The Beginning

[Helitorian]

I want to know the story behind what got you into birds. Doesn't matter if it was a parrot or not. Tell me about the bird that sparked your love.

If you've read my thread Toweling and Tears, you've read my Spark Story. Now tell me yours :heart:

 

[roxynoodle]

Actually my parents got their first bird right before I was born. Back then women left work for "pregnancy leave" a couple of months before the baby was born. My mom told my dad she was lonely and wanted a "pretty yellow bird". They got a budgie and fell in love. He is actually in many of my baby pictures with me. I can't really remember what it's like not to have a bird, lol! I had another couple of budgies in my life until I reached age 30 and my last one passed away. I had always wanted other parrots, too, and began doing research. A conure seemed like it would be a good fit for me personality wise and due to low dust (I had just found out I was horribly allergic to chickens so ruled out cockatoos right away). I really, really wanted a macaw, particularly a Green Wing, but was very concerned about it outliving me. I said hmm, I might make it to 80 but I'm pretty sure I won't make it to 100. Same thought process on amazons and Greys, although they were also birds I've had high interest in all my life.

I hadn't planned to buy a bird the day I did. I've posted recently about how my Nanday chose me and then I bought her on the spot. I got the second conure, worried about my Nanday while I was at work all day. I picked a Blue Crown, got on a waiting list with a breeder and actually got to see her from the moment she hatched until she came home.

My BC had a fatal stroke 2 months ago. It was very unexpected, and my Nanday was getting more depressed each day. I put an ad on CL asking to adopt an older bird in the medium-large size as that is what cage I had. Going back to a baby bird I was kind of leery about given that I'm older now. And my Nanday is middle aged and I wasn't sure a baby bird would be the companion she had in mind. She was thrilled with the 28 year old amazon I was given. I admit I also wanted to give an older bird a good home, and it allowed me to have a longer lived species that way as well.

And now we are going to adopt a Grey in her twenties. So once again I can get a bird I've always had strong interest in, and hopefully she won't outlive me and need another home. And all 3 birds will be in their middle years.

I think I'm done though now. I am home all day but we all know birds love and crave individual attention from their human. I want to give them all that. They are always happiest playing with me rather than sitting on play gyms or stands for hours.

Hopefully none will need rehomed as very senior birds although it's also hard for me to imagine life without them.

 

[Tammy]

Mr. Precious' original owner died & he got bounced around until he landed at my friend's house. She kept him for a year but he was unhappy there & screamed a lot. She knew I was an animal lover & used to work for a vet so she asked me to take him.

I knew nothing about birds nor did I have any interest in them. I was petrified of him. Then I saw how smart he was & expressive & he very quickly became my best friend. He sleeps on the fan above my bed & follows me from room to room all day.

Yesterday my 8 year old was whining & he turned & looked at her & said "Knock it off!" It was hysterical.

 

[Customcasket]

When I was around 8 or 9 my uncle found a parakeet and a cockatiel. I begged my parents to take the cockatiel. They finally relented and I named him Jake. (I had this name picked out before we even left my uncle's to go home) We kept Jake for a few years before giving him to my Grandfather. I loved Jake but he was lonely during the day because my brother and I were at school and both my parents worked. My Grandfather was home all day and able to care for him. They keep each other company. Having a bird in the house makes it seem more alive. To this day Jake is still alive and still whistles his head off and gets excited when he sees me or my brother.

I didn't own another bird until I was 21 and bought my 2 parakeets, Metzger and Meister. After them came Spooky Burd because I wanted a hand fed bird. Next thing I know I've got a Dusky Conure from an adoption agency and my boyfriend's Sun Conure living with me because of where he's living now he can't keep him. I adore my birds. I can't imagine living without them. I like coming home from class or work and hearing them whistling to each other. It makes the entire house feel like it's got life to it. I hate coming home to a quiet house with cats snoozing all over every surface they don't belong on.

 

[SunMommy]

I have wanted a bird for many years. When I was little my dad had a friend who had a macaw (I'm not sure what kind). That bird was the coolest bird ever and would go everywhere with my dad's friend. The bird was never mean or overprotective, so I just loved him. My mom also used to work in a pet store that had birds when I was little and I used to go up there and play with all the animals. I've always been an animal lover and probably because my mom is one. I've wanted a bird for many years, but I never had the time or money to invest.

