Little Shop of Horrors

Doesn't this huge sunflower look like the most wonderful enrichment? It contains large juicy robust sunflower seeds! All parrots love sunflower seeds!

Well, not so. I suppose my parrots are used to sunflower seeds that come from a cannister!

I grew this gorgeous sunflower in my garden. Actually, it grew from the leftover parrot seeds that were tossed out for the jays. The plant became seven feet tall and we had to use a ladder to support the head as it dried. It was heavy!

I brought it inside and hung it in the large Exotic Enclosure in my living room. Two things happened. One, the room began to smell funny. Musty, like an old wet dish rag... yuck. Also, two, the large parrots were freaked out and would not enter the cage! You'd think it was a Harpie Eagle!

Strange enough, the little birds happily entered the big kingdom and played with abandon. (Although they didn't find the sunflower seeds!)

The macaws and especially Chauncey, my cockatoo, panicked and demonstrated the flight response from perceived danger. Their vision is very detail oriented and they can spot the tiniest change in their environment. This type of vision helps them spot the ripened fruit in the lush vegetation or the nut on the forest floor.

Needless to say, the sunflower head is now hanging from the outdoor wild bird feeding station. They know what to do with it! Peace reigns again in this parrot home.