# My Feathered Friends :) (Pic heavy!)



## Pepper

I had a couple of requests...so here are the other beauties that make up my life besides Pepper.

Tango the African Grey enjoying my new curtains...










Honu the Hahns Macaw sitting on the hubby's shoulder










Cosmo, the Patagonian Conure taking a shower outside










Petey, the Black-Capped Conure










Lucky the lovebird










And all of our 8 budgies...

Maui, Cirrus, Einstein 










Belle being her bossy self and yelling at Maui and Einstein










Max, a rescue with a badly healed broken wing, and Emma, rescued with Max, our plump budgie with a thyroid problem.










Pi, born with only one leg










And our newest addition, Schrödinger, who was found flying free and went unclaimed so he came to us. He's being treated for a broken leg he came with, and after chewing through his splint, is unfortunately is now wearing a cone (I saved his pride by not including that pic lol)


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## PDXdogmom

The colors of these birds are absolutely brilliant; but I do like the African Grey especially well.


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## Onyxmom2

Beautiful birds! Nice to meet another bird person, not only is our house filled with dogs, we also have 6 Macaws and several other types of birds!


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## swolek

Beautiful parrots!


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## rannmiller

I tried to be a bird person but it just wasn't for me. Your birds are beautiful though! I love how loved and well taken care of they clearly are!


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## Unosmom

Lovely birds! I miss my budgies and lovebirds, no matter how loud and messy, they always kept me smiling


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## garry

Owww, such beautiful birds, they make me miss having one of my own. Or rather, having my Lumpi back.


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## Pepper

Thanks everyone 

They definitely keep things lively around here, and the littlest ones are definitely the messiest and consistently the loudest! There's no such thing as quiet time around here until the lights go out...lol


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## Caty M

Parrots rock! I have a pair of green cheeks. I tried to foster a Hahn's macaw and a patagonian conure but my neighbors complained. 

They were THAT loud. Are yours?

All your birds are gorgeous and in great shape!


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## Janet At Nutro

Wow, your birds are beautiful!


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## AkCrimson

OHHH sorry to dig up an old thread but I am first and foremost a bird person so I had to comment! I LOVE YOUR BIRDS!! I have a budgie, a Linnie and a Blue Crown Conure. My Conure is the light of my life and I can't imagine life without him. In fact it's been 4 months since I've seen him (moving from Alaska to Puerto Rico and he is with a foster mum) and I feel like a big part of my life has been missing! 

I've fostered a CAG before, he was so incredibly breathtakingly smart. I have never met a more intelligent animal. Someday I hope to have one...it's just a matter of waiting until the time is right. 

And how is your Hahns? I saw one in a pet store for the first time a couple of months ago and he was a little angel. 

Patagonian WOW! How do they hold up to a Sunnie? I hear they can be LOUD

Anyway, I just love your pics <3


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## schtuffy

Beautiful birds! They look so lucky! I have an umbrella cockatoo and sun conure. Between them, the dog, and the husband, I barely have time for myself...how do you find time for all of your babies and the cage cleaning? The pictures of your budgies make me miss mine dearly...I can't imagine what a little parakeet would look like wearing a cone of shame :biggrin:


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## wags

The pics of your beautiful birds are just wonderful. This is the one pet out of all the pest we have had that the hubby said no to! He won't let me get one saying they make to much of a mess. But by your pictures they look absolutely just great! Shoot, I have always wanted a bird just one little bird! Yours are PRECIOUS just precious!Ahhh love those pics!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing them! I can dream right!


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## schtuffy

wags said:


> The pics of your beautiful birds are just wonderful. This is the one pet out of all the pest we have had that the hubby said no to! He won't let me get one saying they make to much of a mess. But by your pictures they look absolutely just great! Shoot, I have always wanted a bird just one little bird! Yours are PRECIOUS just precious!Ahhh love those pics!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing them! I can dream right!


Wags, now it's my turn to agree with your husband :tongue: They are indeed very messy....not for the OCD of heart! :biggrin:


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## spookychick13

What gorgeous birds.

I am partial to the african grey as well, I can't help it.
I have one too.


