My start was in High School. At my part-time job one of my co-workers came up to me with a box. He said he caught a parakeet that had flown into the store. We all buzzed around the box wondering where the little yellow bird had come from and I quickly volunteered to take care of it. I admit I didn’t try at all to find it’s previous owner. I was so fascinated with this bird that I had to do everything I could to make sure it was my next pet. All I had at home were fish tanks so that was it’s first cage. Because of it’s antics in the tank, I named it Spazz. I had a crash course in bird care at the local pet store. Spazz was a female lutino budgerigar and still considered young, and she had a cold. We spent the first week of our life together figuring out how to take medicine. I learned that week her biggest fear. She was not fond of hands and trusted me as far as she could throw me – not at all! But she was so cute and sang so beautifully and was so full of spunk that I fell madly in love with her. I tried so hard to overcome that little bird’s distrust, but she never got past her fear of hands so I set her up with stuff that could be serviced from outside the cage so that she didn’t have to deal with mine unless absolutely necessary. Turned out that was once a year in the spring when she would develope that respiratory cold and I’d have to medicate her. My sweet little girl who was so afraid of hands was the easiest bird to medicate that I’ve ever had. She was a smart little thing. She understood that if she cooperated I’d let her go. She woke me every morning with her chubbling and would screech to get me to uncover her cage. I even got her a companion so she wouldn’t be lonely when I went to college. I had to leave her home. I was so sad. But I came home every weekend to see her. My family thought I was home to see them. :) She was a little escape artist! It was becoming clear how she could have found herself outside. Especially since, once out of her cage, she did everything she could to avoid people. She lived 7 years in my care and finally succumed to that chronic illness. I spent the years from there to marriage missing her beautiful songs. It’s funny how, every now and then, I could hear her even though there were no birds in the house. We have a large flock now, mostly budgies. I still miss her.

We live with three parrots at home. One greenckeek conure and two senegal parrots. They are out of the cage all the time. They are adorable, happy, messy…. everything. We coudn’t imagine our lives without them…. They are so playful and lovable!!! One of them even takes a nap wiht me when I do so. Of course they have a shower with us as well, and breakfast, and lunch….. They are all to us!

It was her laugh that captured me, and the way she looked at me with her head cocked sideways. Tampa was the store bird at a pet store I worked in when I was in high school. She way a yellow naped amazon, and to this day the amazons are my favorite birds. I had never thought a bird could have such a personality. She loved to hang out with me when I fixed the food for the puppies. She would take the spoon that I was using to mix warm water in their dry food and hold it in one foot and eat off the end of it just like a person would. She would take a dislike to certain people too, for no reason that I could see, and she’d attempt to bite them as I walked past with her on my shoulder. Tampa wasn’t for sale, and even if she had been I couldn’t afford her, so I had to put my love for her out of my mind. It broke my heart several years later I learned that she had passed away, in fact the store lost every single bird, when a wild caught parrot brought in some kind of infection. (This was years ago when it was rare for us to see any domestically bred birds.) I avoided parrots for a long time afterwards. I let my guard down though, and picked up a baby yellow nape in another pet store 20 years later. Although I didn’t purchase that bird just holding it had me hooked. I adopted a green cheek amazon a few months later and I am now owned by four parrots. My birds are such an important part of my life that I am now fostering homeless parrots for a rescue group and helping with their adoption program.