Last year my daughter found a cockatiel on our front porch. It was someone's bird that had flown away from them. The cockatiel seemed to be in good health and did not bite my daughter when she picked him up to bring in to show me. We took the bird to an emergency vet that same day. They told me the bird seemed okay, but that if it got a chill it would probably die. At that time I didn't know very much about birds because I hadn't done very much research. They even gave me a smallish type cage to keep the bird in until we got a bigger one and I purchased some bird food. Latter that day the bird died. It was very upsetting to my children, but I don't know what else we could have done.

Last August I came to know a sun conure at the local petsmart. This bird was very social and I fell in love the very first visit. I found myself needing to go to the petstore 3-4 times a week for a visit. Mason (he was named by the employees), was priced very high at $600 and I just couldn't see paying that much. I started doing some research online about these bids and purchased a book on conures. After doing some research I learned that not only is it cheaper to go through a breeder, but the birds are less stressed out and friendlier for it. It was my husband who put a deposit down on Pyro for me when he was only 2 weeks old. That gave us plenty of time to research all we could and set up a place for him. We got Pyro when he was 10 weeks old and still being hand fed. We are still hand feeding him but only once every other day right now. Pyro has been with us for 7 weeks now and he is the sweetest little guy ever and I dont believe I could have gotten a better bird. I still think about Mason and I hope he found a good home. Someone purchased him about a month ago and sometimes I regret that I wasnt the one who did it.

My whole family just loves having Pyro and my husband and I are already planning our next addition to the flock. We are thinking about getting an ecluctus, but not for another two years. We need to spend time with Pyro and his training before we get another bird. I'm just doing my research for the moment.

 

[Nakiska]

My first intro to pet birds was my Uncle George's African Grey. I had never been to his house and every 5 years we have family reunion where we open a chest that has our family history in it. I think I was around 12 years old.

His grey would swing from the ceiling of his cage which was suspended from HIS ceiling so the whole cage would swing and when it was really rocking, he'd yell out "ROCK AND ROLLLL!"

I was IN LOVE! I spent nearly the entire reunion sitting in the room with the bird, talking his ear off and watching him.

After highschool, I got a job working at a local pet store, now mind you, it made me no bird expert, but it certainly spiked my interest once again however, I was still living at home and my parents were adamit - "NO BIRDS!"

I met a guy, got married, had my daughter. And in 1996 I took her to the pet store and on whim, picked 2 parakeets and bought them. I knew my husband wouldn't much care and I didn't have my parents telling me I couldn't.

We named them Bobo and Joker. It's sad looking back, because I just didn't know anything about birds and these little guys weren't hand tame. After getting bitten over and over again while trying to handle the little guys, their novalty quickly wore off. We didn't have the information so easily accessible back then, like we do now with the internet and forums and such.

I didn't know enough about their dietary needs and they only got cheapo grocery store parakeet seed.

When they passed, I had no desire for anymore birds.

Life went on, I had 2 more children, got divorced, opened a home daycare, bought my own home and had a whole smorgus board of pets, fish, dogs, cats, horses, goats and one afternoon late August of 2005, out of the blue, my ex-father-in-law called me and asked if I wanted a bird.

I said, I dunno, what is it? He said he didn't know, he thought it was a cockatoo. He found it in his front yard, he'd had it several weeks, posted ads in the classifieds and posters all over town hoping someone would come forward and no one did. He said he couldn't keep it and knew I loved animals.

So I said, sure...why not. And that is how I got Chaco Bird.

Chaco was a gray male cockatiel. I don't know how old he was but I can say someone must have missed him dearly.

Chaco could talk, he said pretty bird, pretty birdie, he wolf whistled and kissed and laughed and mimicked my phone ring and a squeeky dog toy.

We got him just before the start of school and as I mentioned I had a home daycare. This school year was great because all my kids were in school at least part of the day and I had 2 hours every morning ALONE!

Well I vowed to get to know this bird and be able to handle him. He was amazing! Chaco bonded to me pretty quickly and within a couple weeks he was regurgitating for me. I researched everything about cockatiels I could on the internet information freeway and the day Chaco melted my heart was when he was preening my arm hair, then he walked up my arm, across my shoulder, onto my chest and put his beak right up to my lips, touching my lips. I was a little bit nervous but didn't move and then he and made a kissing sound.

You could have pushed me over with a feather! What a sweetie! He just kissed me!

I loved Chaco and every chance I had, he was out of his cage hanging out with me. Chaco really did teach ME everything HE knew. And I learned.

One day almost exactly a year after he came into my life, Chaco was being particularly clingy to me and I had to leave to pick up my boys from school. When I went to put him back in his cage, he flew up onto the top of the curtains. I was running late and didn't have time to play catch me if you can so I thought...what the heck, I'll just leave him, I'll only be gone 10 minutes.

