Are Your Parrots Strictly Your Pets? Or More…?
I’m just wondering… Are your birds strictly your pets? Or are they more than that? I’d like to hear your thoughts on this, because my brother Dave and I were talking the other day and we realized that we’ve never asked you this question before. So I was just curious to know… … These are all interesting questions, when you think about. Everyone has different motivation for getting involved with bird training and different dreams for where they’d like to go with it. What’s yours? Tell me your story by answering these questions (and reading other people’s stories) by adding your comments below. It should be an interesting conversation, I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:36 am
Well I aquired my first bird when I married my husband. Lucy, our Servre Macaw was a second chance bird. Her original owner was in a bad car accident and was unable to take care of her. My husband took her in and she bonded with him. (well we thought she did) When we started dating, Lucy was very aggessive with me and would strike out at me when I entered the room. When we bought out house and I moved in, I would spend time with Lucy every morning and evening feeding her fruit and nuts. One day I noticed she needed clean water, so I opened her cage to get the bowl. What I forgot to do was close the door. When I came back in the room, she was on the door saying “step up”. I was kind of nervous, but I could not leave her out all day, so I stuck my fingers out and said step up and she did. I worked with her for about 2 weeks, and one day I picked her up and took her into the livingroom. My husband was surprised to see Lucy on my hand. We have become so good together that she goes everywhere with me. Now I am not saying she still does not bite me, because she does, but she is my baby now. I ask her who is my girl and she says Lucy. Over the past 3 years our flock has grown. We have a 3 1/2 yr old Timneh and a 3 yr old Blue and Gold both of which we are alos the second owners. I love all of our birds, they are a big part of our family.
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:06 am
hi we got our african grey parrot from a local breeder. we saw him just after he hatched , hes so lovely great talker now but only likes female to go near him. but hes a great bird a part of the family.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:49 am
My 15 y/o African Grey named Matadi picked me out when she was only two months old. I was walking thru an avairy where there were about 10 baby greys; all of them politely ignored me but when I came to Matadi’s cage she started going crazy, the owner came over and said she wants you to get her out. I did and she cuddled with me right away. I went back the next day and the same thing happened. Needless to say she was mine. She is a delight. She talks all the time and I can’t imagine life without her. I used to have her out of her cage all the time but unfortunately I rescued a dog (half westie, half scottie) and he would eat her in a second. It makes me so sad that she can’t be with me more often. I do have her cage in an area of the house where she can interact with us and she seems happy. No feather picking or other problems.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 am
My website will explain a lot quicker than I can about whether my parrots were just pets or much, much more….
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:52 am
i was 12 when i started looking into getting a parrot, when i turned 13 my mom bought me a cockatiel she was an aviary bird, but after a few weeks my grandad fell in love with her so i decided to let him look after her, they got along great, and is semi tame she had a great personality, but the next door neighbor complained about the noise when they wernt well, so then as much as my grandad and i didnt want to, we sent her to a home that had other birds there. but inbetween this process i bought a timneh grey but i found out this was a wild cuaght bird, or a breeding parrot, the people i bought it off wernt breeders or anything they were just the owners of him. but anyway, i had contacts with people that new about a woman who had a knack for wilder parrots, but she said that it would be best to give him up, she new of a indoor outdoor private aviary where i sent him, hes now as happy as anything and really settled in, so hes got the best deal out of this. though when i turned 14, i had saved enough money to look for a parrot again, and knowing what to look for, i found a parrot breeder, i sometimes speak to him today, that was three years ago, now i have a great parrot orange winged amazon, not just for a pet, but as a family member who has a great personality, we get along great, he sees me as a second mother as i got him from a young age were inseparable, as ive been his first owner, but he is sociable with other family members too, i wouldnt ask for anything better, well apart from when he starts to shout, but thats because he something, hes not always too bad though, hes great
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:06 pm
my bird is called felix an african grey he is 5 yr old i also have 5 dogs 1x german shep 1x belgian shep 2x springer spaniels and 1 x norfolk terrier and guess who rules the roost?? yep felix!! he shouts at them swears at them flys at them walks between them as if to say right whos next? yet not one of the dogs have tried to hurt him any way he know at 7pm every night he comes out from his cage because thats his time he loves watching tv he has his own beaker and when he wants a drink of water he tells me bye kissing my lips he is my baby
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Igrew up with my first bird Smokie(she was in her 20s/30s then) I first remember her when my mum would come into the room and Smokie was on my cot! all through my school days Smokie was with me even when I joined the Army Smokie was allowed to stay with me in camp (Not when I went abroad) any way I am now 48 and Smokie died Christmas eve 2007, I now have two crimson Rosaelas and a pennant my ex wife (who incidently lives next door to me and still does my housework and cooking )has three of my cockatiels two rescues and a baby I had to feed myself using Chets methods!! my friend looks after a cockatiel and a Pure white cockatoo again a rescue(I pay vet bills and foodstuffs etc )My Smokie was a timneh I really miss her too much still !! my birds are not Pets they are friends and companions!! The trust and friendship you could only describe if you were military or ever been trully in love
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
This is my second small Parrot. Kiwi is a 4 year old mail that I found in a newspaper add. I am his 3rd and last owner. (would not let him go for anything, other then my wife’s health).
He is a very loving Senegal Parrot with a bright activity. Gets along great with every one but my wife, Kiwi will get off from his cage and follow her around the house, he has bitten her toe once and pretty hard at that. Kiwi will talk to my wife and do tricks for her more then anyone else, then turn his head her her to scratch the back of his head just to entice her in so he can take a nip at her.
My wife had Parrot fever when she little living in Wash DC from a bird they had found flying loose in there neighbor hood, so we have been watching very close for any coughing, so far so good, doctors can’t tell us too much about what to watch for.
Kiwi is part of the family, not a pet, he will eat dinner when we do, at his cage. with a little sampling of what we are having minus anything we have read and studied of not to let him have.
He plays with my son’s pet dwarf rabbit and will copy any and every bell sound in the house, it took awhile to stop going after the phone or checking the door alarm sensor.
Haven’t found any bird clubs in Oklahoma City area yet, but a couple of the bird shops have help out a lot along with my vet for his check up.
I do keep his wings trimmed for his safety as long as my peace of mind, as we keep ceiling fans going to reduce the cooling costs.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I had budgies as a child, as an adult I had a couple of cockatiels, but nothing for long periods of time. Then 12 years ago my son found a young lovebird in our yard. While shopping for supplies for it, we encountered a lady who wanted to give away 2 cockatiels. That started my new venture into birds. I retired from my job, joined a bird rescue group, became their cockatoo coordinator. Now I have over 50 birds. A few are fosters that will be placed in good homes, but most have been adopted by the family. I have 3 outside aviaries that I put the different birds in during the day in nice weather. They have misters so that even hot days can be enjoyed outside. I have 2 CAGs, a Pionus, 7 Cockatoos, 2 foster Cockatoos, 12 budgies, a Blue mutation Rosella, & 27 Cockatiels. All come inside at night into a bird room. Keeps me busy, retirement is a busy life. Filled everyday with new and exciting things that my babies do. They are my grandchildren and not just a hobby. Luckily my son feels the same way, I don’t have to worry about what will happen to them after I’m gone. I know they will continue to have a good home with him. They require so little from us and give back so much. The unconditional love is abundant. I have a foster Rose Breasted that comes from a stressful home due to loss of job, house, and future prospects. He is my most needy bird at the moment. He was harrassed by a former live in companion and is now fearful of coming out of his cage. We are working on his confidence and just letting him get used to our busy household. He seems to like hearing the other birds and watching me interact with them. I hope with time and love he will become the happy bird my own RB too is.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
We were just about to buy a Blue Macaw while living in Florida but Hurricane
Wilma destroyed our home and cars and we had to leave immediately and decided to return to Chicago after living in Florida for 13 years. As soon as we get into our house in the next 60 days we will again try to purchase a Blue Macaw locally. Since i am a 4 mile a day walker either outdoors or on a Treadmill I want to be able to talk to this macaw while he/she sits on my shoulder and in general just enjoy the macaw has a pet. But to fully enjoy any pet we have to know how to take care of it and keep in a healthy environment.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Having always loved birds for their beauty, I was fortunate to become a volunteer at a wildlife rehab center 12 years ago, and learned how to care for injured or sick birds, and raising abandoned baby birds. State laws prohibit non-licensed rehabbers from keeping wild birds as pets, so I decided to take the step towards owning parrots. I began my feathered family with 2 baby cockatiels which I hand fed till they were weaned — Skyler and Daisy are now 10 years of age and are sweet and funny, very friendly to everyone. Then 3 years ago I found Joonie, a 6 week old umbrella cockatoo at an exotic pets store. Joonie had what is called scissors beak, but his condition has improved greatly over time as I have learned how to properly groom his beak to coax it back to a normal position. We have a wonderful friendship based on trust and love — he lets me trim his beak and nails without my having to towel him. He talks, sings and goes crazy over songs by The Carpenters. My husband and I adore him, Joonie even goes on vacations with us. Then along came Sammy. Sammy the Timneh Grey, 30 years old, and had outlived her previous family. At the rate she’s going, she will probably outlive us, too. She knows over 250 words and phrases (still learning new words!) and has an eerie understanding of the English language. She bosses Joonie around and tells him when he’s being bad. One thing I have learned about African Greys — they are not good at keeping secrets and will rat you out every time for just a cookie. I can’t imagine life without our birds, they give us so much love, and we do everything we can to return that love to them and provide them with a happy, healthy home.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
MY VERY FIRST BIRD WAS COCKATIEL, TWEETY WAS THE BEST, I GOT HER AT 8 WEEKS, SHE WOULD FOLLOW ME ALL OVER, IF SHE FELT LAZY ONE DAY SHE WOULD SIT ON MY SHOE, AND GO WITH ME. SHE WAS MY BABY, SHE DIED ON HER 11 BIRTHDAY, THAT WAS SO HARD. I TOLD MY SELF NOT AGAIN, BUT THEN I SEEN A QUAKER PARROT AND THAT WAS ALL IT TOOK. I NAMED HER TOOTSIE, I RAISED HER JUST LIKE TWEETY, SHE IS MY BABY, FIRST THING SHE SAID WAS ” IT IS ALL RIGHT BABY” THAT WAS AT 9 WEEKS, SHE SAY’S FEW MORE THINGS, BUT NOT AS FAST AS THE FIRST SAYING. I HAD KNOW TROUBLE GETTING HER TO STEP UP OR DOWN. I ALSO HAVE A CHOW AND THEY GET A LONG FINE. IN FACT TOOTSIE KNOWS THIS ONE SCREAM OF HERS, WILL GET THE DOG BARKING AND SHE DOES IT JUST TO BE A BRAT, LOL. THERE IS TIMES WHEN SHE REALLY STARTS HER SCREAMING, I THINK NO MORE YOUR GONE, BUT THEN SHE DOES SO MUCH TO MAKE YOU LAUGH, WHICH SHE DOES MY LAUGH. CHET SAID WHEN THEY START SCREAMING JUST TO SCREAM LEAVE THE ROOM, TILL THEY LEARN THAT IT IS A NO GO. I HAVE TO SAY CHET HAS HELPED ME A LOT. I AM SO THANKFUL I FOUND HIS SITE. I HAVE GOTTEN EVERY DVD HE HAS PUT OUT. I AM A BIRD LOVER FOR SURE.
