My Feathered Flock

Rainbow Bridge

2010-01-19T18:24:00.003-05:00

On January 10 around 10am my little Oscar passed away. We think that it was from internal bleeding from a stroke. He went quickly - about 14 hours from happy bird to passed away. We decided to have him cremated and should be receiving his remains back in the next few days. We took Dodge to the vet to assure that he is ok, and he got a clean bill of health.

We went to a place in Burlington to look at little birds (I needed snuggle time) and found a little baby Caique. She is about 7 weeks old and is still being hand fed. Once she is completely weened, she will be coming home. I am still working on a name for her, but I am sure that as her personality comes through, we will figure out a name for her.

2009-05-06T21:17:00.001-04:00

Happy Hatch Day Dodge

2009-05-02T22:06:00.004-04:00

We made him lemon cupcakes for his hatch day! All the birdies got to have some. We were not able to go out on his hatch day so we went out today and played in the tree. Great contrast opportunity, and he had a blast.

2009-05-01T15:42:00.005-04:00

This was one of the first nice days that we had this year, so we took the boys out back while we did yard work. I planted a new vine of grapes, and a hydrangea bush, and Rich cut down the tree trunk so that we can use it in Dodges cage as a center perch. We played toss the birdie with Dodge and he takes to rolling over when he feels tired.

As you can see, it looks adorable, but it doesn't get him out of having to fly a few times more. Today is Dodges hatch day, and it is pouring rain out so he gets a reprieve from having to fly on his hatch day. He is one yr old today, and what a wonderful day for his hatch day - Happy Beltane and Happy Hatch Day Dodge.

First goslings of the season

2009-05-01T15:39:00.001-04:00

Post Surgery update

2009-05-01T15:25:00.002-04:00

Ok so surgery was yesterday, and I dont remember much of the day, but that is to be expected. I spoke with Heather (my dr.'s nurse from yesterday) and she said that I should, when sitting, release the wrist strap and move my wrist and`elbow to start minor excersises. I am still not allowed to lift anything or move my shoulder, but at least I can sort of type with two hands. I can shower today, and change the dressings on the incisions, but I am not able to soak in a bath for a while. Thankfully Oscar weighs in at next to nothing so he can move back and forth over my shoulders and it doesn't hurt to much. The only time it hurts is when he crawls down the front over the incisions. He cuddled up with me in bed yesterday and just kept me company while i was still recovering from the anesthesia. Like I said, I don't remember much of the day, and when I spoke to Heather, I asked her how far back I counted from 100, cause last time I had surgery, i made it to 97, apparently, I didn't even get to a point where they told me to count, I was chatting, then asleep. My throat still hurts, my lungs feel heavy, but I am a little more alert today.

Updates

2009-03-09T17:01:00.003-04:00

Kylee now lives with a friends mother in law, she was just too much for Oscar. He was tired all the time, and I was afraid that the relationship was going to kill him. He was becoming more aggressive, and being a total jerk because he was just too tired. So she moved out, and we have agreed that we are to be a 2 bird household from now on.
Well, here are some new photos, I have started the work to finish the tattoo on my calf, and we are in stage 2 so far. The outline and grey scale shading is done. The next step is color, and that will be worked on on the 19th.

Also, we found out that Diogenese likes whip cream:

2009-02-06T11:17:00.002-05:00

Ok, So I am horrible at keeping this updated, but it has been a bit of a difficult winter, and we aren't even done with it yet. Some enjoyable news that has happened since my last post. We found a great sanctuary for Maggie Mae to live in. It is in Lancaster PA and the woman is a Saint. She and her husband take in birds, no questions asked, and either rehabilitate for adoption, or make them a permanent part of their menagerie. While the night before we brought Maggie to her new home, we went to PetSmart in Oxford Valley, and fell head over heals for a 3 month old Green Check Conure. The requirements for her to come home were simple, Oscar had to get along cause they were going to have to live in the same cage together. There was a 14 day gauruntee that we could return her in, but I knew that we would know within minutes if the "relationship" would work. They hit it off immediately. Oscar is a bit calmer now that he has Kylee, and boy does she rule the house. Even Diogenese knows better then to mess with her. She taught him the first night that she was not one to be messed with. He was trying to get close to her, he ad his moth open, and she bit his tounge (no blood, but imagine how that must have hurt).
Here are some pictures that I have taken:

Silly Windows

2008-11-26T15:16:00.005-05:00

This is what I got to do the day before Thanksgiving!

