Tomorrow's the day!

[JudiNh]

Im so excited to go and meet "Melon" tomorrow! I decided to let my son Ben take the day off from school and come with me...since he is beside himself excited as well. We are like two kids waiting for Christmas morning! LOL
Ben is thinking he'd like to change Melon's name to "Piplup"....which is the name of a very cute bird pokemon character that Ben loves. This is what Piplup looks like:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/olliesmum/images.jpg

Isnt he cute?

Do you think Melon would mind a name change? And, which do you all like better, Melon or Piplup? (We'd probably call him Pip for short...)

[linda040899]

Do you think Melon would mind a name change?
While Melon may not be first choice for a name, if he's used to it, he may not like the change. When I got Georgia, she had been named George because gender was unknown. Even now, 20 yrs later, she still calls herself George, regardless of what I call her!

Good luck meeting Melon. Hope this works out!

[JudiNh]

Hmmm...okay. I wonder how I would know if he didnt like the new name? Maybe we should call him Melon-Piplup, and see if he can get used to it that way? Or just keep it as Melon. We'll see what happens when we meet him tomorrow. Thanks for the reply. And, that is so funny about Georgia....what a smart bird! What kind of bird is she?

[linda040899]

Georgia is a Macaw and she was 2.5 yrs old when she joined my flock.

Depending on Melon's age, I don't know that I'd even try to change the name. It may seem like a minor thing to us but parrots associate names with themselves and some won't respond unless you use a name that they are familiar with. I use George and Georgia interchangably but she has never referred to herself as Georgia. One of my latest adoptions (about 8 months ago) is Ezio, a male lovebird. Ezio responds only to the name he's always known and will ignore me if I use something different!

[JudiNh]

Melon is 3 years old, and this woman has had him for about 2 years. So, he's had the name for at least that long. So, I shouldnt try to change it? I definitely dont want to upset the poor little guy. Looks like "Melon" it is then...http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/olliesmum/shrug.gif

[Z28Taxman]

Georgia is a Macaw and she was 2.5 yrs old when she joined my flock.

Depending on Melon's age, I don't know that I'd even try to change the name. It may seem like a minor thing to us but parrots associate names with themselves and some won't respond unless you use a name that they are familiar with. I use George and Georgia interchangably but she has never referred to herself as Georgia. One of my latest adoptions (about 8 months ago) is Ezio, a male lovebird. Ezio responds only to the name he's always known and will ignore me if I use something different!

I read an article recently on a study of parrot communications. They discovered that when parrots "talk" to their chicks they use a different sound for each one and the one they're talking to would respond. Even years later if they heard that sound they'd respond back to it. I wish I could remember where I saw it.

[linda040899]

I read an article recently on a study of parrot communications. They discovered that when parrots "talk" to their chicks they use a different sound for each one and the one they're talking to would respond. Even years later if they heard that sound they'd respond back to it. I wish I could remember where I saw it.

I think I posted a link to that article here in the forums. It's a sticky but I'm not 100% sure where I put it.....

[Pips mom]

As much as I love the name you & Ben want!(also love the pic!) I myself always keep given names and will never change them.......except of course, with Rudy......he came from a not so great home and I'm sure he didn't even know what his name was anyway. How nice you're letting Ben take the day off to go! Fingers crossed here that he and Jitterbug become best buds!

[JudiNh]

Thanks Kim...so is Pip a seagreen too? He is so cute...Im thinking Melon is going to look just like that. :)

I did see that article about the birds calling each other with "names" or something like that. It was very cool. We just have no idea of how smart these guys really are.....

[Z28Taxman]

I think I posted a link to that article here in the forums. It's a sticky but I'm not 100% sure where I put it.....

Why yes you did! http://www.lovebirdsplus.com/community/showthread.php?20192-What-Do-Parrots-Say-to-Each-Other-In-the-Wild-(Excellent-Article!)

I knew I saw it somewhere. It's right on the top of the in the news section.