THANK YOU CHET, FOR ALL YOUR HELP.
JAN AND TOOTSIE
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I have 2 Scarlet’s & 2 Blue/Gold’s that I acquired 3&half years ago. A freind was transferred and couldn’t take them with him. They have become my life and my children. Never having a bird (not even a tiny one) this was definately a learning experience and a challenge. However, we bonded right away and no one has any problems. The only issue is the one male in the group (the youngest) is now about 7 will let out a screech that will make your ears hurt when he wants attention. They aren’t caged nor clipped: we built them a glass aviary where they can enjoy the sunshine and still be with the family. I do not belong to any clubs, but would love to find one in the Charleston SC area. I would love to find out more info on breeding them, but would end up keeping every one. My husband is a softy and can’t bare the thought of breeding to sell. We have two springer spaniels that have a mutual respect for the birds (the birds will pluck at them if they get close to them or us when they are with us). The birds are a major part of our lives for companionship and love. The only impact has been on the amount of time I spend with them and we now have to have a sitter when we go out of town.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I am not a member of a club or business that has to do with birds, but my bird is more than a pet. She is a part of our family. As a matter of fact, I call my 14 year old son her brother. I got my first bird when I was in my early teens. I got a parakeet and taught it to talk. After parakeets I moved on to conours and finally, Sheila, my cockatoo. Unfortunately, she is a flirt and will leave me in an instant to see my husband or my son……both of whom pay much less attention to her. We even got her a traveling cage so when we go on R.V. trips she is always with us.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Our neighbors were moving, and could not take their bird with them.
She came over and asked me if I wanted to take in her bird. It was a little
finch. I took him in and name him Churpie. We had him for 4 yrs.
When he was gone, things were not the same. I didnt realized that he had made that much of an inpact on our lives, but he did. We had an anniversary comming up so my husband got me a cockatiel. Nine months later he got me another one for my Birthday. Well it wasn’t long before
they had a clutch in out kitchen. So we got them a bigger cage, and had to move them out to our patio. Before we knew it, become a full blown
hobby. That next summer we were building an aviary for them. That was 8-9 yrs. ago. We have about 100+ cockatiels and 7 other different kinds
of other birds now. We are now empty nesters ourselves now so they are why I get up every morning.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I have two birds: one a Sun Conure and the other an English parakeet. The English Parakeet is in a large cage on the patio. I started with seven birds, but over the years have lost all but the youngest. I hope to get additional birds after October. The Sun Conure is the indoor bird and as I call him “my two year old”. He’s adorable, but he wants my attention 24/7. If he can be with me, he’s fine, but if not he’ll hang to himself for a short time and then begins to squawk or should I say screech. I love him, but he can be overwhelming sometimes. I did not realize the time and energy a conure takes when I bought him…..did absolutely no research.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I was always a horse/dog/cat kind of person. I was afraid of birds, even ducks! Two years ago, the horses were gone, and within 18 months, I had lost both dogs and both cats to old age. It was really a hard time for me. My boss raised bird for years. She kept after me to take a Cockatiel, it needed a home. After much pleading, I brought Sammy home. What a dear. She was scared and distrustful. I read as much as I could and soon she was eating from my hand. She soon ruled the house! Since then I have rescued another Cockatiel and a Sun Conure. The conure was supposed to be a male, but after I had it for about a month, I told my boss (who knew the bird for years) that I thought it was a female. Sure enough, a week later, she layed an egg!! She hates my husband, but loves me and likes my sons. Sammy has passed and we bought a parakeet. So our 3 are extensions of the family. Birdie the Tiel and Duckie the Conure, take turns being loose on their playgrounds or sitting with us on the couch or computer. Deego the ‘keet, we can’t seem to get tamed yet, still trying. I’m not sure what rescue groups are in my area, I would be willing, I guess, to work with them. I do foster dogs thru a rescue. My birds have opened up a new world for me. I never guessed the personalities and moods they can have. Or the love they can share. Wow, who knew??
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I have three African Greys. The eldest talks up a storm. I built a nice aviary outside under a fruit tree. I noticed that his talking ability has declined since he’s been out there! It’s been about 8 months. He screams and whistles and talks less! Any suggestions to fix the problem?
Thanks,
Bruce
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I first got an african grey parrot which is a wonderful bird (we saw him as an egg) and a year later got Corky, a blue and gold macaw, the most wonderful creature I have ever had the pleasure to share my life with…..however, very sadly he died almost 2 years ago, aged only 10 years…….the post mortem showed he had died of a large tuour in his adrenal glad with secondaries in his stomach….nothing anyone could have done and, as he was young the cancer was aggresive and fast spreading……..from me feeling he was not 100% to his death was only 4 weeks….. I would dearly love another macaw but am too afraid he would not be the spectacular, clever, flamboyant creature that Corky was. He starred in a children’s TV series and just played to the audience being the show off he was……I have a pet shop and my parrots travelled with me in the moring and evening….Corky sat on the headrest and watched what was going on…… if anyone has a real interest in any of thesewonderful creatures I would urge them to have one……I often hand rear babies for customers and I know how everyone that has one just adds another person to their family……I dearly miss Corky and hope one day another macaw will come into my life
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
hi i bought my cockatiel 15yrs ago when my son was one ,my son 16 in november and yes we still have joey the cockatiel we got him a partener to keep him company but unfortunately she got egg bound and passed away,my brother decided to buy an african grey parrot but he was working away a lot and his wife wasnt to keen on him so i adopted him while he went to work,when my brother got back home he took flash the parrot back but flash wouldnt settle so my brother decided it can come back to us .flash loves me he kisses me and lands on my hand but really hates my partener when my partener comes close he fluffs up and really goes for him,he talks a lot and speaks 2 languages welsh and english,i dont think i could do without him now hes really a part of the family
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I started out with raising budgies then moved to cocatiels, now I have 1 blue and gold macaw named Daisy. She was 12 when I got her but I soon realised she was a rescue bird with a lot of behavioural problems (plucking, screaming/squawking, and biting) I’m trying the stuff on the video taming and training but it has been a difficult progress and unfortunately there is no specialist where I live and the closest is an hour and a half drive from here. I love her a lot and she is very entertaining to have. She is more than a pet to me she is my child. I don’t belong to any bird clubs and I don’t have or work for any buisness that deals with birds. I am thinking about volunteering at an animal sanctuary cause they also deal with rescue birds.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
i got my blue fronted amazon for my birthday from my wife 4 years ago his name is cracker he is a very talkative bird and very friendly bird i am finding it very difficult to get him on to a pellet diet i would like some advice on this please . i would love to get another bird could advise to wot would be a good choice to go with my blue fronted thank mike
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
The first bird that I ever owned was a cockatiel (Tuna) that I received from my brother-in-law back in 2002. I hand fed her from the time she was about 3 weeks old. The parents were plucking her feathers so my brother-in-law rescued her from the nest and gave her to me. I had her for about a year and used to walk around the house with her on my shoulders. One night I walked out to my car to get something out of the car and realized that Tuna had lifted off my shoulder. I had forgotten to clip her wings and she flew off into the night and I was devastated. A couple of months later, Tuna’s parents again had a new baby that they were trying to get out of the nest, plucking his feathers (Taco). I took him in and hand fed him for about a month before my brother-in-law decided to sell him to a co—worker. Taco was more lovable and whistled a lot more than Tuna did. Once all the babies were gone, my brother-in-law’s parents gave us both the mom and dad cockatiels. The mom passed away last year and the dad now has a new mate.
