Who's a happy boy then? ... Chico the Parrot with owner Joyce Greenslade
A DEPRESSED parrot that attacked her owner’s husband during fits of jealousy has been cured – thanks to a bird equivalent of Prozac.
Chico, the blue-fronted Amazon, had its feathers ruffled every time Joyce Greenslade’s husband Stephen came too close and would work herself into a “jealous frenzy” and pull out her plumage.
Chico would swoop on wary Stephen, 43, launching an assault of pecks, scratches and wild flaps But since the batty bird was put on a course of anti-depressants, she is happy and healthy again.
Chico was bought six years ago as a com panion for the couple’s other pet parrot, Max, and all seemed normal in the Greenslade household.
But problems began to surface when Chico reached sexual maturity – thinking she, not Stephen, was Joyce’s partner.
Joyce, 55, from Dulford, near Cullompton, said: “She got very depressed and started plucking all her feathers out. She screamed at me and started flying agg-ressively at Stephen.
“Eventually, it all became too much. We were desperate. It’s awful to see a parrot you love suffering so much.”
The Greenslades visited parrot behavioural specialist Neil Forbes and soon learned of Chico’s misplaced feelings for Joyce.
The expert said Chico not only saw Joyce as a partner, but also as an equal, so was advised to redefine their relationship closer to that of a mother and child. A decision was also taken to administer the anti-depressant.
Joyce said: “They need to be administered by a vet who knows what they’re doing, and I know that some people might think that parrots should not be on Prozac equivalent, but we were desperate to help her.”
Joyce said the drug had taken away her feathered friend’s anxiety and now allowed her birds to fly around the house when not in their hotel-like cages with their mini-gym equipment.
“She is just more at ease with the world.”
Chico’s feathers are now growing back and the Greenslades are confident she will not need any further injections.
“This has saved her life,” said Joyce.