Tiel Tales

3 Weeks Later

2006-02-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

Patchie and Silver's clutch consisted of five eggs. Out of those five, four were fertile. All four eggs hatched successfully this time around and the babies are growing like weeds! We chose names that reflect Ancient Greek mythology for each of the babies as my son and daughter are studying it in school and I've always been a big fan. The oldest is Boagreous, or (Bo) as he's nicknamed. Of course, we have NO idea if Bo is a he or a she, but who cares. :-) Bo just turned 3 weeks old yesterday. Already feathered out, Bo is a cinnamon and has a very pretty tawny hue. Not much yellow in the mohawk and his tummy is a lighter shade.. much like the dove gray Silver was when I first got him. No signs of pied markings that I can see yet but he's not done shedding all of the keretin quite yet.

Next in line is Paris - Paris turned 2 weeks old on Saturday, making him or her 19 days old today. Paris has shed most of the keretin on the wings and is a cinnamon just like Bo but much the tummy, tail and neck keretin still remains so I can't see if there are markings beneath. Ahh.. and Paris has quite a bit more yellow in the mohawk. Paris is QUITE the eater and already outweighs Bo by a few grams. MOOOO! In the picture, Paris is 17 days old and already, he's got ALOT more of his feathers in. 2 days makes a huge difference in the lives of these guys. I have a hard time telling them apart right away but Bo has begun to chirp so when I hear a "Chirp" in greeting, I know its Bo. If I pick up the baby with the yellow-er Mohawk, I know I have Paris. LOL!

Persephone is the next in line. Born the day after Paris, Persephone is 18 days old. It took quite a while for her to begin to prickle out and she still has all of her keretin sheeths on. I'm not sure but she's either a standard gray or a cinnamon. As you can see, Persephone is very well fed and currently, she's the fattest one!

Lastly, is little Hektor except he's not so little anymore. In fact, he rivals Persephone is size by about 7 grams. Hektor was born 15 days ago. There is a span of six days between Bo and Hektor so I had concerns about feeding, but Patchie and Silver came through like champs and the whole lot of them were well cared for. Hektor developed a little slower, like Persephone, and has just turned into a pin cushion whereas Bo and Paris where well pinned by their age.

Because of the age difference and because of the strain it was putting on Patchie and Silver, I pulled the two oldest babies from the clutch when Paris was almost 2 weeks old and Bo was just over. Immediately, the change in the two younger babies still remaining in the nest is amazing. They've put on tremendous amounts of weight and now weigh more than their formula fed siblings. Bo and Paris have had it a little rougher. Problems with slow crop have put a damper on things, but both are back on the right path now and eating what they're supposed too. Now to fatten them up!

Bo and Paris have really grown on me. (Obviously). I feed them four times a day, massage their little crops and worry over them as if I'd given birth to them. I'm aware that I'm going to have to part ways with some of the babies, so though I love the babies in the nestbox, I've tried to remain somewhat emotionally unattached to them as well. At least.. as much as possible! (LOL)! So I've sorta tried to think of it in terms of, "Their babies (Persephone and Hektor) and MY babies (Paris and Bo). Between the two babies handfed babies, I'll still have to make a choice but it will be easier (I think) to choose between two than four. I guess its my defense mechanism kicking in, but these guys are so damn cute I have to put up some kind of shield or my house would be populated with babies and none would EVER leave the nest. LOL I know of people it HAS happened to, but four babies would be way too much on top of my already HUGE flock. After I've made my baby choice, my tiel limit will have reached the max I'm afraid.

More updates later!

Bad JuJu

2006-01-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

Well, So far, So good. Little Bo seems to immune to the bad Juju that his or her brothers and sisters from the previous clutch succummed to. I called it the four day curse because each (with the exception of Ramen who died at 2 days old) each died on their fourth day of life. This IS Bo's fourth day and he's still here. At 6 am tomorrow morning, Bo will officially be 5 days old. This evening, Bo passed a poo poo in Kirsten's hand when we weighed him and that's something none of the other babies ever did. The poo looked nice and normal and he was active and wriggling, holding his head up. I was tempted to pull him today but when I saw that he was doing well, I thought another day might be okay.

In other news, Eggamemnon the egg hatched into a chick today! So.. now Bo has a clutch-mate! At birth, lil Eggamemnon (to be named) weighed four grams. This evening, the baby weighed five grams. Hooray! He or she is being fed and there was food in its crop when I checked this evening. Ooh, I'm a happy Grandma (cautiously).

More updates, and pictures to come! Stay tuned!

Little Bo "Peep"

2006-01-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

Little "Bo" peeped and pipped his or her way into the world very early on the morning of January 18, 2006. I'm sooo happy! 4 grams at birth, this lil one has doubled his birth weight in the 48 hours he or she has been alive. I guess that's good? I haven't weighed him this evening, but I'm hoping that tomorrow morning, he'll have surpassed the ten gram mark that the largest of their last clutch was at death last time. The next baby is due to hatch tomorrow morning, at that will be even more work for Patchie and Silver. They've been out grocery shopping quite a bit, and prefer to eat out of dishes near everyone elses cage. Weird but I suppose its the flock mentality. I have a ladder and rope going from their cage to the other cage for easy access. A friend of mine said she had the same situation when her budgies were breeding and was constantly letting her male out to feed... opening and closing the cage door behind him. She said she felt like the doorman at a posh Manhattan hotel. Uh huh! Exactly what its like here right about now. The other birds aren't quite sure what to make of it all. I'm not sure Patch and Silver are feeding enough still. If he doesn't gain substantial weight over the next day or two, I'm pulling him for hand feeding and will do the same for the others. I wish there was a chart that could tell me how much baby birds fed by their parents should weigh at certain day increments so I'd know if he was getting enough to eat. Then I'd know what is what. I saw a picture of someone else's baby's (parent fed) at five days old. They had HUGE crops and weighed 22 grams apiece. I can't imagine mine looking like that, yet I hear Patchie and Silver feeding him frequently, so who knows. I guess another day or two will tell. *Let's hope he outlives his siblings from the first clutch and makes it that long*

So.. I'm holding my breath and trying not to get to close to him, but its VERY hard. How could you NOT get attached to something THIS cute?

Silent Night

2006-01-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

Just a brief update on the nest box situation. Patchie and Silver had another clutch of five eggies. Out of the five, one was cracked and I chucked it. (A sad little incident with a night fright). The other four are fertile so we're expecting another clutch of four babies, just like the last time! Weee! We've named this clutch, just like the last time (can't help it y'know). The egg names are "Boeggreus, Eggamemnon, Eggasus and Adromeggda". You guessed it. Ancient Greek influence. Yah..um.. I watched the movie Troy a few too many times. Can't help it! I wouldn't mind having a clutch with Brad Pitt. Yeowza! Plus, Cameron is studying Greek Mythology in school and thinks it rocks. :-)

So, last night was day 18 for Bo. He didn't hatch, and didn't peep. With the last clutch, Faira peeped on the 19th night and hatched early on day 20. Soooo.. if the same thing occurs with this clutch, hopefully I'll hear peeping tonight and we'll have a chick in the morning! Let's hope so! Eggamemnon was active in his or her shell the last time I candled so on Saturday, he or she should make an appearance, and then Eggasus and finally, Andromeggda will bring up the rear. Bo will be quite a bit older, but I've got hand rearing formula and pipettes ready and since I'm now a stay-at-home Mom, I've got nothing but time on my hands to hopefully see these chicks through if something should go wrong. Hopefully, nothing will!

Will this be another Silent Night? We shall see!

Back In The Saddle

2006-01-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Patchie and Silver are giving it another go! It was completely "unplanned" parenthood. One morning, I uncovered the cage to find an egg, smashed between the bars of the bottom grate beneath Patchie's high bedtime triangle perch that she shares with Silver. Though she shares the cage with Silver and two other hens, I knew it was Apache's egg. The other two hens were clear on the other side of the cage and the egg was leaking its contents directly beneath her. Poor "Humpty".. the baby tiel who will never be.

After some deliberation as to whether or not I would let them go through with it or not, I finally decided to let them have one more crack at it. Patchie would have to endure her cycle of laying anyway. May as well see if it would be fruitful or not. She get sooo depressed when she's seperated from Silver, and actually, I worried about seperating her AND allowing her to continue laying. I would have to do with her what I did with Taxi. Cull her out from the flock, keep her in a seperate cage but in the same room with the flock during the day and put her to bed in Kirsten's room in total darkness (with her eggs) much earlier than the other birds.

Allowing them to nest (so far) has proved to be the right decision. Not only were THEY thrilled (heheh).. Silver actually stepped up and sang to me AND his nest box when he saw it, but the day after I set things up for them, the furnace went out. The front room is cozy thanks to our electric radiator, but the Kirsten's room and the back of the house was FRIGID! Patchie would have froze back there before I figured it out!

Now we've got a fixed furnace, two eggs in the nest box and another one due any minute now. I have NO idea how many eggs will be in this clutch or how successful they will be as parents this time around. I'm trying very hard not to sail into this with high expectations so I don't suffer the heartbreak of last time, but its hard not to get a wee bit excited. Just as last time, I shall maintain that the safety of Patchie and Silver is first and foremost. I will guard them as their Shepard and make sure they come to no harm in this venture to the very best of my ability. So this marks the beginning of our second journey into parenthood and hopefully, this time it will have a happier, healthier ending.

Happy Turkey Day!

2005-11-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Cockatiel Daycare

2005-11-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I got to put my "class" in handfeeding baby tiels to good use. A few weeks ago, Christy e-mailed me, asking if I would watch her babies for her while she took a trip out of town for a weekend. At the time, she had three pinfeathered babies but the number was subject to change as clutches always do. Three weeks later, the big day arrived and those three pinfeatherd babies were now four, nearly weaned! Man, time flies when you're a baby cockatiel. In addition to those four, there were two more. One just out of the pin feather stage and one about 9 days old (just opened its bitty lil eyes). So tiny it still has its yellow down and its' egg tooth. The smallest, is Christy's "darling". A baby that was rejected by Mom and Dad since it emerged from its shell and handfed by Christy since day one. This little one has never known the touch of a parents beak.

So, Christy arrived on my doorstep with a cage loaded with four juvenile cockatiels in various stages of weaning and an aquarium tank containing the two younger babies still needing the aid of a heating pad and covering to stay warm, on Friday night. After a demonstration with the youngest (Refresher course in handfeeding. Hey! It had been like, 8 months at LEAST since I'd seen Carey's demonstration), and a good visit w/Christy, I was on my own for 48 hours. My house suddenly exploded with birds. I went from 7 tiels, to 13! Okay, I know some people who have WAY more than that even, but to make that jump in a matter of seconds.. well.. HEHE! Anyway, it was fun!