A year and a half later I saw some baby Half Moon Conures in a pet store. I wanted to buy one, but the owner convinced me to buy both a male and a female. They were barely a month old and I had to hand feed them every 2-3 hours. I actually would get up in the middle of the night to feed them. Coco and Moco are great parrots, but would bite me every once in a while. They use to sit on my fingers, talk, and give me kisses on my lips. Years later, it came to the point that they depended on each other more for companionship than playing with me. I still have the two of them, but can hardly get them off the cage to sit on my fingers anymore. I can’t seem to give them up even though they have gotten slightly wild.
In 2007 I met a loving man (Alan) who has a special way with and loves birds. Last Christmas he found a pigeon (Pigy) that was cold and hungry following him in a Vons parking lot. He gave her some crackers and she walked right into his warm hands. He brought her home and she has been his loyal follower since then. Even with the house doors wide open, she would not fly away. Whenever we are outdoors and she sees us walking back into the house she flies and heads into the house ahead of us. A month later, we found a 6 month Green Cheek Conure at Petco (Tiki). He did all kinds of tricks to attract Alan. He played with him for over a half hour before we decided to purchase him. The store employee wanted to use a net to get him out of the cage, but Alan said that he doesn’t need that, placed his hand in the cage and Tiki stepped onto his finger. Tiki loves his daddy and loves to sing along with him when he plays his guitar, cuddle, laugh, and play in/out of his shirt. Four months later, while buying supplies for the two birds, we found a 3 month old male Eclectus (Mackey) in a bird store. As soon as the store employee handed him to me he cuddled up to my neck and would not move. I fell in love instantly and I had to bring him home. Mackey is now 7 months old and loves to sing along with Alan and talk up a storm. He is my big spoiled, loving baby that I carry around the house. He hangs out with me and tries to repeat what I say to him. A couple of months later we attended a Bird Mart/Show at the fair grounds. While walking through the building, a 3 month old Bare-eyed Cockatoo jumped onto Alan’s shoulder. She would not let anyone else at the show get near/touch her, but as soon as Alan started to rub her head she would not leave him. Alan fell in love and could not let her go so we ended up bringing her home. She cuddled and slept on my chest the whole 45 minute drive home.
So all in all, we have a total of 8 birds, 4 at my house and 4 at Alan’s house. All the birds are a big part of our family, aggressive or not, I love them all and can’t seem to give them up.
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I had 2 electus parrots 1 male and 1 female i purchased them from an avairy the owner passed away and 2 parrots were left. I purchased them for my office the female was raised by human trhe male was wild. The female did not get along with the male she used to bite him all the time. The male died a yr ago, the female is still in the office she runs free and plays with the customers. She is getting lazy and doesn’t want to talk, she only squeals when there is too many ppl in the office. But she also lays 1 egg a week, which are no good she doesn’t like male parrots as i borrowed
one for her to mate, she would bite him all the also. I wish i can breed her
and don’t know what to do with her.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I am not a member of a club or business that has to do with birds, but my bird is more than a pet. She is a part of our family.my son wanted an african grey for his christmas in 2005. i wasn’t sure as we didn’t know anything about birds so any way we went to a breeder and she showed us what she had (2 out of 6 were taken) so she brought the other 4 out of the cage and let us sit with them a while. there was this particular 1 who had a different colour of ring round his leg and after asking why she said the original had slipped off and she couldnt find it so that was the 1 wee choose and named him zeus we picked him up the following week 23rd dec 05 he was 11 weeks old. buy god we loved him so any way my son passed away on 28th sept 06 he was 20yr old and i have been left with zeus who i could never be without now as he keeps me company and now i just wonder why my son wanted a parrot as animals were out of the question as wee both worked and i didnt think it fair to have a pet that you cant spend time with
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I operate a rescue in the Greater Kansas City area. At present I have cockatiels, sun conure, parakeet, Gouldian finch and a cockatoo. I adore each and every one of my flock. They came from across the city, each with a sad background. It is heartwarming and heartwrenching at the same time when I rehome them. I cry every time and am prayerful I have chosen wisely and they will have long and happy lives. I always offer the new parents the opportunity to return their new pet if it doesn’t work out. Via craiglist I have met others who are also operating home-based rescues in our area. We reach out to each other and share success stories. We have recently discovered we know a lot of the same people from whom we received birds, reluctantly admitting not everyone is truthful with us.
My birds are my family. My children are grown with children of their own and when I come home at the end of each day, I am welcomed with song and whistles and excitement. My life is richer because of my rescue work and I feel I am giving back.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Do you belong to or volunteer at any local bird rescue or rehabilitation facilities?
No I am not apart of any bird program, have many books that I THOUGHT would help me with my parrots.
Do you belong to any local bird clubs? Are you interested in joining something?
They are happy in their cages, next to one another, just enough space to keep from lunging at one another and fightying.
I would love to join something, However, I am disabled and home bound. If I was a bit more able to bye your program I would! I love my African timnah gray, one day I went into the bird section of the pet store, not unusual for me to do as I always wanted a parrot! When I saw him or her, it was heart to heart so that day he came home with me. I so enjoyed holding him and just spent hours holding and cuddling with him, after we had a bad accident with the dog and him, I was unable to let him just hang out on his cage for fear there will be a war and he would not win I can’t get him out but maybe twice a week now. My son bought a blue fronted Amazon which bonded to my husband and him . . . he hates me and will lunge at me or bite if I get anywhere near him. I thought he and my african grey could be friends when I allowed my son to bye him, not happening, when we tried to let them come out together, they just flew at one another attacking, it was an awful experiene and I was so sad about this. One day I would love to fix an aviary for him, I think he would be happier. He has bit my hands and fingers to scaring and bit through my lower lip tearing it off leaving me with a mess on my lip now. I love him or her so much, he will only let me take him out of the cage, I try to spend time with him but he flys up to the fans and I can’t get him down. I can’t take him out when anyone is around as he will fly off and attack and bite others. He bites really hard and hates my husband and anyone else that even dares go to his cage.
Do you run any bird-related businesses? Are you interested in making your passion for birds into an income generating business, too?
I am not interested in the business, I am disabled, if I could I would love to raise them, but not unless somehow I can find a way to fix the problems I have right now with the ones I have.
Are your birds a casual “hobby” for you? Or are they more than that?
My parrots are my world, I just wish I could hold and cuddle with mine without being bit, or him flying away from me and I can’t get to him do to my disability.
How did you acquire your first bird… and how many do you own today?
Petsmart is where I got my African grey, and we bought our blue fronted Amazon from an exotic bird breeder.
How have your birds impacted your life?
My Afrian grey changed my life, he really loves me and makes my days alone so much better. They both sing with me, and mimic every sound they ever hear. My Afrian grey calls the dog for me with the whistle we use to call the dogs in, mimics and answers the phone or anything we do down to my sneezing, caughing and the manner inwhich I speak. He loves to whistle the Andy Griffith song and so much more! I miss being so close to him and feel that I am not the best friend he needs but am afraid to get another afrian grey as I am not sure if he would accept a bird friend or not and try to hurt the new commer. Any help out there for my birds, I welcome it . . just don’t have the money to pay for programs and things.
see my website and you can see pictures of my baby and my husband and sons parrot too.
My dream is that everywhere I go he could go with me in my scooter inside and out without loosing him or taking risks that he would attack anything or anyone. Hes afraid of the bird vest or the gloves, well he is frightened by just about anything that is different. Maybe oneday he will be able to just be safe and hang out with me . . I’ll keep hoping.
God Bless
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Hello Chet and Dave thank you for asking me to share my bird information with you.
I got my first bird in 1996 and he was a parakeet named Buddy. He lived 8 years. I didn’t know anything about birds back then. I didn’t know how smart and lovable they were. I had 2 cats, also. But, I decided I only wanted birds because cats were too dangerous for them and I grew to love birds in a very special way.
One year after having Buddy I got a natural grey cockatiel named Baby as a bird companion. I still have Baby!!! Baby is 11 years old now and after Buddy died I got Beenie to replace him. Beenie, a pied cockatiel is 4 and half years old now.
I don’t have any cats now and love my birds so very much.
I have learned so much about birds and still learning in the past 11 years! I have grown to adore them and get excited about any articles I read about birds or videos about them.
I would love to make a living somehow having something to do with my passion, but don’t know if it’s possible. The best thing I can do now is write a newsletter. I should spend more time with it and getting it ou t there to the bird lovers.
I am not happy now with the Internet marketing I am doing now. It is not working and I am sad. But my birds make me happy!!!
I need to work at home which my family does not understand and will give me any moral support with.
My birds are my pets and my babies. They are my best friends They have helped me through so much depression and any physical pain. Taking care of them heals me. I look forward to getting up every morning to see them, feed them and clean their cages.
