The tiny bird in the little black cage.

[Anna]

Today I went to the markets. There is a guy there that buys birds from local breeders and sells them at the markets. I orginally went there to look at a mate for my Indian Ringneck. I almost missed the small black cage in between the diamond doves and the budgies. It contained two Fischer's babies. I only noticed because a guy was buying one and he wanted a female (he breeds lovebirds from what I could gather). When he left I looked at the poor forlorn little creature in the cage. It wasnt even completely feathered out. It was so young. The guy selling them estimated 8 weeks but I don't know. It has it's flights and can fly its just the smaller feathers that come in last that it seems to be still growing like around the neck and legs and still patchy on the body. Its winter here and I thought of all the things it would need. It would need to be inside at least till it feathered out or spring came. It would need to be fed a good diet, it was still growing so diet would be extra important. It would need to be handled gently and confidently if it was to become a good pet. I wasn't sure what to do. And then a little girl walked up (woulda been about 4 or 5) with her parents. She was very interested in the little "cute birdie" and her parents enquired "what is it? what do they eat?"...............

"Ill take that little bird in the black cage" I said to the saleslady standing in front of me.

I know I wanted an excuse to buy it, but I seriously couldnt leave it at the mercy of someone who didnt know anything about it, not that young and not when they had a young child. I know it may have turned out fine, on the other hand it could have been a disaster.

So here it is, sitting in a spare cage I cleaned up, in my bedroom, only half covered cause it thinks its missing out on something when I cover it completely, sleeping peacefully. And I can sleep peacefully knowing it will get what it needs in life.

Has anyone else managed to talk themselves so easily into buying a bird like this?

 

[Rio Mom]

Congrats on your new little friend! Please share a picture when you have time.

 

[Anna]

Here it is. I'm going to try working out the sex tomorrow. I used to be able to do it via the pelvic bone which I know is not the most accurate but since it wont be a breeding bird it doesn't really matter. It's more so that I can pick a name and stop calling it and it. My last lovebird used to get really cranky with me whenever I called her a him (in the beginning before a lovebird breeder told me she was a girl). She used to nip at me everytime. She stopped when I started calling her a girl.

 

[Atwee921]

Shes beautiful!! Im glad you took her.

 

[Mayden]

Has anyone else managed to talk themselves so easily into buying a bird like this?

I'm terrible for things like that.
My 3rd budgie (after the first passed away and the second was feeling a bit 'lonely) I got after he flew out of the cage in the store (when we were trying to get a different budgie) he flew, panicked, hit everything he possibly could and then landed on the floor, I picked him up and gave him a cuddle and it was like he 'needed' me.

"No worries, I'll take this little guy"
That was Bruce. (The green guy)
Wonsy is the girl preening him, she loved him and she will forever be the bird I will never ever forget.

The rest wern't quite 'tragic' cases, but captured my heart and I knew that they wern't likely to get 'as good' of a home as they would with me!

Then onto a kitten we got, found covered in blood and poo and severely sick (4 weeks old!) we got her into good health and we agreed with the actual owners mother that she would not go to a sanctuary, or back to the original owner.

Then a cockatoo, being kept in a filthy cage with not enough room to stretch his wings. He was terrified of people and flinched and hissed and all sorts. I knew I had to get him out there and help rehabilitate him. I got him a cage, some toys and took him home with me. I blew pretty much half of my savings to get him and I eventually rehomed him to someone who had their heart set on a macaw/cockatoo (he's with the parrotline etc) and I met him and saw his home and just knew that he was the guy patient enough to help this beautiful cockatoo to come out of it's shell. We have regular updates on how my "blue eyed boy" is doing.

This is him straight from the pet store and given some time to relax. His cage is small and quite bare to what it ended up like, and eventually I'll put up some pictures of him in his new homes cage which is MASSIVE as the guy used to have a b&g macaw.

And then there was Merlin. The little beauty being kept in a cage with three baby grays. I fell in love with his cheeky character and cuddly nature... and then when I found out this guy had a splayed leg? I just HAD to have him. He needed someone to love him regardless of his bad leg, someone who could care for him properly and not overlook him for his leg. I wouldn't be without him now. I guess my "mothering" instinct is just a tad too strong!

