Pixey Introducing Cheeky & Joy :)

Pixey

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Jan 9, 2017
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Hi ya'll, Pixey from SA here. So happy to have found an avian forum where there seems to be some activity! :)

I have never owned any pets in my life, tried (very hard) to adopt a pup when i was a kid, but mother was not in the mood for this story, so my request was firmly denied in spite of my vehement promises that i will feed and walk it. :(

About two years ago, my friend's daughter lost her baby IRN in a divorce - where the stepmother just took off with her baby bird. The bird, Toowie, was hand-fed and lovingly raised by the daughter since it was only 2 weeks old. :mad: With the child positively heartbroken, i insisted that my friend buy her a new baby bird... but as it happened the 3 month old (Cheeky) ended up bonding with my friend instead, and me as it's 'secondary' human.

Cheeky was my first pet, and became like a child in my house. I consider myself a novice bird owner, as I have more questions still than what i have answers, and would love a space where i can raise these and share stories.

We got Cheeky in Dec 2014, and we took a chance by sexting it as a boy as he had a slight ring... but it never became any darker. Instead, Cheeky laid two false eggs last year, so that confirmed that my boy is not a boy... :eek:

In December 2015, silly us stopped by the Bird Room at a pet shop (when we went to buy my friend's daughter a guinea pig). Joy, who hatched that September, was in a small box next to a massive parrot. No room for these babies to move. And she mew'ed at me through that thick glass!! It tugged at my heart so hard, it nearly jumped out of my chest. We spent our last money on her, but couldn't leave her behind.

I read up a lot, to try and not traumatize the birds (we gave Cheeky a stroke from over-handling in the first two months he was with us). But as we could not afford a second cage, we had to chance it and stuck Joy in Cheeky's cage after she became comfortable and tried to escape the confines of her box.

It was tense at first, but after a couple of months, the two became inseparable.... Or rather, Joy followed Cheeky EVERYWHERE and drove Cheeks insane.

Over the holidays it became apparent that my babies are in need of an urgent wing clipping. Limited transport and then holidays when the car was available for errands lead to a very nervous December with windows and doors closed as much as possible. Alas on the 1st of January, having stayed up late obviously, i overslept tragically and was not downstairs to oversee my birds.

As i came down, I startled Cheeky - who was wandering on the floor, and he took off - small gap under the security gate allowed for this. We are still searching for him, and hope to recover him. Hope dies last and it is very hard to let go, feathers or not, he is a child in my house.

Joy has been behaving strangely lately, very much out of sorts. Understandable, but to what extent is this missing her mate, and how must i make her more comfortable? Getting a new bird would be like giving up on finding Cheeky, so that's out of the question.

Thank you for reading my essay, and all the best to all for 2017! :white1:

Pixey

PS. Uploaded pics to picture album - http://www.parrotforums.com/members/pixey-albums-my-babies.html
 
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Pixey

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Jan 9, 2017
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:feeling unsure:

I have been a sobbing mess the past 10 days so deliberately tried to keep the tone more cheerful, did not mean to sound callous.

And i am a nervous talker, seems that still translates to nervous typer as well. :)

Hope you all have a blessed 2017. God bless.
 

wrench13

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A sad welcome indeed, but do not give up. Hope springs eternal, and we have seen seen folks recover their beloved parrots weeks even months later. Flyers, posters, local pet shops , vets, local bird clubs, keep all your searches active . If Cheeky has a contact call she gives to your family, listen for it, and give it in the early mornings and evenings. Good luck, Pixey.
 

Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.

GaleriaGila

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Welcome, Pixey. Sorry to meet you under these circumstances, but so very happy to be able to offer support. I don't know much about pairing of birds, but others here do. This is a thread that will stay in my heart... because I had a terrible nightmare just before I woke up this morning... a dream that the Rickeybird flew away. I remember waking up and realizing everything was fine. I can't imagine how hard it would be to have to LIVE a nightmare like that. Best of luck to you and yours.
 

EllenD

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Welcome to the forum, albeit under very sad circumstances. You're correct that this board is very active and can provide much support and advice from very experienced bird owners.

I'm very sorry that you lost your bird, I myself have not had this happen, thank God, but I'm very aware how easily it can happen. It's very normal for your other bird to be acting the way that it is, it happens often when a bonded bird loses its mate. The best thing you can do for now is to spend as much time with your bird as you can, show him as much love as you can. As far as getting a new bird so soon, that's a decision you must make, but please do not give up hope of finding your lost bird. I don't know where in the world you're located, but people find their birds weeks, months, even years after losing them. The important thing is to spread the word, because more often than not someone finds the bird, as parrots stand out in the wild, especially tame ones, and they'll take them in. But they need to know who the bird belongs to. There is a great website called "parrot911" to post your bird and your info on, many Facebook groups for lost birds, and the very best thing to do is to post flyers at your local pet stores, grocery stores, shelters, rescues, animal control, etc. Get the word out that if an IRN is found it most likely belongs to you.

Good luck, I hope you find your baby very soon!

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
 

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