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## Pepper

AkCrimson said:


> OHHH sorry to dig up an old thread but I am first and foremost a bird person so I had to comment! I LOVE YOUR BIRDS!! I have a budgie, a Linnie and a Blue Crown Conure. My Conure is the light of my life and I can't imagine life without him. In fact it's been 4 months since I've seen him (moving from Alaska to Puerto Rico and he is with a foster mum) and I feel like a big part of my life has been missing!
> 
> I've fostered a CAG before, he was so incredibly breathtakingly smart. I have never met a more intelligent animal. Someday I hope to have one...it's just a matter of waiting until the time is right.
> 
> And how is your Hahns? I saw one in a pet store for the first time a couple of months ago and he was a little angel.
> 
> Patagonian WOW! How do they hold up to a Sunnie? I hear they can be LOUD
> 
> Anyway, I just love your pics <3


AKCrimson, my guess is you've heard all about them already, as I recognize you and your Puerto Rico situation from AA (Avian Avenue for those of you who just assumed we're alcoholics! lol) I'm Birdasaurus over there 

Cosmo the Patagonian is HORRIBLY loud when she wants to be, but she's the sweetest thing and acts more like a dog than a bird; It makes the noise worth it. We're also working on her to talk a little more instead, so now she at least starts yelling HELLOOOOO HELLLLOOOO when she gets in her fits and she has the goofiest sounding little kid voice, so you can't help but laugh.

Don't be fooled by the "angel" Hahns...they're anything but! He's the devil in a little green body.... he really knows how to manipulate his humans! And my Grey Tango is the light of my life...so easy to forget he's a bird <3



schtuffy said:


> Beautiful birds! They look so lucky! I have an umbrella cockatoo and sun conure. Between them, the dog, and the husband, I barely have time for myself...how do you find time for all of your babies and the cage cleaning? The pictures of your budgies make me miss mine dearly...I can't imagine what a little parakeet would look like wearing a cone of shame :biggrin:


Something like this....lol











wags said:


> The pics of your beautiful birds are just wonderful. This is the one pet out of all the pest we have had that the hubby said no to! He won't let me get one saying they make to much of a mess. But by your pictures they look absolutely just great! Shoot, I have always wanted a bird just one little bird! Yours are PRECIOUS just precious!Ahhh love those pics!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing them! I can dream right!


They don't make a mess....no....not at all..... *sits in bird poop* lol There are ways you can minimize the mess though, and it's actually my little budgies that are the worst! I think my Hahns is the cleanest. He doesn't really throw food, so for the most part his mess is in his cage. If you have a good vacuum, especially a shop vac, and a bottle of poop off you can keep the mess under control!



spookychick13 said:


> What gorgeous birds.
> 
> I am partial to the african grey as well, I can't help it.
> I have one too.


Glad to see another grey owner! I have found that they are my favorite. Their personalities are just so amazing, and while the others are all so smart, he has a level of understanding that the others don't. My first big shock with their intelligence was when I used to ask him, "Are you ok?" because he fell a lot when I first got him due to an illness, and one time he fell and before I could ask him, he told me, "I'm ok." I was in awe that he answered the question, rather than simply mimicking what he always heard.


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## schtuffy

I've always wanted a grey :smile: 

It's true, the mess is manageable...but it's the cockatoo dander that drives me nuts! It also doesn't help that I have a black dining set, black countertops, and a black couch. That plus a cockatoo and a white fuzzy dog = headache for me, LOL!

...btw the cone pic is hilarious! Poor guy!


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## MollyWoppy

Thank you for the pictures. They are all just gorgeous, every single one of them. I use to have a cockateil and a cockatoo, loved them to pieces, they'd be out of their cages following me around the house most of the day, talking away. 
I love birds, they are all right characters, all have their own unique personalities. Lots of work though, I can't imagine how much time you put into them to keep them so healthy and happy - the big birds especially, keeping their minds busy, now, thats a big job!

ETA - don't know why, but your last pictures weren't there when I started my reply. Your grey sounds like a mini human, so bright. I find it hard that people have no idea just how intelligent these birds are. It just horrifies me when you see and hear of these birds being kept in a small cage all their lives, how cruel that is and how, after a while, they must just go insane with boredom and lack of stimulation.


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## wags

Pepper~~

OOOOHHHHH~~~~~~~~~~ I do have a shop Vac, but need the poop off!!!!!!!!!Hmmm I wonder if this argument will work!!!!!!!!! My hubbys a bird~a ~phobic!! This is the one thing he says NOOOOOOOOOOOOO very LOUDLY~ ummm shouting at me NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Pepper

schtuffy said:


> I've always wanted a grey :smile:
> 
> It's true, the mess is manageable...but it's the cockatoo dander that drives me nuts! It also doesn't help that I have a black dining set, black countertops, and a black couch. That plus a cockatoo and a white fuzzy dog = headache for me, LOL!
> 
> ...btw the cone pic is hilarious! Poor guy!


