Bird owners?

[opethmike]

I've been involved with parrot rescue, adoption, and fostering for a while now. My girlfriend and I recently took in a 20 year old Goffin's cockatoo, and an 11 year old Shamrock macaw.

I was wondering if anyone else on here is owned by a bird?

[ccurzio]

I just bought one today. It's a two foot plastic owl.

I bought it because I have TOO MANY birds. Namely, the asshole woodpeckers that keep pecking at my house.

[sean]

Namely, the asshole woodpeckers that keep pecking at my house.

Line of the day for me, thanks Chris!
:smile:

[dmc6960]

Namely, the asshole woodpeckers that keep pecking at my house.

I'll bet you don't have one that likes to excessively peck on the METAL flue stack above your house. When you've eliminated EVERY mechanical device in the home and you still have that BANGING sound, its probably that damn woodpecker on the roof!

[Dangermouse]

I was wondering if anyone else on here is owned by a bird?

I'm married, if that counts

[dvonk]

thats cool that youre helping the parrot rescue. too many people buy birds without doing their homework and end up getting rid of them. many birds (the large Psittacines especially) are a life-long commitment.

im a Bird Keeper at the zoo, so i work with all sorts of exotics... but at home i have a Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (who is older than i am :lol: ), and my girlfriend has a Timneh African Grey and a Brown-Headed Parrot.

[DMCVegas]

Owned parakeets as a kid, and even had a cockatiel once. If I ever get the time and space I'd love to breed either chickens or peafowl. Space especially for the peafowl because I'm just so used to seeing the things run around wild, acting as alarms.

Come down south where there are wild colonies of parrots. Especially out in Southern California where colonies of Macaws in the Valley are a common sight.

[tiger38117]

Ya this thread wasn't what I expected...

One of my other toys is a Blue Bird Wanderlodge motorcoach...does that count?

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w259/bluebirdinmemphis/1996%20PT42WB/96Bird.jpg

On those forums we always call ourselves "bird owners"

:thumbup2:

[dvonk]

...at home i have a Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo who is older than i am.

i thought i would elaborate on this story, since it is actually quite interesting:

the previous owner of my bird got him as as a 'mascot' on a tour in Vietnam. back in those days there werent many regulations regarding importation of animals, so he brought the bird back to the states when his tour ended. the Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-crested_Cockatoo) species of parrot is critically endangered and listed as CITES Appendix I... i.e., trade/importation is now illegal; but the bird has been in the states since before the legislation was passed.

but yeah, my bird is a Vietnam Veteran. :hihi2:

[Tillsy]

I just bought one today. It's a two foot plastic owl.

I bought it because I have TOO MANY birds. Namely, the asshole woodpeckers that keep pecking at my house.

That's one of the funniest forum posts I've read in a long time!!! :rofl:

[jawn101]

My wife and I are very involved with birds. We currently have three permanent residents, and work with a rescue shelter (Mickaboo - http://www.mickaboo.org/) to foster abandoned/at risk/surrendered birds whenever necessary. We have two cockatiels (Dante and Teagan) and a green-cheeked conure (Pea) right now. I can't imagine not having our birds! In fact, the conure is helping me type this post as we speak.

Drop me a line if you ever want to talk birds, Mike! :)

Edit: Added one more picture of my former companion conure Basil on the hood of my D. She was frequently my co-pilot but died very suddenly of what appeared to be a heart attack. That's what got us into bird rescue in the first place.

[vwdmc16]

Sorry to hear about Basil Jon.

[opethmike]

My wife and I are very involved with birds. We currently have three permanent residents, and work with a rescue shelter (Mickaboo - http://www.mickaboo.org/) to foster abandoned/at risk/surrendered birds whenever necessary. We have two cockatiels (Dante and Teagan) and a green-cheeked conure (Pea) right now. I can't imagine not having our birds! In fact, the conure is helping me type this post as we speak.

Drop me a line if you ever want to talk birds, Mike! :)

Edit: Added one more picture of my former companion conure Basil on the hood of my D. She was frequently my co-pilot but died very suddenly of what appeared to be a heart attack. That's what got us into bird rescue in the first place.

