LITTLE ROCK — DEAR HELOISE: I feel you must expand on your comments on getting a parrot if you want a long-term pet. A parrot, indeed, is a long-term pet, but the flip side is parrots are a long-term commitment, as well. I urge you to let people know that a parrot is not a pet to pick up on a whim. Parrots can't just be put in a cageand tucked into a corner to look pretty.
They need lots and lots of interaction with you, as they are part of a flock in the wild. Once you take one as a pet, you become its flock. And that entails a lifetime of attention.
You also must think about what will happen to your parrot after you're gone because it might outlive you! I've seen too many sad and neglected birds stuck in garage/spare rooms or even a basement because people didn't realize how much work and time it takes to have a parrot as a family member. And that's what a parrot needs to be - part of your family. Not part of your decor.
Please follow up with your readers so having a parrot won't be the next big thing.
- Ilene Casebeer, via e-mail
DEAR READER: Parrots can live a lifetime or two.Some species can live 50, 75 and more than 100 years. Do take this into consideration if you are considering bringing a parrot into your family!
DEAR HELOISE: A friend and I take old bedspreads, comforters, blankets and the like, cut them down and make pillow case-like sleeping pads. With wrong side out, we stitch three sides, partially at the top, turn them right side out and then stitch the opening. Then we sew a large "x" or intersecting lines through the pad, and we make them of varying sizes. I've even gone to garage sales and purchased bedspreads that can be cut down this way.
- LaRheta in South Dakota Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail
HomeStyle, Pages 42 on 09/26/2009