THE GREEN DANCER who changed my life……… When you really want something in life, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. I never believed in it until it happened to me. Life is strange and I have experienced that relief comes from places we are not looking at and when it is least expected. This story is about me and my journey from a girl to a woman who never thought would be so crazily in love with birds who I consider as my non human kids. I’ll never forget the day of 14th march 2007. This day changed my life and how I perceived birds. I always had a soft spot for small animals and wanted to have a pet since childhood. My mother who is a dog person had lost her dogs when she was young and didn’t have the heart to go through the same pain again. So the only pet I had till the age of 23 was fish. I remember I once got to keep a baby monkey at the age of 4 who was lost and was crying for a day and I still have clear memories of the happiness I had experienced. Few years later my dad gifted me 2 adult Indian Ringnecks commonly known as the Green Parrot in India for my 9th birthday. This was the first time I had seen birds so closely but I was naïve, didn’t know what to do. I could make out even at the age of 9 that they were wild birds n not bred. Poor things must have been captured and kept in that small round cage with no food or water. I tried to do my best but nothing I did would make them happy. I could feel that all they desired was to be free again.. So finally after having them for around 15 days I decided to free them. It was our ‘Independence Day’. I opened the cage and as soon as I did they took off without any hesitation. Their flight of freedom left me in tears but I was happy for them. That night I dreamed about them, happy with their flock telling them stories about me. Next day I heard noises in my balcony and when I stepped out I was thrilled to see my birds were back. They didn’t allow me to touch them but ate food from my hand and took off again. God(Nature) had given me the greatest gift. I didn’t see them for next 11 days but they were back on the 12 day and that was the last time I saw them. I still think about them. I like to think they are still happy and alive. I pray that both of them have found a mate and made lots of babies. I wish I had the knowledge I do now, back then. But those birds didn’t belong to me. They belonged in the wild. I continued my journey of life, getting busy with studies, job and other problems that come along as a part of growing up. The memories of childhood faded away. Then came the day, in the year 2007 that changed my life. My close friend came to stay over. She had an IRN back home and she told me stories about him. I listened to them like a young child and became very interested as I had never seen a bird do all that, what she said. We decided to fetch him and we did. I remember the exact moment and how it happened. For me it was love at first sight. The moment he saw my friend his eyes lit up and he started calling her ‘Mitthu’ which he calls every human he mets. Anyway for me that was no less than a miracle as I had never seen a bird talk and dance before. He seemed so happy and lively even in a small rusty cage. He was named Mitthi. The next few days made me fall in love with him even more. My friend said that he hate strangers and hisses n even bites them. But nothing of that happened with me. Before I knew it, he was giving me kisses and dancing and calling me. He even let me change the paper towel in his cage. And all I did was sing to him. My friend was amazed and so was I. After he left I thought about him every single day. I was in love with those eyes and not to forget those dance moves. I begged my mother to get me a bird. I didn’t care about the lifespan and the time it will live. All I wanted was to give a bird a happy loving home and this time I was ready. I got my first bird from a petshop a month later. I had never seen a bird(cockatiel) with so many colors. I had to get him.. I named him PIDDU which means tiny as I had not seen a bird tinier than him. I didn’t know what to do with it, what to feed him, how to bathe him. I was like a new mother with a baby who knew nothing . i learnt everything I know today from the internet and also from other bird owners abroad. This bird gave me so much love and attention that I would visit petshops, stand and stare at birds and wonder what kind of personality each one had. But still I couldn’t forget that Green Dancer that had left a deep impact on my heart. I met him many times after that and those meetings made me want him even more. I could see that my friend did not follow the rules or read about bird care and didn’t care. I tried teaching her but all in vain. In the meantime my flock grew from one to 6 birds. The first bird that I adopted was similar to my first pet and is a cockatiel too. He is named DODO. He was illtreated at the petshop and so I had to rescue him. I needed to be very patient with this one as he had gone through a lot of abuse. I remember he would faint with fear many a time when i tried to touch him. His bites would always leave my fingers bloody. Now he is the sweetest bird who sings to get my attention and hops around happily. Music is something that helped me to bond with DODO. Everytime I would sing to him he would let me touch n even pet him. I went through a phase where I used to cry looking at birds in pain and just wanted to save every bird and bring them home but sadly that’s not possible. Anyway my friend went through a bad phase in life and completely neglected Mitthi. Sorry to say but didn’t care about the nutrition or even changing the water. I prayed for mitthi to be with me since I met him. I knew in my heart that is bird belonged to me and then after 3.5 years of waiting period I got that phone call. The voice on the other side told me that she will release him in the wild as she no longer wanted him. I panicked and said “don’t do that he will die. Just give him to me”. She agreed immediately. The next day, 21st Aug 2010 I drove for almost 2 hours to get him. All the way I thought finally I will have the bird that changed my life and now it’s my chance to change his. I saw him in the same old rusted cage that had not been cleaned for weeks. I couldn’t recognize him. Was he the same bird??? His face was full of pins as a result of bad molting and beak dirty. The water was cloudy and full of his own poop. That moment I realized my friend seriously didn’t want him anymore. On our way back I had the music on to cheer him up and I kept talking to him but all I got was silence and sadness in those eyes. I remember telling him that his life is about to change. The worse is over. I could see his spirit had been broken and it took around a month before he made any kinda sound. Everyday we would spend time together and he would look into my eyes asking for answers. Asking me why did they give me away after 7 years of love I gave them?? What was my fault that they never even called to ask about me?? But love always finds a way. Always. Today Mitthi is in love again, with me. He has a routine, lots of toys to play with, nutritious food n most importantly clean water to drink. But now the problem is he thinks he is a dog not a parrot. He growls like one and tries to play with my other dog, scoobie who is a cocker spaniel and both of them follow me around all day.. He couldnt walk or fly when he came to me but he is getting better with time. I just pray that he has a long, happy and healthy life with his forever mom, me and a life full of love. Cheers to the green bird who changed my life.. Who made me believe in love and taught me how to love again.. People say I rescued my birds but if u ask me it’s the other way round! An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language… Only some are blessed to be able to listen to it….

