Charlie and Chicken Little

[Nakiska]

Back in August, some of you might remember I was offered a couple cockatiels and their cage and when they showed up I realized this was a horrible case of neglect by looking at their cage conditions and was grateful to have "rescued" them.

My PLAN was to hand tame them and find them an excellent home as I didn't feel we needed 4 cockatiels Of course that plan didn't go through and we now have Charlie and Sweet Pea added to our menagarie of pets.

What's 2 more...right???

Hand taming them has been extremely slow...and that's okay, I've got all the time in the world. I've hand tamed several cockatiels and never had it take THIS long. So I figure on top of being neglected, they must have also been mistreated in some way.

It was soon discovered that Sweet Pea was indeed a hen (shes now sitting on 6 unfertile eggs) and Charlie I found out is her brother. I had no desire to breed tiels, so I seperated them and put my 2 hens together.

Our males however...well they INSTANTLY bonded. When I very first had them out together, Chicken Little followed Charlie all over the place for like 10 minutes. Absolutely gave him NO space and followed him and copied every move Charlie made. Then all the sudden Chicken spoke he said "Hello, Whatcha doin'?" I about DIED it was soooo cute!

Chicken Little was just fascinated with Charlie, prior to meeting Charlie, his companion was our hen, Chiquita. Caged next to each other and allowed to be out together for our bird time.

After Chicken met Charlie...no other bird in the world met anything to him, at all. Infact, the both of them would threaten attack to any bird entering their space.

It got so bad that Chicken, whom NEVER bit us after being hand tamed, would attack when he was out with Charlie.

So sadly, I decided to move Chicken Little down stairs, completely away from Charlie. Oh how they screamed for nearly 2 hours, flock calling to each other.

I almost folded and said, aww...what the heck....but finally the flock calling stopped and both birds settled down.

I got my sweet Chicken Little back who talks and sings my ear off and does not bite me, if not in the presence of Charlie. He often says (in this order) "Hello Charlie, what'cha doing? Him a good boy? Sucha Pretty bird. Chicken Little, Him a good boy??"

It's sooo sweet!

Anyway, Charlie talks almost as good as Chicken Little does and they both whistle "if you're happy and you know it clap your hands."

I let them out together a few times a week, after I'm done having my Chicken Little time. The two of them together is so precious. They talk to each other, whistle together, it's like hearing it in stereo! They talk and whistle amost exactly alike, and they don't get more than 4 inches apart from each other. They are completely consumed with each other when together.

Sadly, I always have to towel Chicken Little to take him back downstairs, he'll take chunks flesh. But once down to his own cage, he'll hop right up on my finger, no biting what so ever as long as he's not around Charlie.

I took a few pictures of Chicken Little preening Charlie last night.

You would think that the males would hook up with the hens...but nope, not in my case. My males are completely in love!

Toni

 

[BillsBirds]

I have 2 female parakeets just like them. They were rescued together, living in the tiniest cage I ever saw. And had lived in it together for about 2 years! I tried to hand tame them. No luck. I tried seperating them, but, they called to each other so much, for so long, that I relented and put them back together. Of course, in a MUCH bigger cage. They are not so scared of me, but, still will have nothing to do with me. Except bite, when I try to handle them. They fight with each other so much, yet, will not be seperated. They preen each other, and talk to each other constantly. They're fun to watch. I have not decided what to do with them, but, this will be their forever home. So, we'll just have to see how things develop.

 

[mnkeastman]

They are adorable! I just love these stories!

 

[roxynoodle]

That is one of the cutest stories I've ever read It's too bad they can't be together all the time without defending each other from you. I really like the things they say!

 

[Nakiska]

That is one of the cutest stories I've ever read It's too bad they can't be together all the time without defending each other from you. I really like the things they say!

I know! I even tried letting them live together for a couple weeks hoping the aggression toward me would calm down once they realized they weren't going to be seperated, but it didn't. It seemed the longer they were together, the worse the aggression got!

If I didn't care about handling them, it'd be no big deal, but I really enjoy enteracting with my birds and when Chicken and Charlie are together, they could care less about anyone, especially us humans!

Chicken Little is not quite a year old and I was told Charlie and Sweetpea were about 4 years old.

I just couldn't believe how Chicken latched on to Charlie and Charlie to him, I've never seen anything like it before. I'll have to get a picture of them talking and singing together....they are literally beak to beak...most of the time touching beaks! One will start to talk or whistle and the other will chime in either copying exactly what the other says or somehow reading each others minds, they'll talk/whistle exactly in unison.

I love the phrases they've learned too...Charlie does not say "Sucha Pretty Bird" yet...but it's coming and I've been trying to teach them both to say..."Gimme a kiss" and make the kissing sound"

I've been trying to teach Chicken Little to say, "I love you" for several months, and he shows NO interest in that phrase at all. Maybe if I change it and tell him...I love you Charlie...or Charlie I love you...he'll catch on! Hahahhahaa....Yea, I'm going to do that!

ROFLOLOL!!! Maybe one day before long, Chicken will be saying "I love you Charlie, gimme a kiss. ****mwuah mwuah mwuahhh****(of course that's the kissing sound)

Thanks so much for reading and seeing the pictures. I just LOVE to show off our birds.

Oh and as for Sweetpea...she's laid ANOTHER EGG! (unfertile, of course) Golly, that girl is sitting on 7 eggs now and has laid 8 total. I'm going to start getting concerned about her real soon.

Toni

 

[roxynoodle]

It always bothered me a little that my BC never learned to say, "I love you." Rowdy says it all the time. I said it to both of them all the time. Pete says it, but he learned it in his former home. Pete would be very happy if Merlin told him, "I love you" back To my knowledge she doesn't say that though. Maybe she will learn hearing the other 2 birds and me all the time, but maybe not. Bri never did.

I think if they can't figure out the meaning of a word or phrase they don't have much interest in learning it. Maybe Bri never understood what it meant. I know she loved me, and she knows I loved her. But maybe the word "love" didn't get through to her on meaning.

None of my birds has ever learned to say "Bye bye" either. I know they know what it means, but I think they hate it so they don't want to say it, lol! Bye bye is bad because it means mommy is leaving for awhile.

 

[lene1949]

Those pics are just sooooo cute!

Who said bonding should only be between male and female?

 

[Nakiska]

Those pics are just sooooo cute!

Who said bonding should only be between male and female?

Thank you! And I didn't mean to imply that bonding should ONLY be between male and female, but that the urge to reproduce would initiate more probability of male/female bonding. Especially when I have 2 males and 2 females.

Glad you enjoyed the pic's. It's another of my favorite pass times...I tell you I just LOVE the endless amount of pictures I can take with digital photography

Toni

 

[Mamanda]

That is just SO precious!