oldest birds on bird board?

[Courtzrocks]

Our Galah was given to us by some people that found her, well...given to my grandad. Passed down the family. She was beautiful.

[birdlady49]

I had a 17-year old peachface lovebird and I currently have a 19-year old cockatiel, a 21-year old eastern rosella and a 23-year old ringneck dove.

[Courtzrocks]

I currently have a 17 yr old tiel. Galah was they oldest we had by far.

[Freedomoflight]

I have an age unknown amazon- 30's or 40's. Wildcaught and passed around so his exact age is hard to pin down.

[JoT]

Wow,thats a great topic. I would like to know how the birds change over the years too. How are they different from younger birds? Has anyone had their older birds their whole life? How have they changed? My birds are only 8 and 5 - babies in comparison. I have had them both since weaning though.

[wildirish]

We have a 21 yr old LSC Too, Sylvester. He can definately be a handful! We have had had him for 5 years now. Then there is Sunshine a YNA who is 19, she is all hubbys bird! LOL!

Then the age drop to 12 with Roarke our GW and go down to 3 who is Sophie and Earl.

[Conure buddy]

I had a canary that lived for 15 years, well past the use-by date.

I got him as a baby, and he even sang as we drove him home. He had a closed band with his birth date on it, which made it easy to track his age. His name was Pavi and he was a sweet little thing.

When he was young he sung almost all year, from dawn to dusk, and ate a floret of broccoli every day of his life - the floret was bigger than him, and he'd eat it stem and all. I actually attribute his incredible lifespan to his intake of fruit and veg.

As he got older he became more sedentary, and only sung for part of the year. He eventually went blind, and stopped singing. We always arranged the cage in exactly the same way so he'd know where everything was. He still managed to perch, even though he was quite blind. Being blind made catching him easier as obviously he couldn't see the hand coming... (anyone who has tried to catch a canary will know how difficult this can be) I would only catch him to trim his nails as they grew quite out of control as he got older and moved around less. By the time I finished his nails each time he would literally faint, with fear I imagine, regardless of how gentle we were. I'd then place him in his food bowl as if he were sleeping, and about 10 or 20 seconds later he'd wake up as though nothing had happened and start to eat. The food bowl was his default position in the cage I think, lol.

In the last year of his life he had more and more trouble preening, and his plumage became less lustrous, but he still looked quite good. His little feet would get dirty and I often washed them by soaking them in a waterbowl after he had fainted....so when he woke up his feet were mysteriously clean as well...it was an odd ritual I guess, but seemed to do him no harm.

Each morning when I uncovered him I would wonder if he were still alive as he slept more and more heavily as his age increased. He often didn't hear me uncover him or change the food when he was over 14 years. I would gently say his name or whistle until he woke and started to eat. One morning I uncovered him, and stood for ages calling him....and of course he never woke. He had died in his sleep, and still had his little head tucked under his wing when I found him. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful life. We buried him in his sleeping position in the garden.....

[momma bird]

I have had all these age birds for 13 going on 14 years. Much differences especially with the quaker, has been tested every year and no liver disease, but his beak grows. That is the only difference between him and the 12 year old quaker.

momma bird