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Pictures Hello, everyone! New bird mama of two cockatiels. ♥

Flocktales

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
10/13/17
Messages
2
Location
California
Real Name
Ashlee
Hello!

I am so delighted to finally join all of you. Ever since I was a child, it has been a dream to welcome a feathered companion into my life. Growing up, my great-grandmother had a beautiful parrot—a type of amazon, if my memory is correct—and this was the beginning of a lifelong passion for birds. Although my mother said “no” to having a bird during my childhood, I didn’t mind, as it allowed me ample time to learn and prepare. Now, for much of my young adult life, I have been waiting for the perfect time to begin my flock, and am just so happy that moment has arrived. :)

My husband and I reorganized the house for our new family member. We rearranged most of the house to be bird-safe, down to the last nook and cranny. Thankfully, we have a young daughter, and being a bit of a natural health nut/“cleanfreak,” it wasn’t too much change, but I know it’s important to be extra cautious. The spot we chose for them is bright, sunny, and right where our family is 95% of the time. Slowly, we started ordering food, toys, natural perches, found a wonderful avian vet, and decided that a stainless steel cage would be worth the investment. It’s a moderately-priced one, and not perfect, but I would love to have a larger Expandable Habits in the future, as we’re intrested in volunteering for a bird rescue. We definitely hope to, someday, grow our flock, and believe this would be a wonderful option.

I must say, there isn’t a bird that hasn’t made me swoon, but little ‘tiels have been perched in my heart for many, many years. In the past, we have come very close to beginning our flock, but the timing wasn’t quite right.

It was important for us to keep an open mind, as to how we found our new family member. I have been lurking for quite a while and gathering so much information from all of you! So, I kept an eye out for rehoming, but there actually hasn’t been that much around, or by the time I contacted someone, the little sweetheart had already found a new home or there just wasn’t a response. We did contact a few people locally, but they did not seem the most trustworthy (suspected “backyard breeding,” sadly) and, with our local rescue has been receiving some negativity lately, we became a bit discouraged.

However, we continued keeping an eye out, as I did not want to give up on this dream! After some research, we took a day trip to a small place that had various services, including grooming, boarding, and rescuing. They also partner exclusively with a local breeder, and had a recently-weaned babies in the back that we visited.

The woman showing us around was very sweet, and the place clean, with happy looking birdies “chatting” the day away. ;) As the little ‘tiels were new, they were being quarantined in the back, and my goodness, friends, I now know what you mean when a bird “chooses” you!

...and, of course, that is how we ended up with two! ♥ There were four little babies, playing around and looking at us curiously. As I mentioned, my husband and I have been searching for so long, but this was the first time we immediately knew that we found our new family members. There was a bigger white-faced ‘tiel who cocked his head at me, and made a little squawk, to which another ‘tiel immediately responded — a more timid looking pied. They did this a few times, all while looking at us, as though they were also discussing if we were the right humans for them, haha! The women left to attend to another family, leaving us to speak with them and, while those two were a little shy, they were quite interested in what we had to say! Of course, my heart just melted, and my husband was thrilled, as well. Our little flock had begun.

This has already gone on far too long (sorry—I am just so excited!) but, they have been with us for two weeks and it has been more than a dream. They are just so happy and are adjusting well. We had their first wellness check-up with an avian vet, and their bloodwork came back looking “fantastic,” which is such a relief! I am taking everything very slowly, but currently, they are comfortable eating out of my hand, and their vet is happy with their progress. Of course, I could go on and on about my little loves, but I’ll stop it here for now! We are just so excited to be here and I look forward in growing as a parrot owner.

I am happy to introduce Boko & Gysahl! Boko is my little pied, and Gysahl is the white-face. We’re still waiting on their DNA result from the vet, but I am leaning toward both of them being male, as they are quite chatty and love beak-banging, haha! These are from our long ride home (almost four hours!). They did wonderfully, playing with their little toy and looking at me curiously. I’ll make a separate thread for how they are adjusting, and also for their new stainless steel cage + Things for Wings order, which both arrived this weekend!







(The red on their feet is marker from when they were “reserved” for us, haha! We took a week to make sure we had everything and then returned to pick them up.)
 

JoJo&Loki

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
6/3/19
Messages
2,627
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Real Name
Kelly
Awe congratulations! Such a great story- I’m glad you finally got your babies :heart: They are beautiful! Tiels are such sweet souls, I’m sure they will bring so much love to your life.

Sounds like you did your research and did an excellent job preparing for your babies! If you ever do have any questions, you’ve come to a great place with lots of knowledgeable folks.

