How long has everyone been into birds?

[JSimko]

About 6 years I convinced my parents to let me get a bird. The first is the green cheek. My parents had always believed that birds were like fish, you just have them as a showpiece. We found out just how wrong we were after we started reading about them (before we bought one). So here is my question. How long have you been into birds? And if the answer is not your whole life, what made you decide on a bird?:cool:

[birdgirl]

I've loved birds since I was born. my dad had a friend who owned an amzon I loved that bird witch is what got me into parrots when I was 1 or 2 I also would save birds from my cat and set them free. I got my first parrot (Hamlit) on January 3rd 2001

[birdygirl]

I haved loved birds forever even though my family has not been bird people until recently. Myu dad always wanted a lizard and my mom was devoted to cats and my brother would do anything for a dog. I got my first bird two years ago(Pumpkin) and my second last year. (Sophie)

I will alwatys love birds and plan to be an ornithologist.

[Mrs.Birdy]

.....but started owning and appreciating them more approx. 2 yrs. ago.

My son (then 12 yrs.old) started researching them and then for his birthday we bought him Snickers, our cockatiel. She was a great first bird for us, not too large, not too small and just adorable. We have learned a lot from her.

Then came the budgies. Too cute to pass up buying them one after the other.

We then started researching the bigger Parrots. Reading voraciously through every book, magazine article and internet site we could get our hands on. My son absorbed everything including species types, personalities, traits, looks, etc.

To make a long story short, I met Bonnie, my best birdie friend. She worked in a small local pet shop and was a great source of information for us and very kind and patient with our questions. We first wanted to buy a double yellow headed Amazon and she discouraged us saying they are too aggressive for us to handle, then we showed interest in cockatoos and we decided not for our family either because my hubby sleeps days and works nights and they are LOUD. I think she was so impressed with our constant research and decision making process.

One day she came to me with an opportunity to adopt a sweet Maximillians Pionus who needed a good home. Well, then came Marcel......our pride and joy.

It warms our hearts every time we see him so happy and content in his new surroundings with our family and flock.
:)

[Redstorm1721]

I had owned Pretty,Girl for 5 years. I had no clue as to how to take care of birds? One day,my son came home with her in a box! All he said was, here mommy,its a parakeet and she is 6 months old! Then he ran out to play! They opened a bird shop, down the street from us and it was gone as soon as it opened! Anyway I didn't even have a cage yet? So 5 years later, we still have our beautiful Pretty Girl. I have always had a love for birds. I used to watch them out my window, day and night in the tree's ( wild one's )I lived with my grand parents growing up ,in the summers and I would always try to catch them in the woods. Also I would imatate them outside all the time.My favorite one was the whiper will" I love to hear them. Its is very calming to me.Well,I also had a robin from when my family's cat tryed to get it. I picked it up,turned a cloths basket over put a stick through it. I had him from baby till maybe 3 months old? I didn't really know how to care for it. He would always open his mouth for me everytime I went in my room. Soon he was getting much better, and growing alot. I let him run around and then I thought? Well robins love out door air? So I turned the fan on, right on him? You can figure the rest! Okay well next I had Mr. Magoo and minnie. I was their thired home. They lived 8 more years and I went into the hospital Mr. Magoo past away and the next day Minnie died from heart break! My kids were very little, and the had a funeral for them,and later put them in a bag and in the fridge? They didn't want anything to happen till I was home. LOL. Poor birds I cryed for a month!Then came Sunni and then Pearl. Both almost 6 months now! I love birds always have. I still feed them out side. I have a love for animals more then People. Some that is? LOL. Thanks this was alot of fun,looking back on the long lost years! Gail

[teri]

when i was 2, my mom had a blue parakeet who kept me entertained while she did housework, how he did this was i would be sitting in the highchair and he was on the edge of the tray, if i lost interest he would run forward and tap me on my chest and run back to the edge before i could touch him, his name was B.D.

then when i was 14 i was told i could either get a fish or a bird for a pet and i pick a blue parakeet! i went thru numerous parakeets as i was a bad owner, things kept happening to them, like i used to let one eat saltine crackers until he developed a goiter in his throat and couldn't eat or drink so he died ): i slept on one ): many flew outside and away ):

so then as i got older and wiser i graduated to love birds, oh, they are the best.

then i moved to california and was able to adopt a lilac-crowned amazon and later a blue and gold macaw.

so mine started when i was 2 (:

[sleeepy2]

It's funny, I didn't realize I liked birds until someone pointed out I had more bird houses, feeders, and baths in my yard than anyone else! I thought I just liked making bird houses! When I got my first budgie @9 years ago, I also thought they were like goldfish. Now, I think I read more about birds than anything else!