Oh my goodness! Everything in our bird room is light for that reason... lol Tango puts out enough dust (when he shakes in the sunlight he has a cloud around him like Pigpen from Peanuts...) so I couldn't imagine a large cockatoo! He's got a nice big air filter right next to his cage for the sake of the other birds.



MollyWoppy said:


> Thank you for the pictures. They are all just gorgeous, every single one of them. I use to have a cockateil and a cockatoo, loved them to pieces, they'd be out of their cages following me around the house most of the day, talking away.
> I love birds, they are all right characters, all have their own unique personalities. Lots of work though, I can't imagine how much time you put into them to keep them so healthy and happy - the big birds especially, keeping their minds busy, now, thats a big job!
> 
> ETA - don't know why, but your last pictures weren't there when I started my reply. Your grey sounds like a mini human, so bright. I find it hard that people have no idea just how intelligent these birds are. It just horrifies me when you see and hear of these birds being kept in a small cage all their lives, how cruel that is and how, after a while, they must just go insane with boredom and lack of stimulation.


They have lots of different play areas to keep them busy...nets hanging from the ceiling, java trees, and of course, who could forget my drapes  It is so awful though to see how some people keep them...my Cosmo came from a situation like that. She had no toys and only one perch that was too big for her. When we met her, the couple told us she was clipped, yet she flew out to us. So apparently she was in her cage so long that her wings grew back and they didn't even know. It took her a few months to understand that she didn't have to sit in one spot anymore and to really get what a toy was. Of course she's a master of destruction now!



wags said:


> Pepper~~
> 
> OOOOHHHHH~~~~~~~~~~ I do have a shop Vac, but need the poop off!!!!!!!!!Hmmm I wonder if this argument will work!!!!!!!!! My hubbys a bird~a ~phobic!! This is the one thing he says NOOOOOOOOOOOOO very LOUDLY~ ummm shouting at me NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Not to be a bad influence.....but you can get Poop Off at any Petsmart or Petco....just sayin' :biggrin1: Be careful though, they get addictive! lol


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## wags

Shoot now I am really thinking of getting like a pair shoooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whats the best for someone who knows absolutley not a thing about birds? And what birds don't mind barking fools when the doorbell rings????????????? This is all on you Pepper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )))))))))))))))))))))))) Now I want not one, but two, so they can be friends heehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you buy the birds that are at petco or petsmart or are they not good? Shoooot, now I have questions heehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I will need an extra bedroom i guess then to put them in!!!!!!haha!


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## MollyWoppy

Cockatoos, Galahs, African Greys, Macaws, or smaller and not a lifetime commitment - Cockatiels, Budgies (parakeets).
Don't worry about the dogs barking when someones at the door, you'll find the birds will bark right along with them. 
And, imitate your phone, the microwave, the doorbell. I don't know how many times I answered the phone to find no-one there, or went to the microwave to find it still cooking - I could swear the bird was laughing at me. They are smart, even the small ones.


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## schtuffy

wags said:


> Shoot now I am really thinking of getting like a pair shoooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whats the best for someone who knows absolutley not a thing about birds? And what birds don't mind barking fools when the doorbell rings????????????? This is all on you Pepper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )))))))))))))))))))))))) Now I want not one, but two, so they can be friends heehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you buy the birds that are at petco or petsmart or are they not good? Shoooot, now I have questions heehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I will need an extra bedroom i guess then to put them in!!!!!!haha!


If you know nothing about birds, I'd say start small. I started out with parakeets, and I loved them! For such tiny birds, they've got huge personalities. I was a kid when I had them, and sadly my mom gave them away :frown: I personally don't see anything wrong with buying birds from Petco or Petsmart...my sun conure came from Petsmart! I got my cockatoo from a breeder though. They were both handfed and very sweet (well, the sun conure is sweet to _me_...nobody else :wink.

Be careful of the big ones though...as much as I love Hermes, my cockatoo, I would not get her if I could do it over again. As sweet, cuddly, and affectionate she is, I still firmly believe that birds belong in the wild. Did anyone watch Rio? The beginning almost made me cry :frown:


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## Pepper

wags said:


> Shoot now I am really thinking of getting like a pair shoooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whats the best for someone who knows absolutley not a thing about birds? And what birds don't mind barking fools when the doorbell rings????????????? This is all on you Pepper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )))))))))))))))))))))))) Now I want not one, but two, so they can be friends heehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you buy the birds that are at petco or petsmart or are they not good? Shoooot, now I have questions heehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I will need an extra bedroom i guess then to put them in!!!!!!haha!