The Story of Maggie Mae

2008-11-24T00:35:00.002-05:00

15 years ago a little Solomon Island Eclectus was hatched. She spent the first 6 years of her life with one person, and little is known about that other then her behavior indicates that she was used for breeding purpose. Her behvior indicates such by her constant hiding in a breeder style box. She moved in with a woman who lived only miles from us. She stayed with her till the woman passed away. It was a nine year love affiar for the two of them. Maggie Mae was the "mother hen" of 12 other birds. The woman was not a collector, she was a rescuer. She took in needy birds, and also had ones that she had hatched in her home. There were two pair of breeders, and solitary birds as well. Maggie was one of 3 female Eclectus. There were also Amazons in the house. Every time that the breeding pairs would lay, Maggie would become the nanny. She would go and check on the cages and make sure that not only the babies were ok, but that the parronts were ok. When the woman passed away (about 2 months ago) Maggie took the loss the hardest. She began plucking, and lost almost all of her feathers. She still had her beautiful head feathers, but that was about it. We were informed about the womans death through the PD and called to see if there was anything that we could do to help with the birds. We went and met Maggie and well we took her home. She came to us with the condition that we would keep her to try to get her beyond the greif and allow her to be able to regrow her feathers. We knew that we were going to try to find her a new home as soon as possible so that attachment did not happen (for her or us). We got her to the point where she was regrowing feathers rather rapidly. Within about a month, she was already getting fluffy again. We did try to find her a home with a family through a few different adds indicating everytime that she was a special needs bird, and would need more attention that most in order for her to have a happy life. I spoke to a few people and there were a few that I didn't even bother responding to. One woman wanted me to drive her to Maryland. Needless to say, that didn't happen. I have frequently looked online at various different sancutaries (I am a sucker). There is a sanctuary in Lancaster PA called Lair of Dragons Bird Rescue www.lairofdragonsbirdrescue.com , they work with reptiles and birds. I decided to call and see if they would be able to take Maggie. They had the room and the time. We make the arrangements, and brought her to them last Wednesday. We donated her cage, Oscars original cage, three bags of toys, and some food. Jo, who runs the sanctuary with her husband, takes care of all different types of birds, from Tiels to Macaws. She has a 3 yr old Scarlet Macaw named Mika. This is the bird that greeted us when we walked through the door with "HI MIKA" and "High Five" this immediatly put me at ease. If her bird is this happy, Maggie should be fine. In the room that Maggie was to be placed, there were three Soloman Island Eclectus (2 female, 1 male) a Sun Conure, 2 African Grays, and Amazon, a Blue Crown Conure, and another breed that I don't remember. In the front room, with Mika there is a Double Yellow Headed Amazon named Chit Chat, he loved me, and I adored him (if we had the room...) another Scarlett named Chili Pepper (cantancerous old man of a bird) a B&G Macaw that I don't remember her name, but she waas there for 3 months, and arrived bald, head to tail bald, and is fully feathered at this point. There were two birds in quarentine in there basement as well. Maggie Mae did not need to be quarentined because we had her vet checked and were able to provide the information for Jo to verify. I didn't have the number with me, so I called her with it. When I called (less then 24 hrs later) to give her the number, she was able to give me an update already. Maggie did not pull a single feather overnight. She spent the day talking to the other Eclectus, and was eating everything that Jo gave her. This tells me that she is in the best possible place that could be found. Jo promised that no matter what, she would never have Maggie in a breeding situation again. As we get updates from Jo, I will place them here so that everyone can see.

Kylee

2008-11-18T23:51:00.003-05:00

This is Kylee! "She" is the newest addition. "She" is a 3 month old green cheek conure. Oscar likes "her" and that is all that matters. She seems to be getting her bearing and is already ruling the roost by bullying Dodge.