Hi Catalyst Spark, Your post made me cry. I know you know that you are not responsible for Phoenix’s loss as you were a child and matters were completely out of your control. I also understand that hearing that doesn’t change your feelings that you failed to protect her. I can hear the suffering you are still experiencing in your words. Know this: your traumatic youth brought a special purpose to the life of one precious cockatiel. Many children abused to this degree find themselves unable to form a bond with anyone or anything. Phoenix kept your ability to love strong and intact. The best way you can honor her memory is by continuing to care deeply, so that the gift she gave you is never lost. You might, at some point, consider rehoming a troubled parrot. It is very therapeutic to help mend the broken world of another that is suffering. Somehow in doing so, one often finds that they are also repairing their own life. Enjoy Lucia and Yamato. I would like nothing more than to see a happy ending to your story. Patty

I never thought I’d have any kind of pet since I live in a small apartment. But I’ve always loved animals, especially birds, and used to go to pet shops to visit the birds there. One day I met this cockatiel in a bin full of cockatiels. She jumped up onto my hand. I talked to her for a while, then put her back and started to leave the store. She ran to the front of the bin and just stared at me. The people in the pet shop were stunned. I went home but couldn’t stop thinking about her. I visited her one more time, went home again. My husband looked at my face. “You need to go get that bird.” I turned around, ran out, went and got her. Seven years later she is still with me, along with many, many other birds of all kinds. My life has changed for the better, all because of my little Phoebe. She’s my angel.

I own a pet store in Johannesburg South Africa,and have been breeding and raising baby parrots of all descriptions for the past thirty years,which I am absolute passionate about. Personally I have had various parrots as pets in my life,but I presently have a Jardine parrot which I love like my own child. My parrot,whose name is Gypsy is my constant companion,and is with me 24 hours a day.He goes to work with me every day,goes on deliveries with me me,goes to restaurants with me ,and I am absolutely mad about him. The last thing I would like to say is that he has never lived in a cage since I got him and raised him ,which was 13 years ago.

I was always extremely affraid of birds. I was in the third grade walking home from school (in NYC) and a pigeon landed on my shoulder and scared me half to death. I wanted to get over my fear (and I had tried in the past two other times). My husband is an animal lover and all animals love him, so he said he’d help me with my fear but he wanted to get a bird that talked, so we got Lizzy (quaker). She was only 3 months old when we got her and it took me probably two months before I could reach in and touch her with my bare hand (I wore a light weight glove at first). Unfortunately as of last year she has bonded totally with my husband and bites at me with meaning, so my fear has come back somewhat with Lizzy. I did however buy a parakeet (Jake) figuring a smaller bird would help me so I don’t become totally afraid of all birds again. I go to Lizzy’s cage everyday, twice a day and talk to her and I’m the one who still gives her her treats when we get home from work. Having Jake does help with my fear and I’m sure I’ll be friends again with Lizzy before too long.

My addiction is genetic…I have an old sepia photograph of my great grandfather, taken around 1900, showing him sitting with his two pets: his sable collie and his macaw. (From the facial markings and size it looks to be a greenwing.) I remember my mother’s stories about her grandfather’s bird. Growing up, we were in hard times financially, so the pet we could best afford was a parakeet. We were given one by a neighbor who was a breeder, and that started my first love affair. That bird lived for 8 or 9 years and was loose much of the time. I could take her outside and she would fly free and always return to my head. I accumulated other small birds when people wanted to “get rid” of their parakeets and cockatiels, and I took a few in. Fast forward to adulthood, I now have two beautiful macaws that I rescued from a terrible situation, and am so fortunate to have been able to win their hearts. They have a great life here…we built our home with a large atrium/aviary inside and they also have an outdoor aviary. We live remotely on top of a high hill with views all around, and I allow the blue and gold to fly free as long as the harlequin is in the aviary as an “anchor” bird. I can visualize many bird owners reading this as shuddering, but trust me, they are extremely safe and I would never put them in harm’s way. However they are allowed to be what God intended them to be and they are SO happy, and I think, a bit grateful to be here instead of where they spent 7 miserable years.

