does anyone else here have birds?

**Missy** · 09-29-2005, 04:33 PM

I have a cockatiel named Arcamedis. 8 years ago I was given a male named Gnash...because he liked to bite. He was half of a breeding pair and I was leery about taking him but the owner insisted that he would be fine and she couldn't keep him. About a week later he passed away. It broke my heart. Dh was slinking sneaking around for a few weeks after this. Leaving at different time of the day, making me concerned and worried as we had just gotten engaged. Something was up and he just wouldn't tell me. One night he comes in to visit me at work and says he needs me to come straight home after work and he needs to talk to me. I thought the worst...just how i am. Anyway, i come home and in a little box with round holes, wrapped in a bow was a little plume of delicate yellow feathers poking out from a hole. Box with holes - you can imagine how i was a bit worried about opening this.

anyhow I opened the box and inside was this perfect grey and yellow cockatiel. My heart was melted. Not only had this little bird warmed my heart, but my dh had been working for nearly two weeks at going to all the pet stores in 100 mi radius to find the perfect bird to gift me with. We named him Arcamedis (ark-a-meed-eze) after the owl in DIsney's "Sword in the Stone" He's been our buddy ever since!

We may be getting more birds soon. We are looking at fostering or adopting rescued birds.

Do you have a bird, how did you get him/her, is there a story behind him/her?

**Valerie in WA** · 09-30-2005, 08:58 PM

I have birds, but not the type you're thinking of. I have three Indian Runner ducks. They live in the yard, eat organic feed, slugs and table scraps, and they lay happy eggs. Yum!!

Their names are interesting: Dd1 stole my duck name and named her duck Daisy. Dd2 insisted upon naming her duck Cinderella. Deprived of 'Daisy' I named my duck Souix (Sue) since they are Indian Runners - although I think it's India, not Native American.

The story of how I acquired them is less interesting: I bought them at the grange for $6 each.

I have one good story: When they were babies still needing a heat lamp, we had a power outage. They were living on the front porch in a 'brooder,' but I ended up putting them in a plastic tote, which I placed in the bathtub - shutting the shower doors, so the cat wouldn't go for a midnight snack. I used my campstove to heat water for the hot water bottle and put it in with them to keep them warm. I even got up in the night to go outside and heat more water. The next morning I found a neighbor with power. She put them in her laundry room with their lamp until our power was restored.

**forestdale** · 09-30-2005, 09:15 PM

Too cute, Valerie, I love Indian Runners.

Missy, I thought of you yesterday when I was at the store. We have a range of ceramic tiles featuring Australian birds. There is a cockateil with yellow and white feathers, I'm guessing it must look like Arcamedis.

I have no caged birds but I do have 6 hens. I have 1 Light Sussex. She is massive, a mainly white hen with a black feather necklace and a sprinkling of blach over her body. I also have 3 commerical reds or Rhode Island Reds, that are fabulous layers and quite bright. My other 2 are Australorpes - they are black all over but when they are in the sunlight, their black feathers shine green. They're very pretty.

**PrairieRose** · 09-30-2005, 09:48 PM

We don't right now Missy and don't think we ever will again but we used to have birds. We had the sweetest little parakeet (blue) that talked a blue streak, no punn intended.

He was completely tame and loved by our whole family.

We've also had a couple of cockatiels. They were ds's birds and although tame not as loveable as our little Skipper was. We truly enjoyed our birds but I grew very tired of the mess they make. Birdseed everywhere, but I reckon you know that first hand. They are great pets though. I had considered fostering larger birds at one point too. Glad that Gripey bucked me on that one, cuz now I don't think I'd want the responsibility.

**Missy** · 09-30-2005, 11:20 PM

here he is...and a fury dh too, he needs a shave bad!

**Missy** · 09-30-2005, 11:24 PM

Dh says he'd like a duck someday, but he is petrified of chickens. He's wierd. I'd like a hyacinth macaw. but i think right now we are doing good keeping up with the attention Arc needs!

**PrairieRose** · 10-01-2005, 11:31 AM

He's beautiful Missy. He looks a lot like the one that ds had. We also had a yellow one and she was the meanest thing I've ever seen. Our cockatiel was named Webster and one day ds said, "Mom, you know what Webster did?" I said "No, what?". He said "HE laid an egg!!"

He shortly changed her name to Princess.

**Missy** · 10-01-2005, 12:35 PM

ROFL that's one reasone we are pretty sure Arc is a "he"

Too funny!

**forestdale** · 10-01-2005, 03:41 PM

Your bird is a cutie, Missy, and just like the one on our tiles.

I was sitting on the front verandah doing some sewing yesterday and in the space of about two hours I saw some black cockatoos, a kookaburra, wood doves, a pair of king parrots - these are my favourites, some tiny native finches, rainbow lorikeets, larks and magpies. I have a bird bath in the front and back gardens and always keep them full of water for the birds. Our front garden is full of trees and shrubs that make it a safe haven for them. I keep my 1920s opera glasses out on the verandah so I can have a close look at them when they land near the bird bath for a drink.