Things that are the same and yet different....

2008-11-12T17:38:00.002-05:00

Well, I am working for a child care facility. It has been an up and down journey, but it is enjoyable. I was hired for a full time assistant teacher position, and ended up as part time floater. I am looking at going back to work part time with Snelling Staffing and concentrating more on my schooling for now.
Dodge is now 6 months old and leaning new ways to get himself into trouble. He found himself hanging upside down by one little claw about a week ago and has since recovered from a sprained toe. It has not slowed him down though, even when he was dealing with the initial pain, he was still getting himself into trouble with his curiosity.
Oscar is doing fine, and his eye seems to be on a level at this point. He is still getting a bit goopy, but we work to keep it clean, and it seems to be working. Every once in a while we have to do a "major" cleaning, but it is no where near what we were having to do. We are letting his flight feathers grow in for the winter since he won't be going out till spring. He has one feather that is almost pure white. It has a little bit of yellow, but not much. When it first started to show, we thought that it was an albino feather.
I have been sick for almost a month now, but i am finally starting to get better. Last night was the first time in nearly that long, that I have slept almost a full night through. I am on two steriods, one inhalent, and one tablet. I am on a third type of antibiotic, and a cough medicine with codine (to help me sleep). I think that all this together, is finally starting to help. This does make the part time hours benificial because it gives me the opportunity to rest and relax to get better. It also gives me time with my hubby! The hours that I had were making it near to impossible for us to have any time together. Now that I am part time, we have had a lot more time, and it has been very nice!

Hello, my name is Maggie....

2008-09-14T22:31:00.003-04:00

This is Maggie, her people mommy died two weeks ago, and it has devastated her. She has plucked her beautiful red and blue feathers down to the downy gray underfeathers. We have taken her into our home in hopes that she will realize that her life isn't over. With any luck she will stop plucking, and get her lovely feathers back. She is about 15-20 years old, and is in great health other then the plucking. She stole our heart, and we are hoping that we can help her overcome her grief. She was the only one that her auntie Peggy was worried about because of her plucking, not many people would want to take that on. We felt that we maybe able to help her. She is currently residing in the kitchen so that she can have some time to get used to the sounds and smells of the house. We are hoping that this will help her to adjust. She will be able to her the guys, but is able to have some peace and quite as well.

Totally NOT bird related

2008-09-05T09:27:00.003-04:00

So I got a call from Kiddie Academy, (I interviewed there on Tuesday) yesterday and I got HIRED! I start my new job as a Teachers Assistant on Wednesday Sept. 24th. This was the first place that I interviewed at, and I was told that I would hear from them by Friday, and they called me a day early. I am SOOOO unbelievably excited. It is a pay cut, but it is worth it. I will be working in the Pre-K class, on the high days it is 14 kids and the low days no more then 10 kids. They are all around the age of four. This is going to be great, I get to go to work in jeans and sneakers again ( i have really missed that), and I get to have the experience that goes along with my education. I gave my notice at the Quarry when I got the call so my last day there is on the 19th. I did it this way so that I would be able to go into the school before hand and fill out all the needed paperwork. Also between now and then, I have previously scheduled days off that I didn't want to start the new job saying "by the way I need these days off" this way, they are paid for through my vacation time. I am still waiting to see if there is any backlash from the boss here, I don't think that he knows yet. It will be interesting to say the least. But for now YEAH YEAH YIPPIE!! I am so excited!

More Randomness in Pictures

2008-08-28T21:44:00.002-04:00

Perched right on Daddy's Head
Just cause he was being cute

At night in the backyard by the firepit (well watched the WHOLE time)

Randomness in Pictures

2008-08-28T21:40:00.003-04:00

"Please no Pictures" (but you can just see the crop burn)
Cuddling with Daddy
Smile Pretty :)
My battle Scar - it is about 4 inches or so
This is only two days after the surgery.