I am a Brit, born and raised, and so, I am an animal lover, period. But, when I was young, bird watchers were considered a strange breed, and I kept my distance from such groups. In my mature years, here in Canada, I was startled to find that I was totally commited to the preservation of wild birds, which included noting their habits and presence in our area….I had become one of THEM! You ask why I love birds….the first thing that comes to mind is their intelligence. I have befriended many wild ones for many reasons, and their obvious smart decisions belie the oft used phrase “bird brain”. I’ve since been gifted a parrot who, apart from being beautiful, is distinguished by his amazing ability to reason. He even seems to understand our jokes, and “laughs” before we do! This dear little companion is a delight to us, and he seems to have adjusted to our every daily routine, whether it involves him, or not. His amazing perception extended lately to a sad event in our home, where we had to euthanize our 20 year old cat. Our sweet little bird actually said “bye” as our beloved cat left this world. Now, that’s not just a bird, that’s a friend! Deana

For me, birds were all I had growing up. I was a severely abused child, and I am not talking just locked in a room and denied food, I am talking 30% of my body is permanently scarred from abuse, my joints injured and healed wrong, PTSD and emotional scars run deep. I also have sever nerve damage from my injuries of being chased down by my so-called father’s truck, beaten mercilessly and throw into things my whole youth. Through it all, even when I felt alone, I had only one companion, a yellow pearl cockatiel who I adopted from my aunt. Her name was Phoenix, she wasn’t a young bird, she was actually about ten when I got her. Every time I was hurt she’d open her cage, which she knew how to do since before I got her, and would fly over to me, sitting on my shoulder trying to cheer me up. For years that little yellow angel was all I had, the only being on this Earth I lived for and the only one that kept me going from day to day. Even though I was young, I protected her from him, and she always was there afterwards, on my shoulder as I wrapped up my arms or braced my wrist after one of my so-called father’s little violent outbursts, grooming my hair and nibbling my ear. She was all I had, all I loved growing up, the only one there for me. People think they don’t understand, but when you have a little bird on your shoulder, trying to lick away the tears while you’re picking glass out of your skin, showing that they care for you, you know they DO feel, they DO understand, and they do know when you need them. Sadly, when foster care finally stepped in, only days after I was told that Phoenix was gone, he said he gave her away but I still think that asshole killed her, to this day I believe he killed her because of what she meant to me, foster care wouldn’t let me bring her with me, she was all I had, and without me there to protect her, I know how cold that so called father of mine was, I seriously think he killed her out of spite. Since then, I have never been able to accept any other creature as a friend or equal, I honestly hold birds in higher regards than I do human being because of her, she was all I had, and, I still feel guilty for not being able to protect her because of foster care not letting me take her with me. It took them years and dozens of police reposts to do anything, and then they took my only friend from me by not allowing me to protect her! To this day, I tell people my life is not complete without a bird in the home, I’m an adult now, 23 years old, all this happened some 9 years ago, but to this day, I cannot be without the companionship of a bird. I’m happy to now share my home with two, a Sun Conure named Lucia, and a Quaker parrot named Yamato. They are my world, and, though I failed to keep Phoenix safe, I know I will NOT let ANYTHING or ANYONE bring these two babies to harm. I’m not the scared child who couldn’t protect Phoenix anymore, these two will never have to go through that she did because of him.

My ex-husband never let me have a bird, so when I got my freedom I made a bee-line to PetSmart and bought a parakeet. I was scared of it though. I’d never been around birds. My date came to pick me up and saw me throwing a sheet over the bird the pick him up. He laughed about it and showed me how to train the bird. We soon got married and bought a conure as a mutual wedding present. We also got divorced, but remain friends with birds as a big part of our friendship. We’re teaching our kids to also respect and love birds.

