LIFE WITH JEDDA
---by Gail Stahlman
It is a typical Sunday morning, the sun is slowly rising, the birds outside are singing praises for the springtime, the bed is warm and cozy, my husband and I are ready to sleep late. From the living room the phone rings, a voice says " Hello? Whatcha doing? OK, alright, Pee Purrrr, here kitty, kitty, kitty!" And when the poor unsuspecting creature shows up ( PeeWee isn't very long on smarts ) the voice says " Where's the cat? Get the cat! Go get that cat!" Our dog, Spot, looks up, sighs, and tries to go back to sleep but the cat leaves the room like the hounds of hell were hot on her tail. The sound of laughter follows her.
An exuberant round of whistling starts, mostly the William Tell Overture ( you know, the theme from the Lone Ranger) generously sprinkled with wolf whistles, variations of call the dog, shave and a haircut, and other whistles unknown to anyone but the composer. The voice breaks into song " pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty bird, what a pretty bird, he's a pretty bird, Jedda's a pretty , pretty, pretty birdie!"
When this serenade doesn't rouse us, the voice begins to whine like a dog- louder, and louder, and louder, and LOUDER until the voice is screeching at the top of its lungs. Finally, when I can't stand it any longer and walk into the room, the voice greets me with " Hello Jedda, I love you, love ya pretty bird!" Guess who is making al of this racket? Jedda!
And what kind of a bird is this vocal wonder? Is he an African Grey, an Amazon Parrot, or maybe a Cockatoo? If you guessed any of these, you were wrong! Jedda is an English ( European ) Starling. Not some highpriced glamour bird, but one of those obnoxious little black birds that make so much noise, steal all of the seed from your bird feeders, and poop on your car!
They are considered to be a pest species in the United States, there is an open hunting season on them year round, and they are not protected by the same laws that protect native song birds because they are an introduced species. They can be taken as babies and hand raised as pets.
Before you make the same old judgments against the starling and their suitability as a pet, please consider the fate of some other "pest" species. I am referring to the Greater Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and the Rose Breasted Cockatoo. Both of these birds are killed, and not always humanely, in their Australian home.
Jedda was discovered behind a store sign when it was torn down for repair. He was handfed by a wildlife rehabilitator and I finished handfeeding him at home. I had read what wonderful pets they make. You might like to read Margarete Sigl Corbo's book, "Arnie, the Darling Starling".
Jedda was handfed from a very young age and is totally imprinted on people. He was named by a good friend, his name means Gift from god and I believe it! He is the light of my life, I adore him!
I keep Jedda in a 18" X 18" cockatiel cage with lots of toys. He is allowed time out every day, something that I hadn't done at first because he can be ornery ( like sitting on top of my head, pulling my hair ). I was patient and I managed to teach him what he could and couldn't do. The greatest challenge is keeping his agile little brain occupied. He possesses a keen intellect and he bores easily. I rotate several different toys through his cage every few weeks and buy new ones regularly
He is easy to fed, being omnivorous, he will eat almost anything. His standard fare is Mynah or Softbill pellets, thawed frozen mixed vegetables, diced fruit, and part of whatever I'm eating. He has an obsession with bathing, and his water dish needs to be changed frequently. I tried giving him water in a tube waterer, but he learned how to blow bubbles into it and could empty it in about 5 minutes flat!
If starlings are properly cared for they should live 16 to 23 years as pets. Wild birds are doing well to live 2 to 7 years. When I first got Jedda, he went straight to the best avian vet in town.
We found round worms that were treated with Ivermectin and he later developed a mild fungal infection on his legs that cleared up easily with Panalog. I would recommend that anyone wanting to keep a wild hatched starling as a pet have it checked over by a good avian vet.* Wild birds can carry disease and they are prone to parasites. I would never advise the use of over the counter medication or home remedies, they may be too weak to do any good and could actually prolong illness or parasite load further endangering the life of your bird.
I find the starling to be intelligent, interactive, inquisitive, and a lot of fun to keep. I can't wait to hear what comes out of that little pointed beak next!
* MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN AVIAN VET PERFORM
APPROPRIATE TESTS FOR ENDOPARISITES, I.E., WORMS AND THE MORE
COMMON AVIAN DISEASES. ( reprinted with permission from
"STURNUS", newsletter of the North American Starling
Fanciers Association
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