Proper Introduction from TooDusty

[TooDusty]

Hello everyone!
I've already "met" some people here who helped with a cockatiel dilemma, but I thought I'd introduce myself and my flock properly.
My name is Juli, I'm from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
I started off with budgies, the world's most underestimated birds. When I was 15 I got an amazing cockatoo without any research and the madness was just beginning. She is probably the best decision I've ever made. I soon after started working for the place that I got Chianti so I could keep up with her need for toys!
I got a lineolated parakeet from a bird show and kept up the wine-name theme by calling her Blue Nun (Bunnie for short). I got a "second hand" green cheek conure who decided a friend of mine was his rightful mate after one meeting. Fortunately she felt the same connection, so he moved in with her. After that I bought a month-old pearly conure, Keira and hand fed her. I was devastated when she choked on a pellet and died at the age of six months.

At the time I'd just put a deposit on a Hahns Macaw at my store and couldn't get my money back. I probably would have quit the bird world altogether if I could have gotten the money back...I was seriously depressed. So home came Riley (an appropriately Irish name for my little leprechaun!). Her hilariously outgoing personality brought me up and I'm happy I didn't quit the bird world after all.

I've also adopted a bunch of lovebirds, Romeo(PF) and Roxie(BM) who were in a canary cage covered in blood from all the feathers they'd plucked from themselves. Roxie died of an infection shortly after I got her but Romeo has moved into Chianti's cage and sleeps next to her every night (he can fit through her cage bars). Monday was left behind by a tenant in an apartment and was found two weeks later by the superintendant. Her water container was bone dry and she was thin as a rail. Her cage was the size of one of my travel cages and she had ONE perch in it. She has a large tumor on her abdomen but seems to be okay otherwise. Harley was given to me by a woman who wanted a more stable life for him because she moved around a lot. He fell in love with Monday and she moved in with him. Smudge (aka Jaws) was returned to my pet store twice because she was so nasty, but after a month here you'd never know she was the same bird. She likes Romeo, but he ignores her. I was also recently given a pair of white faced violet lovebirds by someone who didn't want them anymore.
So far I'm up to 9, right?

A friend who also works at the pet store with me has a sister who adopted two african greys from a rescue, one CAG and one TAG. She has to get a new job which didn't allow her to give them the time they needed, and they joined my flock too. Bailey and Sascha are twelve years old and moved here from Arizona with their family when there was no border quarantine. When they moved back there was a quarantine and they didn't think it was fair to put the birds through that because Bailey (CAG) is a pretty bad feather chewer/plucker so they gave them to a rescue. I know their first family was amazing with the birds from the things the birds say and how intelligent they are...it'd be cool to hear from the old owners.

I started a small business as a bird sitter for locals and it's pretty booming. I've had caiques, macaws, amazons, cockatoos, all types of conures and pther parrots stay with me, sometimes for months at a time.
So there is my bird related life story. Hope you enjoy the read and it's nice to meet you all!
I have a couple pictures attached. Chianti-Cockatoo/Riley-Hahns Macaw/Bailey-CAG/Sascha-TAG/Romeo and Smudge-regular peachface lovie and creamino peachface lovie.

[Parrotpeople]

Nice to meet you Juli! Sounds like there is never a dull moment around your place. How old are you now? I was just wondering because getting a too at 15 was probably pretty awesome & she looks great, kind of wondering her age as well. Anyway, welcome & I look forward to more pics!

[Michelle & Fids]

It's nice to meet you Juli, you have a beautiful family!!!

[becca623]

Hi Juli, welcome to the site. It sounds like you have a lot of experience and stories to share. I look forward to reading more about you and your flock!

[TooDusty]

I'm 22 tomorrow! The reason I got a cockatoo is mainly because of a trip to Australia the previous year. We went to a parrot sanctuary and I met some amazing parrots. When I cam home I started saving and I volunteered at the store where I was interested in blue-front amazon initially. My 'too was actually already sold and was being weaned. The people had originally come to buy a blue and gold macaw, and ended up buying it and the cockatoo but there was a death in their family and they chose to only take one parrot to cut costs. I fell in love and went with the cockatoo. In retrospect, it was a super stupid move, and working as a sales person in a pet store now-I can't say I would encourage anyone else to follow my exact footsteps. At first she bit a LOT and I remember thinking "What the hell did I get myself into?" After our first six months of working together she stopped biting and hasn't since...she turned 8 on February 5. In the winter she chews her feathers because she doesn't get to come everywhere like she does in the summer. The vet said it's not a big deal unless it turns to plucking. She is such an amazing bird, she is great with everyone, kids included. It's funny because I have met lots of people who did so much research and were quite frankly, much more qualified to be owned by a parrot like Chianti, and they have screaming, biting untrained parrots! I don't know how I did it! Of course working in a pet store allows me to spoil the flock to no end and that helps a lot.

[expressmailtome]

Welcome! You certainly have a beautiful flock. Enjoy BB!

Matt