Ask Lafeber

Electus Parrot

We have an Electus who is my mothers bird who passed away a couple of months. He had a strong bond with Ma. Before her passing, she was in hospital for a total of 3 months and they have been separated for this period of time.
Cooper is his name, is not showing any signs of distress but we have noticed that he no longer walks into Mum’s room to look for her.
In your opinion, would Cooper have a delayed reaction and do you feel he will be okay. My father is constantly with him and Cooper does and now follow Pa around like a puppy dog. Cooper is eating well and doing other activities and we are keeping an eye on him for any changes. He has regular vet visits and his vet tells us that since the previous visit, there’s no changes with him but to keep an eye on him for any changes.
What are your thoughts?

Hi Jeannette,

I’m very sorry to hear about your loss. It does sound like Cooper has decided she is not coming back. But he may not fully understand it, and may still end up feeling abandoned at some point. Parrots are very intelligent and understand more than we think they do. While he may not understand the words you use, he can understand the general meaning. You might want to take Cooper into your mother’s room and explain to him, just as you would a small child. Tell him she loved him very much and she didn’t want to leave him. Tell him she will not be back but she wants him to be happy and enjoy his new life and his new main person. This may sound a bit strange, but your emotions will come through, and Cooper will be able to have an understanding that he wasn’t abandoned and that he is still loved very much. I think he is adjusting well, but this can give all of you some needed closure.

Take care,

Brenda