That's awesome; John. I am involved with Second Chance Bird Rescue in Western Upstate NY.

My girlfriend and I currently have an 11 year old Shamrock macaw named Zazu, and a 20+ year old Goffin cockatoo named Buddy. Buddy came out of a very loving home, but he had to be re-homed because his owner's fiance couldn't stand the bird.

Zazu came out of a sad situation. She was bought as a baby from a pet store by her previous owner, and then pretty much left alone in a room with no toys or attention for ten years. When she surrendered Zazu to our rescue, Zazu had plucked her legs and stomach completely bald, and torn out just about half of her wing feathers. Seven months later, and I would say she has re-grown (and left in!) about 25% of the feathers she lost.

I don't have any pictures of Buddy handy, but here is a picture of Zazu:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6898041410_6f06c290f8.jpg

[dvonk]

...Seven months later, and I would say she has re-grown (and left in!) about 25% of the feathers she lost... here is a picture of Zazu:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6898041410_6f06c290f8.jpg

great news! shes looking good. im sure you know (but others here might not), its often hard to determine the cause of feather plucking, and any improvement is progress! :thumbup:

im glad to hear she finally has a good home!

[jawn101]

That's awesome; John. I am involved with Second Chance Bird Rescue in Western Upstate NY.

My girlfriend and I currently have an 11 year old Shamrock macaw named Zazu, and a 20+ year old Goffin cockatoo named Buddy. Buddy came out of a very loving home, but he had to be re-homed because his owner's fiance couldn't stand the bird.

Zazu came out of a sad situation. She was bought as a baby from a pet store by her previous owner, and then pretty much left alone in a room with no toys or attention for ten years. When she surrendered Zazu to our rescue, Zazu had plucked her legs and stomach completely bald, and torn out just about half of her wing feathers. Seven months later, and I would say she has re-grown (and left in!) about 25% of the feathers she lost.

I don't have any pictures of Buddy handy, but here is a picture of Zazu:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6898041410_6f06c290f8.jpg

That's great Mike. We just got the call that we will be fostering a Dusky Conure in the next few days. Problem is that I fall in love with the fosters and end up keeping them... and I think the foundation folks know this.

BTW: love the east end fest sweatshirt on your girlfriend. I used to LOVE going to that. Is Pearl still open down there?

[opethmike]

great news! shes looking good. im sure you know (but others here might not), its often hard to determine the cause of feather plucking, and any improvement is progress! :thumbup:

im glad to hear she finally has a good home!

Thanks! And yes indeed regarding the feather plucking. Being involved with a rescue, most of the plucking I've seen has been caused by stress/neglect, but I have seen a few involving illnesses.


That's great Mike. We just got the call that we will be fostering a Dusky Conure in the next few days. Problem is that I fall in love with the fosters and end up keeping them... and I think the foundation folks know this.

BTW: love the east end fest sweatshirt on your girlfriend. I used to LOVE going to that. Is Pearl still open down there?

Nice, conures are wonderful. Our Goffin is a foster currently, but I'm sure we'll adopt him.

Yeah, I think that Pearl is still open. When were you in the Rochester area?

[jawn101]

Nice, conures are wonderful. Our Goffin is a foster currently, but I'm sure we'll adopt him.

Yeah, I think that Pearl is still open. When were you in the Rochester area?

It's so hard not to bond with them, especially the sick or psychologically damaged ones that you help bring back. I told my wife she needs to start finding us fosters that will be easier to let go of when the time comes :)

I was in Rochester from 2000-2005 at RIT, grew up in Buffalo.

[opethmike]

It's so hard not to bond with them, especially the sick or psychologically damaged ones that you help bring back. I told my wife she needs to start finding us fosters that will be easier to let go of when the time comes :)

I was in Rochester from 2000-2005 at RIT, grew up in Buffalo.

Indeed, I know the feeling very well about the fosters.

Ah, I started at RIT in 2005. Neat to meet a fellow alum.

