# Birds, birds, birds...



## Wenzer (Jun 22, 2020)

Growing up, I kept a few different reptile species here and there, they were always for me specifically as my parents are not really fond of the reptiles (though my mom always loved the beardies!... until I started that dubia colony ?). It was a fun time trying to make my dad understand that these roaches wouldn't infest/be able to thrive in our environment, though he eventually just stopped talking about them altogether, and we had a silent understanding: if he can't see them, they dont exist ? (i.e., the colony and tub were kept in my closet)

I still love reptiles but my passion shifted as I grew up more, and found myself falling in love with birds. I'll be 24 this year, started keeping birds around 9-10 years ago. Began working with rescue/foster parrots around 6 years ago. I often work with the birds that need more "hands on" work; the birds who suffer from traumatic experiences, have been neglected/abused to the point that they are aggressively defensive, the birds that are so terrified of people that they can't even get themselves to relax when the environment is theoretically calm and safe for them.

I spend a lot of time with these birds to learn their personalities and how they, as individuals, interact with people and other birds, their body language, their boundaries. Personal boundaries are very important not only for people but for animals/pets too! Not all birds enjoy being touched or held, and if they do, you have to earn that privilege.

Many of the birds I've worked with would not let me anywhere near them when they first arrived. I tried to keep physical interactions at a minimum unless necessary (like having to physically hold them to move them to a carrier/transport them to the vet/groomers). Some of them slowly came around and allowed me to do things with them, eventually (sometimes I was allowed to scratch a birds neck but they were very sure to make it clear when they were done! Lol. Other birds developed a lot more trust for me and would let me pick them up at their/my leisure)

So that's a bit of background to myself, as I know I haven't really shared a lot on here other than to ask questions about the turtles.

My house is currently run by:

Chloe, female blue and gold macaw (technically handicapped but she's 100% able to be fair! She's got a bit of a story actually...)

Kiwi, female quaker/monk parakeet. I've had her the longest of all of mine.

Alex (male) and Missy (female) Alexandrine ringneck parakeets. Alex is a long-time plucker and Missy is a retired/ex-breeder living out the rest of her days in peace ?

An aviary consisting of 2.3.0 budgies. They are lovely to listen to, and I'm constantly fascinated at their flock dynamics and silly antics. I have the two females named; Astrid and Charlie. I've been undecided on the boys' names for so long now... I often call them things like baby boys/baby bird, and one of the males I call Mr. Green occasionally because of his lemon-lime coloration.

A young cockatiel (unsexed, but I'm leaning towards male) who is very new to our home/flock.

Aside from birds, there's also my older dog Evan, who was a kind of "gift" to myself for my 16th birthday. I volunteered at no-kill shelter here in town, who had only started up semi-recently at that time. I met Evan while I volunteered there and he's been glued to my heels since! He turns 9 this year (age is estimated but he was about a year old when I brought him home. He was part of a puppy mill operation, who were then rescued by the shelter once the mill was discovered).

Also, a tortoiseshell (heheh) kitty, Minks. She was a rehome; was declawed on all four paws before I had gotten her ? she's deaf, 100% indoors only, has environmental allergy problems which give her a sensitive tummy... but super sweet and sassy! LOL.

Last but not least, the newest additions: I recently took in two box turtles and a russian tortoise who were in need of a home (as well as much cleaner, individual setups, amongst other things).


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## KarenSoCal (Jun 22, 2020)

I love your story! I must say, Alex does a very neat job on himself!

I also have a bit of a menagerie...2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 aquariums, coming in a month or so a tortoise and a baby skink, and 2 female 17 year old Senegal parrots who have been with me since they were 3 and 4 months old.


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## Wenzer (Jun 22, 2020)

KarenSoCal said:


> I love your story! I must say, Alex does a very neat job on himself!
> 
> I also have a bit of a menagerie...2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 aquariums, coming in a month or so a tortoise and a baby skink, and 2 female 17 year old Senegal parrots who have been with me since they were 3 and 4 months old.



I absolutely love senegals! The poicephalus family has some of the most awesome species in my opinion ? I have a close friend who has a male name Ousman Kabebe (I think thats how she spells it, at least). We call him Ous-y goosey, my friend jokes a lot that he had to "retake birdie pre-k twice" because he's a bit of an airhead ? he's super sweet and funny, just really, really goofy! If you offer him a treat from your hand, he will get giddy but then stare at it with wide doe eyes for a solid 5 minutes, and you _have_ to hold it there for him until he finally takes it, or else you get a nice bite ?
This friend of mine has hand-reared baby birds for many years and when the babies are old enough to be out of the brooder for a short length of time, she does birdie pre-k with them haha. Shows them different kinds of toys and textures, exposes them to new foods and things that will make their future families have an easier time getting them adjusted. She has a "peep peep everybody" song that she sings to all of the birds ? she's a wonderful woman! I cant help but gush about her haha. She's like my second mother, or maybe soul sister if you will!