The first feeding was a little hectic. I fed the older ones first and they wanted nothing to do with the formula. Well, they ARE older I thought, so I didn't worry. There was a precious yellow pearl who looked almost identical to Taxi, two dark gray babies that looked so similar to one another I had a hard time telling them apart, and a cinnamon that reminded me of Silver when he was a baby, only perhaps a little browner than Silver was at that age. Funny too, because the cinnamon is a full-blood sibling to Neo and Silver as its parents are none other than Jack and Ele. In fact, the only baby in the bunch NOT related in some fashion to Neo and Silver was the pearl baby, who is the offspring of Anna and Cricket (two pearl cockatiels Christy adopted some while back). Once I tucked the older babies in for the night, it was time to feed the youngest ones. First, I fed the babiest one.. (I called it "Downey" because it was still so soft and yellow)and I was amazed the formula went down without any problems. I did get an air bubble in the crop the first time around, but it was right on top, so I gently massaged it and it came right out without any reguirgitation. Next, it was the bigger babies turn. Also a gray baby, with his head just COVERED in pinfeathers. He ate like SUCH a hog! I couldn't believe how hard he jousted on that syringe! I thought for sure he was going to stab himself! Because he was bigger than the lil yellow Downey one, Kirsten wanted to call him "Zilla" but it just didn't fit in my opinion, because he was still tiny. He had this lil devilish beaky grin though, and he'd still beg after I fed him. Almost "gremlin" like. I almost got the feeling like, if I fed him after midnight, he'd turn into something else, so I got to calling him "Mogwai" because he reminded me of that cute little fuzzball in the movie Gremlins.
"Downey" in the tank

"Mogwai" - Doesn't miss many meals

Day two seemed as though it was going to start out rocky. Downey's crop wasn't empty in the morning and I thought I was going to have to give him some rice water. Just as I was about to offer him the syringe, he unloaded a poop bomb right on Kirsten (Hehe!) and whalah! His crop was empty! I waited about an hour and then fed him as usual. He slurped it down like a champ and every feeding there after was fine. Mogwai ate like a trooper but the older birdies were being rather testy. Perhaps it was because they didn't know me. I started calling the Cinnamon one "Cinnthia" and she was a little piggy. She begged off of her brothers and sisters and they fed her on demand, or at least, went through the motions of feeding her. She was the first one to eat for me, followed by one of the grays.
"Cinnthia" can't resist

I nicknamed the grays "Pete and Re-Pete" ... and I figured the older one would be the more independent one, he was "Pete". The younger one ate well for me, as you can see.
Guilt! "Re-Pete" caved in and ate from the syringe too!

Sunday morning, the youngest of the four (I learned later) the Pearl, which I oh-so-creatively nicknamed "Pearly" decided I was A-Okay and began pigging out on the formula as well.
"Pearly deciding formula is Good Stuff!

Lil Pete never did take any formula. I was a good "take off" platform though, and a good elevator as well. :-)

Feeding babies every four hours (except at night because their crops need to empty out) was quite the chore, but those babies were SO worth it. I'm afraid Patchie and Silver really wanted in on the action though. The sound of babies begging and the chirping-hiccup sound they make when they suck down the formula drove them into a frenzy every time they heard it. I wonder if I've set the hormone monster into action again? We shall see. At any rate, it was AWESOME to have those six babies here, and I got bit hard with the baby bug. It was hard to give them back, but reality bit me too. The work involved in the care of the little ones would NEVER jive with my work schedule so its a nice dream, but one that will have to wait.

Another Candidate for the Loser's Club

2005-11-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

Buzz is fitting in quite well. He's still shy of new things, but once he warms up to them, its with gusto. For instance, his new preen toy. I put it in his cage and he ignored it for a few days, but after I hung a sprig of millet on it, he began to preen it with love. Food seems to be the way to this dude's heart. In fact, he puts his "hearts" on for me and sings whenever I refill his food cup. LOSER!

He is quite an accomplished whistler when he wants to be as well. He knows parts of the Andy Griffith theme song, plus his own pretty little "tiel" song as well. He immitates the pencil sharpener and barks like a dog too. MEGA cute. He's got the "kissy cluck" down pat. He kisses to me whenever I open his door to give him new food. He also "says" Buzz, Buzz-bird and Good Boy. HEHE!

Speaking of new food, Buzz LOVES his pellets. Chalk another mark on Zupreem's list of convertees. I've seen him eat one after the other, (pigging out on them is more like it) so I've started decreasing the amount of seed he gets and increasing the amount of pellet at feeding time. Yesterday, he even parrot-footed his pellet. LOSER!

The other day, Buzz ventured out of the cage on his own for the first time. He's MUCH like Neo in that he does NOT like hands coming to get him inside the cage. He won't step up when I put my hand in the cage, but rather, panics and flaps all over the place. I REFUSE to chase him and destroy the fragile trust we're establishing, so I've been coaxing him to come out of his cage. Finally, he took the plunge! I had my camera ready too. Once out, Buzz allowed me to handle him. After a few attempts to fly from my hand (where I would then rescue him), he calmed right down and sat with me, chirped with me and kissy clucked at me. Now if I can only convince him that I can scritch his head as well as his water bottle can!

Buzz ventures out for the first time and checks to see if the coast is clear. "Hmm.. any of those darn photographers around?"

Buzz catches me being the paparazzi but it doesn't seem to bother him much. "Well, if you're going to snap my picture, at least get my good side."

Here, he even poses. "I'd like to thank the Academy, my loyal fans... "

Gods Of War

2005-11-10T19:22:00.002-08:00

Silver and Neo had to be seperated again. Reunited for just a brief time, Patchie's presence proved too much for the brothers to bear. Neo began challenging Silver for Patchie's "wing" in matrimony and Silver had something to say about it. A fight broke out, and though larger in stature, Silver lost out to "little guy" Neo.

With a bloodied nare and a knock to the ego, at least Silver didn't lose his girl.

It was Mom to the rescue. I chastised Neo and put him in the cage with the hens, where he'll live out the rest of his days in bachelorhood, unless he "gets over it" once and for all and figures out that there's three other gals to chose from, but Patchie is off limits.

Silver needed a little more attention than that however. Some direct pressure to the nare didn't stop the bleeding right away, but at least there was no structural damage. Neo's beak must have made a direct hit, (poor Silver). He had a slow, but steady streem of blood coming from his nare for a while that I monitored carefully. Finally it clotted up and he looked like something from a horror movie. He wasn't having any trouble breathing or getting around, and was in good spirits so I held off on rushing him to the vet. It seems that was the right call because the next day, the clot fell off and now, there's only a bit of swelling at the edge of the nare. The hole itself is open and there's no more bleeding at all. He's been eating well and hasn't seemed to be troubled by the incident in the least. I'll continue to watch him in case an infection sets in from the wound, but as long as everything heals well, it will be unlikely.

Poor SILVER! Bad Neo! My bad for trusting the two of them together! Now I know better. Man.. that Patchie! What a man-killer she is. Wonder what it is about that lil lemon-yellow mohawk of hers that drives the boys so crazy?

The Latest Buzz

2005-10-30T07:39:00.000-08:00

We have a newcomer to the flock! Actually, he's still in quarantine but he will be joining the flock in due time. Buzz (short for Buzzard - he came with his name) joined us yesterday. I have met this guy one other time back in February and fell completely in love with him. He's a whiteface male and belonged to a co-worker of my husband. When Scott and I went to pick up a car we purchased from him, I met Buzz. I cooed at him and made jokes that if they wanted to throw Buzz in with the deal, I'd be more than happy, and they actually seem to consider it for a moment! But the wife said they'd had him from an "egg" and weren't willing to part with him. I said I was only kidding but I love cockatiels and had (four) of my own. (At the time, Teika and Trinny were still in Michigan). The other day, Scott called me from work and said they'd offered to give up Buzz, cage and all, free of charge to me, because I'd loved him the minute I laid eyes on him, and they knew he needed a better home. Scott had to work, but Kirsten and I drove over last night, visited with them for a bit, thanked them profusely for allowing us to have Buzz, loaded him up and brought him home.

Sitting high in his cage...

The Buzz man took well to the ride home. He seems to be pretty mellow for the most part. He sqeaked a bit, but Kirsten rode with hime in the back. We got him settled in her room for the quarantine period and he took his first looks around his new home. He didn't like her fish lamp so we unplugged it. He settled down quickly after that.

THe first order of business was to sort out the bag of supplies he came with. Kirsten was horrified to find a whole bag of Hartz cockatiel seed mix. That's like, the worst brand you can feed a bird. BLAH! Buzz is going to be four years old in December, and its amazing he's in the condition he is if he's been eating only that his entire life. He looks to be a little underweight but that can be easily fixed. The bag of seed mix went promptly into the trash, as did the nasty GRIT I found. I noticed it sprinkled about in the cage bottom as well. Oivay! At least he has a cuttlebone and mineral block, but he has obviously never had vegetables in his life. I affixed a sprig of parsley in his cage to see what he'd do, and he nearly jumped out of his feathers. Its my hope that if he doesn't acquaint himself with veggies in the time of quarantine, he will do so when he's with the flock as a matter of course, seeing THEM eat it.

Though he's unwilling to step up and doesn't want to be handled, he seems friendly and curious. He comes right up to the cage and interracts vocally.

This morning, I came into the room and offered him his cup of (UPGRADED) seeds - I'll convert him to pellets later after he's settled in - while I held it. He began flirting with me by holding his wings out in the shape of a heart and kissing at me. He said his name "Buzz-bird" and whistled bars from the Andy Griffith Show at Kirsten's prompting. What a little dude! After his courtship display was done, he stepped onto the seed cup and took a seed whilst I held the cup. So, there's definitely hope that he can be handled.

I have high hopes. If I can gain Neo's trust, I can gain Buzz's! hehehe! Neo was a tough nut to crack, and this guy is actually very sweet. He just hasn't been handled in a very long time. Neo was terrified of everything. A big difference there.

Here's Buzz getting curious about the camera...

So Buzz is a beautiful boy, and once he's plumped up and certifiably healthy and out of quarantine, he'll have his pick of the ladies. I wonder if he'll bond with any particular birdy or if he will be a people bird? Only time will tell. In the meantime, he now replaces Teika as the eldest bird in the flock. On December 3, he will be 4 years old. What is it with December hatch dates? I guestimate that Apache was a December hatch, Taxi definitely was, I believe Teika was, and now Buzz. Weird huh? But then again, tiels DO go through a fall nesting period. Taxi has eggs in her cage to prove it. HAHA!

So.. welcome BUZZ! More to come!