I support the Audobon Society and I wish I could give money to all of the parrot sanctuaries but I can’t. I don’t have a whole lot of money and I am financially stuggling all of the time.
I am 55 years old and have suffered depression since I was a little girl and, now I have alot of trouble with arthiritis in my hands and wrists, an old lower left hand back injury and mono vision that keeps me from wanting to go out and get a job in public. So if you know of any way I could generate some income please let me know.
I have been trying to promote my newsletter with your affiliate program in it, but maybe not eniogh.
I read about Serenity Bird Sanctuary this week and just love it! They take in abused and unwanted parrots and the war veterins with post tramitic stress go there to help the birds, bond with them and get better. This is just so wonderful. I sure wish I had the money to make a sanctuary like this. I would love to be in a place with birds all of my life, not worrying about my family getting after me and helping other birds and people like in the Serenity Sanctuary situation.
I was feeling sorry for myself today and wishing I could just go live at Serenity Bird Sanctuary and have some peace of mind.
Thank you so much for inviting me to share Chet and Dave!
Barb
Baby
and
Beenie
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I have always liked birds and feed the wild birds year round. One day I saw an ad in the paper for a Sun Conure. I didn’t even know what a Sun Conure looked like, but we went to see her and fell in love with Vinnie. The original owner’s wife did not like Vinnie and they said he was too loud (little did they know that Vinnie is a female) We have had Vinnie for almost 4 years now and she will be 9 in February. We also have a 9 year old female Quaker Parrot Mickie that I rescued from our avian veterinarians office when taking Vinnie in for a check up 2 years ago. Mickie only likes me and will not let anyone else handle her. It took me 4 months of just spending time with her everyday in my office (that’s where I kept her when first bringing her home) until she began to trust me. Now she talks and chatters all day long,and steps up when I ask her to. They both have their cages in the main area of the house so that they are aware of everything going on and get lots of attention. In the summer months every evening we go outside and sit on the patio and listen to music and they have snacks and juice, just like little kids. They are alot of company as we are empty nesters now. We also have Finches Sammie, Joey and Frankie.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I started out with 2 cats.My husband was working at some ones house that has 2 Lovebirds in their own cages ans he opened up one cage and put the bird on his shoulder. The women said that bird bit everybody and could not believe my husband could just pick up the bird. Over the next 2 week of working on the house he let bird our of his cage and on his shoulder everyday. When the job was over the women gave him the bird with the cage.
Mt cats did not pay any attention to the bird, but then I got 2 dogs and that bird showed who was the boss from day 1.
Well since then that Love bird and the cats have passed away, but I still have the 2 dogs and now a Quaker Parrot, that is friendlier, but the dogs know better than to bother it. She sits on the top of her cage and when the dogs beg for our food, so does the bird. She starts squawking when she hears us cooking in the kitchen, when we give her a little tidbit she has this special thank you chirp that she only does after we give her soemthing.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I started out with 2 cats.My husband was working at some ones house that has 2 Lovebirds in their own cages ans he opened up one cage and put the bird on his shoulder. The women said that bird bit everybody and could not believe my husband could just pick up the bird. Over the next 2 week of working on the house he let bird our of his cage and on his shoulder everyday. When the job was over the women gave him the bird with the cage.
Mt cats did not pay any attention to the bird, but then I got 2 dogs and that bird showed who was the boss from day 1.
Well since then that Love bird and the cats have passed away, but I still have the 2 dogs and now a Quaker Parrot, that is friendlier, but the dogs know better than to bother it. She sits on the top of her cage and when the dogs beg for our food, so does the bird. She starts squawking when she hears us cooking in the kitchen, when we give her a little tidbit she has this special thank you chirp that she only does after we give her something.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
I started out with 2 cats.My husband was working at some ones house that has 2 Lovebirds in their own cages ans he opened up one cage and put the bird on his shoulder. The women said that bird bit everybody and could not believe my husband could just pick up the bird. Over the next 2 week of working on the house he let bird our of his cage and on his shoulder everyday. When the job was over the women gave him the bird with the cage.
Mt cats did not pay any attention to the bird, but then I got 2 dogs and that bird showed who was the boss from day 1.
Well since then that Love bird and the cats have passed away, but I still have the 2 dogs and now a Quaker Parrot, that is friendlier, but the dogs know better than to bother it. She sits on the top of her cage and when the dogs beg for our food, so does the bird. She starts squawking when she hears us cooking in the kitchen, when we give her a little tidbit she has this special thank you chirp that she only does after we give her something. I have had this Quaker since she/he was 6 months old but she does not say any words yet and she is now 3 years old. Any tips or tricks?
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
hi.
thanks for the email. I would love to reply your queries. Infact I am grateful to you that you send emails to me regularly which are proved very useful to me and help to tackle problems pertaining to my pet.
As far as your questions are concerned, I do not belong to any local bird rescue. I am also not a member of any local bird club. And it is not my business. My parrots are not just my hobby but they are more to us (for me and my wife). We consider them as our family members. Specially one which is an Indian green parrot with red marks on his neck and shoulders. He also loves us and we can not live without him, and we love him as our son. I bought him from the local market when he was just one mongh old. Now he is one and a half year old. We also had two other parrots one mail and the other female but one day they manage to flee. But now we have this one and we both love him so much. We are grateful to you for your cooperation and hope you would continue guiding us to enable us to take care of our parrot properly. I also like to ask some questions regarding his feed and some behaviours etc. Hope you would allow me sometime to ask the questions through the email.
Regards,
Moosa
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I have an African grey named Moses. He was “born” on July 4, 2001. I had done much research, and had a house full of toys long before I got him. He was the sweetest little baby, but he has always been painfuly shy. He hides in his cage when company comes over. Once he feels that its “safe” he will start chatting away from the safety of his cage door.
He loves to be a part of the dinner table scene, and loves to tease my three dogs. Moses is a spunky little guy, but for the most part, he keeps his wanderings to the top of his cage and his T stand.
Moses is my baby boy. Without him, who would yell at the dogs when Im at work?
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
First thing, when you say birds, do you mean my parrots, or birds in general.
Strictly speaking I guess my first ‘birds’ were fowl.
When I lived in South Harrow, in the UK, the local vet used to call me up when wild birds were brought into her. I had rescued a fledgling blackbird that some local children brought to me, took it to the local vet who said as it was a bank holiday, that I had as much chance of keeping it alive as she did. After the holidays I took it back, it was alive and well and in (her words) excellend condition. It was sent to a bird sanctuary, but after that she used to phone me up.
Some years later, I was asked to take in a couple of young Mallards,which I did. Next I was called from a local vet, a member of the public had found, what she believed to be ducks, and the vet wanted to know if I would take them on. I did so, it was a pair of Muscovy ducks. I was called up some months later from a vet at the other side of London, asking if I would take another pair of duck. I did so.
I have three parrots, a pair of African Greys and a little Senegal. The female African Grey was passed to me from a very close friend who was dying on cancer. She loved BJ like a child and felt that I was the only person she would trust her with. BJ had, due to Chrissy’s illness spent a long long time on her own, in her cage and had started to bite. She still bites a little sometimes. She is unable to fly due to damage done to one of her wings in an accident when she was young. She was about 4years old when I got her. However, she will try and usually walks to me if I am in the kitchen too long.
The male came to me from someone who was afraid of him, because she used to let him out of the cage and he would go for her when she tried to get him back in. He would not step up, and tried to bite her if she tried to feed him from her hand. He is very loving, he steps up when I want him out of his cage and will go in of his own accord when I fill his bowl up, or he steps us and allows me to put him back in the cage. He is called Pongo, we decided Not to change his name when we got him.
The little Senegal was out of an aviary, when I saw him I was almost in tears. He was a little bedragled thing, he had dull feathers, with none on his head, he had a lot of scars. When anyone entered the room he was in he used to bash of the cage walls he was so nervous. When I started letting him out of the cage, and anyone came in, he would turn his back.
He is now a beautiful bird, fully feathered, and his colours are amazing. He does not step up yet, but he will eat out of my hand. He is very calm and like to chat, though he does not talk. He is amusing. We call him BB
They are all kept in the same room. BJ and Pongo share a cage, which was their choice. BB the senegal has his own cage, though he does now and again go into the other one.
They are part of the family. They are fine with the other animals we have indoors. Pongo often calls for Bobby, the dog. They are the only birds we have indoors, other than in the winter when a pair of Serama’s come in.
joolz
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I have an African Grey, which was duely called misty, because of his/hers markings. He was a 50th birthday present from my husband. He is now 4yrs old.
We get great pleasure from him, love to hear him sing “I saw a mouse”. He does naughty things then shouts, Jacko you b—-then he laughs.
