By BETH HENDERSON
Lifestyles Editor
Fire alarms can be a big deal at Indywood Glen these days.
There's really no need for "alarm," because most of the bells and whistles that go off are simply drills.
But a friendly critter named Sparky has livened things up a bit since he came to live at the personal care home a little more than a year ago.
Sparky is an African grey parrot, and he loves to imitate things, particularly things he hears repeatedly. Like the fire alarm.
African grey parrots are known for their talking ability, and they are one of the most popular pet birds today. Sparky, like most African greys, is grayish in color with a red tipped tail. He lives in a large see-through plexiglass cage in the main lobby of Indywood Glen.
Every morning, he greets residents and employees with a hearty "Good Morning." Whoever takes the cloth off his cage to let in the morning light usually gets the first friendly greeting of the day.
During the holidays, he'll greet everyone with a loud "Merry Christmas."
Sparky belongs to Indywood Glen, but he has bonded with Willie Britt, the director of the facility.
"Every morning he says to me 'Give me sugar,'" said Britt. "He wants me to kiss him. He's just such a sweet bird."
Sparky often likes to sit in Britt's office and watch her work.
"We got Sparky when he was about seven months old," Britt said. Sparky is now almost 2.
"He loves the residents, but he's very cautious around people," Britt said. "And, he started talking at a very young age.
"He's so funny because he mocks everything, even the fire alarm," Britt said. "He's very loud, and you can't tell them apart. We've actually had employees grab the fire extinguisher thinking we are on fire."
Sparky sits in a spot where he hears a lot of daily conversation and interaction among humans. An intercom system in the facility frequently lets administration know when an important phone call is on hold, and he has quickly picked up on this, as well.
"We have phone calls for 'Special Care, Line 1,' and Sparky hears this a lot, and he will mock the intercom system," Britt said. "He did learn to say shut-up once, but we aren't sure where he picked that up, and we haven't heard him say that in a while."
Sparky loves attention, and he whistles at all the pretty girls that go by.
"We think he's really going to be quite a talker," Britt said.
His vocabulary so far includes things like "Hello," "Good Morning," "Willie," "Carolyn," "Whatcha doing?" and "See you later."
He also says the name "Westbrook" after Robert Westbrook, who's a resident.
Sparky also loves to "sing," and he whistles tunes a lot.
In the mornings, when the devotional and music activities are being held in the main lobby, Sparky can often be found "singing" as he whistles along with the group singing.
"He's actually started to put word sentences together," Britt said. "We would love to get him to actually sing some songs."
As far as diet, about the only thing Sparky can't eat is chocolate and avocados, which can make a parrot very sick.
"We'll find all sorts of things in the bottom of the cage, because all the residents love to feed him," Britt said. "There will be french fries, potato chips, and grapes."
He also eats vegetables, fruits, peanuts and more.
"And he loves coffee," Britt said. "But of course, he won't take it without cream and sugar."
Britt believes the most amusing thing about Sparky is his ability to mock her laugh.
"He laughs just like me," Britt said. "He can mock so perfectly. I think if I ever leave Indywood Glen, I will have to take Sparky with me."
Sparky, like most pets, can recognize when his master is away, and he becomes very depressed.
"When I'm away on vacation, he doesn't have a lot to say," Britt said. "I think he misses me."
Britt took a two-week vacation recently, and Sparky didn't even so much as mumble a word while she was gone.
Of course, Sparky has had his wings clipped and his beak and his nails filed.
"The residents have really enjoyed him," Britt said. "And, he likes Anna Dale Harlan, who is a resident here. He'll sit on her shoulder, and she thinks she's his grandmother."
Like most parrots, Sparky has an eye for all things shiny. He loves bright, sparkly things, and he has taken a liking to jewelry.
"He loves my rings, and sometimes, when I can't get him to come out of his cage, I will entice him with my rings," Britt said.
African grey parrots can be found in Central and Western Africa, and they are one of the few parrot species living on that continent.