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## Pastel Tortie (Jun 29, 2020)

@JoesMum volunteers at a wildlife rehab in the UK. She works with lots of birds, and she's an avid bird watcher as well. Maybe you can compare notes sometime. She periodically posts pictures and videos to the Cold Dark Room thread (under the Personal Promotion section of the forum).


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## Wenzer (Jun 29, 2020)

Pastel Tortie said:


> @JoesMum volunteers at a wildlife rehab in the UK. She works with lots of birds, and she's an avid bird watcher as well. Maybe you can compare notes sometime. She periodically posts pictures and videos to the Cold Dark Room thread (under the Personal Promotion section of the forum).


Oh thats so awesome! I'll have to go skim through that thread when I have some extra time soon  I love learning about birds, well all animals really, there's always something new and fascinating to learn!


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## Pastel Tortie (Jun 29, 2020)

Wenzer said:


> Oh thats so awesome! I'll have to go skim through that thread when I have some extra time soon  I love learning about birds, well all animals really, there's always something new and fascinating to learn!


Start with the most recent posts...and jump in anytime!


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## Wenzer (Jun 29, 2020)

Pastel Tortie said:


> Start with the most recent posts...and jump in anytime!


Will do!

So, I'm a bit oblivious when it comes to the way things are worded sometimes (I'm autistic, my social skills aren't entirely well polished ?), I often take things more literally unless I already know different... so, is the Cold Dark Room thread just an on-going thread for just chatting about anything? I just wasn't sure since it is in the personal promotions subforum and I thought I am only suppose to post business and promotional things. I just want to make sure... ?


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## Pastel Tortie (Jun 29, 2020)

Wenzer said:


> Will do!
> 
> So, I'm a bit oblivious when it comes to the way things are worded sometimes (I'm autistic, my social skills aren't entirely well polished ?), I often take things more literally unless I already know different... so, is the Cold Dark Room thread just an on-going thread for just chatting about anything? I just wasn't sure since it is in the personal promotions subforum and I thought I am only suppose to post business and promotional things. I just want to make sure... ?


Yes, the Cold Dark Room is for chatting about anything. We can be really silly sometimes, or just talk about whatever is going on that we want to share. Or you can just listen in if you want. The Cold Dark Room (sometimes abbreviated as CDR) used to be far more active, and there were regularly posts from England, Wales, Germany, Denmark, South Africa, and various locations in Canada and the U.S., and elsewhere.

There is often kidding around and use of puns. We have so many different "flavors" of English and such a variety of backgrounds that we sometimes confuse ourselves...and each other.  It's all good. ? You never have to feel out of place if you want to ask for more information, or whether someone is kidding, or whatever you might have missed.

It is also a great place to ask if anyone happens to know anything about...whatever is on your mind.


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## Wenzer (Jun 29, 2020)

Pastel Tortie said:


> Yes, the Cold Dark Room is for chatting about anything. We can be really silly sometimes, or just talk about whatever is going on that we want to share. Or you can just listen in if you want. The Cold Dark Room (sometimes abbreviated as CDR) used to be far more active, and there were regularly posts from England, Wales, Germany, Denmark, South Africa, and various locations in Canada and the U.S., and elsewhere.
> 
> There is often kidding around and use of puns. We have so many different "flavors" of English and such a variety of backgrounds that we sometimes confuse ourselves...and each other.  It's all good. ? You never have to feel out of place if you want to ask for more information, or whether someone is kidding, or whatever you might have missed.
> 
> It is also a great place to ask if anyone happens to know anything about...whatever is on your mind.


Thank you for clarifying that for me! I'll surely be checking in on there from time to time


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## Pastel Tortie (Jun 29, 2020)

Wenzer said:


> Thank you for clarifying that for me! I'll surely be checking in on there from time to time


You're welcome! Glad to hear!