He is like a child to us, but we wouldn’t be without him.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:42 pm
My first bird was a budgie I named Dickey. I bought him in Winnipeg, and brought him up to Alberta. I had him for about 10 years. He was a good friend. Then I bought a couple more budgies, wich I had for about the same length of time. After that I didn’t have anymore birds for quite awhile. Then around 3 years ago a lady where I worked said she was going to give away her Hahn,s Macaw. So I thought what the heck, I’ll take the bird. Little did I know how this little bird would help me through some very hard times. Not long after I had Kilo I was surprized to see that he was a she and found that she laid an egg. Her previous owner thought that she was a male. Also Kilo is a rescued bird and I’m her 3rd or 4th owner. To me she is my little angel. She helped me through the passing away of both my parents in the past year. I don’t know what I would have done without my little angel. I hope I have her for a long time to come, even though she is around 20 years old. I love her dearly.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I never was much of a bird person. My sister had a parakeets when I was in my teenage years. Then when I moved out and moved in w/ my fiancee I got a wild hair to buy a lovebird. I bought my lovebird, which I named Kiwi, when I was about 23 yrs old. When I went out to buy her cage, the salesman told me that cage would hold 4-5 lovebirds. But I wanted her to have all the room possible when I couldn’t have her out. She was SO beautiful, she was mostly green which is how she got her name. She loved to cuddle w/ me and how she sang. She was just beautiful all the way around. She had this toy w/ bell on it and she use to slam it against her cage, it was SO loud.
The whole while I had been reading up on CAGs as well. I wanted one, I bought a cage & toys. But I just kept reading to make sure it was really right for me. After reading on African Greys for so long after 4-5 yrs of reading up on them I finally bought one. Man are they different from a lovebird!! I never got my CAG tested for what sex she is but I named her Angel and have called her a female since I bought her Jan 2007. My Kiwi, the lovebird, died suddenly this year. I don’t know what happened to her but it was so sad.
So Angel is now alone w/ my 3 dogs of course. She has learned to bark & whine just like all 3 of them. Her vocab is just starting to really take off. She says “Paco” all the time. Paco is the largest of our 3 dogs. It’s always “Paco” “Paco come here” “Paco hi”. My poor Paco doesn’t even acknowledge his own name any longer.
I love having an African Grey and it is sure true that they are just like a true human child. The way they age/grow/learn is so human like.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Where do I start?
My wife wantes an African grey.I never knew she loved parrots!!
We went to pet stores and looked&looked&looked!!!!!!!
Finally(thank God!!)she found and fell in love with Zak!!
I think people shoul try to find a bird that they can really relate to and vice versa!I’m talking big parrots not the little guys.
Remember that they will live sometimes as long as you!!
Getting a parrot is a long term comitment….don’t be like so many people and buy them on the spur of the moment and then because they are slobs and messy(and God knows they are)you give him to some one else and the circle begins!!!!!!!
We got Zak in 1992.I’m going to abbreviate my story ’cause it would take a long time to write the whole thing!!
Zak was my wifes bird(for now) and I wanted a buddy too.We found a sweet gorgeous female budgie and I fell for her.Problem was she was not tame and quite old(8 months)
It took me for ever to tame her and I really never got her totally tamed.Meanwhile Zak got this big love for me!!(wife not happy!!) We wnt out and found a little Severe Macaw at a breeders.Dylan was crippled in one leg so the breeder offered him to us at half price.I know my wife would have paid full price(she loved him!!)
So there we were our,3 dogs,3 parrots and a cat(old)
A phone call comes from the dotter!!!!
“Mom I’m raising budgies” So we go see and the babies were adorable.
Guess who’s raing birds too??
Fast forward a ways(1 year or so)
We now have 100 budgie(50 males and50 females)
My wife became an expert on budgie genetics!!!! She had some of the most beautiful budgies I haver eve seen.
We had 4 pairs of love birds,2 pairs of cockatiels,and a pair of moustache parakeets!!
I have to say those were great times I loved hand feeding the babies,every batch we took to Super Pet we bawled.The nice part was the little gals at Super Pet were so excited when we came in.They get(got) all their birds from a huge breeder that ran a business.Our little operation was a labor of love.My wife would only breed her girls once a year.Then they rested and played.
In 2002 my world came crashing down.My wife had lung cancer and passed away in October.
We had stopped breeding birds because of the horror storie we used to hear about humans treatment of birds!!!!!!!!So we stopped and our birds would just play and fool around till….
It is now 2008 and I am down to 3 budgies,4 cockatiels,3 love birds Zak(thank God)Dylan(ditto)and 4 ring necked doves(I rescued them)
Morty(male mousetache) flew out the front door years go and we never saw him again.Maggie(Morty’s mate) I think had a stroke one day and died in my arms.
Zak continues to be the love of my life(1500 word vocabulary)
Dylan is and always will be a very cute precious little bird(even more so if he quit the bloody biteing!!)
Every day I pray God to win the 649.
I would build a huge avery(sic) and rescue birds.They would have trees and water and sunshine and lots of good food!!!!!!!
Anyway that’s my tale.Hope I didn’t bore you
Terry
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
My husband went into a pet shop and saw “Rita” an African Grey. Six months later he went back to the pet shop and saw she was still there. It turns out that the then 8 year old Rita had been with the same owner for 6 years and then sold her. She had been to two other homes which in quick succession did not work out. When we took her home she was shaking like a leaf. She has been with us the past 7 years. She is a part of our family which also consists of 2 cats. Rita loves to whistle her arias to our old cat “Trollan”, who at the ripe old age of 20 is stone deaf. Since Trollan doesn’t respond to this she resorts to waving at her.
Rita is definitely a part of our family. She goes everywhere with us, if possible. Sailing is an activity she has had to get used to and sometimes leads the curious Grey to unexpected heights, at the top of the mast. But with out being able to fly but can glide fly she managed to get down herself. We have now fixed that mast so she can’t climb up the ropes. We want her to be out of her cage as much as possible and when she is tired she climbs in herself and says, “Good-bye”(in Swedish) and then wants to be covered. She is constantly learning new things and is an expert escape artist.
I never thought a bird can be so cuddly and loving. Rita has taught me they can be.
Marti in Sweden
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Is my pet more than just a pet? I would have to say, yes. I have had Cookie all her life and she is today 26. I don’t have any kids, never wanted any, nor did my wife. We have been married for 20 years. Cookie took to my wife right away which was strange as she is not an animal person. When my wife walks into the room Cookie shows off ringing her bell for my wife. Once I counted 30 hello’s she said to my wife. Cookie has her own room which l share with her that where the computer is
along with 2 TVs. Cookie stays in her room all the time. There are no other pets in the house. We know the charm birds have.
They say Yellow Napes have are more playfull than most birds
and are more charming. I don’t know, she’s all I have ever had. Non bird owners don’t get it to them its just a stupid bird in a
cage. The thing I hate the most is having to leave Cookie with somebody when we go away. It seems no matter where we go
theres a reminder of Cookie and if we go somewhere where there’s Parrots you can bet I’ll be there. I worry all the time while we’re gone and when we get back the first thig I do is get her home, wait till the next day will never happen. She always makes us laugh. Shes behind me when I’m at my desk and whenever I turn around to look at her there’s that one eye look we call the Cookie look. So yes shes more than a pet, shes me and I”m her. Oh, one more thing. She also has her own frieg in her room, nothing in it but beer but its still hers.
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I always was surrounded by animals, even while growing up, but never any birds until I moved to my own apartment. My roommate and I casually bought a couple of parakeets and kept them in our rooms… They were pretty, but I never knew that parakeets could be hand held… these two were wild. One day while I was at work, my roommate let in a stray cat that knocked down the cage and killed the keets… it was another year or so before I got another keet. I missed the chirps. Again wild, and a canary. Then My kids came along… so I had these lovely birds, but on hindsight, I could have done so much more for them. I fed and cleaned and talked to them, but never actually held them (other than taking them out of the cage for cleanings and let them fly about a bit)… to make a long story short, they eventually died and a friend told me to get a cockatiel instead of a parakeet, so I did. I walked into a small pet shop, asked for a cockatiel, the guy says ” sure these ones just came in today” they looked all alike to me, so I told him to just pick one. He reaches in and one immediately hopped onto his finger and he hands the bird to me. I was nervous holding her, but she was so friendly… she put up a battle going into the take home box, though… Shadow and I bonded immediately. She’d call me the minute I came home from work and was with me all over the house (except when I was cooking or cleaning, she didn’t like that) after a yr, I worried that she was lonely while I worked to I bought another cockatiel for company. Sunny was not handled well at the pet store and so was wild and frightened, she eventually settled with me, but never to the same extent as Shadow… Next thing you know cockatiels were coming out of the woodwork, so to speak… peple would someone who knew someone who was trying to rehome their cockatiels, so before you knew it, I had 5 cockatiels. then the babies came along… Now I replace eggs with fake eggs as I have 9 cockatiels.
I also have 2 parrotlets and a Meyers parrot.
My birds are more than pets, they are family members.
I do have a commercial website devoted to cockatiels and as I am crafty, I incorporate cockatiels into whatever I make… I sew stuffed cockatiels from my own designed pattern, bead cockatiels from pattern, draw cockatiels (but not as well as I’d like)and take pictures of cockatiels, they are an integral part of my life, especially as the kids are 14-20 and have their own lives. I work outside my home as a Nurse and appreciate the effect the birds have de-stressing me after a hard day. Birds pick up moods, so I have to relax or they get nippy/feisty…
We also live with a dog and hamster and Guinea Pig… so my life is full.