[jackie]

well, my grandma took me to the mall on my 5th birthday but instead of going into the toy store, i wanted to go to the pet store next door. She bought me me my first 2 birds, jack and jill. when my mom found out, she couldn't make me return them...i loved them too much. well, jack flew away one day while i was at school and jill died in may 1999. i was devistated and my dad promised to get me a new bird....in july of 1999 came jake and quickly following, sam, berrie, emmie, rambo, and jezebel. unfortunatly, the extra birds brought work that i could not possibly handle, and emmie, rambo, and jezebel were sold. I love all my birds and always will. my dad is starting to feel bad for me and sam now....he says that he'll get me another bird, but right now, i don't want another bird...i want him. hopefully things will get better. .....GREAT topic :)

[pionuspasion]

I began working in a pet shop almost three years ago and quickly began to take in lost/abandoned pets. It began with hamsters, then guinea pigs, then rabbits, lizards, snakes, anything that needed a home. Soon, I came to realize that all I needed to complete my zoo was a bird. I had cared for tiels at my store, and nothing larger, so I stuck with what I knew and got a pair of youngins from a breeder ( I didn't trust where the tiels came from at my shop ). I still didn't know much about birds but was soon pressured into a Grey. The breeder told me that the only way to learn about large parrots was to buy one and find out for myself. What HORRIBLE advice. Her shop was right next to my work, and we all were friends, so it was difficult to say no. I bought Chester in July of 2001. He was unweaned, hard to handle, and due to my erratic working schedule spent most of his time with my mom, who he bonded with. Ever since then, I've been the research queen of the East Coast. And since I worked with parrots everyday, it was easy for me to learn. I finally found my perfect pet parrot, my BH Pionus, Fiona. What an Angel :) Great topic, I agree.

[Grey]

i'v been into birds for a few months now and i'v gotten obssesed with them. First i wanted a finch then a budgie then a large parakeet then an african grey then a cockatoo then a cockatiel then an amazon then a conure and now finally i think i'v settled down with a budgie. i'v been trying to convince my parents by telling them practically everything. all the books i get at the library anymore are books on parrots. i know tons. it's all i do. now i'v finally convinced my parents to get me a budgie after i'v completed this summer camp thingy with a good attitude. i'm not very social but now i am and that brings good luck for the future.;)

[Jenny]

I started answering this once before, but accidentally deleted it all... So, I'll try it again! Well, I've always loved all kinds of animals, and when I was six I decided that I wanted a bird. I didnt' know anything about them of course, but decided to start saving money. I drew all sorts of animals then had my dad copy the pictures and bind them into coloring books, which I sold to my grandma for $1 each and then she gave them to my cousins! I made about $25 that way, which was enough to buy a bird and a cheap cage. The next week I took my money and went to a petshop, and looked at 'keets, 'tiels, lovebirds, and some finches, but I liked the budgies the best. I picked out my favorite one, now called"Little Greeny", and bought a "nice" (I thought so at the time) $15 cage, a bag of seed, and went home! My poor little girl, for the first five years or so I never let her out of her cage and didn't work on taming her or ever give her toys or a health diet...again, the goldfish thing! Anyway, a few years later we went into PetCo and for some reason my dad decided to buy a second budgie, which became my sister's. However, she soon got tired of paying for the food, so decided to give him to me so that it'd be my responsibility to pay for all their stuff. I agreed after making her pay me $10! Since I only fed them seed, L.G. developed a fatty tumor, so I took her to my vet. The lady gave me ideas on a better diet (pellets were a whole new concept to me), different types of perches, and clipped their wings so I could let them out-I was about 11 then. Since then I made a simple playstand nad started letting them out to play. They became many times more interesting and I even had some luck taming them down a bit. I started spending tons of time with them, and liked them a lot more. One day we went to our zoo, and my dad really liked the two african greys. He had heard how good of talkers they were, so was talking about them on the way home and told me that someday I ougth to get one. In the back of my mind I kept thinking about that and thought it was a good idea! The next time I went to the bookstore, I bought a book on parrots as well as a book on budgies (it was about time!) nad a book on african greys. The book on parrots in general made me even MORE interested, and after reading the grey book, I decided I wanted one of them. Thankfully after my mom read the book she decided that a grey would be too big of a commitment, which was good because i now realize that I wasn't nearly ready to own one. So I subscribed to BirdTalk, and started looking up website after website after website on birds and was truly hooked! I just couldnt' get enough, and was even planning to go to Ohio to buy a conure from this breeder lady I had been e-mailing. But, the next week I found out about a bird store here, and went to see it. Once I saw my little green-cheeked conure, Kirby, I just couldnt' leave without him! It wasnt' the smartest choice and I am never going to support that store again, but it's worked out well and he's spurred me on to learn even more. Soon after I started volunteering at an exotic animal clinic, where I adopted my blue-crowned conure, Mortie. It's taken me a loooong time to really get "into" birds, but I finally am now, and think I always will be! I've learned so much in these past few years, and don't plan to stop any time soon (especially since I plan on going to vet school!). :D

[Jenny]

Oh my gosh! I'm sorry that turned out so long- I really didn't mean for it to!!!

[Mrs.Birdy]

I loved reading your story Jenny. You will make an excellent vet (hopefully an avian vet). Good luck in all your future endeavors.

:)

[Jenny]

Thank you! :)