:welave:
 

calibird

California Bird Nerds
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Welcome to The Avenue.
 

iamwhoiam

Ripping up the road
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Congrats. They are both beautiful.
 

Zara

♥❀Livin´ in Lovebird Land❀☼
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Welcome to the Avenue Ashlee :fairy2:

Congratulations! Your new babies are so beautiful! :starshower1:

I loved reading your story, it also serves as a good message for any teenagers browsing the site who are currently upset that their parents are saying ¨no¨ to bringing home a bird :)

I look forward to more of your threads ❤
 

expressmailtome

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Welcome, and enjoy the site!
 

cassiesdad

Ripping up the road
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Welcome to you, Boko, and Gysahl! :)

They're beautiful...and Gysahl has the look of a pure rogue...I'm betting you're going to have your hands full with him...;)
 

Fuzzy

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:welcomesign: to the Avenue, Ashlee, Boko and Gysahl! Boko and Gysahl are adorable! Glad you ended up with two. :heart::heart:
 

Cynthia & Percy

cockatoo mania
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welcome
 

Shezbug

ASK ME FOR PICTURES OF MY MACAW!
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Welcome to the Avenue :hiya:

I enjoyed reading your story, they are both so cute :heart:
 

CeciliaZ

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Welcome! Congrats on your new babies. I love tiels also - I have 6!
 

EkkieLu

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Welcome Aboard! I'm so glad you're here! Many congrats on your new babies!!!
 

sunnysmom

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Welcome! Your tiels are adorable!
 

Beasley

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Phoenix AZ
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Maggie Beasley
:welcomesign: And :congrats5: on your new additions!! I love baby tiels, those little crests are so darn cute! :heart:
 

Flocktales

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
10/13/17
Messages
2
Location
California
Real Name
Ashlee
@JoJo&Loki ~ Thank you so much! It does feel like I read everything on the internet about ‘tiels, but know there is still so much to learn. My morning reading is definitely scrolling through AA, and it is so helpful! Their transition into our life has been really smooth, and I fully believe it is from doing so much research. :)

@calibird ~ Thank you! I am so happy be here with all of you.

@Zara ~ Thank you, thank you! Yes, being in my late-twenties and with my own daughter, I now completely understand my mother. My husband and I planned our life, knowing that birds would definitely be a large part of it—from the cleaner we use, to the material of our decor, our house layout, and, although this was primarily for our daughter, my ability to stay home was definitely a huge factor. We’re also homebodies, but spoke with my mother about bird-sitting, should the need arise, and also confirmed that our avian vet does boarding. Obviously, being financially able is also crucial. I defintely think waiting until you’re settled in life is the best decision! ♥

@expressmailtome ~ I am definitely enjoying my time on AA, thank you so much!

@cassiesdad ~ You must be a bird whisperer, because that is spot-on, haha! He is such a little stinker, but in the best way. :swoon: At the vet, he was being quite stubborn, and the whole office was surprised. His vet even said, “Wow, he has a strong will,” and he made us wait an extra forty-five minutes because of his headstrong nature. :laugh-bounce:

@Fuzzy ~ Thank you so much! Yes, we’re so happy with our funny little duo, who act like siblings in every sense of the word. :p

@Cynthia & Percy ~ Thank you!

@Shezbug ~ Aw, thank you! I often find myself writing too much, but am just over the moon with these two and cannot stop talking about them (my poor family, haha!). :cloud9:

@CeciliaZ ~ Thank you! And, wow, that’s wonderful! My husband is worried that is the direction I’m headed, and he may be right... we’ll see! :roflmao:

@Sandra Gibson ~ Thank you so much!

@EkkieLu ~ Thank you! I am so happy to finally be here, amongst “my people,” haha! :joyful:

@sunnysmom ~ Thank you! I love their little baby faces!

@Beasley ~ Hurrah, thank you! Boko’s crest actually stood out to me the first time I met him, as it was (and still is!) very full and lovely.

 

cassiesdad

Ripping up the road
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@cassiesdad ~ You must be a bird whisperer, because that is spot-on, haha! He is such a little stinker, but in the best way. :swoon: At the vet, he was being quite stubborn, and the whole office was surprised. His vet even said, “Wow, he has a strong will,” and he made us wait an extra forty-five minutes because of his headstrong nature. :laugh-bounce:
...actually, when you look into Gysahl's eyes, his spirit shines through...because as they say..."The eyes tell all"...;)

We adopted a tiel recently...Tweety...that has the same look about him..and when we took him to the vet's office for a checkup, he wreaked absolute havoc in the exam room...our vet said, "That tiel has 'tude"...Tweets left quite a few dents in the vet and tech's hands...:rolleyes:
 
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