Happy Petey day!

Today is the joint "gotcha" and hatch day celebration for Petey. As we don't know his exact hatch date, we have decided to celebrate it on the day we first got him.

So today, he "turns" 20 years old, and he's been with us for seven years!

Happy "gotcha" and hatchday Petey!

Happy "Gotcha day" Petey!

Six years ago (yesterday), Petey joined the flock.

Although most of his history is unknown to me, I know the few months prior to us getting him were filled with change; he ended up in a rescue, was adopted out and came back within a few weeks. Out of all of my birds, he's the one who has had the most homes.

He also is the oldest, and given we don't know exactly when his hatchdate is, we will celebrate him turning 19 today (his band does say he was hatched in 1995).

Although being the oldest is really no excuse for him having had so many "homes". I truly hope that none of my other birds will have to go through what he did, and they won't so long as I am able to properly care for them.

In any case, today is Petey's day. While he and I are still on a "no touch" basis, the Boy, who has always been "his person", has made even more progress as far as Petey trusting him. While Petey was always enamored with him, there are certain things even the Boy couldn't do. But this year, the Boy has been able to pick him up with his hands (as opposed to asking him to step up) and has even managed to have Petey lay on his back in his hand for a few minutes at a time - things that he could never do before.

Hopefully this continues!

Happy "gotcha day" and happy hatchday Petey!

Happy "Gotcha day" Pixel!

Today marks the fourth anniversary of Pixel joining the flock.

I was discussing this with the Boy last evening, and his comments were "yeah, four years and she still doesn't like me!"

She has a preference for me, it's true, but her relationship from the Boy is on better terms than mine with Petey.

Although there have been a few bumps this year (her aggression towards Shade having gotten worse, resulting in the Littles being broken into smaller groups when they come out of their cages), I'm still very happy about that decision four years ago to take her in. She's got spirit and is a hoot to be around.

6 years ago...

It's once again time for another "gotcha day" post!

Six years ago we brought Joey home. Ironically, it was a similar day weather wise, with snow coming down and not at all looking like Spring was anywhere close to showing up.

Six years of his silly antics, although earlier this morning I found myself unable to properly think and, count and for some reason, I thought it was nine years and wondered how that could be! But then realized he hatched in 2005, not that we got him that year...but sadly, that also means he'll be nine this year (nearly into double digits!)

He's got a lot of head scrtiches this morning, which seemed to make him very happy, and now I should go through the bins of toys to find something to give him - and given he's not very picky as far as toys are concerned, it should be easy to find something he'll love to chew on.

Here's to many more years together! And, because why not, here's my favourite picture of him taken on his first day home with us!

5 years ago

It's that time again! New year means a new round of "gotcha days" and "hatchdays"!

And the first celebration is Zuri's "gotcha day" - and it's a big one! Today marks 5 years since he joined the family. Somehow, it doesn't quite feel like it has been that long.

I think the one thing that has really struck me about Zuri these past few months is how much more cuddly he's become. He used to be quite content to do his own thing, play with whatever was at his disposition, but lately, he wants more than to be around us, he wants to be on me or close enough so that I can scratch his head. His favoured perching spot is now the top of my head. I guess that is leaps and bounds from where we started; yes, he liked me rather quickly (compared to other humans), but he was still a nervous bird for some time after he first came to live with us. He's much more confident now.

He'll be turning 7 later this year, which is really a weird though as it feels like it was yesterday that I brought this "not quite two year old bird" home. And because it's been five years, here is the first picture of us together, taken on his first day home with us.

Happy "Gotcha day" Petey!

On August 3rd, 2008, Petey joined the flock, so today we are celebrating having him as part of the family for 5 years now.



He's been relatively good this year, although I don't really count the amount of attempted attacks (on me) in a year, these past few months seem to have been free of them.

This has also probably been one of the longest time he's stuck with one family, the year we got him, he was going back and forth between families and a rescue. I guess stability has done him some good.

As well, since I don't know his exact hatch date, we'll celebrate him turning 18 years old (band states a 1995 hatch day I believe) today!

Happy "gotcha day" and happy hatchday Petey!

Happy "Gotcha day" Pixel!

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Pixel joining the flock.

While I'm normally "on top" of these things, and I had thought about it quickly this morning, it really didn't hit me until earlier this evening, while doing some parrot-related chores. And when I realized it was 3 years, I was surprised it had been that long.



Three years ago that I got scared on our way to the vet by her bright orange feces (thanks to all the dyes in her previous pelleted diet). Three years since she was a little unsure of us at first.

I can really do just about anything I want with her, however the Boy still needs to gain her trust fully. She's taken her place in the flock, and although I would like to her to not want to attack Shade as badly, things are still going fairly well on most days.

And it wouldn't be a post about Pixel if there wasn't a picture of her looking somewhat dainty (sorry, no yawn shot tonight!)

5 years today, living with the little Monkey!

Although he was *nearly* referred to as "little snot" instead of "little monkey" given that, in the middle of a nice head scratch this morning he decided to give me a nice bit on my thumb...

Who am I talking about?