Reigning Zupreem

2005-10-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm REALLY happy! All of the birds have made the successful conversion to pellets. I have been slowly trying to convince them that pellets aren't the food of the devil for the last year. The boys have always been really good about eating what I put in front of them (typical men) but Apache is my seed junkie and fought me claw and beak everytime I tried to switch to pellets. She would literally go on hunger strikes and make herself ill, holding out for her precious seeds. I feared Teika and Trinny would be difficult to convert since they had never really been introduced to pellets either so visions of "Apache like battles" flitted through my mind. Trinny's increasing weight problems and Teika's stress bars and uneven beak convinced me that a better diet was desperately needed. Silver and Taxi aren't slim chickens themselves and could benefit from a lower fat diet. Patchie and Neo's suppressed immune systems would definitely benefit from the added vitamins of a pelleted diet so my mind was made up. These guys were going to eat pellets, come hell or high water! They've always "dorked around" with them, but cried if they didn't get their seeds too. UNTIL I found the Avian Entrees brand of Zupreem. Okay.. So the pellets are colored. Not touted as "The Best" by pellet geeks in the avian world, but I read the ingredients and they don't have the BIG NO NO preservatives that Kaytee and LaFabre brands do. The pellet geeks insist that "all natural" is the ONLY way to go. Fine.. So they should eat Harrisons. They've tried Harrison's Pellets. Should I say, they DIDN'T try them. They turned their beaks to them. I liken Harrisons to Grapenuts cereal. BLAH! Who wants to eat that all day long. ::: Yawns::: BUT.. this Avian Entree.. OMG! It has dehydrated veggies in the mix... Peas, peppers, and lots of goodies! I open the bag and it smells so good, I want to pour a bowl of it for myself! Its no wonder its such a hit with the birds! They dig in with gusto, usually reserved only for seeds. I've been able to completely phase out seeds and they don't even miss them! The only down side, is they've become complete goblins! They eat and eat and eat, constantly! Perhaps the pellets aren't as filling as the seeds? I come home from work and check the dishes and have to fill them up because the little pigs have completely wiped out their supply. So far, Trinny has lost 4 grams. She's lost it gradually rather than over night, so that's good. It wouldn't be healthy for her to drop the weight really fast. It also seems that Taxi has curbed her hormonal ways, I'm happy to report. Perhaps knocking out her seed supply has helped, along with reducing her daylight hours. She laid only two eggs. HOORAY!

SO, that's the latest!

Beggetha's Eggetha

2005-10-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

My little Pearlie Girlie! The one who still "static cries" like a baby when I give her head scritches became a "woman" today! ::: sobs:: This morning, when I uncovered the cages, there was an egg in my lil "Beggetha's" side of the cage. Taxi is all grown up!

I'm 100% sure its infertile. Neo, her male cage mate, is a total nimrod when it comes to the "birds and the bees" (pardon the pun). HAHA! He's so hung up on Apache, he stares at her when he gets "in the mood" and does his business. When Taxi is in the mood, she pleasures herself in a corner and squeaks away. Neo could care less. Usually, he preens himself or looks for food as if nothing is happening. DOH! It SEEMED as though the hormone situation had finally died down because Taxi had finally gotten herself under control (unless she was getting busy while I was at work) and the "couples cage" has been quiet for some time now. But apparently, my "tough love" approach to hormone therapy wasn't enough and my Taxi decided to gift me with an egg. Sadly, she sees ME as her mate. ARGH!

Sooo.. I moved Taxi into a smaller cage (The one Mindy brought with Teika and Trinny. Its PERFECT size for hospital use. THANKS Mindy!) and set her and "eggetha" up in there. I'm putting Taxi to bed much earlier than everyone else and she will be sleeping in Kirsten's room at night, completely covered. During the day, I'll bring her out so she can at least see the flock. I'll do with her what I did with Patchie during her confinement this summer while she was ill. Visual contact so she doesn't get lonely, but no physical contact. Not because she's ill, but because she's obviously very hormonal. I'll have to cut WAY back on her food and she's not to have anything in her cage she can shred or use for nesting material. Oddly, she hasn't been broody at all. She still wants to come out and play like always and she's been very affectionate. Not at all protective of her cage OR her egg. In fact, she and Neo regarded it as some kind of toy. They were playing soccer with it earlier before I moved her. :: rolls eyes::: Like I said, I'm convinced Neo was a perfect gentleman and didn't "service" Taxi in any way, shape or form, but if there was even the SLIGHTEST chance that the egg was fertile, its surely scrambled now after she and Neo scored field goals with it. HAHA! It rolled from one end of the cage to the other as she and Neo bowled with it. Oivay! Proof in my mind that Young Taxi is certainly not old enough to take any kind of motherhood duties seriously. This egg was merely a curiosity to her and Neo. A toy to be rolled about like a bowling ball rather than a potetnial chick to be lovingly incubated.

Hopefully keeping her in the dark (sniffle.. I feel so mean) early on in the evening will do the trick and reset her lil hormonal clock. I'm sure she'll pop out one more egg, but hopefully no more than that. I'll post again and update, but keep your fingers crossed that she doesn't become an egg laying machine.

Fall Is Here

2005-10-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

Can't believe its been a month since my last post! :Sigh:: Well, at least the hormones have died down. YAY! There hasn't been a lot going on so perhaps that explains my lax posting habits as of late. Everyone is doing well, I'm happy to report. Teika has gained all the weight the doctor wanted and her stress bars are fading. Patchie is active and hasn't seemed to relapse. Trinny.. well.. our lil princess pictured above is quite FAT! She's going on a MAJOR diet. (As you can see, she's QUITE the porker!!!) Taxi is still a nerd, ( lovingly said), Neo is still a scritch fiend and Silver is still Mr. Bossy feathers. Ah.. gotta love the flock! :)

Hormone House

2005-09-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

With the Coming of Autumn, brings the onset of hormones for the tiels, so it seems. Also, it seems Taxi is coming of age. Not my sweet lil Baby Taxi! Ahh, but yes! 9 months old as of this month, it seems its a magical age to find love. Love of your pellet dish, and love of your Mommy. But not the kind of love it "used to be". Sweet and innocent. "Oh Mommy, please come Scritch me" love. Nooo... its "Mommy! Loot at my vent! Scritch me so I can do the hen dance on your hand! Ooh! Lets have mutant babies together!" kind of love. Ugh!

Look at this sweet little face!

Its the face of a little monster now. ::Sigh:: One I must shun.

Fortunately, Strict "day-light reducing" therepy along with "ring around the cages" and food reducing therepy seems to be helping with all of them.

You see, Trinny was back at it, laying low on her perch and chirping. Neo was humping perches and Silver and Patchie were humping each other. Taxi was flashing her vent at me whenever she got an opportunity and I even caught Teika with her vent in the air a few times. Oiy Vay! It was getting rediculous! So, I set out on a NO HORMONE regime and it seems to be working. The birds were clueless each night as to who they'd be shacking up with. Only the food they could put away in a day would be given and nothing more. Lights out strictly at 8:30 pm. No if's ands or vents, lots of baths and NO SCRITCHES. :::Sigh.. that was hard:::. Things have calmed down considerably. PHEW!!!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one going through it. All over my posting board, everyone is talking about how horny their birds are so it must be "that time of year." I've taken the opportunity to chage the cages around too and redecorate. I've been super cleaning things, removing perches and soaking stuff in anti-bacterial solutions (bird-safe of course), uber cleaning toys, etc. I always maintain the cage papers and stuff and clean off perches, cage bars and whatnot, but sometimes unhooking all those toys and stuff is a pain when they're not pooped on or anything, but every once in a while, you've got to give the entire cage and its contents the big once over. So.. I've put ALL the birds in one side, removed EVERY SINGLE item, scoured everything from top to bottom and then replaced everything brand new, including brand new natural branch perches. Tomorrow the other side gets it. All part of my anti-hormonal campaign. Rearranging toys and putting new things in the cage gives them other things to concentrate on besides their horny lil bodies. Hehe!

Teika's Trials

2005-08-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

Apache's final checkup at the Vet's office was today. Though she still has a little irritation at the back of her throat, Dr. Becky doesn't feel its an infection, but rather, signs that Apache is having some drainage issues from her sinuses. Likely, Patchie is sensitive to all of the cockatiel dust and a hepa purifier will solve a
lot of her issues. I'll watch her for future signs that her allergies are developing into another infection, but she's gained back to 90 grams (YAY!) and is active and in good feather again. What a RELIEF!

In another entry, I posted that I had concerns about Teika. Nothing that I could really "put a finger on". She had lost a little weight, but I had tried converting the birds over to a pelleted diet to get Trinny and Taxi's weight gain under control. Teika and Patchie suffered for it so it was back to a seed and pellet mix. It seemed to work, but Teika still seemed a little "off" to me. Nothing I could pin down though. She regained weight and wasn't wheezing, sneezing or seemingly ill, but she wasn't being very vocal, and just seemed a little "off". Tense and not very friendly, and not as playful as she had been, yet not sickly acting. Just.. "Off".

So, I made an appointment to have Teika seen while Patchie was getting her re-check. Dr. Becky exclaimed the MINUTE she laid eyes on Teika. (She gets that! HEHE!) She's SOOO pretty (and she knows it!)

The good news is, Lil Miss Teika checked out fine health wise. Her fecal came back fine, her nares are fine, her choana is a good color (not irritated like Patchie's) and her breathing and heartbeat are sound great. The bad news is, the stress she's endured is showing up in little ways. The fact that she was rehomed, underwent hormone shots, had a change of address prior to moving in with me, has played ring around the cage mates (never parting with Trinny but having Patchie pulled due to illness, and then other birds juggled due to hormones, etc) has left her a little rattled. We now have a cage arrangement that seems to suit her well. She and Trinny share a cage with Patchie and Silver, while Taxi and Neo share the other half. Teika has been coming out of her shell a bit since I've set things up this way so hopefully it will continue to be an upward trend. How was the vet able to tell she was stressed? Apparently there are these fine lines known as "stress bars" present on her feathers. They don't cause any damage to the feather and won't weaken them, but they are just little dark lines that are very difficult to notice unless you know what to look for. AWWWWWWW! Poor lil Teika. Dr. Becky wasn't able to tell me if they are on new feathers or old ones or both, but what really matters is that I'm aware that she is very susceptible to stressors in her environment now, and I will take measures to make sure she's accounted for in every way.

Teika and Apache weigh exactly the same. And funny, Patchie is at prime weight and Dr. Becky said Patchie is "chunking up". She even looks rather "squat" compared to Teika. Dr. Becky said Teika is a tall bird and she would like to see 5 more grams on her frame. She's not "underweight" but considering the stress she's been under, a few more grams wouldn't be a bad thing for her. Though they weigh the same, Teika somehow feels lighter on my finger than Apache does. Odd huh?