When i was about 10 years old i saw an amazone in a pet store. The bird looked sad and were placed in a cage tht was way too small for the birds size. The first thought that went through my 10 years old animal loving mind was “if i had the money i’d help this bird out of this awful place!”. Ofcourse i didnt have 2000$ (yes it was that expensive!) so i had to realise that my wish to help had to be put on hold. In 2008 I spoke to my parents because i felt a serious need for something that was 100% my own – a creature i could love and care for many years which I shouldn’t share as the family dog. They understood – or atleast my mom did, my dad wondered how i could get a relstionship tht close with something silly as a bird, but when my beautiful bluefronted amazone Cookie had been in the house for a week he had made everyone fall comepletely in love with him. He was hand fed and comepletely safe with people – and truly my boy through sickness and health ;) A year later i moved in with my boyfriend and therefor i got my second parrot ( amazona vinaecea vinaecea) who is my little princess :) so now i have my own little family

How did I become a bird owner….. A little old couple came knocking on my door one day and said “is that your bird?”, that was the only time I’ve ever seen that old couple. So, I had never been a bird owner, never really considered myself to be a bird owner and knew very little about them. My first job was to let the local animal shelters and bird societies know about our little friend. But what kind of bird was it….. He’s a yellow thighed caique. One of the first things the internet tells you about caiques is that if you’ve never been a parrot owner before stay away from caiques as they can be a little difficult to handle. The other is that in England yellow thighed caiques are few and far between. No one ever came for him and I’m not the type to cast out an orphan. So now some years later ‘Mango’ is a firm fixture in our lives. It takes a lot of research and loads of careful training, along with great advise (cheers, Chet). But now he’s potty trained goes to his cage as requested (*****with a cheese bribe, kinda like his scooby snack****). He gives you endless amounts of love and frustration. You have to completely re arrange your house and never, EVER leave pencils out, he’s like a blood hound for pencils, Which as my Mrs is a teacher can be a bit of an issue. Best way to descried Mango is a Ferret with wings. Cute, loveable, your friend for life. With that friendship we have our ups and downs but I would never be without him, which is a good job because he’s 3 years old and I’m 37, only 27 years of his life left…. Keep smilin’ and love your birds as they love you…

In July, 2007, I suffered a heart attack which included 29 resuscitations, having 3 stents inserted and a triple bypass. It would be fair to say this came as a shock. Surviving this was one thing, getting through the recovery and rehabilitation process was another. Depression and getting over this became a real challenge as did the need for me to reassess my life and lifestyle. One of the things that helped me to do this was becoming involved in caring for wildlife. A few years before my heart attack, my wife became involved in Wildcare, specifically looking after and rehabilitating injured parrots including galahs, lorikeets, sulphur crested cockatoos and corellas. Whilst I had helped out a little, this really was my wife’s “baby”. This all changed about six months after my heart attack when a particular bird visited us one day and decided to make our house a regular stop on a daily basis. We called her Honky and she is a Western long bill corella and so named after her particular barking call. It was clear that at some stage this bird had been tame but had obviously either escaped or been let loose and had taken up with a local flock of short bill corellas, some of which had been visiting us on a regular basis. Interacting with this particular bird really opened my eyes and became a joy and something both my wife and I looked forward to each day, and still do. Not long after, my wife did a rescue and came across an Eastern long bill corella which also appeared to have once been tame – although not as tame as Honky. We called this one Gilly and later found out it is a male. Because he had wing damage – looked like someone had butchered part of a wing – and he could not fly properly, we adopted Gilly and he became my soul mate and when I do my daily exercise, he does his “exercises” with me and without doubt he became part of my motivation to not only exercise daily but to get over my depression at the time. Then in early 2009, my wife was given another eastern long bill that we thought was a female to be a companion bird for Gilly. We named it Tzippy and they were together in a large aviary until late last year when they started fighting and we did a DNA test on Tzippy to find that she was a he – as a result we have to separated them due to fighting. We also have adopted a four galahs and two princess parrots and last week another western long bill corella and today an indian ringneck. Our birds have become very important to both my wife and I, and I would urge anyone recovering from heart surgery, or any illness for that matter, to find an activity or passion toward which they can draw positive energy and direction from. Caring for and looking after injured birds has helped me overcome my illness and depression and for this I am very grateful.

My three parrots give us at home all the love, attention and happyness for free. They are the most generous and interactive creatures in the earth. And very messy too….. I love them!!!

