A pair of parrots’ confused reaction to seeing snow for the first time has certainly given people a reason to laugh.
You might have seen videos online of people bringing snow inside for their indoor cats to have a look at but maybe not parrots. One TikTok user, Geckoemmy, shared a video in late January of her African grey parrot, Jake, and Moluccan Cockatoo Shelby, also called Mr Shelby, experiencing snow for the first time.
She scooped some snow into a plastic box and brought it inside for the birds to check out. The clip starts with Jake, 29-years-old, perching over the tub of cold, white stuff and excitedly bouncing up and down.
Geckoemmy said he was “pretty amped about the snow”. The Congo African parrot was even “willing to go piggy dipping” but wasn’t quite sure if he actually wanted to touch the snow or not.
However, he was very curious and asked lots of questions about the white stuff that he had never seen before. He was even willing to do a little taste test, taking a nibble out of a ball of snow his owner gathered in her hand.
Geckoemmy mentioned that an African grey parrot like Jake “would never encounter snow in the Congo” but as they’re such curious creatures, he still seemed to be intrigued.
Next up was Shelby, 34-years-old, who was even more skeptical at first than Jake about touching the snow with his feet so Geckoemmy gave him a brush to use instead. He seemed “quite intent on using the brush to maybe push around the snow a bit.”
Unfortunately for the Cockatoo, the brush wasn’t co-operating with him as he couldn’t get to grips with holding it to touch the snow. His owner then made a small snowball for him to experiment with and he immediately held onto it with his foot and, surprisingly, tasted the snow and then went back for more.
The parrot mum said the Cockatoo is “notoriously picky about what he chooses to put in his mouth” so it was unexpected for him to take a bite of the snow ball. She added that this snow, “with its complete lack of flavour, seemed to have him intrigued”.
Geckoemmy shared that Moluccan Cockatoos are from Indonesia and other islands so just like Jake, Shelby “would never come into contact with any kind of snow or ice.” Despite this, Shelby enjoyed the snow more than Jake did even though he didn’t want to touch it at first.
African grey parrots make popular pets due to their ability to talk and mimic sounds. Owners of these animals often report that their greys often talk in context and “seem very attuned to their people’s emotion”, according to Lafeber Company, a veterinary organisation working for the health of animals.
The company describes Moluccan Cockatoos as needy birds that “crave attention and love, and can become obsessive because of this trait.” Parrots are social animals which like to be in the same room as their owners, so if you’re a family who is out of the home a lot, a parrot might not be the right pet for you.
Geckoemmy’s TikTok video has amassed 441,900 views and people have loved seeing Jake and Shelby’s reactions to experiencing snow for the first time. One user said: “Mr. Shelby has me in tears laughing. Why does he love anything flavorless! What a funny guy.”
Another added: “Also Mister Shelby actually eating the snowball and not all the fruits you introduced him to reminds me of my toddler eating the snow but won’t try nothing new.” A third commented: “I am Jake’s biggest fan lol, his lil tippy toes touching the snow.”