The last thing Dr. Becky noticed was Teika's beak. Though she's in good physical condition, she did notice that Teika's lower mandible is a little off center (not ground properly down). Not horribly noticeable but just enough. Since she didn't see Teika right after I got her, its hard to establish a foundation of "before and after" because Teika is now quite good about eating pellets. She likes the green ones. Dr. Becky feels the prime cause is nutricianal and wants me to put more pellets and less seed into Teika's dish as soon as I get her plumped up. I'm also to encourage her to chew more on mineral blocks (for mineral content AND to help grind that beak down) rather than cuttle bones and I have an idea to do that. She said I can even powder a mineral block and sprinkle it in her seeds if she's not eating enough pellet until she's more established on Pellets. She wants to see her back in six months to see how she's coming along. She also noted that Teika's claws are very long (even though I've clipped them) which could also be related to the nutricianal thing thing. I should have asked her what veggies I should encourage Teika to eat more of, but didn't think of it. If she's not showing improvement in 6 months, I'll have some blood drawn to make sure there's not a thyroid, liver or some other organ playing a part in why her beak and claws are growing like that. I also meant to ask if the hormone shots may have had something to do with it, but I was so intent on following her instructions I forgot to ask my questions. LOL! Fortunately, I have a great relationship with Becky and anything I think of after the fact, I can always call her up and ask.

So that's the update for now. Everyone else is doing great! I'll have to post about the rest of the flock here soon since everything has been about Patchie and Teika as of late!

The Road To Recovery

2005-08-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

Patchie has had a rough ride. Though her test for Psitticosis came back negative, she continues to fight this hideous infection, (whatever it is). Shortly after she and Neo started their dose of Doxycycline, I noticed that Patchie wasn't doing better despite the antibiotics. In fact, she was doing worse, loosing weight. I called to doctor and she ordered up a round of Ketakonazole to go with it in case she'd sprouted a secondary infection.

A few days into the dual antibiotic treatment, Scott, Cameron and I went on an overnight trip. I took Patchie with us because I just couldn't bare to leave her in such a precarious state. We were gone from about 2 pm until 10 am the next day. Patchie was a little nervous on the ride, but not overly so. She's been in a car several times. She handled it well. Once we arrived home however, I was distressed to see her huddled on the bottom of her cage. Yoi! I've NEVER seen any of my birds do that! I hoped maybe she'd "Unstress" but the remainder of the afternoon, she continued to sleep there. She became more and more lethargic, and when I weighed her, she had lost more weight. I called sounded the alarm bells and called the doctor's office. The doc wouldn't be in until the next day so I made an appt and kept her warm and quiet. Early the next morning, Dr. Becky called me to get a progress report and bumped up my appt time. When I got her in and Patchie was examined, of course.. Patchie tried to make a liar out of me by trying to look perky. The doc said birds often do that in a place they're not familiar with, so they don't look like the "sick link". When she's home.. she's "at home to be herself". Same reason she was probably on guard while on our overnight trip and didn't show signs that she was going downhill until we arrived home.

She examined Patchie and noted that her infection had abated by about 75% but we still had another 25% to go. She wanted Patchie to finish out the remaining 2 days on the Doxy, and then keep her on the antifungal. She cautioned that the anti-fungal is probably what is causing Patchie the problems because it can be hard on the tummy, and she's basically feeling really crappy because of it, but if I can pull her through it with hydration and lots of tempting food, she might make it. The next option would be shots of Baytril. A series of six.. the first one administered in the office and the next five, I take home and give her myself. Kinda scary for Mom.. but worse... painful for Patchie because the medication BURNS. WHAHAH! So.. I took her home and pleaded with her to do her best. I don't want to resort to that. The sacriest moment was when Dr. Becky said "Sometimes cockatiels just don't recover from their infections." Saaaaaaaaay whhhaaaaaaaaaat???????!!!! Maybe SOME cockatiels don't.. but PATCHIE will!

Here we are, almost two weeks later. Patchie has been in a hospital cage next to the boys. She's put on 3 grams. I give her pedialyte with her medication, and I noticed that as soon as she was off the Doxy.. things started to improve. Maybe it was the Doxy that was causing the grief.. or maybe the Doxy/Keta combination? All I know is now she's on JUST the Ketakonazole and it seems to be agreeing with her much better.

Silver is pining away for Apache. He is beside himself, and sits in the corner of the cage closest to hers, watching over her protectively. I have them seperate right now because Patchie doesn't need to be bullied in her weakened state, by the other birds, or pursued as a mate. She just needs to heal. Silver sings to her every day and only allows Neo to sit in "observation corner" with him. On occasion, he'll allow one of the others to pay condolences to Apache, but for the most part, he and Neo dominate that corner of the cage.

(Silver singing to Patchie as soon as the covers are off the cages in the morning)

Then yesterday morning, Silver escaped! He'd had it with only singing to his hen from afar and aimed on fixing it! Somehow, he managed to unlock that cage door and wiggle out while I was filling the seed cups! I must not have latched it very tight. He also managed to shut it behind him so that none of the others could get out! ARGH! Next thing I know.. there's a cinnamon male tiel, clining to Patchie's cage, singing his lungs out! How could resist. I let them have a little reunion while I fixed breakfast. Then, this morning, I let everyone out to play with Patchie for a couple of hours. No one bullied her and everyone got along fine.

(Oh Patchie! I missed you!)

Patchie is getting stronger by the day now and she will be done with her meds on Thursday. I'll make another appt. for her just to make sure the beast is gone and if it is, I'll be doing a serious happy dance! She's had a rough time of it, and I sure hope it has a happy ending.

Good News and Bad

2005-07-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, the good news came back. Patchie and Neo don't have Psitticosis! YAY! That means.. none of the other birds were exposed to a potentially horrible, contagious illness. YAY! That's a mega relief, especially since I just introduced Trinny and Teika to the flock.

The bad news: Patchie isn't improving much even though she's been on two weeks of Doxy. Neo on the otherhand... is doing well. He's very active, singing and his tail isn't bobbing near as much. I think he'll always have a slight flick to his tail, but its hardly noticeable now. Patchie's tail still pumps just a bit.. she's still a bit lethargic, she still shakes her head and most alarmingly, she's dropped a considerable amount of weight. She's gone from 100 grams to 84. I called the vet with the update and she said not to fear. Its probably a secondary infection from the Doxy that has set in (uh-huh.. I feared as much. In fact... over the last weekend.. I noticed the the above symptoms and started adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to the drinking water to stave off the beasty-yeasties until she could be medicated). My vet said excellent.. that can't hurt her one bit and ordered up some ketakonazole. Kaching. Forty bucks. OWCH. So.. she's had a dose of that now (started it last night) and we'll see if it doesn't help. Today, she seems a little bit perkier. I think the apple cider vinegar WAS starting to help because I weighed her prior to adminstering the meds last night and she was back up by 2 grams. YAY.

The other birdies seem to be doing well. Trinny is quite the little character! She's becoming VERY affectionate these days and loves her scritches. She's beginning to get the "hang" of things around here and is learning how to beg like the others. She also knows to have her head ready and waiting when I open that cage in the morning so she can be first to get scritches. HEHE! Taxi has competition! Lately, Taxi and Trinny are the first two birds to greet me in the morning.

Teika has me a little worried. I pretty sure she's fine health wise. She's not showing any signs of being ill. No sneezing, tail bobbing, or anything like it. Her plumage is great and she's very active. She loves to crawl upside down on the cage bars. But.. she's lost some weight and out of all of my birds, she's not one of them who I had weight concerns about. She's not at an unhealthy weight. SHe's down from 94 to 86 grams. And.. I weighed in this morning before she'd eaten. But.. down is down. As I type this.. she's eating. I had tried to cut back on the seeds earlier this week to thawrt Trinny's weight GAIN, as well as Taxi's, so that may very well have something to do with Teika's loss. Patchie's as well... so as of now.. the diet is off and the birds are getting more seed in their pellet dishes again. I'll deal with the chunkers later. If I have to put my fatties in "Fat Camp" (aka... a differnt cage) for a while.. then so be it, but I won't have my slighter hens loosing weight as a result of the porkers. Meanwhile, I'll keep a sharp eye on Teika and if she drops anymore weight, off to the vet she goes, just to make sure she isn't loosing weight for reasons other than the more obvious ones.

Taxi thinks her vent doesn't stink recently! See.. she just grew in her wings and figured out how to fly! Oh BOY! Well... unlike Neo.. she doesn't just circle the room once and return to the cage. Taxi isn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box. Today.. she escaped from the cage and nearly flew out the window! The curtain was in the way and fortunately, it caught her! Omg... ! I had a flippin cow! She wasn't supposed to be out of her cage.. but don't ask me HOW that little snot got that cage open. She WANTED to come see Mamma.. but once she got that door open.. she just started flying. The other day... I had the door open and was feeding the birds. Taxi escaped under my arm and flew all the way down the hallway and into my bedroom. Her goal? She wanted the bag of potato chips she saw Scott carrying down there. BEGGETHA! So... Miss Taxi got her wings clipped today. I hadn't wanted to do it because she'd gotten such a bad clip before that she used to flap backwards and she broke off all of her tailfeathers. Now they're back and she was learning to fly again. WOW did she! HAHA! She just can't be trusted with those wings the way Neo can. But then again.. Neo can fly even with clipped wings so it doesn't matter much WHAT I do to his wings. I only trim his wings enough to slow him down so that if he crashes into something, its not at breakneck speed.

Speaking of clipping.. Silver needs some length taken off. Oh boy... I'm in for some nips there! Everyone else is really good about being handled, but Silver... well.. he has his moments. HAHA! Naw.. he squeals louder than anyone though.

And.. last but not least.. the cute pic of the day!

Trinny at bathtime. omg.. was she ever soaked and loving it. And..what a lil loser! I'd scritch her wet lil mohawk.. and she'd spread her wings like she was getting sprayed again!!! HEHEEH! Cute alert!

The Saga Continues

2005-07-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

The vet called back with the results of Patchie's throat culture. The bacteria was "too numerous to count" and it was gram positive. Meaning, she's fighting off one heck of an infection. How she could be doing so and not showing any symptoms is blowing my vet away. (And me too.). ::Sigh::: She's one tough cookie I guess. Poor Patchie. ::Sniffle:::

Dr. Becky was definite on one thing. Its not yeast. However, precisely WHAT the bacteria is, is unclear, other than its gram positive. (Or at least some were.) Sooo.. she asked me to bring both Patchie AND Neo in for more specific testing. Specific meaning Psitticosis testing. At this point, the vet isn't saying they HAVE it, but its better to rule it OUT than rule it IN. I sort of pinned her to the wall and asked her what the odds are. She said 50/50 that the test will come back positive.

