Natasha Kemp and Kyle Janes already had a full house with four girls between them all living under the same roof, but overhearing a conversation about pineapple conure parrots last year convinced them to open their doors to a new housemate.
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Zazoo was brought home to live with the Mooroopna family in January from a breeder who hand raised him.
‘‘Kyle’s family was talking about them and have one of their own and it just sounded like a good little parrot to have personality-wise — something a bit different rather than a cat or a dog,’’ Ms Kemp said.
She said Zazoo was named after the uptight red-billed hornbill bird from Lion King.
‘‘He’s very cheeky, one moment he can be loving and giving you cuddles and the next he wants to play, roll around, bite and he’s very loud when he wants to be to — just bird noises when he wants attention or food until you go to him,’’ Ms Kemp said.
The couple said the girls all loved Zazoo and admittedly gave him too much attention.
‘‘He loves the kids, but then at the same time if they’re too loud, he’ll start biting or fly away and the kids just want him on them all the time and fight over him — it’s been an interesting couple of months,’’ Ms Kemp said.
She said apart from the biting, Zazoo had settled into the family well.
‘‘The biting has been a concern lately, but we’re trying to get a handle on that, which has been a challenge,’’ Ms Kemp said.
Living the life, Zazoo enjoys a rub behind the eyes and a treat of red cabbage for dinner.
‘‘Behind his eyes is his favourite spot for a scratch and a rub and that’s when he really relaxes and has a cuddle — he loves rolling around and playing with plastic bottle lids which he chomps away at and grabs them with his feet,’’ Ms Kemp said.
Zazoo is a clean living bird, showering every second day.
‘‘I just put him in the shower one night because I had heard Kyle’s family talking about how the breed loves showers and yeah he loves it and he’s very placid in there — he hops up in my hair or he hangs out on the bath tap,’’ Ms Kemp said.
Hoping he will develop even more of a character as he ages, Ms Kemp said she was looking forward to getting Zazoo a friend.
‘‘We want another one, but we’ll wait to see how he grows with the family first,’’ she said.
