Penny and Darren Grinnell, Monroe, talk about their best friends Reggie, a 19-year-old female blue-crowned conure and Pepper, a 5-month-old cockatiel. 

Penny brought home Reggie after watching him hatch at Tri-State Pet, a former pet store in Monroe, where she used to work. 

“I saw her and I had to have her,” Grinnell said. 

The Grinnells decided to get Pepper after they lost their other cockatiel, Buddy, of 20 years to lung cancer. They didn’t want Reggie to get lonely.

Describe Reggie and Pepper’s personalities. 

Reggie is a funny bird. She likes to talk a lot and likes to giggle. She’s very affectionate and will give me kisses. Sometimes, she’ll talk back and tell me to be quiet. She says what she wants. She’s just a very outgoing bird.

Pepper is really mellow, but also very affectionate. He’s very playful and likes to play with his toys. 

What do you like to do together?

We mostly sit and play with them. They’re very calming. If we’ve had a stressful day, it’s nice to come home and be able to play and talk to them. 

What has it been like having Reggie and Pepper in your lives?

(Penny) I couldn’t imagine if I didn’t have my birds through my divorce. They were always my company. They’re a challenge, but they always keep things very calm and interesting around the house. They’re not easy to take care of, they have to have veggies and go to the vet for physicals, but they keep us busy.