One of the most frustrating and anxiety-inducing things about having a pet is that they can’t tell you when they’re hurt. They can give you signs, but if you’re not looking out for them, they can often be easily missed. As a result, every time there’s a little bit of a change in behavior, it makes us nervous. What if it’s an indicator of something bring wrong?
Well, we’re all just behind the times, apparently. On Wednesday, April 10th, one bird mom showed off how her cockatoo communicates that she’s hurt, and it’s absolutely mind-blowing:
@parrotkindergartenDoes anyone else have to persuade your pet a few times a year that she doesn’t have cancer? 😬
Maybe I should send my pets to Parrot Kindergarten. I would be 100% okay with my pets being iPad babies if it meant I could stop obsessing over every tiny thing they did to see if they might be in pain!
Related: Cockatoo Stealing Pens From the Vet Is a Masterclass in Thievery
This little girl is a cockatoo, and her name is Ellie. According to her mom, she’s recently injured her foot, and that has made her very worried. In this video, she specifies that she feels an “outside ouch” on her foot, and that she’s worried it might be cancer. How she came to that conclusion, I have no idea, but it makes me feel better to know I’m not the only one who thinks every minor discomfort might be cancer…
She got Ellie as a baby after losing all of her pets in a tragedy a bit before. Now, she has several parrots, and they’re all tablet trained. Using a few different apps, her birds can read stories, communicate with her, and even draw pictures. Their beaks work fine on the touch screen, and they are very smart little birds!
Teaching pets to communicate
Though incredible to watch, communication training has been a thing for dogs, cats, and even livestock for a while. It first gained popularity during the pandemic, when everyone had an unexpected amount of time on their hands. It took off on TikTok with a dog who learned to press buttons to say words like, “out,” “hungry,” “walk,” and other basic needs.
The crazy thing is, it’s actually pretty simple training. All you need is a button and to reflect that need. For example, you’d keep the “out” button by the door and press it with their paw every time the animal needs to go out. You could even take it one step further and put an “all done” button on the other side so you know when your dog is ready to go back in!
Ellie is amazing and brilliant, and it must be a big relief for mom to see her able to communicate her pain. However, if you don’t have a genius iPad bird, you can look for more common signs of discomfort, like:
- Continuous squawking
- Limping/lameness
- Favoring one foot over the other
- Refusal to eat
Luckily, Ellie just has a minor foot injury that her mom says will heal in no time. I’m sure Ellie will let us know when it does!