Okay... ::Sigh:: So worst case scenario. It IS psitticosis. We discussed it and I did some research on it. People make it sound like the be all and end all of horrible Zoonotic illnesses, but if caught and treated, its no worse than anything else that can go around. So.. if it IS Psitticosis, all birds go on a round of Doxycycline for 45 days whether they're showing symptoms or not. See.. a bird can be exposed and not acutally get "sick" from it. They may not actually GET it. They can be carriers of it, or might not become infected at all. BUT... because it is contagious, its stupid to NOT treat because there's no "immunity" if you catch it. Meaning.. if re-exposed, you can get it back again. So.. say Taxi came down with it later and Patchie and Neo had successfully finished treatment for it. They could become infected all over again. The smart thing to do would be to wipe it out all at once, disinfect anything and everything with bleach and water, and that should be the end of it. Luckily.. if it IS Psitticosis, none of my birds have become deathly ill from it.

The thoughts have been crashing through my mind all day. Who would be the likely "infector". My guess would be Neo since he came to me sick in the first place. If that's the case, he was probably exposed to it in his first home. That means his parents Jack and Ele were too and are likely carriers, if not infected. That means Christy's whole flock is at risk.. and the birds she's bred and sold to CJ's. The only other source would be Apache since she came from Petco, but she's been healthy and was checked out by Dr. Becky a week after I got her and received a clean bill of health. Of course, that doesn't mean she wasn't a carrier, but they did a gram stain at the time of her visit and there weren't any gram positive sheddings in her stool. The only thing that doesn't "jive" is that Silver's been to the vet twice and has never been presented with respitory problems, and Taxi has never either. None of Christy's birds appear to display symptoms, so it seems to me between her numbers of birds, and mine, wouldn't ONE of them have shown some of the more serious symtoms (including sudden death) that Psitticosis can manifest with?

Well.. I won't know the answer until sometime next week. Probably not till Wednesday at the earliest. I can churn over this until I have an ulcer but it won't do any good. Meanwhile, at least Patchie got some antibiotics today. (Millet flavored Doxy). MMMM! As a precaution, the vet put Neo on them too. And then.. Neo scared the CRAP out of my by aspirating on them even though he licked the meds from the syringe. I guess he licked and then "held" the medication in his mouth instead of swallowing, so he ended up with more than he could handled and aspirated. GOOBER! This medication is to be stored in the fridge and maybe that is what threw him off. Next time, I'll leave the syringe out for a bit so it warms to room temp before trying to give them too him again. Perhaps that will make a difference. Thankfully, Patchie didn't fight me and took her medicine like a perfect angel. We'll see how she does when she's feeling more like herself later this week! HAHAH!

The Q-Tip Holds The Answers

2005-07-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

::Sigh:: One of my favorite pictures of Patchie and me. She just looks so sweet. (Because she is).. and so happy..getting her lil head kisses. Its her "thing". She hates scritches. I can only sneak them on occasion, but beaky kisses and head kisses.. she loves that.

I'm just a little bit sad tonight. I took Patchie in to the vet for what I thought was a minor little owie and it turned into a major "Oh Crap!" But first, we have to turn back the pages of time to about February. It seems about then when everything started. I noticed Apache had poop clinging to her vent and wasn't "herself" one morning. Later in the afternoon, she was straining to go the bathroom and wasn't eating or drinking. I was able to get a vet appt. the next day so I kept her warm and got her interested in some water by dripping it onto her beak with my finger. Once she got some water into her..she ate a little on her own and was a little perkier the next day, but I wasn't fooled and into the vet we went. The vet we went to see wasn't our normal vet (she was out of town). Dr. Wickenheiser saw her and at the check-up, her oral and upper respitory exam was fine but her fecal came back with undigested food. It was the Doctor's opinion that perhaps the boys were crowding her at the food dish and it was beginning to stress her out but just in case she was starting an infection but wasn't showing it yet, she gave her a ten day course of Doxycycline. Apache was quarentined during this time and improved drastically. I don't know if was the time off from the boys or the medication, however about five days into the meds, she began to get depressed. By day seven she had lost 6 grams so I had to do something. I moved her into the same room with the boys but still a seperate cage. This perked her up and she did fine afterwards.

Now, when the doctor prescribed the Doxy, I had asked about perhaps a second antifungal in case of a secondary infection but she said it wouldn't be necessary. Oooohkay. The same doctor saw Neo when he banged up his wings and had an upper respitory infection in April. She prescribed the same medication (its a fairly common med)... and again.. no antifungal. Again, I asked after secondary yeast infections and she said it was unlikely.

So, in April, four precious babies were born to Apache and Silver. All four died. Two of them were submitted to the University of MN for necropsies. Though the tests came back inconclusive and they couldn't determine a cause of death, they DID find yeast in the intestines. I'm no doctor, and I DO know that yeast IS a normally occurring organism in the body, but it becomes a problem when there is an over production of it in the body. The necropsy did not say there was an over abundance of yeast in the intestines, only that there was yeast present. What I don't know.. is should it have been IN the inestines.. or not? WHERE in the body is yeast supposed to be, and where is it NOT supposed to be? The final findings did not state yeast as a cause of death. But still...

So.. back to the reason for today's visit with Dr. Proseski... On Wednesday morning, I had seen Apache "pick her nose" to make herself sneeze. Later on, as I was feeding them breakfast I noticed that one of Apache's nares looked enlarged and a little swollen and there was most definitely dried blood inside. Her claws are quite long, (as are everyone's). Kirsten (my bird holder) isn't here to help me trim claws so they've gotten pretty darn long. I thought "CRAP! Apache got her claw stuck in her nare and it bled! When Cam came out, I asked for his opinion and he saw exactly what I was talking about. There was some swelling and definitely dried blood. Knowing she could have cut the delicate tissue inside her nare with her dirty claw nail, I thought I'd better make an appt for her so the vet could have a look and make sure an infection didn't set in. Plus... while she was at it, she may as well trim up Patchie's daggers.

I didn't worry too much when the receptionist said she had a Friday appt. It wasn't like life or death. It was a claw trim and a nare check. So.. off we went. The doctor walked in while Patchie was sitting on my finger and I was talking to her. The first thing she noticed was that Patchie shakes her head when I speak. She's been doing that for a while though, off and on, but the Doctor commented on it. She said.. Hmmm..we need to have a look. She opened up her beak and said. "Yupsie..she's red on her tongue and down the back of her choana." Though her nare looks MUCH better than it did on Wednesday, the doctor shined a light down inside and said.. yah.. there is dried blood down there. You weren't imagining things. She handed Apache back to me and asked the typical "has she been eating" (to which I had to laugh.. fatty weighs 100 grams on her scale), fluffing up (no), moody (yeah.. but not so much the last week), sleeping alot, (no).. etc, etc, etc. We got to talking about how good birds are at hiding their illnesses, and she paid me a very high compliment. She said "You have a sixth sense when it comes to birds it seems. They're very adept at cloaking illness, but you sense it. People like you are great with birds." She also said she can tell I feed my birds well and that they eat the right foods (she said she could smell vegetables on Patchie's breath.. hahah.. Cilantro) and she said she knows I keep my birds housing clean by their overall condition every time I bring them in. She said Patchie's feathers are just beautiful. (Glow.. glow.. glow). LOL

We discussed a few possible diagnosises for Apache. The fact that Neo has had an on-going upper respitory thing that Patchie might have caught is one possibility, but if that IS the case, are the others infected too? They've been exposed. Why aren't they showing signs of illness. Although, Patchie really wasn't either (save for shaking her head) and the nare thing. The other guess is a yeast infection she might have developed as a secondary infection from being on antibiotics. My weight is leaning in that direction. I know that yeast CAN be passed down to chicks in the nest and its deadly. I also know that Patchie was on antibiotics about a month prior to going to nest... so the timing is there. The fact that Silver saw Dr. Proseski during the nesting time and didn't have any signs of upper respitory problems is another indicator that maybe whatever didn't come from Neo as they were both in a cage with him before and Silver would have surely been ill too.

At anyrate, the Doctor decided to culture Apache's throat. That meant.. my poor Patcheeta had to hold still while they shoved a Big Ole Long Q-Tip down her throat and Mom had to stand upright when they handed her the bill of $117 bucks! So, that $117 dollar Q-Tip BETTER sprout some awnsers as to why my poor Patchie is sick, and maybe I'll even get a 5-fer and find out why the babies died too. In the meantime, the doctor felt more comfortable waiting until we get the culture back before we start her on antibiotcics. That's fine with me since I know her clinic goes through Prescription Specialties (and they make BOOKOO expensive medicine taylor made for a bird's pallet.. like.. millet extract with doxycycline in it, etc). So.. I'd rather get the RIGHT stuff the first time, rather than pay 20 bucks a bottle only to have to discard it after 2 days and buy MORE expensive taylor made stuff). Since its a long weekend, the results won't be back until at least Tuesday. That's a long time for Patchie to sit and bake with an infection. Doctor Becky said to weigh her every day, and if she stops eating and/or drinking over the weekend, I'm to call her at home and she gave me her home number. Wow! That was really nice. ::Sits on hands::: I can think of a thousand questions I want to ask her.. hahah! But.. I don't think she would appreciate me using her number to my advantage. LOL!!! Another part of me was rather alarmed. Hmmm.. is Apache sicker than she's letting on that she would give me her home phone number for the weekend? :;:gulp::: Well.. I asked her if I should quarentine her (hahah.. not like she hasn't been living with the flock) and she said.. naw.. why bother. Everyone's been around her and it would just stress her out and possibly make her symptoms flare up. (Which is exactly what I thought).

So, now I just sit tight and wait for the results and do a little internet surfing on yeast infections. I wonder if this is something I'll have to treat the whole flock for as a precaution? Probably. Lovely... six birds getting oral meds before I go to work in the morning. YIP!

The Swingers Club

2005-06-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

Earlier, the "Cheaters" crew caught up with Apache, obviously having a little fling with Silver's brother, Neo. With all the sneaky cuddling going on, it was only a matter of time before they booked themsevles a room at the "Motel No-Tell".

When confronted with the shocking evidence of Patchie's infidelity, Silver didn't seem suprised. In fact, he has taken Patchie's moves towards an "open relationship" in stride. During an interview, Silver admitted he still has feelings for Apache. "I always will" he said candidly, "Just look at her. Besides, she mothered my clutch, y'know." Silver cracked a seed thoughtfully in his beak before adding, "But, there are other hens in the house if you know what I mean." His crest rose mischeviously and his eyes twinkled but when pressed to elaborate, he wouldn't comment further.

A few nights later, however, the crew of Cheaters got all the of the elaboration they needed when they caught up with Silver having a night out on the town. The "other hen in the house" comment hit very close to home, so it would seem. Silver was in the company of newcomer to the flock, Trinny who is indeed, a hen in the house. Trinny, seemingly camera shy as our photgrapher snapped their picture, tried to dodge but it was too late. Silver, also reluctant to be seen, tried to hide his face, only allowing his back to be photographed, but his lack of cooperation only makes him seem more guilty. When approached by the Cheaters crew and interviewed, Trinny seemed even more reluctant to be in the spotlight. "I was just standing here, when Silver flew over out of nowhere. We were just hanging out. Honestly! There's nothing going on." Was Trinny's response when asked if she knew that Silver was involved with another hen.