[Karin]

Here's a little statistic I learned that surprised me because I thought more Americans own birds than this states. Only seven percent of Americans that own pets own birds. It is actually the smallest percentage number and even the percentage of people owning exotic animals (Anything that is not a dog, a cat, a bird, or a fish) has beaten that.

I have been the proud owner of zebra finches for years. They are such cute darlings. Their beeps sound like a toy. I have grown used to talking to them at their own levels, so when I talk to them by beeping, they respond back. In total, I have taken care of eleven finches since 1998. They have come and gone during this period. Right now, I have three of them. I bought a new female a couple weeks ago after my last female passed away. Their names are Junior, Ducki, and Lucky. I don't have all the birds together, just Ducki and Lucky are paired together. I will show some pics as well as a small video I posted on Youtube that shows my birds enjoying tiny cubes of zucchini.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKXy0FaQbCA

Then here are some pictures of the adorable beeps.

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x383/Kamoodle5/IMG_0763.jpg
Ducki and Lucky dancing along under the morning sun.

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x383/Kamoodle5/IMG_0761.jpg
Here's Ducki. She's the newest member of the family.

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x383/Kamoodle5/IMG_0725.jpg
Here's Lucky. Right now he can't stop with his bell in the other room. >.<

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x383/Kamoodle5/IMG_0723.jpg
And here's Junior. He's the last bird I had from a small batch of fledglings that hatched years ago. There was only him and his sister. He is an old bird; he turned eight in February but he's still acting like he's two or three months old. As you can see, he has a knob of a toe on his right foot.

[opethmike]

Adorable little guys! Thank you for sharing!

[dvonk]

...And here's Junior. [...] He is an old bird; he turned eight in February but he's still acting like he's two or three months old.

wow, he is old! definitely older than they live in the wild. you obviously take care of them well, they look great! :thumbup:

and, since this is the 'bird thread', i thought id share this cage cleaning product: Poop-Off bird poop remover. (http://www.petco.com/product/8834/Poop-Off-Bird-Poop-And-Stain-Remover.aspx) it works really well for dissolving crusty dried bird poop. obviously from the link, they carry it at PetCo, but im sure you could find it online for cheaper. i get mine for $6.45 a bottle from a vendor at the local bird expo that takes place every 6 months. the bottle with the brush top is very handy, but the brush wears out, so i like buying the smaller bottle with a brush each time instead of the big refill jug.

protip: if you decide to try the brush top bottle, just use a small pin to puncture the inner cap instead of throwing the whole cap away like the label says... otherwise it pours out waaay too fast and wastes alot of product.

[Spittybug]

Im a Bird Keeper at the zoo,

That's just not something you hear all that often.... it's right up there with Bond, James Bond.

[dvonk]

its definitely a unique occupation! :biggrin:

[Karin]

wow, he is old! definitely older than they live in the wild. you obviously take care of them well, they look great! :thumbup:

His sister would be just as old as him if she didn't get a sudden fatal injury that costed her her life over a year ago. I was completely devastated that happened. I was hoping both of them would hit high numbers in their ages before they died. She didn't even hit seven years before she died.

I remembered it like it was yesterday when Junior and his sister were just little chicks snoozing in their next and their parents to keep them warm. Since baby zebra finches are blind during their first few days into the world, they can only rely on any sort of movements to let them know they're gonna eat. Heh, I once blew at them lightly and that made them think their mom was coming in to feed them so I was watching the insides of their mouths as they were begging. It was so cute.

They were born on a leap year, too. Two days before that extra day. So, this year would be the third leap year Junior has lived through. I couldn't determine who was older because the evening I saw them, they were both there and I didn't check the nest for a couple days until then. Yet, I had a slight suspicion the sister was a tad bit older.

[ccurzio]

That's just not something you hear all that often.... it's right up there with Bond, James Bond.

Related:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_the_West_Indies

[dvonk]

Related:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_the_West_Indies

haha, nice.

[thirdmanj]

Well I OWNED a bird...

http://img.tapatalk.com/46a04793-8fef-3457.jpg

This threads just been begging me too... ;)

[dvonk]

hm, he looks p0wnd.