Sorry about the absence

2008-08-18T01:20:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it has been a while since my last post. Dodge has gotten his test results back, and he seems to be doing better. However, since that happened, we have been back to the vet to deal with Crop Burn. What is crop burn you ask?... Think about a 3rd degree burn in your stomach that burns right through to your outside. We are waiting for the "blister" to pop so that we can take him to the vet to have it surgically fixed. At this point though, he is almost fully weaned, and the only reason at this point that we are still feeding him formula is to be able to get the antibiotics into him. He is learning how to hold food in his foot, but still hasn't quite fully figured that out. We have found a new cage for him and it will be here by Wednesday. We have to re-arrange the furniture so that it will fit, but I am looking forward to having an appropriate cage for him. Once we have it set up, we can clean the other cage and give it back to Oscar. We will put the other cage back onto the front porch and that way there will be a safe place for him to enjoy it outside. Right now, we have a concern, there have been rumors floating about that there is a 6 foot python swimming in the canal behind our house, so I don't want the kids unsupervised out side. Now of course, I don't know if it is true, but I don't want to risk it either.
On a non birdie note, I am doing really well with school. It may only be three weeks into it, but I still have a 100% in my Intro to Early Childhood Education and Curriculum class, and I have a 97.75% in my Academic Strategies class. So this is very good new for me, I had not enjoyed school before, and I am really enjoying it now. That is about it for now, and I will let everyone know what happens with Dodge.

2008-07-29T08:44:00.002-04:00

I called the Vet last Thursday to see if Dodge's test results were in, and he ended up having to go back. His WBC was over 23000 and his hemoglobin was elevated as well. So now it is a sit and wait. The results should be in tomorrow. However, he isn't acting sick. He is active, curious, and talkative - and for bird wise people, his poo looks normal for a baby bird. In fact it is starting to look more and more like adult birdie poo. Ok, enough about poo. He has decided that even though I cut his wings, he is going to do everything that he can to still fly as much as they will allow him to. He is doing SO well. And Oscar seems to be trying to adjust. He doesn't attack every time he sees Dodge near me. Just when he thinks that Dodge is to close to mommy for his comfort level. Or if startled - which is understandable.

On a side note, we have taken on the project of planting a garden in our back yard. This is a bit more extreme then I thought it was going to be. We have inlisted the help of one of our neighbors to remove the sod (and reuse it in the areas that don't seem to grow grass). Now we are waiting on a good day to go and get the mulch from a friend of his (free is GOOD). Then I have to figure out what I want to plant. Wish me luck!

Also my first class of college is this Thursday night!

2008-07-20T14:48:00.002-04:00

"Belle" went to the Vet on Thursday and it was confirmed that she is not a she, but a HE. Oh well, so now it is official that we have Diogenese, or Dodge for short (sometimes even Dio). We have been flying all over the house, and in fact we just flew from our perch to the window sill and was quite good at it actually. Oscar was the perfect little boy. I covered Oscar so that he wouldn't try to attack, but instead he just curled up and sat with mommy. I am SO proud of both of them.

2008-07-14T10:18:00.001-04:00

New pictures of Belle! She is 10 weeks old, and almost full grown. She weighs nearly 2 pounds at this point. She has started to try to say things like "hello" and "hi". She did say something that sounded suspiciously like "uh-oh" the other day as she was slipping from her perch.

Our newest baby continued

2008-07-01T21:23:00.001-04:00

Our newest baby is a 8 week old blue and gold macaw. We are no sure if it is a boy or a girl, so we have not officially named our baby. We will be getting the DNA sexing done when we take the baby to the vet. For now we are just saying things like"beautiful baby" and "pretty bird". So there will be LOTS of picture updates to follow!

Our newest baby

2008-07-01T21:20:00.001-04:00

Baby Birds

2008-06-27T23:59:00.004-04:00

Marley

2008-06-27T14:26:00.001-04:00

The new baby that is comeing home on Sunday

Baby Robbins and stuff

2008-06-23T22:17:00.003-04:00

The above images are of the nifty new tree stand that I made over the weekend for the Fids to play on. It consists of PVC piping and cotton twine.

