Caruso – the parrot who is probably more spiritual than her owner 🦜

Some people have dogs. Others have cats. I have an African grey parrot who has attended shamanic courses, Reiki levels 1 and 2, a one-year yoga teacher training programme, and a “Love as Medicine” retreat with Maja Thune, and who will this summer be joining me for a week-long tantra course. I’m honestly not sure when this stopped being ordinary pet ownership and started resembling a very alternative commune.

Caruso sits on my shoulder while I write books. She sat on my shoulder while I wrote both my Master’s degree and my PhD in marine ecology. She travels in her own backpack when we go hiking in the forest, visit friends, go shopping, or eat at restaurants. Yes, she has her own backpack. Of course she does. She also has her own cage at home and another one at the cabin, although she is almost never inside them when we’re home. I genuinely think she has better living conditions than many students in Oslo.

She has travelled to Hong Kong twice and lived there for a total of five years. The only problem was that she is terrified of Chinese people. Which turned out to be slightly impractical when living in Hong Kong.

She is 25 years old, social, kind, extremely intelligent, and aware of absolutely everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Nothing happens in this house without Caruso having an opinion about it.

A new man in the house? Good luck. If Caruso doesn’t like you, the process will not be easy. You have to build trust more slowly than during international peace negotiations. Honestly, it may be the world’s best dating filter.

Parrots are amazing animals, but I don’t actually recommend them to anyone. People think they’re getting a bird. What they’re really getting is an eternal five-year-old with bolt-cutter beak strength, the emotional range of an Italian opera, and the energy level of a slightly psychotic yoga teacher on espresso. The internet describes parrots quite accurately: “Psychotic toddlers on crack.”

And honestly? That’s not entirely wrong, even though mine is surprisingly polite and quiet.

Parrots cannot be left alone for very long. They need constant stimulation, love, attention, and social contact. Holidays? Forget it. You no longer plan life on your own. You negotiate with a feathered little dinosaur with separation anxiety and very strong opinions. But in the middle of all the chaos, there is also something incredibly beautiful about animals like this. Caruso has been with me through so many phases of life that she feels more like family than a pet. She notices my mood before I do, follows me faithfully everywhere, and still sits on my shoulder while I write.

On the left side of the picture, Caruso is sitting at Peppes Pizza in her own VIP backpack eating pizza. On the right side, she is checking that all the drums and rattles are ready before the shamanic course.