I have severial birds, 2 parrots, parkeet, love bird and a canary. They are all woderful..They have their own ways, they even boss me, tell me when their out of food.. Shower me when they bath! They sing to me, tweet and screech like a owl……They sit on my hands or arms, shoulder, nibble on my ear, Marley gives me a kiss on the lips, and eats dinner with us. My other grunts his words out, gets in trouble, and tries to pick a fight with me!They are very spoiled birds! I give them my heart and soul! They come to me on their own, I wouldn’t know what to do without them….They keep me company more than people……..They are really loving birds……..thanks for letting me share! I have loved birds since i was very little girl……

My love of birds began 8 months before my 16th birthday. I was at Petco with my brother getting some dog supplies. We were walking out to pay and we passed the bird section. As we passed I saw this stunning yellow and orange bird with green wings and green spattered on his head. I ran over to see what the bird was called but had forgotten the name on the way home. I immediately went to the internet and started looking at descriptions of birds, hoping I could find a picture of the bird I saw. To this day I dont know if it was a sun conure or a jenday I saw in that petco. But I did eight months of research on sun conures and fell in love with the ones on videos and in pictures. I received one for my birthday and we kicked it off! He was my baby, I would have done anything for him! He was my baby Linius. We got him from a local breeder who sold him for 250$ to us. He was 10 months old when we were cleaning our carpets and put him and his cage outside. We didnt want the fumes to hurt him after all. We put our dog in the backyard to guard the cage. Sadly my dog’s friend decided to come over that day. He tipped the cage and took my beloved baby from me. Linius was a great bird. He and I did everything together. The ladies at the bird store knew him from our weekly trips there. People at petco knew him for his friendliness and how he helped people to see how great these birds can be, and how loud haha. He touched so many lives with his ten month old one. He started my passion for birds. Since his death I’ve taken in his brother, named Xander, and I have two parakeets named Tapa and Tio. I enjoy taking Xander out to pick up where Linius left in educating people about sun conures and parrots in general. I really do love birds so much and its almost like an addiction because I just want to care for so many, but my three are all I need and I love them so much.

My first bird was Gypsie the Galah. a friend called me early one morning to tell me that she had found a wild galah walking up the street and had caught it. seeing that she was inexperenced with large birds she asked if i could take a look at it for her. as soon as i looked at the bird i could tell that it was maybe 3 or 4 weeks old. this happened through the 2008 floods that occurred in emerald QLD Australia. i took the bird at once to a vet who gave it the look over and told me that the bird had a broken wing that had healed at an odd angle and that she would never fly. I decided that it would be better to offer this bird a caring home rather then have it put down. i found out through DNA testing that it was a she and got named Gypsie (gypsie rose lee – rose breasted cockatoo) after around 6 months of training and taming she became very tame and was allowed out of her cage for some fun walking around the house and chewing anything she could find. one day the door slammed shut in the wind and low and behold she could fly, straight to my shoulder. that was over 3 years ago and she is still with me. we walk through the park together, do the grocery shopping, the people are amazed at how close we are and that she comes back with just a whistle from me. she is part of the family now and will be for many years to come.

Hi Meg, The fact is that there is a lot being done in the forward progression of the Angus case. I have been asked by the people involved NOT to post info that I have because it will affect the outcome of this case. I was asked to wait until the end of this week to post anything, and all I can say is that it’s being handled. We want this guy prosecuted, right? In order to assure a successful prosecution, everyone has to abide by legalities, and the wrong things said right now can result in this losing this case. I asked for people to sign the petition. It is the overwhelming outpouring of disgust that has given the RSPCA the understanding that they need to sink their limited resources into this case. Phone calls do not work because they are not recorded or tallied, they just tie up the phone lines and keep people from doing the work we are asking them to do. Petitions are documented proof of our demands. This guy still has yet to be found since he took off with Angus. That is priority number one! It is being handled, but it will be played by the books. I want this guy nailed to the wall and I am not willing to risk that not happening by saying too much. Patty

This seems really weird to me. We all read the story about Angus. Everyone wrote to say how horrible it was. I wrote and told people that I had found out how to call them – now THAT would put some pressure on them. phone calls from the US and no one even commented. It cost me about 5.00 to call them. Nothing. Even weirder: No update from Chet & Dave Womach! Nothing. It’s like “ISN’T THIS HORRIBLE?! Now movin’ on” I’ve really lost some faith in this website and in Chet and Dave. I would think they would have had the info on how to phone from the beginning – if I could get it why couldn’t they – and that once I did get it that they would send out another email passing it on to all of you since we don’t seem to read each other’s posts.