The best is to research and figure out what you want and what you can handle. The different species all have very distinct traits and noise levels. A lot of people recommend parakeets, cockatiels, or lovebirds for beginners....but I am a firm believer in not having a "starter bird" so to speak. There are so many of the little guys out there for rehoming because people got them for experience, and then "trade up." If you research and find that you don't want little birds to begin with, don't get little birds. If you do find that you want them (I personally ADORE budgies), then research and bird forums (may I suggest Avian Avenue  ) can help you get all those questions that pop up answered. If you do want a larger bird, I really recommend not only researching and hitting the forums, but spending time at a rescue or someone else's home who has large birds so you can see the good, bad, and the ugly in person. Or if this dang macaw keeps screaming...I may send him to you free of charge soon! :tongue:

I'm not a huge fan of Petco/Petsmart as they tend to get birds from what are basically bird mills and don't monitor them well for illness, and you can usually find plenty of birds looking for a home on Petfinder or Craigslist... especially the little guys. If you want babies, then a breeder is usually more reasonable in price than the chain stores on larger parrots. You can search BirdBreeders.com - Bird Breeders Directory of Availability and Parrot Breeders for lists of them near you. I'm a big adoption person so that's where the majority of mine have come from, and it helps with people new to birds too because you can adopt ones that have already been tamed.

Overall, no matter what type you get, they need to be around people. So where ever you are the most is where they should be. I have a bird room, but it is open to the rest of my house and has a couch and tv in there where I spend most of my time. If you have any questions and are seriously considering a birdy buddy, feel free to ask me more questions, or fly (ha-ha) on over to Avian Avenue!


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## wags

I am getting pumped now for this bird adventure! I am def. going to Avian Avenue! Gee should I invite the hubby into my adventure because when I bring home the cage and all he may wonder what I am up too heehee! Ok checking out this sight and I can also look at petfinder. I would love to adopt one that would be perfect! Oh man going to start checking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wooooohoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to all for the help!!!!! Oh, and my hubby will personally be out at your homes addressing this matter I am sure (JK)!! ahhh he wont know anything until it hits him(ummm the bird poop that is hahahahaha) heehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Pepper

Wags, I also just realized you are in IL like me... so maybe I should worry about hubby being close enough to pay me a visit! LOL


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## wags

TOOOOO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god he is throwing a fit with this bird talk of mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He absolutely is saying NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO very very very LOUDLY!!!!!!!!!!! He says of all things I Cannot at all get a Bird he does not like them! I am so darn disappointed in him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's a lunatic right now with the bird issue! Shoot it will take me a life time to convince him that they are OK to have! Shoot he wouldn't even pet any of the other small furry critters I had for the kids . He says we have enough with the 4 dogs and the fish right now. Our bills are too high with just that and he will not at all let me get anything right now! Gee what can I surprise him with ugh! May lead to divorce ha but then I will have my animals heehee! Shoot I got shot down. Now I'm depressed! Oh well I will let it rest a while and restart it again heehee!!!!!!!!!!! (((((((((((((


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## Slayer Girl

That little yellow budgie is adorable!


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## Pepper

wags said:


> I am getting pumped now for this bird adventure! I am def. going to Avian Avenue! Gee should I invite the hubby into my adventure because when I bring home the cage and all he may wonder what I am up too heehee! Ok checking out this sight and I can also look at petfinder. I would love to adopt one that would be perfect! Oh man going to start checking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wooooohoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to all for the help!!!!! Oh, and my hubby will personally be out at your homes addressing this matter I am sure (JK)!! ahhh he wont know anything until it hits him(ummm the bird poop that is hahahahaha) heehee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


There are quite a few people I know who "didn't like" birds, but they eventually crack. They're just too darn cute to hate!


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## Pepper

Slayer Girl said:


> That little yellow budgie is adorable!


Thanks!


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## Noodlesmadison

I LOVE LOVE your birds!!


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## maplewood

Beautiful! I want a Hahns!!!!! We have an evil, coniving Quaker.


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## BrittanyM

Beautiful birds! You have quite a flock there  If I were to get a second bird, I would love to get a Patagonian Conure.


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## Kat

Lol Brittany, as soon as I read the title of this thread I knew you would post in it


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