by Lindsey » Tue Mar 06, 2012 3:39 pm
In order of purchase, these are the birds I have now:
Gust & Gale: Mated pair of blue budgies which will not mate (but maybe that's a good thing...) Gust mimicks any sort of beep or whistle, but he rarely does it on his own. He likes talking to the birds outside, particularily the chickadees, and he's quite a clown. Gale is somewhat crabby and she doesn't know as many sounds (or just doesn't care) but she loves playing with Gust and they are fun to watch together.
Emerald: Green amazon. Never actually sexed, and she is probably actually a boy (just because of her personality), but she doesn't care, lol. She is my best talker (but not the most talkativeby nature), and if I could only pick one bird to keep, it would probably be her. She only poops in a corner in her cage, so I have her out more than in, and I just let her roam as long as I am home. She just HAS to take part in EVERY shower I take and it's hard keeping her away from my soap, but she screams if I take a shower without her and then I just feel bad. She knows several words and phrases, but she doesn't actually talk all that often. When she DOES talk, it's always a long sentence, and never without meaning. If she hears something that she doesn't understand the meaning of, she won't say it until she understands. She's super smart.
Sunny & Splash: Lutino & pearl cockatiels; both males. They were in a cage together at the pet store and they just really seemed like they were buddies. Cockatiels generally hang out for a long time at that pet store, and I decided if I was going to get one, I'd better get both of them do I didn't stress either of them out. I haven't regretted it since. They are both big whistlers, especially Sunny. He will repeat any tune you whistle to him, and he loves listening to the radio. Splash doesn't whistle on command, but if Sunny gets into a mood and starts whistling a whole bunch, Splash will start up too. They are actually probably the loudest of all of my birds because they cheer eachother on. They know a couple of really basic words like "Hello" and "Goodnight" but they are not big on speech.
Lulu: Blue amazon from a really dumpy petshop. I thought she was a Spix's macaw for years, and only now did I find out what she really is (thanks Michael for the tip about short tail feathers!) She is very quiet and shy and does not particularily like people, but she does get excited when all of the other birds are out, or if I'm passing out something particularily tasty. I've noticed that she does like cartoons and I think I have heard her trying to laugh like spongebob a couple of times. She would do very well as someone's "one and only", but I won't let her go to just anyone, because of her past.
Breeze: Kind of a mint green budgie with yellow splashes. Never seen one exactly like her before. She doesn't make any interesting sounds yet, but she is unusually curious for a petshop parakeet, and she seems to catch on very quickly to new things. I'm hoping she will be a good one for me to practice real training with.
Alex: Never thought I would have an African gray... But here he is. An acquaintance bought Alex as a baby and quickly found out that he was not the right type of pet for him, so I got him for a very good price and he has been an absolute joy. Of all of my birds, he is the most humanlike, and he really does remind me of a human toddler. He is extremely inquisitive and eager to learn, and he knows several words already but doesn't often put them into phrases. He wants to be with me ALL THE TIME and he screams at me when he wants me, like a toddler would. He loves Emerald, though she's not crazy about him, and sometimes I feel like I have two children when they are competing for my attention. He recently learned how to "gargle" and that's the sound he makes if I take him past the bathroom mirror. I am teaching him a cute little trick that he has gotten pretty good at. I give him a small book and he slowly turns the pages and says "Once upon a time... Yada yada yada... Happily ever after... The end!" Since he isn't great at long sentences, he sometimes scrambles it up or leaves parts out, but he's good enough at it now that it's pretty darn amusing!
Who needs people when we've got parrots?
My name is Lindsey and I've had birds since I can remember, but never the slightest education as to how to properly care for them (so if I say something wrong, PLEASE educate me!) I care for my birds now based solely on things I've learned from experience, and anything I've read online in the past six months (when I got my computer). I am not good at identifying birds or telling similar birds apart. In fact, I thought my blue amazon was a spix for four years. 
And I don't even know which specific varieties my green amazon or my african gray are. 
They sounded like cartoon mice, but they talked. 
They were awesome and I had them for ages, whilst slowly accumulating more. Right now I have more birds than I've ever had, and I have no plans to get any more. If anything, I might downsize, if I happen across the right people.
I'm jealous! 
lives in my bedroom. Initially I wasn't going to keep any cages in my bedroom, but he is so clingy that I just gave in. 
He's a little stiff with big climbs and has a little more trouble putting weight on than other macaws I have known. He has an appointment with the vet next week. He bites and cusses when he's in the wrong mood, but overall he's a pretty good boy. He loves taking showers and he gets along very well with Emma. Someone is now pestering me to sell Lulu to them because they want to breed her, and I don't want to do it because she came from such a crabby past and she just shouldn't be bred. I can't think of anything else relevent....
