angry..I was told that he liked to "party." Well, I sure know that he loves to dance and sing to music but alcohol? Na-Nook is no longer a beer drinker....
     It was an uphill battle with Na-Nook, he hated me, my husband and who could blame him. He was taken away from the only home he had ever known. I had told my husband to keep away from him but did he listen? Nope. The first night he was here my hubby decided that Na-Nook loved him , the male macho thing , hubby stuck his head in the cage and came out with blood dripping down his face. Na-Nook zapped him in the forehead. What did I do? Of course I stood there cracking up laughing and said," I told you NOT to do that."
     The next day was the visit to the vet. Other than what I wrote earlier, Na-Nook was ok. He would be staying. :))))))) We kept him away from the other birds for a month, in the Den. Right where he could see the TV. After a few days, heaven forbid anyone should block his view of that TV.
     Feeding was a nightmare. I always refused to use gloves with my birds, I just plain don't believe in it. I have the scars, Na-Nook scars to proove it too besides he was terrified of gloves. He wanted nothing but seed, refused anything else except his orange juice in his special little bowl that I was given along with everything else that he had. I tried every type of food, from pellets to people foods. One day he got mad at me and that was when I heard it for the first time......Na-Nook screaming.....I thought," HOW can a little body produce such a LOUD sound?" I also realized that his scream was a cross between a Conure and whatever a YCM scream was. It was something I have never heard before, I shook my head, roared laughing and walked away. He got louder.......So I finally had enough and came over to him and said,"HUSH." To this day Na-Nook always tells me "HUSH" if he thinks I should be quiet.
     It took me over a year to get him to trust me totally and a little bit over a year to get him off of a total seed diet. Now seed is a treat only. Na-Nook has beautiful shiny well formed feathers now, is a good weight and seems very happy. And he has become what I call, "my little cuddle bunny."
     Do I still get bit? I sure do, he is a parrot. But I now can play with him, cuddle with him, get kissess with sound effects,he says quish-quish, he hums along to the music and dances too. He is a very polite boy too. He tells me ,"Thank you" everytime I feed him, then from across the room comes,"You're welcome" from the Macaw that IS big, Rembrandt.
     One of the funny things here, Na-Nook still does his screaming from time to time, then from across the room you will always hear,"SHUT UP", mysteriously, he shuts up. I guess Na-Nook must think that he had better listen when Rembrandt tells him to 'SHUT UP" or else. :)