My Apologies

Well, I honestly have no idea how many people actually looked at my blog, but I am very sorry if you were a reader and were disappointed in the fact that I pretty much abandoned it like a piece of trash.  I plan to keep this blog going, if only to hear myself think…

So many things have happened in the aviary since last August so I have much to discuss.  I will attempt to do this in a matter of a few posts and try to get everyone up to date.  The next post will be tonight with some pictures, then again tomorrow.

New Budgie

I forgot to mention in my other posts about the new Budgie I got! He is a Type 2 Yellowface Spangle Opaline Violet. I have named him Pele. He was parent-raised in a flight but his parents are very calm and apparently have passed this trait down to him. I don’t actually know the sex for sure, but I just hope it is a male so I have been calling him “him.”

Here is a picture of Pele and I (me sporting a very fake smile…):

Here is a video of him getting scritches:

Video of Pele

Thank You

I wanted to thank everyone who attended the Brainerd Bird Sale yesterday. It was a very good sale, I met many people and got to laugh a lot. I especially want to thank everyone who has supported my aviary by purchasing birds, toys, and gifts from me or have been there for advice or just listen to my rambling.

Yesterday at the sale, I met Angie from Sunny Hollow Aviaries in Minneapolis, MN. She breeds American Budgies and makes bird toys. She just launched her new toy website and I wish her great success! She was very nice and I can tell she cares a lot about what she does. Please support caring hobby breeders instead of pet stores. You can find tamer, sweeter babies from many more breeders than pet stores.

If you would like to check out Angie’s website, please visit it here: http://www.freewebs.com/sunnyhollowaviaries/

The Parrotlet baby Froggie found a home in Longville with Mary. He went with his fleece and cotton ring swing, which he slept on every night. He will have a great home with Mary!

I received an overwhelming amount of interest in the male Lovebird babies I am handfeeding right now, though I only have one serious potential new owner. I am taking deposits now for 3 babies- 1 Seagreen American Cinnamon Violet female, 1 Normal Green male (split to WF Blue, Australian and American Cinnamon), and one male who looks to be a Normal green (Split to Blue, and possibly Australian and American Cinnamon). Deposits to hold are $20, delivery fee may be added depending on location.

Baby Parrotlets

I was able to snap a couple of pics of the baby Parrotlets.  2 have hatched so far and the third is due to hatch at the end of the week.

**More Breaking News!!**

Zorro laid her first egg! I admit, I was getting worried as she has had an “egg bum” for a long time and if she hadn’t laid an egg by tomorrow, she was going to the vet.  I was in the nest box tonight, moving bedding around when I felt something solid in the pine shavings.  Lo and behold, it was an egg!  I am pretty sure that an eggs she lays this time will not be fertile, but I may be surprised.  I guess deep down, I hope I am wrong and all the eggs are fertile, but that just seems highly unlikely since I don’t think they have ever mated.

But since Zorro has been acting very “nesty”, I hope Dweezel will get a clue and start to at least try to mate with her (if he hasn’t already).

Here are some pics:

The egg:

Zorro in the box with her egg:

The happy couple and the egg:

I have to say that I had expected the egg to be much larger, but I guess they are not that big of birds

In a Magazine

I did an online interview a while back on advice for new owners of birds. I had assumed that if my answers to the questions were even used, they would be miminal and possibly taken out of context. A day after sending my answers into the article author, I received an email with a thank you note.

I forgot all about the article until a few weeks later I receive another email saying that they would be using my answers in the issue of BirdsUSA magazine and that they would send me a free copy of the issue.

Another few weeks later, I received the issue in the mail. I was excited to see what comments of mine they had added. I skimmed to the index and found the article, “The Tao of Bird Ownership: Experienced Bird People Offer Advice for Newcomers.” I flipped the pages until I found the title. Scanning through each question of the article, I was estatic to see that every question asked had my answers, each in their full glory, no editing, no cropping, no distorting! How rare to see some raw writing in a national (possibly worldwide) magazine.

Please check out a glimpse of the article here:
Bird Channel- BirdsUSA Magazine

If you like what you see, please go buy a copy!

Not so new news.

Have you heard the recent news?

Plan to ban parrot species dropped

Pennsylvania had been planning on submitting a proposal that would have banned the ownership of Nanday Conures. Now, I am nowhere near PA nor do I own Nanday Conures, but after the proposal was dropped, out came this one:

House Bill No. 1874

This is a bill to ban “wild animals” as pets in Missouri, in which they state that “parrots, parakeets, finches, doves, pigeons, and canaries” are wild animals. This ban would have grandfathered in birds already in possession, but only under certain guidelines and regulations. Thankfully, this bill has been dropped also.

So why am I bringing this up if both of these proposals have been dropped and neither would effect me personally? Because this new hysteria of a “bird flu” threat from domestic birds is stupid, but widespread. (The Nanday Conure ban was not about the “bird flu” hysteria; it was about the concern of wild populations hurting the native wildlife) I don’t think any domestic parrot could survive the harsh winter conditions of Northern Minnesota, but the threat of banning parrots due to the mass hysteria of the “bird flu” virus is real. It can happen anywhere and we as bird-loving people need to be ready to deal with this if anything is ever proposed or, heaven forbid, something like this gets passed. If something like this passed, and I was no longer able to keep my birds, I have no idea what I would do.

Yes, my first post!

Welcome to my Blog! Ok, I am really new at this, but we’ll see what I can do. Please bear with me…

This Blog was made to report news in the aviary including new hatches, new birds, and new products. I will also post upcoming events and then post pics of the events after they take place (like sales, expos and anything else of interest).

What is new right now?

I am currently handfeeding 4 baby Peachfaced Lovebirds. 2 are sold or on hold, but I have two left that are ready for deposits! One is a Seagreen American Cinnamon Pied Violet female. She is close to being weaned so she will be ready in about a weeks or so. She will be $80 when weaned.

The second is a Medium Seagreen SplitCinnamino Violet male.  He is a runt (hatched on time but slow to grow).  He is catching up quickly with his siblings and should be weaned by Feb. 9th or so.  He is $90.  He may have a family, but I am still waiting to here from them.

Medium Seagreen SplitCinnamino Violet:

Here are the babies that are already sold:

Medium Seagreen Violet:

Medium Seagreen Pied male:

Other news:

I added another Lovebird to my flock. She was a previous baby of mine. She is a Seagreen American Cinnamon Violet. Her previous name was Fraya, named after her mother (Freya) but I realized that I cannot have 2 birds with that name, so her new name is Rowan, which means “one who returns” or “given a second chance” which I think is very appropriate.

I am also watching another former baby of mine, though his status in the flock is still in the air so to speak. His name is Seible and he is a Medium Seagreen Violet. He has taken a liking to Yin, my normal green female and they spend every minute of every day together. He will be here with us until he and his mom decide what will happen.

Seible on the left and Yin on the right:

I am also now making fleece Hidey Huts. They are safe for long toenails and warm to snuggle into for your little feathered friend! They come in many colors and 5 sizes. Prices range from $4 to $12 depending on size (please see my site for more info on sizes and fabric choices).