Arlington Pet of the Week: Thorondor

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is one-year-old green Pacific parrotlet, Thorondor.

Here’s what Thorondor’s owner has to say about this beautiful bird’s life in Arlington:

Thorondor is a green pacific parrotlet who just turned one year old this summer. He was hatched and weaned at Columbine Aviary in Denver, CO and flew to us in Arlington in the hold of a commercial airliner last August (it would have been a long way to fly on his own). He took some time to acclimate to his new home, but we instantly fell in love with this feathery little ball of attitude. He’s very much a part of the family now.

For food, Thorondor of course loves seeds, especially sunflower seeds and millet. Parrotlets shell all their seeds before eating the insides, so he generously shares all of his husks with the floor. But, he mainly eats lots of fresh food like broccoli, cauliflower, oats, apple, and kiwi.

Thorondor’s favorite activity is probably sitting on phones. He likes to chew on the case a little bit, tap at the screen with his beak (yes he can click on things and type gibberish), and just enjoys sitting up high. Thorondor’s other interests include bathing (mostly just dunking his head in water) and chewing. His favorite chew toys are shirts, socks, and beards. Thorondor has a feisty personality. He likes to playfully attack fingers and toys while making tiny roars. If he doesn’t want to step onto a finger or is annoyed by activity around his cage or wants someone to come pay attention to him, he can *loudly* let you know. But most of the time he likes to softly peep and swing on his swing or flap his wings for exercise. He’s even starting to roughly mimic some English phrases, but he has a lot of room for improvement! We look forward to seeing how our little beautiful birdy continues to develop and grow.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos, they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care is the winner of eight consecutive Angie’s List Super Service Awards, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year and a proud supporter of the Arlington County Pawsitively Prepared Campaign.

Becky’s Pet Care provides professional dog walking and pet sitting in Arlington and all of Northern Virginia, as well as PetPrep training courses for Pet Care, CPR and emergency preparedness.