I’d love to volunteer at a santuary, but there are no bird santuaries near me, but My own family (feathered, furred and skin) and work use the bulk of my time. I have several of chet’s and Daves’s videos and really enjoy the emails as well
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
My husband and I work 10-12 hour days, 6 days a week and we don’t believe in having a pet just to leave it at home without attention. Our cockatoo travels back and forth to work with us. . We both had smaller birds, parakeets as children, cockatiel, and a conure, but it’s just Indy and our cat, Stormy now. Indium was purchased through a wonderful lady who raises all sorts of birds. My husband had expressed a desire to own another bird. As my brother had owned several parrots, I asked him which would be the most affectionate and he suggested the Cockatoo. I located this baby - fortunately - close to our city and took my husband to see her. This was his birthday gift and, since it was a lifetime commitment, I wanted to be sure he was committed. A cockatoo can’t be just a hobby. With their energy, they must be a part of the family. If we had only known….the mess, the noise (lots of screaming – must address this soon..) and the attention!!! But we couldn’t possibly give her up now. She offers so much affection and she keeps us laughing with her antics. She loves to play with my husband. I think she has dubbed me her “mate”. In addition to going to work with us every day, she travels by car with us to Oregon once a month. I must say that Cockatoos are much better travelers than kids. It is an 8 hour trip one way. How is it that a parrot can poop once every 10 minutes in the house, but hold it for 2 hours on a trip?!! Not that she doesn’t have the space to go, but she prefers to wait until the gas, food and rest stops.
I would be interested in a cockatoo club in the San Jose, CA area.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Hi
Well let’s see. I am not a member of any bird club, rescue or anything. I do not know of any around this area where I live. I used to raise exotic animals (we had many) but my health deteriorated. How I missed all of them since we had to sell them all. My husband works shift work and my sons are grown and moved out so I am home alone alot. I am a people person and I get lonely real easy. I had always wanted a parrot so my husband told me I could buy one. Well before I dove right in I did alot of reading on the different types of parrots. My husband had been looking in different ad papers and he saw an ad for a moluccan cockatoo about 45 miles away. In fact we seen the ad on the internet. We went the next day and fell in love with her.Her name is Laughter and then she was 3 years old. She is now 5. She didn’t like me to much at first but she loved my husband and he didn’t even ask me if I wanted her.lol She is so much fun. Moluccan’s have quite a fun sense of humor. She talks quite a bit and is she ever spoiled. /Well we decided we had room for another. I decided on an african gray. There is a pet store about 25 miles from us so my son and I went there one day and they had a baby african gray. She was adorable. I brought her home and finished hand raising her. She is a wonderful bird. She talks and counts and sings and makes all kinds of sounds. Yesterday her new phrase was “Good Grief”.Gabby is now 2 years old. Well guess what . That wasnt enough. When we took our two birds to the vet at the pet store they had a baby goffin cockatoo. Well my husband got that look in his eye again and we brought him home. Gizmo loves to do flips hanging by one toe and he is just starting to talk. When I walk in the door he says Hi Gabby in his squeaky voice.. It is so cute.
Well I thought this was the end of our parrot clan but not yet. We decided on one more and we saw another ad for a severe mini macaw. We called right away and went to meet him. Well he is a member of our home now too. He is 3 years old and his name is tango. Tango can talk and loves to hang upside down. Our parrots are not our pets . They are a part of our family. We take them shopping and on outings and on trips with us.We are still hopping to get a rose breasted cockatoo in the future too. I love all of my parrots so much(each with their own personality) and they are the best companions a person could have. I don’t have time to be lonely any more
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:17 pm
My daughter bought a cockatiel at the local pet shop & that’s how we got started with birds we have a subscription to “Bird Talk” for info & started to get info from you guys also on raising & keeping birds. We now have 2 birds acockatiel and a love bird wich are just kept as pets .
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:18 pm
My husband and I wanted to experience the relationships we had heard about between people and their birds. I bought your tapes to help with training and discipline.
Our first bird, Chiquita had a word or 2 under his belt when he arrived home at about 12 weeks. He has never needed extra training to speak or do several of his tricks as I believe his motivation is love and acceptance. (especially from his Daddy). He has a lenghty vocabulary and tries to speak often in small sentences and usually makes sense. We have since added 3 more birds (one every year). A Hahn’s macaw, an Amazon and a Cockatoo. Oddly enough my Amazon speaks the least! He occasionally whispers under his breath. We think he has a confidece issue. My Hahns’ also can say a few small sentences and many words quite well. When one of the other birds does a trick or puts their wings up on command my Gizmo says “Good job, you did a good job. My Gizmo also sneezes and Chiquita says” Oh, bless you” They all love SpongeBob and we watch every day that I am home. My Cockatoo is trying so hard to sing the song. They have extremely different personalities so each is motivated differently. My Cockatoo will do anything for treats although she loves it after she does something and we say Yaaaaaaay- she says it also.
The challenge is to spend enough quality time to really effectively train them as I have not gotten full use of the course because I travel a lot on business.
I do a little “Round Robin” training. I gather my treats and I say “who can tell me what a doggie says” Or who’s going to say hello. I will then click and reward.
Whoever doesn’t answer I will go over and ask for a high 5 or a kiss so that everyone gets a treat but I hope this rubs off and they all learn. My Cockatoo ,I think would be a serious performer if I had the time to really work with her as she pics up really quickly. He started to wave hi after just 2 tries. I know with more consistency they would do well. My Hahns is a little nippy but I have been doing what you said. Confusing him by NOT putting him back in his house. I will stop now cause I could talk about them all day. Most people do not understand what we see in our birds.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I have a quaker parrot who started plucking his feathers, moping around and stopped chattering and talking to everyone after I got married moved to another city. All the members in my family tried to bring my bird back to his normal self, but nothing seemed to work much. A month later, I came to my family to visit, and as I entered the front door of the house I yelled out my birds name, “MITHOOOOOO,” as I always did before I got married, and he chirped right back. I came running to his cage to greet him as I always did before I got married and he came running to me. I started saying, “who’s my pretty bird, Mithoo, who’s my pretty pretty pretty birddd?????” and as he always did, he started talking right back to me with the same high enthusiasm he used to have before I moved out. Me and mithoo had a good conversation for a few minutes as my mother watched and was suprised she was seeing Mithoo act like his old self again. It was weird for me to realise that not only was I attached to my bird and missed him like crazy, the feeling was kind of mutual. Mithoo may not live with me anymore, but I come home every 3 months or so, and while he only allows 2 people in the house to touch him, he seems to never forget who I am and allows me to play with him. Strangely, sometimes I think I miss him more than my family!!! I can’t believe we can have such strong bonds with our birds!
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:36 pm
1. No I do not belong to a rescue facility.
2. yes I belong to the Canberra Avarian club, associated with other clubs in Austraia.
3. No.
4. No. there is nothing Casual about “Oscar” he is my constant companion. we go to the Library, Shopping, Restaurants, Car trips etc. In fact he loves the car trips more than anything and he goes to the top of his Car cage on the back seat and talks and whistles to the radio as we go along. He loves to meet other people. Says hello and bye bye to them and often hops on to their shoulder if I allow it.
5. my first bird was given to me by my daughter in law as he became so attatched to me and was lost (attacked) when my wife left to go to work and he tried to follow. I now live seperately and have acquired Oscar the only one in my life.
We love each other.
We have a harness but Oscar doesn’t like it much. He is full flighted. I don’t want to clip his wings.
6. I guess my companion “Oscar” is my greatest love. We do everything together. Time for our shower, gotta go.
Ian
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
My birds are just a little more than pets - they’re totally part of the family, and I couldn’t picture this house without them now. We got our first African Grey, Mack, almost 2 years ago. That came about after a visit to my sister-in-law in Durban, and seeing her African Grey, Pecki. I remember waking up one morning and wondering why Paul, her husband, was not at work - and then realised it was the parrot! Unbeknown to me, my husband Colin has always wanted a parrot, and he really took to Pecki. We started looking at African Greys in pet shops, both while we were still on holiday and when we came home. Eventually we made the decision we were going to get one, and went to one of our local pet stores. There were two African Greys, about 12 weeks old. The store assistant brought the one out on his arm, but the other one immediately climbed around the cage to the doorway. I put my hand out to him, and he immediately jumped on and all the way up to my shoulder. I knew we’d found our bird. We brought him home mid-December and, far from having to worry about the cats chasing him (they’d terrorised every budgie we’d bought for the kids) the cats were absolutely petrified of this monstrous bird!! It didn’t take Mack long to settle in and start imitating noises - the first being our youngest son’s electronic toys, and then the telephone. Now, he’s still “my” bird, but he speaks with my husband’s voice, which I find very amusing. I know when I’ve missed a phone call on my cellphone or on the land line - I hear him “answer” it for me, and it always goes something like “Colin, hello? …. All right, and you? ….. (belly laugh and incoherent words) …. okay, bye!!!” Then I know to check my messages!