The above is the baby robbins that are in a nest in my neighbors ivy. I am pretty sure that there is 3 in the nest. I was able to take these pictures while the mommy robbin sat only a few feet away. As soon as I was done, she calmly flew back into her nest. There wasn't a sense of urgency to her flight she just fluttered into the nest. I felt honored that she let me near her nest with no fuss. I will do my best to capture images periodically while they grow up.

2008-06-15T15:02:00.002-04:00

This is our new cage for Oscar & Odo. It is a side by side that is great for the two of them. Oscar is having a time trying to get used to the new surroundings, but he will get there. This is the cage that I have wanted for at least a year now.

Its not fair!

2008-06-14T22:45:00.004-04:00

I hope that he is ok, and that everything works out.

But at the same time, it isn't fair.

We miss him, he was a part of our family.

I didn't get to say a goodbye.

Its official

2008-06-10T08:20:00.003-04:00

This Friday, will be Charlie's last day with us. His "mommy" is coming to get him. She has decided that she will take him home. I called her Sunday evening to discuss what should be done considering the fact that it has been over a year and how attached Charlie has become to both of us. However, I am not sure that mattered. We got a message Monday morning stating that she will come and get him. I have set it up for Friday around 6. I cannot express how heartbroken my whole household is.

Memorial day weekend fun

2008-06-09T09:11:00.002-04:00

If you can't tell, we all had a great time outside for the holiday. I captured almost 100 pictures that afternnon of the wonderful feathered family. Everyone got along, and played nice for the entire time.

Oscar

2008-05-26T11:10:00.004-04:00

It is just more than a week later, and here is the picture from the night he came home. He still has some dried blood held firm in his feathers behind his head, but has cleaned up very well. Right before he went into surgery we rescued a trio of ducklings. None of them survived more then the weekend, but they did have a few good days. Here are the pictures from them.

Sunday after Surgery

2008-05-18T21:24:00.002-04:00

So it is Sunday after surgery, and Oscar is doing well. He has three little stitches to hold his eye closed, but has cleaned all the excess dried blood off of himself. I took pictures of him when he got home, but haven't uploaded them yet. Just wanted to say that he was ok.

Surgery Tomorrow

2008-05-14T15:32:00.002-04:00

Oscars surgery is set for tomorrow, I have called the vets office to confirm as well as make sure that I understand all that I need to do. He is to be there between 9 and 9:15 in the morning, and is not allowed to eat or drink anything after 7 am. I know that it is going to be ok, but at the same time, he is my little guy, and I am worried. I will post tomorrow once we have him back, and I may even take a few after surgery pictures so that everyone can see how disheveled he looks.

Oscar & Odo

2008-05-08T21:06:00.002-04:00

More Pictures

2008-05-04T22:11:00.002-04:00

Just updates

2008-05-04T22:03:00.003-04:00

Ok, so at this point, Oscar is scheduled for surgery on May 15. I have to drop him off at 9 in the morning, and might be able to pick him up that night if he responds well. So instead if dwelling on the subject, I just want to share some wonderful pictures..

Vet Results

2008-04-25T21:09:00.002-04:00

OK, so the results are in, and it is official - Charlie is considered fat and Oscar is healthy other than his eye. We have to put Charlie onto the pellet diet that Oscar is on. That aught to be fun considering that the last time that we tried to do that, he basically starved himself. So we have to be very careful about it, but he has to convert to the healthier food. The fruity pebbles that he eats are SO not good for him. So we are going to work on that.

- So Oscar has officially been diagnosed with an eye infection. This is the final straw and we have decided to have the remnants of the eye removed. I am going to call the vet and schedule the appointment for as soon as possible. He has been scratching at the eye and pushing the socket up against my hand. If I were to let this behavior continue, it could lead to self mutilation and I don't want that. If left untreated, it could also lead to septicemia which could quickly cause rapid deterioration. So after a long discussion and lots of weighing of pros vs cons, we have decided to have the surgery done to remove it. I have spoken to alot of family about this and everyone thinks that it is for the better. I have been given the run down as to what to expect, and as much as I feel that it hurts me, I know that he will be better once it is done. I just hope that it is quick and easy.

