Tweety and Poppy came to Tropic Zone in 2012 when their owner became too ill to care for them. In the wild, these two would have never crossed paths. White Eyed conures come from South America, and Ringnecks come from the east coast of Africa and Southern Asia. These two birds loved each other.

Tweety, the ringneck, had neurological issues and would have seizures sometimes. He was in his mid-twenties and had arthritis in his feet and wings. Once in a while, he would end up on the floor, and the safest way to pick him up wasn't to offer a finger for him to step up on. We would get down on the floor and let him crawl up onto our shoulder, then slowly stand up and lean towards their perch so he could crawl off. If you made any attempt to touch either of them, the other would let you know, and if you persisted, you would likely get bit for it. They protected each other, and they were never more than a few inches apart.

As Tweety's neurological issues became more severe and the frequency of his seizures increased, Poppy developed a rapidly growing tumor under his wing. He was close to 30, and the vet determined that surgery to remove the tumor would have been too dangerous. Their bond was so deep that if we had lost one, the other would have quickly died of a broken heart, so when the time came to make the difficult decision, we decided to let them both go together.

That time came in late April of 2021. The vet made sure their passing was peaceful, stress-free, and most importantly, together.

We miss these old guys!