At the moment, Apache is still unaware of Silver's attentions towards another hen. How long it will remain that way is unknown. While Silver was out galavanting about, we spied Apache, cruising around with Teika, one of the other new hens in the house, (Oddly enough, Trinny's best friend). Hmmm.. bet Trinny will have LOTS to tell Teika later on!

Like Sands Through The Hour Glass...

2005-06-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

So its been a while since my last post to Tiel time. Not that we haven't been busy! Trust me! Just the opposite! It's been VERY busy.

Teika and Trinny have now moved out of their "twosome" cage and into the big cage. I slid the divider grate out and now its a cage for six. I expected fireworks or something, but its been a smooth transition. About the only fireworks are the ones Neo has been sparking for Apache. (rolling eyes here). The little Romeo is singing nightly for his little hen. Silver, oddly enough doesn't seem to mind much.

I've noticed a sort of dynamics about the cage. Neo and Apache pretty much stick to the left side of the cage, and don't venture often into the right hand side. Teika and Trinny pretty much stick to the right hand side of the cage. Occasionally Teika will straddle the middle or hang out on the left hand side, but not often. I hardley EVER see Trinny over there. Taxi and Silver more frequently hang out to the left hand side, on Neo and Patchie's preferred side, but Taxi doesn't seem to mind being on either side and will go to... well.. which ever side I'M CLOSEST too (the lil Mamma's girl that she is.. LOL). So I guess you can say she's a drifter. Silver isn't shy about going over to the right either, though it does seem he prefers the left. Probably because its Apache's preferred side. I think there's a part of Silver that still likes to keep a watchful eye on what his brother is up too with Apache though it doesn't seem that they are an actual "couple" any longer. I never see Silver and Patchie preen each other. In fact.. I see Patchie and Neo hanging together more than I do Silver and Patchie. Neo has sort have seen to that. Though Teika and Trinny are still tighter than ever... I have a sneaking hunch that Silver may have a sly interest in Trinny. He was singing on THAT side of the cage the other day, and he has driven Teika off a perch to sit next to Trinny more than once. Hmmm... interesting.

And... it also seems that Taxi and Trinny are getting along well. (The lil piggies of the cage) LOL. They often hang out at the food cups together. LOL Trinny has gotten more vocal as of late, and is starting to make cute little sounds. I wonder if she's trying to talk? Trinny is also becoming quite the beggetha when it comes to scritches. I only have two hands.. but in the morning when I open the cage, I have fuzzy feathered heads shoving themselves under my scritching fingers, and more than a few times, Trinny's little head has been right under there with Taxi, Silver and Neo's. LOL!! Its hard to keep up!

Teika remains somewhat aloof, but then she sees my shiny wedding band. Oooh! She can't resist that. SHE MUUUUST CHEW IT. All I have to do is offer it and she's at it like white-face lightning.. giving my wedding band a manicure. I've found she likes to give my fingernails manicures as well.

Teika has also developed a liking for Cameron, my son. She'll come and chatter to him at the bars of the cage, and he talks softly back to her. Here they are, hanging out together while he plays video games.

She's also warming up to the idea of spray baths. At first, she wouldn't have anything to do with them, but a few hot days with no air conditioner (we have it now thank HEAVENS) changed her opinion mighty quick!

and.. lastly... hehe.. I have evidence to support that Neo and Silver's looserly influence is rubbing off on the the "Oh So Queenly" Teika. Yes my dear.. I'm afraid you're on your way to becoming a looser like the boys. Would you have EVER been caught with fluff in your beak before?

Really Darling. You DO look rather looserly!

Up On The Roof Top and Beyond The Green Door

2005-06-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Tieka and Trinny (formerly Beaker) stepped out and met the "Flockers". After some hesitation, the girls allowed me to place them on the big play gym with the other birdies. Things didn't go quite as I expected in some ways, and yet, exactly the way I anticipated in others. I suppose, I really know my birds. I thought perhaps Apache would be a little more forward, wanting to get to know other hens, but she scarcely paid the girls any mind. Taxi isn't really aggressive at all and prefers to play with toys as opposed to other birds, so Taxi pretty much kept to herself, and yet stayed somewhat close to the action. Very unobtrusively watching. I'd wager Taxi is a good little spy. Neo, I wasn't sure about. He's been so giddy, singing his heart out in their presence (from a safe distance), yet he's somewhat of a loner and a little shy. He was typical Neo, and hung out on the complete opposite side of the cage from the new girls. Silver, being Mr. Bossyfeathers, wouldn't be himself if he didn't go over and introduce himself in the pushiest of ways, and of course, he did JUST that. Silver's approach was stealthy. He sat on the highest perch and observed Tieka and Trinny for a bit, deciding which of the two was dominant between them. Once he narrowed it down (and correctly so) to Tieka, he ignored Trinny and focused his attention on Tieka. Trinny was somewhat shy at first, but it didn't take her long before curiosity overcame her. There were just too many interesting toys up there to play with. She came back often to check in with Tieka, before waddling off again, never straying far. Tieka on the other hand, stayed rooted to her spot, defending her territory and her friend from the bossy Silver. She stood her ground with pride and dignity, and proved herself a graceful and worthy opponent. Silver wasn't quite sure what to think. He was fascinated with her. Should he bite her, or perch next to her? Hmmmmm!

Silver and Tieka's first encounter:

Silver trying desperately to convince Tieka of his Mighty Dominance:

Meanwhile... on the other side of the cage... the crew of Cheaters caught up with Silver's mate, Apache. Silver has had some suspicions for some time that while he's out establishing his dominance and keeping the flock in its place, she's been getting a little action on the side. At his request, the crew set up hidden cameras to film her activities. Pictures speak louder than words! And.. the crew was shocked with the findings! See for yourself...

A mysterious male comes courting...

The mysterious male is identified as none other than Silver's own brother, NEO!

Apache makes her appearance... It appears as something may be in the works...

The two Love Birds are busted stealing some snuggles in the little love nest while Silver is hard at work, at.. um.. public relations. (Yah) How will he react to the news?

Stay tuned!

New Kids on the Perch

2005-06-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

At long last, Tieka and Beaker have joined our flock! Mindy drove (should I say swam?) four hours from where she was staying close to the MI/MN border to drop the birdy girls off today. Of course, it had to be pouring buckets, making road conditions less than favorable and visibility poor. Still, she and the tiels arrived safely.

As soon as they entered the house, all ruckus ensued. You don't really think two new cockatiels could enter unnoticed, now do you? Honestly! Neo got himself all riled up. He had his hearts on in the first five minutes and was singing to anything remotely interested. Apache, Silver and the wall were all victims of his zeal. Finally, he figured out which direction the interested chirps were coming from, so he turned his attention to them and sang his little heart out. Tieka seemed particularly piqued with Neo's crooning abilities. She hung to the side of the cage closest to Neo and listened intently. I wonder if there will be love at long last for the poor bachelor.

As for quarentining them, I know I'd get fried on Tailfeathers but I won't be placing them in a seperate room. They've been sole birds in a house for three years and have had several, very recent avian vet checkups. My birds have also been to the vet's very recently so I know there's no PFPD or Psitticosis to worry about. However, for stress sake (things like those buggery little upper respitory infections that pop up under stress, etc.) they WILL be quarentined to their own cage. I have my reasons for not banishing them to another room. Mainly its temperature control. I can air-condition the front room accordingly to keep all the birds comfortable if it gets hot (haha, yah... Minnesota), but the weather can vary so much here. It can be 45 and raining one day, and 85 and humid the next. My a/c doesn't go into Kirsten's room though, so the girls could easily overheat in there. Mindy has never been slack on their health care, and their feathering shows it. Their beautiful birds and I have no doubt they're in perfect health. If I had any doubts at all, they WOULD be in another room and I'd figure out something for a/c. But, they're not petstore birds, nor have they been in contact with other birds, so I really don't feel there's much to worry about.

After Mindy and I settled the girls into their "spot" in the living room, Mindy unpacked the girls' suitcase. WOW! A cockatiel bonanza! She brought bags of pellets, (Harrisons! I'm eager to try them all on it to see if they'll eat it), Zupreem fruity blend (my guys don't care for it but if I can get the girls to eat it, some pellet is better than no pellet), fresh cuttle bones, millet, 2 brand new boings, a triangle rope perch (a favorite perch for Tieka), a Happy Hut, (which I won't give to any of the hens for fear that they'll lay in it. Taxi however, thinks its pretty cool), a bag of the seed they've been eating, which is awesome so they can switch over slowly, a bunch of toys, and some books and misc. Its a tiel wonderland! Tieka and Beaker are gonna have it good.

Mindy and I went out to lunch at Applebee's (gotta love it!) and had a nice lunch. Too bad we got soaked going into the restaurant and coming back out! Knowing she had such a long trip ahead of her and there was a break in the downpour, she only had a few moments to say goodbye to the girls. In some ways, I think that was the best way, because lingering might have been too hard and it would have been too emotional. It was hard to watch her kiss their little hawks goodbye. If it were me.... ::Sniffle:: I can only imagine how she must have felt.

Kirsten and I set their big cage up right away. In part to take my mind off of how miserable Mindy must be feeling. The girls were terrified of the wreath swing I hung in there, but after I removed it and replaced it with a natural branch perch from my Apple tree, they were much happier. Tieka was hanging upside down with her wings outstretched doing the "This is my nest!" spread! I love that! Beaker.. well Beaker was pigging out on the millet! Heheh! Beaker, I've found. .. is like Taxi and LOVES to come out of the cage. If that door is open.. Beaker is OUT like a shot. She's really good about stepping up onto my finger so far, but Mindy said she's usually more reluctant about that, so we'll see. Maybe its because she's in an unfamiliar place that she's being such a good girl about "stepping up". She let me scritch her head too. Tieka is a little more reserved but also stepped up for me and came out of the cage for a bit. She let me kiss her on the beaky when I put her back in and said goodnight. All in all, I think the girls and I are off to a good start.

Hand Feeding How-To's

2005-05-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, three of us gathered at Christy's house for an auspicious occasion. Cary from CJ'S Pets was there to give a demo on the proper techniques for hand-feeding baby cockatiels. Christy has babies right now from Anna and Cricket (her pearled pair) who are the proper age for "pulling". Gracie and Cheeko also have a clutch of three younglings who aren't ready to be pulled yet. One hatched just the other night, and sadly, both mother and grandmother were ignoring the baby. (Originally, Ele who is Gracie's mother, was foster parenting the other two from Gracie's clutch but now that all three have hatched, Gracie is ready to take over her rightful responsibility. Amazingly, it seems she learned what she needed to do by watching Ele tend to her young!) Christy gave the "ignored" baby some pedialyte to see it through and had hopes that Cary would give her some advice on feeding a 2 day old baby as well.