I never knew the joy of having a bird until a friend of ours had to leave his pied cockatiel, and to my husband’s dismay, I volunteered us as a bird-sitter until our friend returned. We were living on the Big Island of Hawaii at the time and our friend, whose wife had just passed away, needed to attend to his affairs back on the mainland for an indeterminate amount of time. I was nervous but had met Pecky a few times and thought, what a nice little guy, and how difficult would it be to care for him? Up to this point I had almost no experience with birds except to see them in the wild and at pet stores. I’ve always loved birds, just never had one of my own. When Pecky came to live with us, Thom assured us he would be a great addition to our one-cat household. He had a nice sized cage and didn’t seem to mind being in it. Thom went over the basics and it was so apparent that Thom really loved the little guy and was truly sad to leave him behind. He told us how Pecky liked to eat green salads and spaghetti, sticky rice, and anything he ate. We took Thom to the airport and we came home and just looked at Pecky sitting nervously in his cage shaking and frightened. He saw the cat and the cat saw him, and he was obviously nervous to see this black cat with gold eyes peering in. Not sure if he had ever been this close to a cat before. I told the cat that this is MY bird and if he wants one, he would have to get his own! After a few days, they got used to each other. I had been taking Pecky out of his cage several times per day to let him get acclimated to me. I offered him different fruits and veggies, but he had a taste for steak and baked potato! He still eats veggies, but prefers chips and popcorn. He became very cuddly and loved to be held – just as long as I would hold him. My husband began to warm up to Pecky as well. He would come home from work and the bird would call to him excitedly, which we would laugh and soon Pecky laughed, too! He started saying different things, some of which we couldn’t decipher due to the high pitch of his voice. Living in Hawaii we always had windows and doors open, and Pecky loved this. (his wings were clipped) He would walk outside to the pool and jump up on the lounge chair. Sometimes the cat would be sleeping on the chair and the bird would find a spot to sit with him. He was very free all of the time we lived there. He put himself to bed at night in his cage – when he was tired, he simply went into the room where his cage was kept, got in and settled on his perch for the night. I feel that Pecky came into my life at a time when I really needed him. I lost my mom to cancer the year before and at the time was unemployed.. and life was kind of a bummer for me. He was my little buddy and made my days brighter. Thom came back for visits, but he realized that Pecky found a new and loving home with us. He said he was glad it was us who volunteered to take him because it was obvious we loved the little guy…so we were his permanent family now. We moved to the mainland and Pecky and the cat came with us. It’s not the same as living in Hawaii, but hopefully Pecky will be able to go out in the yard when the weather is better. He has been with us almost 5 years now. He is smart and listens to my every word. When he needs a bath he jumps into the kitchen sink and waits for me to turn on the water. We are happy to have him around, bird poop and all. I tell my friends I’m glad he’s not a big parrot because it’s easy to clean up his little droppings!

My first experience with birds was at my gret aunts as my mum’s cousin John had racing pidgeons, I just found it so natural to help him with his chores cleaning them out while they were out flying around, putting them in basketsready to go away to fly home and on the day of the race I would sit in a deck chair with book and pencils timeing them in when he called out the name and no. Sadly we moved away I pestered my parents for a bird they bought me a budgie as a birthday surprise, I was sad as I was hoping for a pair of pidgeons and a loft for them dad explained it would cost a lot of money and that there was no local clubs where I could go to race them. I was upset but old enough to understand it wasnt practicable so gave all my love to my little budgie reading all I could find out about them, many of the books having articles on other birds this just fed my love for a variety of birds that I doubted I would every see let alone keep it also enhanced my love of wild birds that I had always fed in our garden.

