Kamloops man Woody Smith and his parrot Hoolio.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Woody Smith
September 04, 2022 - 4:02 PM
Residents in Kamloops might have seen Woody Smith and his best friend Hoolio around the pet shops in town.
The blue-and-gold macaw rides on her owner’s shoulder and he seldom goes anywhere without her.
“I’ve had her since she was four days old, she looked like a porcupine,” Smith said.
Hoolio travels everywhere with Smith and even rides on his shoulder while he is driving. She is his registered therapy bird and the two are inseparable.
Smith has been spotted showing off Hoolio, telling stories about the bird and even allowing others to extend their arms and let Hoolio perch on them.
“When she was a baby she needed extra care and couldn’t eat off a tray for weeks so I had to feed her with my mouth,” Smith said. “That is why we are so bonded.
“She sleeps in my room and sits on my pillow.”
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Smith said Hoolio weighs 15 pounds and is turning 20 years old this year.
He said the bird’s wings are not clipped and she freely goes for short flights when she wants to. She eats a lot of sunflower seeds and a variety of nuts.
“She won’t eat peanuts unless they are in a shell, she has to open to the shell,” he said. “If parrots eat onions, garlic or avocado it could kill them, the acidic levels shut down their gizzards.”
The two friends talk to each other and seem to understand.
“She speaks a lot of words and sings along to two AC-DC songs,” Smith said. “She is a great friend and the second best lady in my life.”
Hoolio is a blue-and-gold parrot that belongs to Kamloops man Woody Smith.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Woody Smith
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