When Cary examined the chicks, he decided the youngest of the clutch should be allowed to stay with Mom and Dad for just a bit longer. It appears his piggy older sibling was getting the lion's share of the food, so the younger one wasn't big enough to pull yet. (At least not the "ideal" size). Piggy on the other hand, is more than ready! He or she will be three weeks old tomorrow and this baby is already a parent fed chunk!

So, with formula loaded in the syringe (after the demo on how to properly prepare the formula), brooder set up (to house the pulled chick in since Mom and Dad would likely shun a tiel once its been pulled and handfed), Cary set about showing us the how-to's. It seems as if there is alot to learn, but yet, it appeared deceptively easy as well. I know from my own experience with Taxi that things don't always look as easy as they seem, BUT, fortunately for Christy, this lil chunk of a baby cockatiel is an apt pupil. He opened up his greedy little beak and gobbled that handfeeding formula as if it were ambrosia! He wouldn't stop begging even though Cary proclaimed his crop plenty full enough. HAHAH!

See pictures below of the hungry-hungry-hippo:

Next, it was time to take the lil piggy to his new home. Nathan (Christy's 5 year old son) begrudgingly donated a stuffed monkey for this little one to snuggle with so he won't be lonely without his clutchmate. Here's the little critter all full and tucked into bed.

Notice the open beak? Fatty was still begging at me as I took the picture. Sorry dear, you'll have to let your crop drain down a bit first. Somehow, I think this little one is going to be alot like Taxi. (who still begs like a baby and eats non-stop!) LOL!

Christy took her handfeeding lessons a step further and began feeding the ignored two day old chick last night when she determined no amount of hoping and putting the baby back under Mom was going to convince her to feed it. So far, so good! As of this evening, the little one has gotten 24 hours worth of feeds into it and already appears to have grown! Christy says he or she is already MUCH stronger! Let's say a prayer that this little one pulls through.

Soon joining the little "piggy in the pen" will be his clutch mate, Gracie's other two that she IS feeding, as well as the one Christy took off of Gracie's claws, and possibly a few more from Jelly and Gunnar. Jelly and Gunnar are sitting on (I believe) four fertile eggs, due to hatch very soon. They ignored their last clutch, so its unknown if they will do so again. If they do, Christy will have ALOT of newborn cockatiels to handfeed, but at least this little guy is giving her some experience with it!

The Looser's Club

2005-05-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Ebo and Pho's Looser's Club. Of course this is an exclusive club so not just any bird can join. You must possess certain distinguishable qualities that set you apart from the rest of the flock. You must roost upon your perch in distinction, crest held high, wings held in the shape of the heart, and act like an idiot. In short, you must be a looser. Not the brightest bulb in the box, the sharpest tool in the shed, the brightest crayon in the box. You may be a few bites shy of a whole sandwhich, may not row with both oars in the water, the lights are on but you're not home, and if you were any slower, you'd need watering twice a week.

This would fit Neo, Silver and Taxi is well on the way. Neo and Silver have both displayed their "Looserly" qualities over the last year. Neo with his "non-sexuality". Rather his "any port in a storm" sexuality. He's been known to flirt with budgies, the wall, me, Silver, Apache, thin air, whatever suits his fancy. He'll have cuddle fests with a toy and then have a screaming match with it two seconds later, and then back to cuddling it. He'll tell me over and over that he is indeed a "birdy". And a pretty one at that. And of course, there are the macho preening sessions he and Silver get into. Who shall give in and preen who first. Let's butt heads and find out, shall we?

Silver took after his brother and began his career as a looser early on. He is "Johnny Bravo" in a cockatiel suit. He thinks he's hot stuff and shows off his mighty chest to any female in the vicinity. (Even the female cat), but most notably, myself and Apache. One time, I put him on the floor, and he followed me about, strutting after me and singing like he would a hen. I'd move away from him, emulating Apache, and he came after me, singing with all his might. It was hysterical! Then I lowered my ear to him, "giving in" as Patchie does and he just got himself all happy and clucked and sang to me. What a dude! LOL (Dude and a Looser!) He also has a yawning addiction. He LOVES to yawn and will go out of his way to get his yawn spot rubbed so he can .. you guessed it. YAAAAAWN. He looks really cute when he yawns too. LOOSER.

Taxi is a beggetha. Heaven help the person eating anything when Taxi is afoot. Kirsten's bowl of cereal fell prey to Taxi's conniving beak once, as did my plate of steak. My A-1 steak sauce had birdy prints in it after Taxi did a flop in it, going after a mushroom. He also had a cow trying to pick the seasme seeds off my Big Mac bun one night. He was so insistent I had to have someone else hold him so I could eat my dinner unincumbered. When Taxi sets his mind to eat, NOTHING will get in his way. I'd say that makes him a looser in the making.

Pho has created a HYSTERICAL website dedicated to all of the birds out there who are so called "loosers" much like Neo, Silver and Taxi. Its fashioned after Ebo, her looser of a cockatiel who does things like make goo-goo eyes to her toes, chicken strips, and pillowcases. Ebo is SUCH a character!!! He's quite famous on Tail Feathers and this site is such a scream I had to mention it in my blog. (Let's not forget Ebo's looserly sister, Pokey the TAG, who says "Boo" to her poop as she's letting it drop!). In order to belong to the "Looser Website", you must submit an application and describe in technicolor detail, why your bird is a looser. After your looser is accepted, his or her picture will be featured with a biogrophy of his or her looserly accomplishments. Any videos and/picture/media you have of looserly behavior will also be linked. Its wonderful fun and we all get a great laugh. Please do check out Pho and Ebo's funny site at
http://www.biseinen.com/shango/losersclub.html

Here you will meet many other loosers besides just Neo and Silver, and you'll meet the Club President, Ebo and the Vice President, Pokey as well.

Job well done Pho!

Taxi's Terms of Endearment

2005-05-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

Most of you on Tail Feathers have become acquainted with Taxi, my newest pearl. But my family in California has been somewhat robbed of Taxi-tales. I guess Taxi's status of being the "fouth tiel in the flock" means me getting a new birdy is nothing new. HAHA! But, to be fair, its been a crazy couple of months! I've started a new job (working three now) and every single one of my pets have been into the vet's office for things as minor as yearly shots to as major as surgery. Some of the pets have been in more than once. (That would be Silver, Wizzer and Katamari). And that's just the pets! We won't count the people in the house who have visited the doctor recently. HEHE! And, let's not forget the whole sad ordeal with Silver and Apache and their babies. In the brief span of time since Taxi moved in (a few days after Valentine's Day), my immediate and extended family on both sides (my family back home and my husband's family here) have also climbed some mountainous hurdles. My mom purchased a house in a new town and she and my Aunt just recently completed their move in. This was after a deal on a pre-fab home that was being custom built fell through earlier in the year. My sister has had her fair share of medical problems to deal with, as has my father-in-law. Late in March, my Father-in-law was Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. Fortuntately, it doesn't appear to have spread but his surgery was this week. In the time prior to his surgery, Dave came by many times to spend some time with us. In that time, he became a big "Taxi" fan.

I've felt really bad for poor Taxi. Apache, Silver and Neo really got the best of me. I had so much more time to spend training them and working with them. If Taxi was as "skittish" as Silver and Neo had been when I first got them, its likely he still would be skittish because I've just been so bogged down. But I'm so lucky that Taxi is an adorable, sweet doll of a bird. Taxi bonded to me immediately. Although he pretty willingly goes to Kirsten or Cameron, he obviously flaps to come to me and cries when I'm near by because he wants his momma. It was instantanious. Its so odd that this sweet bird that I've had so little time to handle is so loving. I try to spend as much time giving him "extras" as I can. Like.. when I put the food in the cage in the morning, Taxi "jumps" out onto me. I let him.. and I give him a quick cuddle before returning him back to the cage. I'd let him come out longer but sadly its all I have time for in the morning. There's three other birds to feed PLUS the budgies that I'm budgie sitting and three hungry cats as well. Taxi is extremely clumsy right now too, as you can see with the lack of tailfeathers. (That's from Taxi falling from heights, landing on his butt and breaking off the tail feathers). He's prone to even falling right off my shoulder so "carrying him" around with me is out of the question with my hard tile and wood floors. Until his flight feathers grow in a little bit and he regains some grace and flight capabilities so that he won't fall like a lead brick, he's very restricted in where he's allowed to go.

So, Taxi is a "mamma's birdy" who gets jipped so much of the time. ::Sniffle:: I wonder if that is why Taxi still makes baby cockatiel begging sounds when I scritch his head. Its like a desperate happiness/mamma pay attention to me thing. It breaks my heart.

When Dave met Taxi, it was love at first sight. Dave is about the only other person Taxi will sit still on (Taxi is extremely active when out of the cage and has a hard time sitting still for anything), but Dave seems to have a magic touch with him. Taxi doesn't even cry for me when he's with Dave. The first time Taxi sat on Dave's shoulder, he snuggled right up to his face for kisses. It was SOOO sweet.

One day, My father-in-law brought my little 2 year old neice Devyn over for a visit. Devyn is fascinated by the birds but a little afraid of them. Taxi was the perfect birdy to introduce her too. Just a baby himself, they could meet on common ground. Again, as long as Taxi was perched on Dave's finger, he was fine with the whole ordeal and Devyn was too. As you can see, the introduction went well.

I felt compelled to write about Dave tonight because as I type, he's lying in his hospital bed. In the middle of the night, he underwent another surgery for a minor complication after his prostate surgery. He'll be staying for another few days when he was anticipating being released from the hospital tomorrow. Though he must be depressed, he is trying hard not to show it. Still, when I went and saw him today, he's looking pretty good considering all that he's been through.

We still have China and Fergie, the budgies, here. My mother-in-law hasn't asked after them, but what can you expect after everything that they've been through. The budgie's will keep and they have a home here until they're ready for them.

In the meantime, its been molt city around here! Feathers are flying every which way. Poor Taxi seems to be getting the brunt of it, considering its his first molt. I keep finding all these little pearly pieces of fluff on the floor beside the cage and wonder how he can possibly have any feathers left on him! Hopefully, Taxi will sprout some tailfeathers soon, and maybe a primary or two to help maintain that new, sexy, long tail! Soon, Taxi will be making an appearance at a Boy Scout Troop Meeting to educate about 75 boys on the "how to's" of bird care. I've got tons of cute "Taxi at the vet" pictures to bring along with. I was asked to do a presentation some time ago, and the date is rapidly approaching. (May 23rd). I was hoping Taxi would outgrow his duckbutt by then, but it appears that he's still all pins and needles and no real feathers to show for his misery. Oh well. He'll still charm them all with his cuteness.

Tonight, I took lil Taxi out of the cage for some special one on one time. He sat on my shoulder to get kisses...