Vet Visit

2008-04-22T13:14:00.002-04:00

Ok, so tonight is Oscars annual vet visit, and Charlie's first visit while living with us. I went out last night and purchased a new carrier for Charlie (one that I hope he can't chew through) so that we could possibly have an uneventful trip. This is standard check up for Oscar, and all the works for Charlie. It should be interesting. We have found out that we are not going to be Charlies full time forever parents, his mommy made it plainly clear that eventually he will be going back to live with her at some point. However, she has paid the "sitter fees" up till August. This means that by the time that she does take him home, it will be close to two years that he would be living with us. The only thing that we are hoping for now is that she won't take him back right before Rich's birthday. That would make things a bit miserable.

Odo is doing FANTASTIC - she steps up beautifully and will sit on your shoulder with out to much fuss. I think that she likes to hear herself though, because she will consistently mutter while sitting on you. Oscar truely treats her like a little sister. The two of them pick on each other as often as they think that they can get away with it. Let me tell you there is nothing more entertaining that trying to walk around with two birds that are picking at eachother. She will bite his tail then he will bite hers. Then of course one has to bite the others head and start an all out sibling war... it is truly funny to see.

Well that is it on the updates - I will post vet results when I get them.

Friday Night

2008-04-07T14:11:00.002-04:00

Ok, so Friday night around 9:30ish, someone tried to break into my home. I was home alone sitting on the couch watching a recorded episode of "The Ritches" when I heard the outside screen door open, then the inside door handle was grabbed and forcibly pushed i think either 2 or 3 times. what followed felt like slow motion but I think actually happened in all of 2 minutes or so. As soon as I was frightened by this, Oscar who was on my shoulder closest to the door - flew at the door screaming!, Odo who was on my other should flew into the other room near her cage. I went upstairs retrieved my .380 and called Rich at the same time. I said "Come home now" he asked "why" I said "someone is trying to break in" within less then a minute it was called into the Radio Room and dispatched and 5 officers where in front of the house. There wasn't anyone in the area, and our neighbors stated that they had seen a bunch of "kids" running down the street and get into a car and drive south on our street. So we are thinking that it was a bunch of kids trying to pull a prank (and picked the wrong house). The guys checked all around the house and didn't see anything. (if anyone is thinking that I am in control during this part - please understand that I was crying so hard I was shaking) I have not been so scared in any part of my conscious recollection. I can not attest to when I was younger, but in concious memory I have not been that scared. Rich stayed home with me for the rest of the night, and Saturday night I went into town with a bunch of friends so that I didn't have to stay home alone. I am still jumpy and will startle at the thumps and bumps that seem to occur naturally in the house, they just seem a lot louder right now. We have discussed what to do in the future (praying of course that this never happens agan) and I think that I am well prepared, but I have to admitt I never want to go through that again. The main part of all of this though is that my little Oscar, my baby boy, flew to protect his mommy just like he was asked when first brought home. We joked about "being mommies little protector" and apparently he took it to heart. Typically when I startle, he doesn't let anyone near me, even Rich, but Friday night, once back on my shoulder, he let Rich get near me, but everone knew that he was protecting me. What a good little boy he is! He got many rewarding treats that night and the next day.

"Don't Touch My Mommy!"

It's Official

2008-04-03T16:40:00.003-04:00

Odo is a fully happy HEALTHY baby girl! We got the last of her test results today which told us the she is a she, and that she is healthy! So tonight will begin the introductions with the boys. As of visual introductions, Charlie is scared of her, and Oscar could care less. Now they all get to populate the same area of the house (no more quarantine). The boys have a little sister to torment now.

One Week Later

2008-03-31T21:44:00.005-04:00

Birdie Hypnosis:You are under my command! No Touchy!

See I am cute if I try.

Ok, so one week plus a few days, and we have made major leaps and bounds. Odo will now step up on command, come out of the cage without major freaking out, and will now "cuddle" to an extent. Big steps for a baby bird. We have decided that either way, boy or girl the name Odo will stay, figuring that at this point it could cause an identity crisis if we change it. We spent a good deal of time with Odo over the weekend, and I think that as long as we continue to do so, this behavior will continue to improve every day. We still get the attempt at sounding like a "big bad birdie" with his little birdie growl and attempts at biting. He no longer really tries to bite anymore, he now only just grazes along your finger trying to make you think that he is going to bite you. Things are going great with the newest addition. What a wonderful Easter gift.

