Solomon--a REAL birdbrain.

The saga of the parrot named Solomon, from a ball of fuzz with no feathers to a feathered tape recorder.

When we first got him he was about 4 weeks old and had to be hand fed with a syringe.  He was a messy eater so he needed a bath after every feeding, and the bathroom sink became his bathtub.

It took a couple of months for his feathers to grow in, and he didn't start talking until six months or so.  He was slow learning for his first year, but now he picks up words rapidly.

He likes to ride on my husband's shoulder, and nibble on his glasses.  Brian kept telling him "Stop it!" and that was one of the first things Solomon learned to say. Then Solomon started nibbling on Brian's ear and learned to say "Ouch"  One day Brian told Solomon "Stop it!" and Solomon cocked his head to one side, looked Brian in the eye and told him "Speak up!"

Solomon also imitates our dogs and me.  He calls the dogs in my voice, whines like Isaiah does when he wants to go out, and barks along with the dogs when people come to the door.  He was yelling "Nancy" frequently, so Brian taught him to yell "Brian" also--equal time you know. When I told a friend at work that Solomon was calling me in Brian's voice, he asked if I could tell the difference between the two of them.  When I said sometimes I wasn't sure who was calling, he suggested that I ignore them both.