I had the pleasure of speaking recently with author Bob Tarte. We discussed his book 'Enslaved by Ducks', his upcoming book 'Fowl Weather', and a variety of other tidbits about his life with exotic pets. The interview began with Bob telling me that Ollie, his orange-chin pocket parrot (brotogeris), died 2 days before the interview. Ollie was one of the delightful characters in his first book (chapter 2) and a long time pet. His loss is deeply felt.

We both have Muscovy ducks so we traded a few stories back and forth. He feels Muscovies are more intelligent than other ducks. He related the following story to me:

[Bob] “I had one duck, a Pekin, that was molting and being picked on by the other ducks. When I went to feed him, I would try to keep him a little separated from the others and give him extra food, but he perceived me as a threat – kind of like a bigger bird – so he didn’t get that I was trying to help him and would run off. On the other hand, Ramone my male Muscovy, was injured once. He patiently let me examine him, clean him up, and seemed to understand exactly what I was doing the whole time and when I did the same thing [during feeding] that I had done with the Pekin, Ramone would come running up to me ready for his.”

I asked him if he was concerned about avian flu since he had outdoor poultry:

[Bob] “I’ve been following the information on wild bird migration and the consensus of the wild bird group I belong to is that Michigan will have very little impact from migratory birds. I also do not have any mixing of wild birds with my flock; they are protected in my barn and covered pens. But I'm going to keep an eye on the situation.”

He has recently acquired another turkey and a Bantam hen:

[Bob] “The turkey rehabber I talked about in my book, Marge Chedrick, took in a baby turkey that had been living in a laundry basket in an apartment complex. It lived indoors with her until it was about 2 feet high. She brought him to us. He’s all white, beautiful. We also ended up with a Bantam hen. She’d been living in the middle of town. People bring all sorts of animals to us.”

I asked him about his turkeys – what does he like about them, are they good pets, and why:

[Bob] “Turkeys really like people. They like to follow people around. They’re curious about everything we do. They get attached to people more than ducks and geese do. They’re not the brightest in the bunch, though.”

Bob estimates that his current pet population is around 40 animals. He feels hens require the least amount of work compared to his other animals. He also shared with me his secret pet desire:

[Bob] “A friend of mine brought over a boa constrictor. Vigo is its name. It was so gentle and laid his head in my hand. If I got rid of all the birds I could have one … but I’m not going to do that!”

What does he feel the most exotic pet he’s owned is? A Starling.

[Bob] “My friend Bill Holm, who is in 'Enslaved by Ducks' came over. We were sitting around the table and Weaver, our starling, started talking. It really surprised Bill… You don’t expect a starling to speak.”

"Patricia Heaton of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' has purchased the dramatic rights to 'Enslaved by Ducks.' Will we be seeing a TV series or movie based on his book?

[Bob] “She [Patricia] renewed the option on the dramatic rights this year and I hear there’s a script already done for a movie. We’re excited about the possibility.”

His new book, 'Fowl Weather', is due out in Spring 2007. The book is filled with love, laughter, animals, and the lighter side of living with Alzheimers (his mother). What do you do when your mother keeps hiding her purse and then forgets where? His family’s creativity will surprise you. Animals are featured in every chapter.

Special thanks to Bob Tarte for “letting me cut my teeth on him” for my first telephone interview. 'Enslaved by Ducks' is one of my personal pet book favorites and it was quite a thrill getting to know the author inside and outside of his book. If you would like more information on Bob Tarte and his pets you can check out his website