As much as I'd love to have perfect animals - people who don't know how to help can keep those, I'd rather help those that need helping.

Sorry for the long post! Please keep us updated on your family!

 

[Anna]

Yeah, I have a haywire mothering instinct so I'm a total sucker for the sad cases and animals that need rehabilitating. I once ended up handraising a turtle dove that had fallen from the nest because you are not supposed to release feral animals into the wild, it was either keep him or put him down.

I am estimating that my lil bird is indeed a girl and her name is now Chiku which means 'talker' or 'one who chatters'. Lovebirds, while not world famous mimicers of human speech are most definately chatterers in thier own language, especially this little girl. I have her in a 2ft L x 45cm W x 50cm H which will do for now as its the biggest cage I can fit in my room and at least she still has enough room to practice flying until we get to know each other enough for me to let her out in the house. She is waay too clever for her own good and I think she will be able to work out how to open the food doors before long so I pegged a pillowcase over the front to prevent accidents. Here is her getting some sun (my room is so dark) and watching the fishies.

 

[Mayden]

She looks lovely! I'm sure she's got a good home with you now anyway, and your right, they certainly can talk up a storm, even if it is in their own language.

Congratulations on your new arrival! I tend to avoid places I know that I'm going to see 'unwanted' animals because I know I'll end up bringing them all home and it's not fair on my parents or my own babies. Maybe when I've got my own place (I have every intention of starting up a small sanctuary...)

 

[mnsalani]

She is absolutely beautiful! And she is very lucky to have such a great home

 

[Anna]

Thanx heaps guys. She will never replace my lil Chirpy but she already has her place in my heart and it's so nice waking up to her chatter when she is using her normal voice and not trying to compete with the feeding lories near the house or Shrek (IRN) and Bowie (tiel) that live on the veranda just outside my window. Who am I kidding, even when it gets loud its still a cheerful sound to wake up to having them all talking to each other saying good morning. I can only imagine how much worse it will get when Marley (tiel) gets here tomorrow and when Fiona (IRN) arrives (whenever that is). They are the children, but Chiku is always going to be my baby.

 

[Dragonwyke]

boy, it's nice to know i'm not the only w/SUCKER written across my forehead, lmao! my kids are always asking me where i found this or that sick or crippled or ugly animal and how long it's gonna be before it's "better". lol

all 6 of my dogs are rescues, both my parrots are, and all the ones before them were (very many), even the little fish i pick at WalMart could be considered rescues cuz they each look like they're on deaths doorstep when i purchase them. lol my house always is full of "recovery supplies" - my daughters call me Mother Nature instead of mom cuz they think i can fix anything and anyone.

DW

 

[melinda]

That sounds like something i would do. I have 2 cats one is from the shelter and the other was got off of craigslist. She was suppost to be a different color than she is and was suppost to be 6 weeks old but when i saw her i knew she might have been 4 weeks old covered in fleas. 5 baths after we got home with over 300 fleas dead and a good meal i think she had the best sleep of her life. I have always took in the dogs that others thought i needed and left on the road near my house. My chloe is in her 3rd and last home and she is just 5 years old. So i think you done a great thing, getting the baby. pets are for life not until the new wears off for a child.

 

[2manypets]

My family also brings home animals in need.

We saved a chihuahua mix from being put down.

Rescued 6 chinchillas from petstores and uneducated owners and found them new homes.

Kept a baby kitten someone put in my moms car while she was at the store. Still have him almost 14 years later!

Got a yorkie puppy that was supposed to be 8 weeks but was really 5 weeks. Had her for a week and then I had to go to WI for a week. The day after we left she got really sick. A few days after we got back she passed away after rushing her to the vet the night before.

The list really goes on and on lol.


Picture 1 is the yorkie puppy (R.I.P Lily Bell)
Picture 2 is the kitten (now 14)

 

[suebee]

aww thank you all for being so caring!

As much as I'd love to have perfect animals - people who don't know how to help can keep those, I'd rather help those that need helping.

i think its mainly the ppl that want the perfect animals that cause so many un-wanted ones though i only have the one nut! (my man has really put his foot down with getting another bird! meanie, but to be fair its because of how bad nut was, thats put him off!) as the saying goes, its the flaws in the ones we love, that makes us love them

 

[Nora]

That is exactly how I ended up with Steve, my Jardine's parrot. He looked completely pitiful and stressed out. So naturally I apent a ridiculous amount of money on a huge cage, toys, good food etc, and now he's a member of the family! He looks so much better than when we got him!