Suprisingly, I never had a love of birds, until I had a Blue & Gold Macaw named Dozer thrust upon me. ;-) Although I never hated birds, they just didn’t hold any kind of interest for me. I could never figure out ‘bird people’. How could someone like creatures that couldn’t be held or petted like a dog or a cat? About three years ago, my fiance’ informed me that he saw an ad for a Blue & Gold Macaw for sale. The owners were a newly blended family and the macaw they had didn’t ‘fit’. I really was against even the idea of even looking at the bird. Again, I was happy with our dog, Lola, and didn’t see the appeal or reason for a bird. However, when my fiance’ told me that his one lifelong dream was to own a Blue & Gold, I couldn’t say no. How could I deny an attainable dream for someone I love? And how was I to know that I would soon be the one in love. We went to meet Dozer on a cold February night, and I still wasn’t convinced. Although I thought he was cool, I really had no interest in having him join our household, but I agreed to the adoption. Dozer came home with us, and for many months, I was very hesitant and quite honestly, terrified of handling him. Everytime that powerful beak made a lunge for my hand, I yelled out in fear. I think the moment Dozer & I fell in love was when I decided I was going to take the plunge (bite or not) and stroke his back. To my amazement, he let me do it. My fiance’ (who was the one who wanted him, remember) had not even been able to do this. I was soon able to read his body language, and recognize the meanings in his screams. And Dozer quickly selected me as his ‘mate’. To this day, he and I have a very special, loving relationship. He greets only me with ‘Hi Baby’ followed by a wolf whistle. I’m the only one he gives very gentle ‘tongue kisses’ to (he touches my lip with his tongue.) And he loves holding my finger while announcing ‘Crackers?’, the name he gives to all things that give him pleasure. My Dozie has made me completely fall in love with birds. And the funny thing is, I’ve found I have a natural affinity with many parrots, but especially Blue & Golds. I could never imagine my life now without a bird in it… nor would I want to. I’m blessed daily with the love of a parrot named Dozer.

My story is not as elaborate as others here, nonetheless, close and dear to my heart. :) I was introduced to birds by a close and dear friend of mine who owned a sun conure who at one point in his life was being abused by another family, in result, my friend landed with this little guy. Baily, the sun conure, had developed a potty mouth and used it frequently.. it was clear as a bell when you least wished it to be! ( insert shocked face syndrome). lol I had never been around birds and this was the least of all birds I would have picked to be around for my first encounter. Bailey decided he took a liking to me and decided we were going to be best of friends.. he obviously did not check that out with me first because I probably would have detested the idea due to his non chilvalristic mannerisms and his potty mouth. But as fate has it.. we did become good friends. He taught me how to bob my head up and down and I taught him how to shimmy your hips from side to side in a dance. He taught me that bird kisses are cooler than anything and I taught him that scratches on the neck are like a day at the spa. We visited one another often and even had luncheon dates. After about 2 years of this, I decided to step out on my own and become a bird owner. I did a ton of research, learning all the in’s and out’s of proper bird care and good nutition. I learned about bahaviors and the what and what not to do’s. … I was ready…. time to find my bird mate. :) … I went to a pet store that had nothing but holistic approaches to all their wonderful lil critters. As I turned the corner inside the store.. there sat this HUGE red and green and blue looking bird. It’s beak was larger than life and it’s feet were bigger than mine..lol But there was something about that bird that called me over to her. I put my hand on the cage and said a few nice words and she came over and placed her head on my finger and gave me this look of love. SOLD!!! I was now a Green Wing Macaw owner with a new cage the size of my master bedroom..life, from this point forward was about to become interesting! I paniced at first, being scared that I would not adhere to her every whim and call.. She had me running around like a dog in heat.. I was a great slave to her in the beginning! Then one day.. as I was googling I ran across Birdtricks.com ( insert the heavens gates opening up and the harps and trumpets blowing) :) Life for me and my Gizzy were about to drastically change. I was no longer going to be a slave, She was not longer going to be the Master… we were about to be on even grounds with mustual respect and love. ( insert meditation and peace of mind) lol I ordered my first round of Bird education from Birdtricks… impatiently awaiting the mails arrival from day to day… then one day.. it showed up. I ripped into it and put the CD in as fast as I could. To my amazement, my first reaction was… “what do you mean they are not suppose to be acting like this, this isn’t natural to be my birds slave and her scream at the top of her lungs for me” ? lol My next amazement, I could not belive my bird was not suppose to bite the holy bejesus out of me and leave scares that a war zone could have made!!!! This was getting better and better by the minute. I started the changes as instructed right away… so we had some clashing moments of ideals, but she came around and i think she actually respected me more for it. The Cd’s kept coming, I kept ordering, and now.. I am the proud owner of 2 Macaws, one African grey on the way. My birds and I have an amazing relationship with complete mutual respect and love and life in my household is in full operating bliss. I could not imagine my life without them, nor could they without me in theirs. We are bonded for life !! I now do special childrens show and tells at the schools with my babies and teach them about proper bird care and handling, with Gizzy and percy ( my blue and gold) doing a few tricks for some treats on the side. They are wonderful with kids and love to be around people showing off for momma :) Thank you Birdtricks for saving our lives and bringing forth companionship that will last an eternity!!