Our second bird was more of a miracle. She arrived in our back yard on Easter Monday - much like my sister-in-law’s bird, Pecki. We actually thought Mack had escaped, so my son asked my daughter to check the cage, and Mack was still there, playing with his toys, wondering what all the fuss was about! We lost sight of the bird, as she flew from the fence she was sitting on, and we eventually found her in our avocado tree right outside the back door. She flew from tree to tree, until I finally coaxed her down from our fig tree with a handful of nuts. She landed on the ground beside me, and I picked her up to let her eat the treats in my hand. She honestly ate like she’d never eaten before. We decided not to advertise because I know, certainly in South Africa, because of the price of the birds, there would be a lot of chancers who said they’d lost a bird, and we had no way of knowing if they are genuine or not. So we kept her, the pet shop donated a second-hand cage, and we just kept our eyes on every single local paper, the internet ads, vet waiting rooms, corner shops, lampposts - anywhere where there would be a sign to say a parrot was missing. In four weeks there was nothing. The only missing African Grey in that time was one that went missing three weeks after this little one had landed in our garden. So she’s still here! She’s much smaller than Mack, so I’m assuming she’s female, and with the black still on the tail feathers, I think she’s still quite young. We called her Syd after someone in our church, because my daughter said that Syd’s arrival reminded her of the bible verse that not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing about it. He’d guided an African Grey parrot to the one house in our street (probably) that is equipped to handle it, with food at the ready. We just found that amazing and heartwarming.
Syd’s totally part of the family, and extended family - everyone loves her. She’s just got such a lovely, friendly nature. If you happen to pass a bit too close to the corner of her cage when she’s out, she launches herself on you, climbs up to your shoulder and nestles in at your neck. We’re trying to teach her to “step up” but it’s a slow process! She doesn’t talk as yet, but she’s got the cat’s meow and the dog’s bark down to a fine art! Her one problem is that if a strange man comes in to the house, one she doesn’t know, she gets all defensive and starts growling. She has no problem with women, but men terrify her - strange but true!
As for belonging to bird clubs, no, I don’t. I’m on an African Grey Facebook group - that’s about as far as I go! I speak to a lot of other African Grey owners that I know, especially when I need advice. Our pet shop owner, where we bought Mack, is a fantastic wealth of knowledge, and works with a number of reputable parrot breeders in the vicinity. I’ve got no desire to breed the parrots - I really don’t have the spare time to do that. Our local vet is pretty good at seeing to their claws, beaks and wings, and giving them a check over. If he thought there was a problem, he’d refer us to the specialist who is about 30 miles away.
And that’s our story! Thanks for all the great mails and advice.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:26 pm
My husband brought back a yellow-headed amazon parrot from Mexico as a baby. I fed this bird by hand for 6 mos. He is now 30 yrs old and for the past 15 or so yrs. this bird has attacked me several times, will go after me whenever I go neat his cage and will whistle and squwak until my husband enters the room. I hate him,(the bird).
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm
I got my first bird a cockatiel named Toby. He was the lovey bird at the pet store until I got him home. The first thing he did was bite me which was displeasing, he absolutely loved my grandfather so I gave Toby to him, and he later sold him to a coworker. After my first experience I was hesitant to try again, but I soon missed having a bird. After a few years I decided I wanted to try again with an African Grey. Unfortunately they cost 1500 and being unemployed at that time was just way to much for me. I then saw a bright green and red parrot, from the first glance I had to have him. He was 900 dollars and was an Alexandrine Ring neck that was still being hand fed, the store called him Monty. I had a strong fear of being bitten by birds and never tried to pet any previous conure or quaker they had outside the nursery. Again Monty bit me and I didnt flinch it was more of a curious bite and I surprised myself by not reacting at all. Monty couldnt come home for a few months which worked out perfectly since I only had 400 just enough for a down payment. 2 months later I had a great parrot. I do not belong to any parrot groups, just some forums. I only have one parrot but that is the limit right now until I can afford a larger house, and then bring in the flock! My future bird consist of macaws specifically a hyacinth and a green wing, cockatoos, alexandrines, african greys and an amazon. Monty is more than a pet he is like my child I love him very much. Last month was the first time I ever cut his wings, for the first time. It was like doing open heart surgery searching for blood feathers cutting the right amount of feathers making sure he could land safely. I was sweating the whole time no blood no fuss one happy human. Parrots are amazing animals and I couldnt live life without one.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:29 pm
1. My husband and I don’t belong to the local bird rescue organization as we work full-time. I’m also concerned about bringing wild bird diseases home.
2. We belong to the local bird club though we haven’t attended meetings in a while as it doesn’t work for our schedule. We do read their monthly newsletter and get discounts at local businesses and our vet because we are members.
3. Nope, don’t have and aren’t interested in having a bird-related business, at least not now. Maybe when we retire in 20 years.
4. Our bird, Titan, a macaw, is a member of the family. He is out of his cage when we are home. I spend 15 minutes every weekday morning scratching his head, preening his head pinfeathers, and talking to him. Then I hand him off to my husband and he perches on his shoulder while he reads the paper. There are perches in every room and on our back deck. My husband even made a table perch so he can eat meals with us. We knew when we got him that it was a lifetime commitment. He could outlive us and we have him as a beneficiary in our wills.
5. Our first bird was a cockatiel that flew into our backyard on July 4th weekend, 1995. We kept him for a few months and read every magazine and book we could find about birds. We eventually decided we wanted a larger bird. As it happened, a coworker with kids and other pets told us she was looking for a bird so she adopted the cockatiel. We spent a couple of months visiting local bird breeders to pick out a bird. We settled on a scarlet macaw but when we went to pick her up, she would have nothing to do with us and ran off in the outdoor aviary. As the breeder was trying to chase her down, another macaw on a perch at our head level pecked my husband lightly on the head. It was a harlequin macaw. He was a year old. We took a liking to him and bought him.
6. We discovered we are bird people. We’ve had some challenges with Titan as he rarely but occasionally bites very hard. I’ve got two bandages on my hand from when he bit me yesterday. He was all excited and I didn’t heed the warning signs and chomp! When he first did this to me when he was 8, after we’d had him for 7 years with no biting, a parrot behavior expert in the San Francisco Bay Area said that maybe it was hormones and he was entering puberty. Great, we don’t have kids, other than the furred and feathered kind, and now we have a teenaged parrot. He is well-behaved otherwise, 99.9% of the time. He’s a companion, not a pet. He’s smart, talks a lot, and is fun to hang out with. Our lives would be boring without him.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
1. The nearest rescue facilities are at least two hours away. We have adopted several special-needs birds over the years and try to always have room for one more, should a need arise.
2. I am Secretary of the Mid-American Exotic Bird Society in Columbus, Ohio. We put on the largest bird fair in the state every year — the next one will be on Sunday 1 March 2009 at the state fairgrounds.
3. We have thought about breeding or finishing but really do not have the extra time to do it right. We are honored to possess specimens of two rare and endangered species and recognize the potential future obligation to breed them for the conservation of their species.
4. I cannot really imagine birds being a casual hobby — not psittacines, at any rate. Each of our birds is a feathered person. Some are really part of the family and none is less than a full member of the household.
5. Our first bird, whom we still have, is a special-needs Blue-Front Amazon named Max. Having been severely neglected during the first six months of her life, she has incompetent eyelids, corneal ulcers, and an enlarged heart, but she is a very happy bird. She has a best friend (another Amazon) and a large vocabulary.
Right now we have twelve birds. From largest to smallest:
Jesse, female Catalina macaw, three years old
Rodrigo, female Blue and Gold macaw, wild-caught, ex-breeder, >= 30 years old
Ferdinand, male Scarlet macaw, wild-caught, ex-breeder, >= 30 years old
Candy, female Scarlet macaw, wild-caught, ex-breeder, >= 30 years old
Kazoo, male Blue-Throated macaw, two years old
Juliet, female Red-Fronted macaw, ex-breeder, ten years old
Max, female Blue-Fronted amazon, eight years old
Ruby, female Mexican Red-Headed Amazon, two years old
Pakshi, male Hahn’s macaw, six years old
James, male cockatiel, six years old
Lucky, female cockatiel, age unknown
Bugly, female cockatiel, one year old
6. It is endlessly fascinating to play with all our birds, teach them, and watch them interacting with each other. We have a downstairs flock and an upstairs flock. All are flighted. Each one has a perfectly distinct personality. They have also been extremely valuable therapy for my wife, who had a stroke eight years ago.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I aquired my first parrot 2 years ago. He is a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and is 14yrs old. The previous owners did not want him. I had no interest in parrots but could not see him be given to just anyone. So we took him in and have learned alot since then. He was very quiet and they were feeding him cockatiel feed. He never made any noises. Now he talks alot, waves hello and loves his fruit and veggies. Since then I have been given 2 Alexandrians that are 12 and 13yrs old. They are hand tamed and quite friendly. Their owner had no more time for them. I would never give any one of them up as they are now my children. They get lots of free time out of their cage every day and lots of attention from us. For now 3 is enough but you never know what the future holds.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:56 pm
4. Are your birds a casual “hobby” for you? Or are they more than that?
My birds are my babies!!!