Notice the duckbutt... ::: grins::: (And sorry I look so rough. My only day off in a very long time, so I wasn't paying too much attention to hair and makeup today)..

and notice how many feathers poor lil Taxi shook off in a short amount of time sitting on my shoulder.

I have to wonder if those pretty pearls are going to molt away as they reportably do with male cockatiels, or if "he" is a "she" and "she'll" keep the pearls. Thing is.. I don't really KNOW what gender Taxi is. LOL Taxi is my sweet little mystery tiel!

Some Assembly Required!

2005-05-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

It finally arrived! In just a week from the purchase date, the cage was delivered in two boxes that were just about bigger than MY trailer! These birds have it good, I tell ya!

Well.. ripping into the boxes and sorting out which bars went where was the easy part. Screwing them all together with the aid of the pathetic "so called" directions (little more than a pencil drawn diagram WITHOUT the benefit of "insert tab "A" into slot "B" instructions) I started at 7 pm and after some trial and error (and cussing as I unscrewed parts and refitted things that I'd put things together wrong), I finally finished! It was 2:30 am, but by God, I was finished!

The next day, I moved the birdies in. They LOVE it. Taxi and Neo are on the left hand side and Patchie and Silver have the right side. I'm trying them out with the divider first. Maybe if they all get along, I'll try it without the divider this weekend. They all play nice outside of the cage, but with Neo just getting off meds and everyone molting right now, I don't wanna push the stress level.

So..here's a picture of their new digs!

::Warning::: Objects in picture are larger in real life than they appear on your screen::: This sucker is HUGE. It takes up an entire wall but its worth it. The birds have LOTS of room to play, which they really need since they spend the majority of their day in their cages with me working 10 hours a day, four days a week. Christy came and picked up the black "single wide" cage and now there are a bunch of happy budgies scampering about in it.

Now.. I've just gotta make the huge ole seed skirt to go around the entire cage. I picked up some SUPER cute fabric at Walmart. It'll match the cage and its a tropical print.. with parrots all over it. Oh yes... must have "birdy" fabric!

Country Cousins

2005-05-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today, Christy made the long drive out from the sticks "aka Holyoke" to pick up the black cage, and drop off two of her baby budgies. One is Larri and Two's baby from last June's batch and one is a new fledgling from Blue and Keeter's spring clutch. They're going to their new home with my Mother-in-Law Trudy, and Sister-in-Law, Lynn this weekend, but first, they will spend the week with me while my Father-in-Law recovers from his surgery.

The white and blue one is the eldest and I've had my eye on her for a while. I had her picked out for my sister this winter but bad weather kept me from taking her at Christmas time. I affectionately called her China because she has the coloring of old English china patterns. The name has stuck. My mother-in-law saw her this weekend and fell in love with her. She loves the name as well, so China, she will remain. She's not very tame, but I've been working with her in hopes of making some headway before she goes to her new home.

The younger one looks JUST like his Daddy, Keeters, and his older brother (from another clutch) Kokomo, who was adopted by Jodi, a friend on the Tailfeathers message board. He's going to be a beauty. His cere is purple, and though he's young yet.. I'm thinking "he is a he". This lil guy is very docile and with a bit of coaxing, he willingly steps up and sits on my finger. I can "cup" him and hold him, but I prefer to work on the "step up" method so its his own free choice. He's got the makings to be a very tame little budgie. He doesn't have a name, but here in MN, the first thing you're likely to hear out of someone's mouth when you see something as adorable as this lil guy is "Oh Fer Cute!" So.. I ran the words "Fercute" together and came up with "Fergie" .. sort of a knock off. I'm sure my sister-in-law will change the name and who cares. I can't go around calling this lil guy "hey you".. so while he's here, he's "Fergie."

The tiels sure didn't know what to make of the budgie chatter at first! Their lil mohawks went up when they heard their "Country Cousins" chattering away. Neo in particular seems very intrigued. I actually caught him, plastered to the side of the cage facing the budgies with his "hearts on".. (Heart Shaped Wings) singing to them with gusto this evening! PuhLEASE Neo! Any port in a storm? Hopefully Neo won't be too heartbroken when they go to their new home. (Hopefully I won't either. They ARE awfully cute..... )

Here's China... Isn't she pretty?

and here's Fergie, perched on my finger. Such a tame lil dude already!

Double Wide Mobile Home

2005-05-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

I can't WAIT till the new cage arrives! I bought it on eBay a few days ago and it should be arriving any day now. Check out the picture! Its a double wide! WHOHOO!

This is the cage of all cages and it'll house a flock in style! (Christy.. I hear you calling me names! Cut it out or you'll be over here helping me put this bad boy together! Hehehe!)

It measures 64 inches wide by 21 inches deep by 35 inches high. It has a center divider so that its actually 2 cages that measure 32 inches wide, BUT :::Drumroll please::: the divider is removable so that it can be one huge cage if all my birdies are playing nice, or if they're being little snots, I can put the divider back in and seperate my flock. SWEEEEEET!

Since Christy has two cages by the same manufacturer (the single wide version), I know the stand won't be high enough to keep the birds from being harrassed by Katamari (aka Demon Spawn Kitten), so I went shopping for a stand that would hold this monstrosity up higher. Can you believe I actually FOUND something? In this little antique shop, I found the PERFECT thing! Its a sewing machine cabinet. All OAK! (no, the birds won't be chewing on it). Its NIIIIIIIIIIICE. The cabinet itself wasn't wide enough, but the owner of the store unfolded the top leaves to the full extensions. They open flush and when fully extended, it measures 67 inches wide. It's PERFECT! There's about 4 or 5 drawers to store things in too. It set me back 80 clams, but .. did I mention.. its solid oak? So hubby loaded it up into the van where its waiting to have a cage plopped on top of it. The whole set up will look very attractive, I must say. It BETTER considering its going to take up an entire wall in my living room, but hey.. the tiels are worth it, no? ::inserts huge grin:::

Oh MAN.. I hope that cage comes tomorrow! Cross your fingers!

aka Neenie Weanie

2005-05-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Our first blog will be about Neo, also known as Neenie Weanie. Neo is a gray pied Cockatiel and the smallest dude in my flock. I get 76 grams on my scale but the vet said she got 70. As he's not eating his best right now, I know he's lost some weight. Still, he's small in stature so weighing in light is not a huge concern. The vet puts him at a 4 of 5, which means he could stand to gain a few but he's not in bad shape. When he's feeling better, he most assuredly will.

As most people already know, poor Neo has had his fair share of trouble since day one. He came to me as a nine week old cockatiel who had never been handled and never seperated from his parents. The poor little dude was also sick with an upper respitory infection. Since his first "handling experiences" consisted of me chasing him around inside of his cage with a towel and then gagging medicine down him, he was wary of people for a very long time. It took forever for him to warm up, or so it seemed, but underneath that skittish exterior was a heart of gold and personality plus. Neo is incredibly sweet and ADORES having his lil mohawk scritched. He just turns his head and leans in with his eyes closed and savors the scritch moment with everything he has in him. He's finally learned to reluctantly step up from inside his cage and he will crawl down from his play gym and climb onto my shoulder when I lean against the cage and cluck to him. When he's flighted, Neo has even flown to me on a few occasions. AWWWW! He is also learning to speak. He says "Birdy!" and a garbled sounding "Pretty Bird". I think he's also trying to say "Neo is a pretty bird".

Neo was doing fine after his bout with the upper respitory infection, but it appears that its back with a vengence. After a particularly horrid nightfright that left Neo with most of his primaries broken off at nearly skin level, and swollen and sore wing tips that required anti-inflamitory painkillers to help him cope (and so he wouldn't pick at them).. his infection reared its ugly head. It seems the stress of the injury brought on a lurking URI that may not have completely vanished with his first round of meds last year. So he's now on another two week dose of Doxycyline which will be followed up with a week of Baytril. My poor Neo. :( This year, he's taking his medicine much better. Though I still have to "chase" him around the cage (um.. yah.. a week into meds.. he now knows that when he sees the medicine dropper he should make a RUN for it:: ) But he's still a sweetie-pied. Omg.. though. his POOR wings! He's molting in new primaries now to replace the ones he broke. ALL of them at once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never seen so many blood feathers just WAITING to break in my life. He must have at least FIVE on each wing! Everytime he stretches his wings.. I see those lil red shafts and shudder. Right now, he's in his very own quarentine cage and I will guard it with my life until those bugggers grow in. If one or more of those were to break right now.. he'd loose alot of blood. Good thing I work at a vet clinic and got my hands on some hemostats and quickstop.

Here's a very recent picture of Neo, wrapped up in a bandana awaiting his dose of medication. Kirsten, my daughter, has him in what we call the "birdy burrito" hold. He's so cute. She is too! :-D

Welcome to my New Blog!

2005-05-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

I missed my "daily updates" when I was doing the "Shack" blog, and so did others by the sounds of it, so we're back by popular demand! ::Wink wink:: Instead of keeping a log about Patchie and Silver and their nest, this blog will be dedicated to all of my cockatiels. Right now, they include Patchie and Silver (the woeful parents we became acquainted with in the "Shack"), Neo (my smallest dude, and admittedly, my favorite) and Taxi, the cute lil begger I recently added to my flock. No crumb of food is safe when Taxi is nearby. LOL Soon, Tieka and Beaker will be joining the flock if things go as planned. Our set date is June 2nd. Yay! I'll finally get to meet the tiels I've heard so much about since October. Once they join the flock, I'll be including updates on them as well as they get into the groove with their new family.

Of course.. this blog is going to be obscene with pictures. :) Since I have two photobucket accounts, I'll have room, but I'll probably remove pictures from old archived blogs once this blog gets lengthy to keep more room available in my photobucket for new pictures.

I doubt I'll have a chance to update my blog daily. As it stands right now, I'm working three jobs so time is a precious commodity. Still.. I managed to get to blogger when I was updating the "Shack" so my bogging should be frequent. Besides.. the tiels' lives aren't so exciting that they require daily updates. LOL I'll probably pick a "star" to focus on for each blog and post about him or her with pictures, and add side notes about what the others are doing as well. It seems to be that way around here. One of the tiels is making headlines with this or that.. and then one of the others steals the spotlight. LOL

So, with the "forward" over with, its time for the acknowledgements. I'd like to thank Jenn, Peter, Nikki, Mindy, Jodi and Christy in particular for their support during my blogging during the "Shack". It really helped to know there were interested readers out there. I gave all I had to Apache and Silver while they went through their trying time as new parents, and I can't say how grateful I was to have that encouragement and support come back to me in the form of caring friends with big hearts and soft shoulders to cry on. You guys are the best and this Blog is dedicated to you. *Special thanks to FlyingDuster on the Tailfeathers board for supplying the banner of my four tiels. She's got GREAT talent with paint programs, no?