[Ron]

Looks like a rare bird to me...

[dvonk]

here are a couple of photos of my Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo with his favorite pastime: destroying boxes!

ive bought various toys for him, but he usually ignores them. since he loves to rip up cardboard so much i save most of our boxes that are headed for the recycling bin and nest them inside each other like Matryoshka dolls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll). he will spend days chewing tunnels and caverns into the boxes. sometimes when he is "very busy" he wont bother coming out to say "Hi!" (his one word, haha), and instead i will only hear him crunching around in his cardboard cave. :lol:

10648 10649 10650

[jawn101]

here are a couple of photos of my Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo with his favorite pastime: destroying boxes!

ive bought various toys for him, but he usually ignores them. since he loves to rip up cardboard so much i save most of our boxes that are headed for the recycling bin and nest them inside each other like Matryoshka dolls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll). he will spend days chewing tunnels and caverns into the boxes. sometimes when he is "very busy" he wont bother coming out to say "Hi!" (his one word, haha), and instead i will only hear him crunching around in his cardboard cave. :lol:

10648 10649 10650

Aw, he's a beaut. We have yet another inbound, this one a Nanday conure I think.

Today's big accomplishment is that the green-cheek has finally learned to poop on command, or to let us know when she can't hold it anymore. We are having far less cleanup! She eats pretty much all ZuPreem fruit pellets so her poo is neon and stains everything

[dvonk]

congrats on the training! unfortunately, my bird is not food motivated at all, so training with treats is not possible. if i want to train him i have to use praise, head scratches, or attention; none of which are as quick or easy as a sunflower seed or something.

[opethmike]

Wonderful LSC2! I just adore cockatoos.

[dvonk]

thanks! he is quite a character... but then again, so are most parrots. :)

[opethmike]

Here's a video of my Zazu playing catch with me, from her 11th birthday:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgeWHxUKh40&list=UUGKf0mukzgg82QlHPklIQrg&index=2&feature=plcp

[dvonk]

haha, macaws are hilarious. :biggrin: my favorite bird at work is our office bird, a blue & gold macaw named Buddha. he is really tame and i can do all sorts of tricks with him.

hard to tell due to the reflection... is that a Military or a Buffon's through the window behind Zazu?

[jawn101]

Our foster Nanday arrived today. Her name is Fletcher and she's adorable. 20 years old and she's very set in her ways. No interest in coming out of the cage and has already drawn first blood. Her favorite trick is wearing her big toy bell like a hat. Have to get a photo of that when we have better light tomorrow.

[opethmike]

haha, macaws are hilarious. :biggrin: my favorite bird at work is our office bird, a blue & gold macaw named Buddha. he is really tame and i can do all sorts of tricks with him.

hard to tell due to the reflection... is that a Military or a Buffon's through the window behind Zazu?

Last thing Zazu is is particularly tame! She's a fun girl, but she's got ten years of neglect to get past; and with the care my girlfriend and I give her, she will.

The bird in the background is Major; he's a military macaw. He's the personal bird of the VP of the rescue.

Kim (the VP) also has a really awesome umbrella cockatoo, seen her playing with our friend Barb, who is the head of the rescue.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1JmqHhURUM

[dvonk]

its such a shame that there are so many neglected parrots out there.

for those here who dont know: some people will buy a parrot as a novelty pet and have no clue the proper training and mental stimulation these beautiful, intelligent animals require. when the birds start behaving erratically (biting, feather plucking, etc.) as a coping mechanism for abuse, lack of training or lack of mental stimulation, the owners discard them like garbage. parrots can live for an exceptionally long time and should be considered a life-long commitment.

im glad you guys and your significant others can provide nurturing homes for these birds. :thumbup:

[jawn101]

its such a shame that there are so many neglected parrots out there.


I can't believe it either. The ones that come to us just want love and a safe home. How hard is that to provide? The little guys are so appreciative and give so much back in return. We seem to have a knack for turning them around and I'm hoping little Fletcher will be another success story!

It really is cool to know that gullwings aren't the only kind we care about here :)

[Mike C.]

lil late to the party, but....