Joey of course!

5 years ago today, he joined the flock.

Hopefully, he has many years left to delight us with his funny antics, even if there is the occasional bite here and there...

And with this, we start the month series of celebrations, as there are 3 hatchdays lined up in March (including Joey's!)

4 years ago

That's right, it is time to "kick-off" the "gotcha" and "hatchday" celebrations of 2013!

And the first one up is Zuri, who, 4 years ago today, joined the flock.

The last year with him had it's own set of challenges for a few weeks when he got into trouble with Petey and ended up with that injury on his foot, which prompted him to chew it and end up with a slightly amputated toe and quite some time in a collar and bandage.

But he got all better and is back to his old self! As well, lately he's been very cuddly, relishing any opportunities to get his head scratched as he has a lot of pin feathers growing in - and that yellow on his forehead keeps expanding!

Here's to many more years together (and hopefully severe incident free years)!

4 years ago...

...Petey joined the flock!

He is, as always, totally smitten with the Boy while I get to dodge occasional aerial attacks by him - but I like to think things have gotten better since he first got here, that he's much more at ease in this environment.

Knowing this day was approaching, I started wondering if 4 years with the same set of people was a long time for him. I don't know all that much of his past, but I do know he swapped hands a few times and the "first" owner I do know about did abandon him due to his aggressive nature.

I guess I'll never know.



As well, not knowing his exact hatch date, but figuring that the 95 that is on his band is for 1995 and having decided when I brought him home for the first time that I would celebrate his hatch day on that date, happy 17th hatch date Petey!

Two years ago..

..Pixel joined the flock!



It was actually two years yesterday, day for day, but bad me forgot to post about it then.

Already two years, and yet I remember like yesterday when the Boy came and got me at work with her in a carrier in the backseat and we went straight to the vet. I still remember how bright orange her poop was and how I was concerned before I realized her diet at that point consisted of the brightly coloured Zupreem fruity pellet.

I remember how cautious she was those first few days, slowly daring to come out of the cage but keeping her distance and I remember the first time she felt confident enough to come to see me on her own.

Two years later and she's taken her place in the flock. She's also, second to Shade, now willing to eat just about anything (quite the progress from her initial picky ways). I also think that her feathers have improved since then and her eyes are getting a deeper shade of red than they were when she first came here.

Hopefully we'll have many more years together!

4 years ago..

..Joey joined the family.
4 years - it's hard to believe it's been that long.

March here is a celebratory month of sorts, with Joey's "gotcha date" and three hatchdays to come.

This year, thinking about it, it's been bittersweet so far. The realization that two of these hatchdays will be to celebrate birds turning 7 years old and one 6..and yet, it seems like just yesterday I brought all of them home.

I guess that is all part of growing up!

And now, a few more pictures of the bird who's day this is really about over here.

3 years ago today...

..Zuri joined the family!

In those three years, I think he really starting coming into his own. While there is still progress to be made with his trusting humans, I think he's really become more comfortable around the Boy and I. Lately he's been really coming to us to scratch his head since it is full of pin feathers and Shade doesn't seem to keen to want to help him of late and will quickly put her head down in front of him so he'll take care of hers..without really returning the favour.

Things I'd like to work with him this year - train him to go into his carrier better as that is often a battle and to train him to step up on hands a bit better. A few bad bites in the past have deterred me of offering him my hand most days, specially in the morning when it's time to go back in his cage as he's very snappy then. Luckily, he's perch trained and will step up on one of those readily.

I had thought to stick to pictures I took earlier this week but as I was about to post, he decided to hang upside down above me and I just couldn't resist taking new ones. Here are more of him monkeying around upside down!

3 year anniversary and an unknown hatchday!

3 years ago Petey joined the flock.

So far, it's been an interesting ride that's for sure. Trying to gain his trust has, and still is, a big part of it.

He's also the only bird who's exact hatch date I don't know but if I go by what's written on his band, he would have had hatched in 1995 making him 16 year old today, as I figured I might as well associate his arrival to the flock with his hatch date.

And while taking pictures of Petey isn't always an easy thing, he did cooperate a bit last evening for these!

1 year with Pixel

Today marks Pixel's first complete year here.
Hard to believe it's already been a full year.

She's done a lot of progress in a short amount of time. Feathers look better, same with her feet. As well, she was a bit nippy when I first got her but now I can do pretty much anything I want with her.

Here is to many more years together!

It's all about Joey day!

This is really part one of a two part celebration in March since his hatchday will soon follow.

Today marks the third year anniversary that we got Joey. When I first got him three years ago back in 2008, he was a bit difficult with me - definitively nippier and prone to panic attacks that some Red-bellies experience.

Now, with him just shy of his sixth hatchday, I can officially say I've had had him for half his life, as much as his previous owner, possibly even a little longer when you consider those first few months where he was weaning.

Of course, there had to be pictures so Joey got to come out a bit earlier than the others this morning so he could have his own personal photoshoot..


"What?!?"


"I get my own photoshoot?!"


"Better look dashing!"


"Oh and I get my head scratched too? I like this!"