Jessica Holden Photography » My Little Corner of the Web

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So, Would You Like to Meet Rory?

Our new little turquoise conure is such a little thing, but she’s wormed her way into our hearts in a BIG way! She is playful and FULL of personality, mostly good, but she can be fiesty and moody, too. I’ve had cats and dogs pretty much continuously throughout my life, but a bird is a whole different ballgame. Cats and dogs seem to have fairly stable temperaments, but Rory, well, she definitely has her own opinions about how things should be going at any given moment. She wants to be with at least one of us at all times if at all possible, and she is VERY sweet and affectionate and oh-so-cuddly, but she also likes to chew on EVERYTHING and has very little interest in the fact that you’d prefer that she not, for example, remove all the little sparkley crystals from your daughter’s favorite shirt, or systematically chew your mousepad into a thousand tiny pieces, or quietly nibble on the wires behind your monitor while you’re mindlessly perusing Facebook. But right after she does those things, she will hop onto your shoulder and then inch her way closer and closer to your cheek until her face is smushed up tightly against yours, and you are petting her, because how could you not? She is about as adorable as a little creature can be!

Snuggling up with us is pretty much her all-time favorite thing to do (see her all curled up against Emily?):

Besides snuggling and chewing, she loves to play wth her bowl of buttons:

And watch the big birds out the window:

And eat her favorite treats–especially the really messy ones:

And especially, play with her cat toy:

She is not very messy in her cage and doesn’t throw much food around at all, so except for the wanting-our-attention, she is pretty low maintenance. (I save the messy foods, like strawberries and rasberries, which she flings around with gusto while eating, for eating in the kitchen while I am refreshing her cage in the morning and making our dinner in the evening.) Oh–and get this–she is potty trained, too: As long as we tell her to “go potty” often enough and hold her where we want her to go, she will do it, and won’t have accidents elsewhere! She has made herself perfectly at home with us and it feels like she has been with us forever. We just adore her!

  • Gretchen Willis - September 21, 2011 - 12:29 pm

    Oh. My. Gosh. I mean, i thought she was cute but then when you said she was POTTY TRAINED??? well, that just elevates her to a whole new level.

    Did you teach her that or did she come to you potty trained?

    That is so adorable!ReplyCancel

  • Christy - September 21, 2011 - 12:31 pm

    Aww… she is so cute and love the color of her feathers.ReplyCancel

  • Laura A - September 21, 2011 - 1:29 pm

    I love that photo of her in the bowl with the buttons. Looks like so much fun!ReplyCancel

  • Holly Thompson - September 21, 2011 - 3:14 pm

    Oh my gosh, Rory is just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! My kids loved the video. The photos are adorable, I wish I could meet this sweet little creature in person!ReplyCancel

  • admin - September 21, 2011 - 4:29 pm

    I potty trained her–I was very impressed that she learned so quickly, and on only her SECOND day with us, and I decided it was clearly because she’s brilliant. However, she has steadfastly refused to learn ANY other tricks since then! But that’s OK–if that’s the only thing she learns for her entire life, I will be grateful that that’s her one trick–LOL!ReplyCancel

  • Rachel Potter - September 21, 2011 - 8:18 pm

    These are adorable! I hope one day to meet her!ReplyCancel

  • Julia - September 22, 2011 - 6:51 am

    Oh my goodness…adorable!! I’ve never really even considered having a bird as a pet but she really makes me think! Beautiful images of her – I love the little series with her buttons.ReplyCancel

  • Rebecca Spencer - September 23, 2011 - 11:30 pm

    Wow! When I saw the first photo I thought you’d taken these at the zoo and then I realised she is now yours! She is so cute and I love photo 3 for the emotion and the colours – now did you plan to choose a bird of that colour to complement Em’s lovely eye colour 😉 Rebecca xReplyCancel

  • Amanda Balmain - September 24, 2011 - 12:06 am

    Rory is just the most gorgeous bird. I was just talking to my daughter yesterday about getting a budgie but now I’m thinking a conure is worth some serious investigation. I had no idea they could be so affectionate!ReplyCancel

  • Hope - September 24, 2011 - 7:35 am

    How cool! Rory is adorableReplyCancel

  • Alli - September 24, 2011 - 11:15 am

    Love how she looks like she is posing for you in the first image! Gorgeous bird!ReplyCancel

  • Laurie - September 24, 2011 - 9:47 pm

    So cute! Your work is awesome!ReplyCancel

  • Jill - September 25, 2011 - 11:21 am

    She is beautiful! I had no idea you could potty train a bird – that makes them a whole lot more appealing as a potential pet!!! The first shot is lovely!ReplyCancel

  • Julie Anders - September 27, 2011 - 4:54 pm

    Oh, Rory is so pretty! Looks like she is the perfect pet!! AND, your voice sounds just like I imagined it would 🙂ReplyCancel