I had 2 conures for years. A Nanday we named Elvis because of the black on his head, and a half-moon named what else, Priscilla.

Elvis flew into our house and never left! He was just looking for a new home. He was EXTREMELY tame at first, but because my 'rents stopped taking him out and handling him ever day, he became extremely mean.

Priscilla was another story. She was a bit smaller than Elvis, but had a beak like a razor. She was a gift to my sister from an ex-boyfriend who could not handle her. She would constantly draw blood whenever he tried. She also was unable to fly. She was captive born, and had ZERO flight control. When her feathers were long enough, she'd get UP, but would slam into the wall or something when she'd get going.

One day i let Priscilla outside her cage and had my batter's glove on. She went for the attack, but couldnt understand why I was not pulling my finger back. She kept doing it and doing it... finally got exhausted and climbed up. Did this for 2 days, then removed the glove. She always came to me and would only let me pet and handle her. We had this trick, where i'd put her down in the middle of the living room then call to her... she'd come RUNNING over to me, like a puppy, then climb on my finger and rub against my thumb. She was a great bird.

Elvis met an untimely demise one year. My dad came home extremely late one night when he should have been home early, and did not let our Boxer out. Our boxer was full of separation anxiety, so my dad thought it would be smart of him to tie him up INSIDE the house after the dog jumped through a livingroom window. So the dog went nuts because now he's tied up inside their kitchen, knocked Elvis' cage over, and he flew right up into the ceiling fan. Elvis had left the building.

Priscilla hung in for a few more years. She moved into my new apartment, and was allowed out every afternoon. One day, she just stopped eating and began losing weight. I went to let her out one day, and she was rocking back and forth on her perch. I took her to an emergency vet, and he said she was in bad shape and to prepare for the worse. We came home, and I put Priscilla down on my bed on a towel. I was rubbing her head when all of a sudden she reared up, started flapping, opened her eyes wide, and then just passed away right there in my hands. She was my lil buddy.

I honestly don't know if I would have a bird again.

[Karin]

Priscilla hung in for a few more years. She moved into my new apartment, and was allowed out every afternoon. One day, she just stopped eating and began losing weight. I went to let her out one day, and she was rocking back and forth on her perch. I took her to an emergency vet, and he said she was in bad shape and to prepare for the worse. We came home, and I put Priscilla down on my bed on a towel. I was rubbing her head when all of a sudden she reared up, started flapping, opened her eyes wide, and then just passed away right there in my hands. She was my lil buddy.

That sounds like that is exactly what happened to my last female zebra finch that passed away back in April. I ended up making a video to mourn my loss for her. She was such a fun bird to chirp with. The one thing that always made me smile was when every time I enter their room just to check and see how they're doing, BeeBee would get as close as she can just to look at me before going back to her usual business. She would turn her head 180 degrees while studying me. It was so adorable.

What happened was I should've seen it much sooner the minute I noticed there was something wrong with BeeBee. What really happened from I understand from experts is she was egg binding and unfortunately I didn't do much to help because I didn't know what to do. By around March, she looked really awful and I was worried to heck for her. Then the night before her passing, when she couldn't sleep next to Lucky because she was having constant seizures, I kept her on the floor of another cage. What I did was I put several dry wash clothes on the floor of the cage that I separated the bars from and a few layers of paper towels and whatnot. I had a warm lamp shining right at the cage bottom for her. She couldn't fly so that was why I only used the bottom of the cage and didn't have the rest of the cage on until later in the night when I wanted to get some sleep. Nevertheless, I stayed up the whole night just to make sure she stayed warm and safe. She did try to eat a few of the seeds I placed around but she puked them back out. Then finally by around 6 in the morning, she started to do the same thing your conure did. BeeBee was on her back and flapping like crazy, spinning around. By the time I got her on my hand, she continued doing it for another minute until that moment came and gone. You can bet I sobbed hard after she died.