I opened the front door and I heard him take flight, at the same time I stepped out onto the porch, Chaco landed on my head....now mind you I freaked! I said "Oh no! Oh No! Chaco!!" INSTEAD I should have calmly turned around and walked back inside. Had I done that, I'd probably still have Chaco today.

But my reaction to him being outside AND able to fly made him fly off. He flew 3 times around my house and landed up high in a spindly alder tree. I said OH NO! Chaco, come back!

But he didn't, I hurried up ran to get my boys came back and Chaco was still in the tree. He'd talk to me I put his cage on the roof of the house with Millet in it hoping he'd go in, but he never did.

For 2 days he lived outside my house in the trees and I couldn't get to him. Why he wouldn't fly down to me I just don't know, he flew to me in the house all the time.

Talk about break my heart!

On the 3rd day, I went out to feed my horses and I said "Pretty Pretty" and I could hear him respond, he was further away but still in ear shot. I went to all the neighbors and let them know that Chaco was on the loose and if they caught him, to please bring him back to me. I posted ads on Craigslist and in the local classified and put up signs, but I never got Chaco back.

I was so heart broken I had no desire to have any more birds, and I thought NO cockatiel could ever top Chaco bird, because he talked and I thought cockatiels that could talk were 1 in a million.

But 5 years later, on whim, I just had to have another bird...what can I say I just missed 'em in my life. Birds are so unique and individual and they just have a charisma that dogs, horses and cats don't have.

We now have 6 birds, 2 cockatiels we bought, 2 cockatiels we rescued, a conure who wouldn't let us leave the store without him and a feral pigeon I rescued from the big city and, well...I can't call it feral anymore. It's totally tame and even goes with me wearing a flight suit!

I can't imagine life without our birds, we love them soo much and it shows in them, that they love us equally as much.

Toni

 

[Helitorian]

I understand about the pricing on Mason, SunMommy. Con was $600 as well but I had to have him. Thankfully, fate seemed to give me a window of oppurtunity and the Employee Appreciation Week rolled by where we get 30% off everything in the store, a slightly damaged cage came in which was 50% off and my dad decided he wanted to make up for some missed Christmas gifts and offered to buy Con. I fought with the idea of getting him and waited till the very last day of the discount to get him but my bank was having other plans. They were closed and their website wasn't working so I couldn't transfer money into my primary account. I was frantic and tried every five minutes to get through. Half hour before the store closed and the discount was gone, the website worked and I went tearing down to the store to buy my baby. It was a close one lol

Now we have a 4 mo old Sun and another 30% discount coming up...I don't know if I'll be strong enough to resist, guys

 

[everdusk]

Nakiska, your story is so heart-wrenching and beautiful. I think that Chaco might have been an angel. I wonder if he left and found a new home to do his work?

My story is really simple. My father was extremely allergic to cats and dogs, though we inherited a cat from my grandmother. When our cat came to a horrible end, I was completely heart-broken. So within the next few months, they bought me a little budgie named Polly. Polly was probably THE smartest budgie I knew, he copied whistles, said "Night night" and many other things. Quickly we gained a second budgie, then a third when Polly passed away. The second was also an amazing little thing, with a completely devious personality, she would teach the other birds to push my ornaments and things off shelves! The third budgie is still with me at the ripe age of 8, though he really prefers to keep to himself, though he is nice enough. I also now have 3 cockatiels, one being a rescue, and one a pity buy (missing toesies!). Finally, I decided I wanted a bird that would want to be with me most of the day (the cockatiels will only tolerate being out for 20-30 minutes) and thus I decided on a GCC. It took me a year of research and savings to finally get Prim. Also, being from a breeder it was the first time I got to see my baby grow up and learn! I'm finally happy with my flock and don't plan on adding any more for several years to come. I love all my birdies sooo much, I can't imagine life without them!

 

[TurquoiseMel]

My first love was dogs. Always wanted a dog since I could say the word "dog". When I was young we lived in a bad part of Newark NJ where there were a ton of stray cats & my neighbor Mr. Wright used to feed em all so they'd be around my backyard & his all the time. Then I started sneaking food & water out to them too, whenever I could lol.

First ever pets I had were chickens after we moved from Newark. Then shortly after a cat, some fish some turtles etc etc I'm not biased at all, I love everything lol. Then a bunch of my cousins got parakeets!! & when they all had babies I ended up with a bunch of those too. Started out with 2, tho & you know how it goes... potato chip syndrome LOL.

