WOW PET ANGELS
Besty Bonita Bird
Bonita was truly Queen of the Ball. When I was a young girl, my grandmother got sick and gave me her red-lored amazon parrot named Bonita. She was known as the old crabby bird who bit just about everyone... and hated everyone except for my grandma.
She had bit several family members and friends, would scream bloody murder if she wanted you out of her sight, and even would go as far as pelting you with carrots and sunflower seeds.
I decided to take her on because I loved all animals. Little did I know the impact of this (then 55 y/o) parrot. She became my world.
We spent every day together. She moved out with me to college. I spent all the time and money I could muster on her. She was my “good morning” and my “goodnight”. We snuggled constantly and everyone said I turned her into a new bird. She was literally my best friend. I even got a job at a chain pet store and educated people about budgies.
I love Bonita to death. Around my 20th birthday, Bonita slowly stopped eating and would vomit up food. Alarmed, I rushed her to the vet. They gave me anti emetics and told me not to worry about it because she was behaving in her normal, evil ways. But she kept getting worse.
The vets kept telling me everything was fine, but it wasn't. I knew it wasn't. I converted her onto rowdy bush because she was on a seed diet. I never liked that she was on seed but y'all know how hard it is to diet change a bird set in their ways. (refused everything but sunflower seeds, unless it was fresh veggies; she always had those her whole life, about 50% of her diet)
Exactly one month from her first vet visit, Bonita passed away in my arms. She had organ failure from just being old. I knew my time with her was going to be limited, she was incredibly old when I got her- but I just didn't expect it to hurt so bad.
When she finally passed, I bawled my eyes out. I screamed so loud I blacked out and woke up just to do it all over again. I miss her so much. She was my world and now she's gone. Everyone around me tells me they know how I feel because they lost dogs or cats before, but I feel like Bonita was so much different. She was so... human like? She had a fully established personality and acted in her own unique way. All parrots do.
The last thing I said to Bonita before she passed on was "I'll be okay if you have to go", she took one big breath in and that was it. I told her to send me some feathered friend soon, and I have confidence that I will. In the meantime, I'll let the grieving cycle take its course, and in time I'm sure I'll be okay.
LEFT: FAVORITE PICTURE OF BONITA. (I'm aware of how long and layered her beak was but she was 60-70ish. I didn't want her to be stressed out by getting it trimmed. She ate and. attacked.. just fine.)
RIGHT: ZIGGY sent by my BESTY Bonita so I wouldn't be alone;
The last thing I said to Bonita before she passed on was "I'll be okay if you have to go", she took one big breath in and that was it. I told her to send me some feathered friend soon, and I have confidence that I will. In the meantime, I'll let the grieving cycle take its course, and in time I'm sure I'll be okay.
About 6 months after Bonita passed, and she did in fact, send me a feathered friend. I won't lie, I hadn't been doing the best. I had slipped into a pretty bad crippling depression and self isolated. I work at a chain pet store that only carried budgies, when my manager told me that we received a GCC. I'd always wanted one, and was shocked that we got one in.
I walked in, my manger warning me about how he's an avid biter and not friendly, and the little dude stepped right up for me, bobbing his head in a silly way that seemed familiar to Bonita.
I got quite emotional after reading his paperwork, he was hatched the day after I lost my precious Bonita. I really think it's a sign. Anyway, I dropped the painful $700 for him, which kind of sucked because I really don't support chain pet stores carrying conures, but I needed this little guy.
His name is Ziggy Stardust. And so far, he's been great! It's nice to have a bird that's friendly to me and my boyfriend, as Bonita was not a fan of him at all and would get into amazon screaming matches with him from across the house. I feel like what I really needed to get out of this depression funk was some birdy love. Ziggy is amazing at that. He even looks like her a bit, they're the same shade of green.
Contributed by his Loving Mom
Thank YOU to Our WOW Pet Angel Sponsor whose mission is helping individuals & families through the process of losing a pet