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## ZEROPILOT (Jun 30, 2020)

I thought I'd mention my wifes aviary again....In case anyone would be interested.
At one point, she had like 13 cages in our Sun room. Each cage was in the neighborhood of $250.
I even made her a few cages. Mesh and wood. They all got fouled with poop after a while. And the doors always left a lot to be desired.
A couple of years ago, I found an 8 foot, hexagonal aviary on Ebay (by a Chinese company called Juxtepy. Or something very near that)
It was just $300 and was a sturdy aluminum mesh, aluminum framed walk in cage that a large person could live inside.
I actually assembly it standing and walking around inside of it. And I'm that large person I spoke of...
It is light enough to move once assembled. Strong enough that we have not been able to damage it in any way.
For the money, this thing is a supreme bargain!
Ours is indoors, but mounting it to a cement slab outdoors would also be super easy.
It's large enough to stop aggression and birds can actually fly around in there.
It's the Taj Mahal of bird cages.
And for $300.


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## Wenzer (Jun 30, 2020)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I thought I'd mention my wifes aviary again....In case anyone would be interested.
> At one point, she had like 13 cages in our Sun room. Each cage was in the neighborhood of $250.
> I even made her a few cages. Mesh and wood. They all got fouled with poop after a while. And the doors always left a lot to be desired.
> A couple of years ago, I found an 8 foot, hexagonal aviary on Ebay (by a Chinese company called Juxtepy. Or something very near that)
> ...



Wow!! Thats a gorgeous aviary! Ebay can sure pop up with some cool stuff! Just have to sift through the sleezy ones that have pictures that make the product look bigger than it really is ? I always make a point to read the dimensions if I'm ever looking for a travel cage or playstand; etc...
I'm going to check it out though and see if I can't find that one on the website still  I'd love to find out more about it.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 1, 2020)

Wenzer said:


> Wow!! Thats a gorgeous aviary! Ebay can sure pop up with some cool stuff! Just have to sift through the sleezy ones that have pictures that make the product look bigger than it really is ? I always make a point to read the dimensions if I'm ever looking for a travel cage or playstand; etc...
> I'm going to check it out though and see if I can't find that one on the website still  I'd love to find out more about it.


I last saw one on WALMART.COM and HAYNEEDLE


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## Cathie G (Jul 15, 2020)

Pastel Tortie said:


> @JoesMum volunteers at a wildlife rehab in the UK. She works with lots of birds, and she's an avid bird watcher as well. Maybe you can compare notes sometime. She periodically posts pictures and videos to the Cold Dark Room thread (under the Personal Promotion section of the forum).


Oh my garsh.?


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## Cathie G (Jul 15, 2020)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I thought I'd mention my wifes aviary again....In case anyone would be interested.
> At one point, she had like 13 cages in our Sun room. Each cage was in the neighborhood of $250.
> I even made her a few cages. Mesh and wood. They all got fouled with poop after a while. And the doors always left a lot to be desired.
> A couple of years ago, I found an 8 foot, hexagonal aviary on Ebay (by a Chinese company called Juxtepy. Or something very near that)
> ...


I love it. I'll look up the company. Screen shot.


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## Cathie G (Jul 15, 2020)

Wenzer said:


> Thank you for clarifying that for me! I'll surely be checking in on there from time to time


Hello.


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## Wenzer (Jul 15, 2020)

Cathie G said:


> Hello.


Hi there!


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## Cathie G (Jul 15, 2020)

Pastel Tortie said:


> Yes, the Cold Dark Room is for chatting about anything. We can be really silly sometimes, or just talk about whatever is going on that we want to share. Or you can just listen in if you want. The Cold Dark Room (sometimes abbreviated as CDR) used to be far more active, and there were regularly posts from England, Wales, Germany, Denmark, South Africa, and various locations in Canada and the U.S., and elsewhere.
> 
> There is often kidding around and use of puns. We have so many different "flavors" of English and such a variety of backgrounds that we sometimes confuse ourselves...and each other.  It's all good. ? You never have to feel out of place if you want to ask for more information, or whether someone is kidding, or whatever you might have missed.
> 
> It is also a great place to ask if anyone happens to know anything about...whatever is on your mind.


They'll be back. We are irresistible.


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 15, 2020)

Dont listen to them! Its a nightmare in there! You’ll never be the same


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## Cathie G (Jul 15, 2020)

Wenzer said:


> Hi there!


I love your birds, critters and that kitty is downright cute.


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## Cathie G (Jul 15, 2020)

Chubbs the tegu said:


> Dont listen to them! Its a nightmare in there! You’ll never be the same


? smh.


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## Wenzer (Jul 15, 2020)

Cathie G said:


> I love your birds, critters and that kitty is downright cute.


Aw thank you! I'll be sure to tell them each how gorgeous they are ?? that is one of the things I'm working on teaching my macaw right now, actually, hehe ?