I really felt bad I should've done something sooner to help her out. I should've asked the experts sooner for advice. I've always felt it's my fault every time a bird passes away. Right now, I am almost crying again.

http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x383/Kamoodle5/IMG_0540.jpg

[dvonk]

sad stories! :mecry:

ive seen it many times: birds acting fine one day and dead the next.

since many birds are prey animals, they try to hide any symptoms to avoid being the 'weak and vulnerable individual' that predators seek out as an easy meal. by the time they show noticeable symptoms it may already be too late. also, since theyre covered in feathers, it can be difficult to visually assess their body condition.

[opethmike]

Thought that this was a pretty fun video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clu4tlLqysM&feature=related

[dvonk]

haha. they mustve trained each bird to drop the ball into a specific color basket. :)

[dvonk]

here are a couple photos of my girlfriend's Brown-Headed Parrot, Petrie. she hand-raised him, but in typical bird fashion, he chose to bond with me when she and i started dating a few years ago. silly bird. :)

10721 10722

[jawn101]

here are a couple photos of my girlfriend's Brown-Headed Parrot, Petrie. she hand-raised him, but in typical bird fashion, he chose to bond with me when she and i started dating a few years ago. silly bird. :)

10721 10722

What a cutie. We are having a devil of a time with this new conure but I hope to get her still long enough for a picture soon! If I have any fingers left, that is.

[dvonk]

i bet shes still wary of her new surroundings, hopefully she'll calm down a bit after she gets used to her foster home.

[jawn101]

i bet shes still wary of her new surroundings, hopefully she'll calm down a bit after she gets used to her foster home.

You're probably right. Older birds like this one don't have an easy time finding adoptive homes so I expect we are her forever family at this point. We are in it for the long haul and I am more concerned with making sure she's happy and healthy than with her behavior. But she's so gorgeous I'd love her to feel comfortable showing off :)

Fire up the blue car and take a road trip out here... Meet the birds and the car and the local owners, we can introduce you to the wild cherry heads on telegraph hill... It'll be a vacation :)

[dvonk]

Fire up the blue car and take a road trip out here... Meet the birds and the car and the local owners, we can introduce you to the wild cherry heads on telegraph hill... It'll be a vacation :)

haha, that would be an awesome trip. it seems like there are lots of DeLorean owners on the west coast, and DMC in Garden Grove. ive also seen The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill and think it would be really neat to see them in person. :)

[jawn101]

Finally got some photos of our new fosters. We are up to 5 birds now!

This is Fletcher, a 19 year old Nanday conure with a birthday coming up soon. She had a pretty neglectful but not an abusive life, so we are trying to socialize her. She's a good girl and eats from my hand, but I've lost some blood to her already. We'll get there! Really, really, really not sure why the photo shows up rotated like that. It's not rotated in real life.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11308&d=1340156910


And this is me and Watson, who came to us just two days ago. He's a 30 year old yellow-naped Amazon parrot. He appears to have had a very happy life and steps up pretty readily. I just can't hold him for long without getting tired, this is the largest and heaviest bird I've ever worked with. And the first actual talker. He says things like hello, bye-bye/goodbye, yabba dabba doo, hello sweetie, okay, and yeah yeah yeah.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11309&d=1340156919

[vwdmc16]

30 yrs old! and thats all he can say? lol. Im glad you have another nice bird jon, all but that one cockatiel wants to bite me when im near.

[jawn101]

30 yrs old! and thats all he can say? lol. Im glad you have another nice bird jon, all but that one cockatiel wants to bite me when im near.

Keep spending so much time over here and they'll warm up to you pretty quick :)

[dvonk]

Fletcher and Watson are good looking birds! i know many amazons can be quite the talkers/singers, so you can have some fun with that. :)

[jawn101]

We've been suckered yet again and are going to be giving Watson a permanent home with us. He's just too funny to let go! We have a very big house but are running out of room for birds. :)

[opethmike]

Here's my macaw, Zazu, freshly showered:

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[dvonk]

haha, soggy bird! love it. :smile:

here is an article that you guys might find interesting; a recent story on the Nebraska Parrot Rescue (http://www.omaha.com/article/20120705/NEWS/707059932).