I ended up with an entire bird room before I was even 12 then took in my great aunts 2 parakeets after she passed when I was in high school (she named em Jenny & Joey after my two cousins/ her grankids <3). But after all my original keets passed I was stuck with only my great aunts keets & was very sad with them. They weren't friendly & I missed my birds who I could take out & play with I felt like i was taking care of them for nothing because they were so nasty to me & I missed my Kiwi bird so much I was just like screw it all & gave them (& all my bird stuff) to my best friend's father who is a bird NUT. They're still alive too! They live in Fl now in his bird room with his finches & teils.

By that time tho, I had gotten my first puppy & was preoccupied with him anyway. XD But yea, so one day I walk into a Petco & they've got cinnamon green cheeks on display & one of em was rubbing her head on the glass when I put my hand up coz she wanted to be petted & my heart melted. I made a mental note in my head of the type of parrot & went on a Google rampage. Tired so hard to convince my mom to let me have one when we moved to our new, bigger house in summer of '10 but she wasn't havin it. "too loud, too messy" typical antibird complaints. We're still in the same house & nothin has changed my mother still didn't want birds in the house but I went & did it anyway.

I had wanted this bird for waay to long & i figure if I'm the one who's gonna do all the work & pay for everything why should she get a say in anything????! So I went & got myself a pretty big cage from my cousin & his parakeet days, set it up, bought/made everything I needed & set everything up in my room & a few months later got the money up to send to the breeder & a few weeks later im at the airport picking up my little chicken <3

& guess what? Mom LOVES him ! she actually hates that he's not friends with her LOL

Now I'm thinking about getting another. There's a 1yr old GCC they're trying to rehome in my area on craigslist for only $100 !! .... it's sooooooooooo tempting.

Everyone who meets Loquito says they want a bird like mine ^_^ hehe. Two of my cousins might actually go thru with it & get one. how awesome would it be for Loqui to have some family of his own kind?!?


-Mel

 

[lene1949]

I was 16 years old, when I met my future ex husband... He lived at home and they had a budgie... No one could touch this little bird, and he was always in his cage... They showed me how aggressive he was, and I could see they couldn't touch him... It was difficult for them to feed him and clean his cage...

I have loved animals ever since I can remember, and I spent a lot of time talking to this little fellow... He never showed any aggression towards me, in fact.. he was very, very gentle.

They ended up giving me the bird, and I never knew a budgie could be this tame... I was devastated, when he died...

 

[MikeyTN]

I've always been fascinated with birds ever since I was little, but my family does not like pet birds what so ever. They did not allow me to get one. BUT my father used to sit on the balcony early in the morning whistling to the birds outside every single day. I used to go out in the woods by myself watching birds, observing them and learning all I can about them. The moment I turned 18 I moved out and got my very first bird which was a Cockatiel. Then I started raising birds for quite a few years but back out on it when my relationship ended with my ex and all my birds was given away behind my back. It tore me up big time. I brought one of the babies I hand raised with me to my family's home and they love him dearly, Cracker the Quaker, he's a super smart bird! That's when my family understood my passion for birds and how intelligent they really are. Cracker was killed by one of the dogs I took in because he was ill. But apparently wasn't sick enough to go after my escape artist Cracker. He died in my arms and it shattered my heart, he was 7 years old...My family was super angry with me taking in the dog that killed Cracker, they were moving and that's when I took Cracker back, they said IF they had known, they wouldn't let me bring Cracker home with me. Even though he was my bird...That shows me how much my family loved Cracker. But they wouldn't get close to my other birds though like they did with Cracker as he stole their hearts. Til this day my family is still reminding me of the incident....

 

[roxynoodle]

My parents weren't quite as cracked for animals as I was, but they were very tolerant, luckily for me. My mom was allergic to cats and dogs so we couldn't have one. I wanted a horse from the time I first saw one, maybe at age 1.5? They did provide me riding lessons from age 4, but didn't want the expense or work of a horse so I had to wait until I was an adult to have one.

Aside from the birds, as a child I did have hamsters, mice, rats, guinea pigs, a box turtle that I had for more than 20 years, a snake, lizards, fish and a crayfish. Oh and a rabbit I got in college.

As an adult I added horses, goats, pot belly pigs, dogs and cats. I have considerably fewer animals now but I no longer have the strength and energy to care for so many. Nor the income since going on disability and having the medical bills I do.

So I was lucky enough to have parents who were willing to put up with a zoo of little critters for me, and I'm grateful for that.