 

[Anna]

lol my house always is full of "recovery supplies" - my daughters call me Mother Nature instead of mom cuz they think i can fix anything and anyone.

DW

Hahaha, Yeah, that is so me. Mum got a new dog last week. This is his 3rd home in his 2yrs and he is soo cute. When she bought him home she just went down to the shed and went through the stuff to get what she needed then washed it all up. I reckon at this point I could bring almost anything home and have the stuff lying somewhere around to look after it. I feel like Earth Mother or something sometimes.

I once brought home a 4wk old puppy after carrying it around school for half a day because the guy who owned the mother was going to dispose of them in the local creek if we didnt get them out of there that day. The poor little thing was covered in fleas and cried every two hours for attention at night. Many baths later and some good feeds and he was happy and healthy. Sadly mum made me give him away and a few months later her died from parvo. I still wish I had kept him.

There was my cat who I got off a friend when she impulsively got him and her 3 other cats wouldn't let him in the house.

The dove I handraised because it had fallen out of it's nest and we couldn't find the parents. He escaped and now brings his new family to visit every breeding season. They all sit on our clothesline for a little bit most days. I can tell it's him because he had slightly twisted toes.

Both my cats are from the local shelter. Marley my tiel is a wild one with a wing that was damaged and unable to be repaired fully. We are slowly getting him more used to humans and I have decked his cage out with climbing toys so that he can still exercise.

As for the little bird in my OP, she is looking quite good as more of her feathers come in. She is getting much better at being around people and is a demanding little miss. She dumped out all her water this morning because I slept in till 8:30 and she wanted to be uncovered. She is my alarm clock at 6 in the morning. I have been putting her in the kitchen for the day and my room at night so that she can be a bigger part of the house and get used to all the activity. She lets me put my hand near her in the cage but we are not at the touching stage yet. Baby steps. Still trying to work out her favourite food, she doesnt even like sunflower seeds. We try lots of different things to broaden her experiences.

Hahaha, I could go on. Sorry for the novel.

 

[Dragonwyke]

THIS is really good line "As much as I'd love to have perfect animals - people who don't know how to help can keep those, I'd rather help those that need helping."

cuz that's exactly how i feel too. there are enough of those that only want perfect, but it's those little imperfections that create the individual souls that are so sweet and loving at the end of healing. when they come back from whatever hardship they've been thru, they are SOOOO wonderful, and no one ever even knew about it because they weren't beautiful on the outside.

i had a little quaker i tricked the breeder out of (he was such a turd) that fledged w/out his feet. somehow or other (the breeder said some fishing line had got into the nesting material) they had got strangled, gangrenous, and rotted off while he was an infant. that little bird lived a VERY long time, and he didn't even know he was a cripple and was WONDERFUL all his life. we made special flat perches for him, he flew everywhere. to us he was perfect, other ppl laughed at us or said he should be put down, but he was GREAT! his name was petrie. i haven't been able to have another quaker since.

DW

 

[mele]

Thats how I got my Paco.

I needed food for my rabbit and stopped at a feed/grain store. When I walked in I was shocked to see all the birds the lady had. I made my way through the store and hidden in the back behind the parakeets and baby quails and turkeys were two very dirty lilac amazons. The lady said they were a breeding pair but I had my doubts. I was a little worried when she told me they were from the same breeder and paird up. I called my mom because I new I wanted the bigger one who followed me around the cage but I couldn't take on two new amazons. I also knew before I brought him home he needed a vet check, beak & nail trim, bath, and a serious new diet. She had them on a seed diet that seemed to be 75% sunflower seed. Long story short my mom bought the little girl (Indy) and I bought Paco. The vet was a little shocked when I told him how I found them next to poltry. They had a severe vit A deficiency that I still treat them for and polyps inside their beaks They were also birds from the same parents acording to their bands but Indy was the following season. I have no Idea why they were paired up but Im glad we separated them. Both birds are now spoiled rotten and eating so much better. Im glad I went into that store but I will never go back because im afraid Ill end up with a flock of parakeets.