Odo

2008-03-23T11:45:00.003-04:00

Ok, so meet "Odo". The name is temporary till we find out whether or not Boy or Girl. If it is a boy- Diogenese, and if a girl- Neece. Odo is an albino cockatiel. As of right now a very mad little cockatiel. I don't think this little one ever had much attention from people during the first couple months of life. So for now it is a slow go on handling, but we will get there eventually with time and patience. so for now meet Odo.

New Baby Nika

2008-03-23T11:19:00.003-04:00

Ok, So Nika was supposed to come home Friday night, and we left here shortly after I got home from work. We got about 1 hour into the trip thought that we were going the wrong way and turned around to head onto the North East Extention. We were supposed to be going to Harrisburg, but ended up in Wilkes-Barre.(damnable mapquest) Mind you it is now about 8:15 and we have spoken with the guy who raised her and decided that since we were at least 2 hours away still that we would come next weekend to get her. We turned around and headed home. Apparently as we were heading home, the guy who raised her was bringing her back out into the bird house, and the carrier that she was in fell apart (think plastic cat carrier - bottom fell off) this startled her and she flew away. This was about 8:30 9pm. He looked for her till about 3 in the morning and gave up for the night - went out the next morning and looked all over the area including the local town trying to see anything that might be a sign of her - nothing. Along with predatory birds, they alos got 1.5 inches of snow that night. I am a realist on this aspect, I believe that she is no longer with us. He called me Saturday to let me know, and said that he would understand if I never wanted to deal with him again, but did I want him to put us on a wait list for the next clutch. I said of course, and he als asked if he found her would i still be interested, I said of course. After that Rich said that I should see what is available at FF&F in flemington. I went in and found Odo.

2008-03-12T22:26:00.003-04:00

It is march and the flowers are blooming while my mother is getting more and more snow, the only snow that we have are the snow drop flowers...

Happy Birthday!

2008-03-12T22:23:00.004-04:00

Happy 26th Birthday to my little guy! One year with us and one year older. Happy healthy and just a wonderful as ever.

She will be next

2008-03-06T14:42:00.002-05:00

Ok, So here she is! This is preliminary pictures of the newest addition to our feathered flock.

She is a 4-5 month old Mulga Parrot. They originate in Australia and are a "quiet" breed of parrot. Once she is totally weened she can come home with us. Yippee!!

Birds, Birds, and more Birds

2008-02-28T22:15:00.003-05:00

Bath Time Baby

2008-02-28T22:02:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I decided much to Oscars dismay that today was to be bath day. Usually he enjoys bath time due to the fact that I can typically figure out when he wants to, and coinside the timing.

Chlamydophila psittaci

2008-02-27T10:48:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I just last night found out that the local PetSmart by us has an outbreak of Chlamydophila psittaci. This is a avian infection that is transmittable to people. We have been going to this particular store now for almost 6 weeks to sit and admire one of the birds that they have there (White Capped Pionus) {see below}, and dream about possibly taking him home. Now the entire bird population at this PetSmart has been on quarantine since late December due to a possible infection. Two weeks ago we asked what was wrong and we were informed that it was strictly precautionary that they were still in "lock down". Now last night when we went in to admire the Pionus, we asked if it were possible to be able to hold him. We were told no - due to the fact that the entire flock has been under veterinary care for Chlamydophila psittaci, and since it is transmittable, we were not allowed. Now this was told to us this time by a friend who knows that we own our own flock of feathered friends, and she did not want us to become either carriers or become sick ourselves. I am upset that we were mislead regarding this issue, but I guess that it is due to lack of communication between employees. We were also told that the employees that did not follow the rules for care have become sick themselves. So I guess in a way karmic retribution. I don't want anyone to be sick, but don't lie about the health of your animals for sale or otherwise.