5. How did you acquire your first bird… and how many do you own today?
6. How have your birds impacted your life?
I have always wanted a furry pet (like a dog). But I am allergic to dogs and cats now. Plus, I lived in the dorm that didn’t allow any dogs or cats or pets EXCEPT fish and “caged birds”! I got my first baby bird when I saw a cockatiel at the school president’s house during an xmas singing concert I participated in. It was a male cockatiel stuck in a cage, asking for attention to anyone in the house. When I went over there and whistled to him, he whistled my tune right back! That’s when I got interested in getting a cockatiel. I knew absolutely nothing about birds and was actually a little terrified of them because when I was little, I remember going to a zoo and one of those biiiig parrots bit my baseball cap I was wearing and wouldn’t let go. =O
I went back home, went on the internet, and looked up more info about cockatiels. Then I found a place near me that sold hand-fed cockatiels. I finally convinced my parents to buy me one for christmas that winter. At the store, the owner brought out a small glass fish tank that was turned into an incubator for the baby cockatiels they were taking care of. One of these babies then stuck its head far out to “sniff” me. That’s when I knew I wanted that baby cockatiel. We thought the baby 6-week still-somewhat-bald cockatiel was a boy… but once it grew older, we found out he was a girl!! That’s how I got Jojo. I got her used to sleeping next to me or on me at night (I don’t move around enough to squish her so it is safe). Now, she will scream for me or come into the bedroom when it is bedtime for her or just climb on top of whoever might be lying on the floor!
I bought your trick training dvd package about a month after I got my baby Jojo and taught her to do “hi” after changing her diet. She now nods her head “yes” and can pick up her toy and place it in my hand or the box it comes with. And she will do “hi” or “yes” whenever I have something she wants. She used to eat my food all the time (the non-fatty stuff at least, like rice) and I would let her eat my rice with me. I know some people say it is bad to let your bird eat your saliva, so I usually give her a part of my food that I didn’t touch. These days though, I try to keep her on just her pellet food and then occasionally will give her treats when I am practicing tricks with her. She tends to scream for the treats for days later though.
After a year with Jojo, my school commitment turned into 12-13 hr days. So, I was worried about Jojo being lonely. She never played with toys much, despite my trying to find toys she would like. She always liked to play with anything else (and destroy it of course). The only quality time I had with her was when we slept. And I didn’t think that was enough for her. So I went to the petstore trying to find her a male cockatiel. None of them were friendly though. So instead I found a parakeet that seemed friendly with us. I always wanted Jojo to talk or imitate me but she never does. So I thought a parakeet would be nice. I ended up getting the runt in the group (it was the smallest and stood a little differently on my finger than other parakeets… all hunched over). When I brought Melon home, I thought it was a girl. Turns out, it’s a boy! HAHA! Anyway, Jojo was terrified of Melon at first and would hiss at him and run away with her head feathers all sticking up. Melon was terrified of us once he came to our house and followed Jojo everywhere and stuck right next to her. Jojo didn’t like that much. But eventually, she got more tolerant of him and allowed him to groom her and she started to groom him. Jojo still doesn’t like it when Melon comes sitting right next to her, but sometimes she’ll tolerate it. And now, Melon talks a lot, making lots of unknown noises and I got him to say “whatcha doin?: and you can definitely hear him say something unintelligble and then “Jojo” (i’m guessing he’s repeating what he hears me say to Jojo and when I call her name). He loves looking at his reflection and talking to it. So they seem very happy.
Of course, Jojo still thinks she’s a human or is at least more bonded with people than birds. She’ll come to me and ask to be petted. She’ll nibble my finger and try to raise it. Then she’ll place her head under my finger and wait for me to pet it. LOL! SO CUTE!
I’ve added a bunny to my family as well… and with my experience, it’s not a good idea to let your bunny near the birds (I didn’t know that and Melon and Jojo taught me that the hard way. boo).
So I love my babies and have been able to convince my parents and friends that birds are SMART by showing the tricks they do and showing them how my birds recognize people and will look at you with more human-like expressions! They’ve been the happiness in my stressful life! I hope they are happy too!
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I got my very first bird when I was born, he was a Parakeet named Terry.
He lived 18 years and passed on, I also had at this time a pet crow named Joe and he could talk. My problem with Joe was he repeated EVERYTHING my Dad said and boy that was bad. My Pastor came to the house for lunch and we had to keep Joe very quiet as he turned the air “blue’.
Off and on my whole life I had Parakeets, Canaries, and Cockatiels.
I was fortunate to have a Dusky Conure for a few weeks but my husband said it was him or the bird…so I miss the bird. I now have 2 cockatiels and 2 Parakeets, soon however to add 4 more birds to the collectionas my son is sending me his Cockatiel and 3 Parakeets from Alaska. He will claim them when he gets stationed stateside he is in the USAF.
Well you asked and I told you in a few short sentences. I love my babies and hope soon that my Cockatiels will mate and I will have Babies!
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:12 pm
My birds are many my time is few I am a hand feeder that is into rescue and education with parrots to children and adults so how do you do?
I care for all birds both wild and tame I don’t like pet horders with an Aviary name. So many people don’t know the facts so subscribe to all bird tricks has and your birds will have a happy life. We are adopting a Congo with a neck problem to teach about exploited animals in the country of Africa his name is Egor and I have cockatiels I rescued and hand fed from an Aviary that has on going psitticosis they are better and my IRN Silver who loves Jesus and is prophetic and a Senagal who likes to play tricks on people ringing like the phone to make you chase it. Our birds are family we’ve had them several years they keep mom going she’s on dialisis.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
My birds are my world, like my children to me. I make shore they get all there needs, toys, good food and love. I do help out with a rescue centre and I am a co-ordinator here in Australia. I also have my own forum to help people with care and training of their loved ones. SmileysBirds it’s called.
My very first companion was when I was working for a zoo. They would have a few un-wanted pets there. I had birds for years, but never knew the potenial of tame ones.
You mite say they have taken over my life now lol.. I don’t mind that I cannot travel like most people do. I would have over 200 birds, but only about 13 large too’s are tame ones and about 50 of the smaller birds. Most are re-home ones I have.
One part of training I realy love is clicker training, it works very well. Beening doing this for many years now. Have a few that will do tricks..
You could here all day long, but I have birds to tend to now, so I’ll leave it short and sweet.
Take care,
Smiley
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Hi,
When I was a young girl, my mother had a couple of cockateils. I remember the joys of hearing them sing.
A few years ago, I was checking out some birds at a bird fair and saw the most beautiful baby ever. She was a female eclectus. I went home and did a lot of research on the bread. I learned of their sizes, colorings, general traits, and social skills. Since I have two kids and drive a truck with my husband, these social skills really caught my interest. So, I began asking breaders and pet stores what they knew about this bird.
I now have a female (Cherry) and a male (Joe Green). They are the most wonderful friends. They go in the truck with my husband and I and are with us all the time. We even take them into the truck stops for showers.
Cherry and Joe love my kids as well and look forward to playing with them when we get home.
I am very pleased with my feathered friends. They have taught us a great deal of respect for birds in general including the wild critters.
They are more than pets to us and are treated like part of the family, even at meat times. They are never caged, except to go to the vet, go inside to take a shower, or other needed times as such. The birds love the truck and enjoy meeting new people. They get offended when a new person comes into our truck and they do not get to meet them and make a new friend.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I always loved looking at the birds in the pet stores. I have so many (11) animals, I didn’t think I could have a bird. Wow was I wrong. I walked into the bird aviary at petco and there he was…. Sunny a beautiful sun conure.. Out of all the birds in there his color caught my eye. Then he screech at me to get my attention. I went over to his cage and he reached for me with his feet. As I bravely put my face to the cage he kissed me. I came back to see Sunny 5 different times. I then decided to talk to the manager. He said he wasn’t tame and they were trying to work with him. It was hard for them to catch him and take him out of his cage. So I tried…. After 5 min. he was hang out on my finger then to my shoulder. So I guess you can say he picked me. He has quiet the personality. He is total my bird and as my husband says in love with me. I am a home body so we are together almost 24/7. He travels on all our vacations. He has a bird harness so he can go on the boat and go fishing with us ,which he absolutely loves. He gets along with all my other animals. I have trained him to say Hi, Shake, and hang like a bat also he plays peek a boo and kisses. Thanks to your training video’s. Still having trouble with the talking though. At night he sleeps inside my shirt until i go to bed. He is much more then my pet he is my terrible two’s baby.
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I’d always been a dog person, but as I got older, my interest in birds grew stronger. I’ve also been dabbling in animal communication, and became curious about how animals thought and felt. I get along well with cats and dogs but never understood life from a birds point of view, so I decided the best way to start was to adopt a lovebird. My boss at the time, about six years ago, had daughters that were raising baby lovebirds, and asked me to take one. When I got her home I had no idea what to do with her, but with the help of the internet and a couple of books that I found, we bonded beautifully. I named her Bebe, because love birds in my view should have French names. She had free range of the house when I was home but stayed happily in her cage when I was not, and my dog learned easily enough she was not a toy, so we had a great life. Through her I found that birds are capable of a range of emotions and personality traits just like any dog or cat and their little brains are always ticking. I got hooked on the energy lift Bebe gave us. I enjoyed staying home and spending time with her. When she died after a tragic accident, I went through a terrible withdrawl and adopted another bird to fill the void she left us with. I now have a Myers Parrot, Charlie, who is a joy, but a big challenge. There are still many things I have to learn about a bird’s point of view, and the holes in my arms and chin are testiment to my ignorance, but together we are figuring things out. I’ve adopted another dog, who seems to get along well enough with Charlie, and Charlie seems happier about being part of a bigger “flock”. I hope she stays with us for a long and happy life. I can’t imagine ever being without birds in my life. I’ve learned to respect all of my pets and consider all of their needs with every decision I make. Even a bird needs to feel appreciated.