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Re: Mynahs, etc

Posted by Sarah on 4/12/05
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    On 7/14/04, Chris wrote:
    > Hi there. I am hoping to find infor about Mynahs,
    > magpies, etc, I have always thought they were beautiful,
    > and, love their ability to speak. However, Do not know a
    > lot about their care, etc. Not many books or sites
    > available. Any words of wisdom on what these guys are
    > like and what they need?
    > Thanks!
    > Chris
    *******Hi Chris, I had a myna for years. A friend moved to
    Florida & could not take her animals with her. I was lucky,
    she sold me her Greater India Hill myna. What a character! I
    have no idea who she got him from. But he played games with
    my kids, loved attention, was not used to being handled -
    yet never bit anyone. He talked in several different voices
    & you'd have sworn there was an old woman, a young man & a
    middle aged woman in the other room. He could immitate
    anything in the house that made noise. He would answer me,
    call the kids by name (fooled them everytime). He did every
    kind of whistle you could think of & would do whatever one I
    did right back to me. He quacked like a duck when his food
    bowl was empty. He did fire truck whistles & ambulance
    sirens so real & loud you almost looked out the window to
    see them go by. He took a bath every morning in a large dog
    bowl. He'd put his head completely under the water. He loved
    a bath! But he'd hold water & hop back & forth on the bottom
    of his cage while the kids followed him with their heads at
    his level. As soon as they were off guard - he'd blast them
    in the face with water. I have it on video & it is soooo
    funny! The kids would laugh so hard & I still don't know who
    enjoyed this game more. He really wasn't a loud bird - God
    my Jenday was loud!! The only time Smokey was ear piercing
    was when he did his wolf whistle. That one hurt. But he
    really didn't whistle all that often, unless he heard you do
    it. We all miss him & still talk about him. I had a fun time
    finding any books on mynas, I think I had one or two from a
    pet shop. At the time I had to have the pet store order his
    food, they would run out of myna pellets, so I always had to
    have an emergency supply. He loved fruits & veggies. He
    liked to hide in a paper bag & would sleep inside the bag or
    under the newspaper. Smokey was very sloppy though. I know
    all birds are messy but he held the prize because of his
    runny stool. He splattered anything within three feet of his
    cage. (Don't get me wrong, my Macaw can drop some bombshells
    I wouldn't want to get hit with). I looked for years for
    another & couldn't find one in my area. When I found
    breeders on the internet I nearly fainted at the cost. But
    if I could find a baby for around $600 I'd buy one in a
    minute. He was our all time favorite. I heard mynas are
    difficult to breed. Not that any bird is easy to breed,
    they're all a lot of work & time. If you find a myna it will
    probably be $1,000 or more. I'm glad we had him, I would
    always stop what I was doing just to listen to him. He was
    truely amazing. And absolutely beautiful. The bright yellow,
    the white stripe on his wings & in the sunlight he was
    purple & blue. And he loved attention. What a show-off. I
    took him to my son's school & he did his entire routine. No
    closet talker that's for sure. At least with the internet
    you'll be able to find way more info than I ever had. Smokey
    will always be our favorite bird. So if you're lucky enough
    to find one - go for it. You won't need a tv anymore. Sarah