Chewie is a hypersensitive and delicate flower. He is such a dimensional being, it’s hard to describe his character in simple terms. Chewie is by far the most emotionally complex, conceptually intelligent, and routine-loving squarepants in the family.
My first encounter with Chewie was purely accidental. It was a cold winter evening in December 2012, and I had aimlessly strolled into Petco while waiting for my boyfriend to pick up a video game at Best Buy. I had watched some bird youtube videos and was familiar with the ‘pet bird’ concept, but by no means was I ready to take on the full responsibility of a baby bird. In all honesty, I had always wanted an Indian Ringneck, and a sun conure wasn’t even on my mind. Chewie was a quiet and calm 5-month-old baby, locked up in the sad enclosure. He was all-around green, with only one streak of yellow on one of his wing feathers. He waddled up to me and starting playfully rolling on his back and tried to interact with me behind his thick plexiglass. From that very interaction, I knew he had chosen me, and really that was all I needed. After some very amateurish preparation, I brought Chewie home with me.
Chewie was a delightful baby. He was a bit sick when he first came (respiratory issues), but after the initial hump, he settled in quite nicely. The problem was me. I had never really had a parrot in my care before, so everything was confusing and new. Most of the time I didn’t know how to interact with Chewie, so many of the first weeks were just me staring at Chewie and Chewie staring back at me. It was odd how Chewie wasn’t like a dog, throwing himself at me with admiration and trust. Instead he was cautious and wary with every step he took to get closer to me. Eventually we bonded over training – Chewie soaked up conceptual learning like a sponge and delivered great results with his training. Training was mostly what we did until Dante joined the flock in June, 2013.
Dante’s introduction shifted the dynamics in the house and my relationship with Chewie. Chewie was jealous and unaccepting of Dante for the first few years. Dante was quarrelsome at first (which didn’t help his situation), and then eventually backed down, changing his angle to become a friend rather than a foe. Regardless of Dante’s appeasement, Chewie’s feelings were scarred, and eventually, his bond with humans converted into obsessive nesting. With sexual maturity and unresolved emotional issues, he eventually started to put more and more time into crawling into dark spaces and occupying himself with ripping up t-shirts, carpet, or paper towel rolls. He had a period of almost 2 years where he’d wanted to inflict harm on birb dad, forcing bird dad to always wear a hoodie in the house.
Eventually, with the move to our current home in late 2018, Chewie calmed his hormones and rage-fueled fits. We’ve deliberately bought a house with high ceilings (for more indoor flying), positioned on top of a lush canyon (no city/street noise to bother Chewie), with a lot of vegetation on the property (tropical vibes for tropical birbs), tons of large windows (great views from all angles) and to one of the most tranquil neighborhoods in Los Angeles (ironically, Chewie is LOUD but he can’t stand loud neighbors) – which helped solve a lot with his behavior issues. I’m not even joking when I tell people we’ve purchased our current home to accommodate the birds (especially picky Chewie).
Even with all the ups and downs through the years, Chewie remains one of the most important elements in my life. Everything has changed since that fateful night when I first saw baby Chewie tumbling in his Petco cage, telling me to take him home.
I do want to err on the side of caution and warn others to NOT make emotional bird purchases as I had. There’s a lot of sacrifice and lifestyle changes you’ll need to make for your feathered friend(s), and I think that requires a huge commitment. Still, if you are emotionally and financially ready and have met your bird, it is gratifying to welcome a bird companion into your life. Birds are emotionally complex and incredibly intelligent, so they will offer so much for you to learn. Little Chewie has taught me life and love, and I won’t have any other life without him.
x Birdmom
- Name: Chewie
- Breed: Sun Conure / Sun Parakeet
- Mutation: n/a
- Sex: DNA’d Male
- Hatch Date: July 16, 2012
- Gotcha Date: December 15, 2012
- Born: Chino, Los Angeles, CA
- Original name given: Sunkiss
- Origin of current name: First name that came up in Dad’s head
- Nicknames: Chew, Chewpy, Chew-chew
- Handfed: Yes, very tame.
- Plumage: tangerine, bright yellow, green, turquoise, navy blue, charcoal
- Favorite food: Sunflower seeds, tofu, pasta, brown rice (really any carbs)
- Least favorite food: Veggies, anything healthy
- Current diet: Roudy Bush, Zupreem natural, some organic human food
- Food drive: Moderate
- Play drive: Low
- Favorite toys: Tent and woodblocks with a bell attached at the end
- FOMO level: Moderate
- Entertainment level: Low
- Cleanliness: Extremely OCD
- Nest drive: High
- Suspicion level: High
- Adaptability: Moderate
- Routine-driven: High
- Human Dependency: Very High
- Survival Skills: Very Low (Chewie is royalty, he won’t lift a finger to do anything on his own)
- Social skills: Non-existent
- Good with strangers: No
- Training Skills: Extremely high
- Tolerance: Moderate
- Agility: Low
- Noise level: High
- Talking ability: n/a
- Favorite words: n/a
- Territorial drive: Very high
- Nesting drive: Through the roof
- Aggressiveness: High
- Flighted: Yes
- Music: Soft 80s rock
- Shower v. Bath: Bath
- Favorite activities: Nesting, destroying wood or plastic around the house
- Bonded human: Used to be mom, now it’s Dante
- Chewie’s Apple Music Playlist: Click Here