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 15, 2020)

There used to be a blue and gold macaw walking around the pet store i used to visit.... that crazy a$$ would chase me around biting my feet lol


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 15, 2020)

Cathie G said:


> ? smh.


Dont hurt ur neck!


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## Wenzer (Jul 15, 2020)

Chubbs the tegu said:


> There used to be a blue and gold macaw walking around the pet store i used to visit.... that crazy a$$ would chase me around biting my feet lol



I don't know what it is about feet and toes... But I definitely know what you mean ? my girl is tame and bonded to me, and she likes to chew on my toes... ? Not only that but am I extremely ticklish, lol. Just the other day I got a video of her landing on my feet while I was layed out across my bed, she tried to grab my toes and I shooed her away, so she went and started yanking the tissues out of the tissue box... ? Picked her back up so we could play with her ACTUAL toys, but instead, she wanted to "clean" my feet with the tissues... She had one in her mouth and was swiping it back and forth across the back of my feet lol


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 15, 2020)

Wenzer said:


> I don't know what it is about feet and toes... But I definitely know what you mean ? my girl is tame and bonded to me, and she likes to chew on my toes... ? Not only that but am I extremely ticklish, lol. Just the other day I got a video of her landing on my feet while I was layed out across my bed, she tried to grab my toes and I shooed her away, so she went and started yanking the tissues out of the tissue box... ? Picked her back up so we could play with her ACTUAL toys, but instead, she wanted to "clean" my feet with the tissues... She had one in her mouth and was swiping it back and forth across the back of my feet lol


I gotta see that haha


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## Wenzer (Jul 15, 2020)

Chubbs the tegu said:


> I gotta see that haha



I uploaded it to my YouTube stuff here! Haha


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## Chubbs the tegu (Jul 15, 2020)

Thats crazy! Haha


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## Cathie G (Jul 15, 2020)

Chubbs the tegu said:


> Dont hurt ur neck!


I'll try not.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 15, 2020)

@Cathie G 
My original posting is:
"Ebay hexagonal aviary review"
By ZEROPILOT
If you search that post, you'll see my original review.
I'm pretty sure I found it on Walmart.com and got it through Hayneedle.


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## K8E K (Jul 15, 2020)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I thought I'd mention my wifes aviary again....In case anyone would be interested.
> At one point, she had like 13 cages in our Sun room. Each cage was in the neighborhood of $250.
> I even made her a few cages. Mesh and wood. They all got fouled with poop after a while. And the doors always left a lot to be desired.
> A couple of years ago, I found an 8 foot, hexagonal aviary on Ebay (by a Chinese company called Juxtepy. Or something very near that)
> ...


I've seen those on ebay, glad to hear they're pretty solid! Looks nice.


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## Maggie3fan (Jul 16, 2020)

I have 6 cages in my living room each with what I hope will be a couple. Here's a photo...Ed, what kind of birds does your wife have?


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## K8E K (Jul 16, 2020)

Here's our rescue pigeons and one of the young chickens that snuck into the shot... ?


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 16, 2020)

maggie3fan said:


> I have 6 cages in my living room each with what I hope will be a couple. Here's a photo...Ed, what kind of birds does your wife have?
> View attachment 300155


Two female lady Gouldian finches
And one male Timbrero Canary.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 16, 2020)

K8E K said:


> I've seen those on ebay, glad to hear they're pretty solid! Looks nice.


I've been very impressed.
The only part that sucked was when it arrived (2 boxes) one box had a small hole in it and all of the assembly bolts were missing.
I spent another $40 at Home Depot getting a few bags of nuts and bolts.


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## K8E K (Jul 16, 2020)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I've been very impressed.
> The only part that sucked was when it arrived (2 boxes) one box had a small hole in it and all of the assembly bolts were missing.
> I spent another $40 at Home Depot getting a few bags of nuts and bolts.


Ugh, that does suck. Too much trouble to return but trouble enough to replace parts. Hopefully they gave you some $ back!


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 16, 2020)

K8E K said:


> Ugh, that does suck. Too much trouble to return but trouble enough to replace parts. Hopefully they gave you some $ back!


I honestly don't recall.
But I think that either Ebay or PayPal worked out something.


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## Cathie G (Jul 16, 2020)

ZEROPILOT said:


> @Cathie G
> My original posting is:
> "Ebay hexagonal aviary review"
> By ZEROPILOT
> ...


As chatty as they are, I would love to do a zebra finch family in one. I'll look.?


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