This is what the white capped pionus looks like:

About my Flock

2008-02-26T09:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this whole feathered family obsession started with a canary almost two years ago now. I got Sam from the local pet shop. He was just to cool to pass up, instead of the typical yellow colour, he was orange and white. He looked like a creamsicle pop to me. So I got him and started to spoil him rotten! He came with a cage that I felt was just WAY to small, so that was the first thing that I upgraded for him. He went from "apartment size" to "mansion" overnight. The cage that I bought was easily 4 times the size of his original cage. After Sam arrived, friends offered us their pair of Love Birds. We took the two and gave them names, so arrived Tristan and Isolde. A few months after these three settled in, I moved Sam into the Love Birds cage, and put the Love Birds into Sams mansion and proceeded to get a Red Factor female canary for Sam to play with. He was SMITTEN instantly. As soon as Grace arrived I completely no longer existed in his little world. He would still tolerate my holding him, but she was his all or nothing. They lived very happily for about 2 months, then Sam passed away. I ended up giving Grace to a friend so that she would be able to have alot more attention. This was approximatly this time last year. About a week or so after Sam passed, I was back in the same pet shop that I had found him, I saw Oscar (at the time named Paco). I was smitten! He was beautiful (still is). I asked and found out that he was up for adoption due to his temperment. He was appparently a bit cage aggresive and getting him out was not always easy. So I went home, and talked it over, and the little guy came home with us on 3-12-07. Boy was he cranky! For the first 2 weeks or so, it looked like I hade voluntarily stuck my hands into shredders. (When someone tells you that a bird is cage aggressive - it means in birdie minds Look but DON'T TOUCH me) So needless to say I bled alot. Now however he is the most wonderful little guy that I have ever had the enjoyment of caring for. He is definatly a mamma's boy though.

Now Charlie Boy on the other hand is a bird of a different color (figuratively and literally). Charlie is our foster bird. He is a 12 (almost 13) yr old Medium Crested Cockatoo. He is totally attached to his foster daddy. We started fostering him just after we brought Oscar home, so he has been with us for almost a year now. He is the perfect bird for people who are intimidated by large birds. He is gentle and cuddly. He does have his moments, but they are few and far between. He has gone to just about anyone that has put their arm out to see him. He will climb up your arm sit on you shoulder and pet you face with his foot. He knows how to say "hello" in just about every possible way, and of course it starts at 6am. Just to see if you are awake.

Well these are my Flock, they are more then just critters though, they are family. I don't know what I would do without them.

Weekend Worries

2008-02-25T11:08:00.000-05:00

Ok so this is a possibility when fostering any animal, the original owner decides to drop in and say "Hi". Of course this would be forewarned with a phone call, but it is still a drop by. This happened on Saturday to Rich & I. We have been fostering a 12 (almost 13) yr old Cockatoo named Charlie since last April. Since then we have spoken to and emailed his "mommy" several times and things have gone super. She hasn't been able to visit due to medical issues. However this past Saturday at about 1:30 she calls to see if we are going to be home and if so could she stop by. Of course we were home and how do you tell her "No you can't come by and see your baby - we have grown to attached" So I am sure that you can imagine how worried we were that this visit was going to end in her taking him. Well she shows up just before 4pm and can barely move. I feel awful! She can't even look down at him while holding him. She can't get on the floor to play with him, there is no activity that she can do other then just holding him. There is NO WAY that she would be able to give him proper care at this time. So with that apparent to her, she and her mother (who drover her to our house) leave. I am not sure what the future holds for her at this time, but I don't think that it will include Charlie for many many many months.

Now understand that while all this activity is going on with Charlie Boy, my little Oscar is going out of his feathered little head. There are people in the house, his mommy (me) is home, and he is stuck in his cage for the majority of the day. In his little mind this has been the bigest mistake that could possibly be made. Cause don't you know that when mommys home, it is "mommy and me" time all the time! So this created what I affectionatly call mass quantities of "temporary birdie insanity" He would nuzzle and cuddle then turn around and bite my cheek and then instantly go back to cuddley birdie... This happend all Saturday evening and most of Sunday evening. My life with critters - wouldn't change it for the world.