T h e B i r d c a g e
About
Me!
If you got here from the rest of the pages, you're probably looking for more BIRD information :) Well, you'll have to hear about me first. My fiance (no there's no date set!!) and I live in Simpsonvile, SC, which is right outside of Greenville, SC where we work. I work as a Database Administrator for a company called Service Resources, Inc. which is an Integrated
Facilities Management company. If you want to know what that is, you have to follow the link. I graduated from theUniversity of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BS in Biology.
I also have a minor in Art History and a minor in Chemistry, but no degree in "computer stuff" so one would wonder how I ended up with this job.
I used to work for Weyerhaeuser where I met my fiance Jim. He's a Senior Technical Analyst (a computer guru) at PYA/Monarch, which is a Food Distribution Company.
Jim was not a bird person when we met, so he had to be converted. That worked out well, so we got
him his own bird, Echo, who is a very loud and obnoxious Timneh African
Grey. Sometimes we call him Satan. He likes to beep. Incessantly.
He also is beginning to whistle the Andy Griffith Theme song, courtesy
of me. I probably won't be forgiven for that any time soon.
He also knows how to say STOP!!!! (Courtesy of his former owners, who imaginatively
named him Timmy). And there's the ever popular echoechoechoechoecho,
which I'm sure my previous apartment dwelling neighbors enjoyed immensely.
So, what about the rest of the birds?
There's Kira, a six year old sun conure, and Amber, a five year old senegal.
I got Kira as a two week old featherless blob, and Amber as a seven week
old feathered blob. I think there's a picture
of them around here somewhere. Generally the bird population varies, as
I'm always running into people that have decided their bird is too much
trouble, too messy, etc. I won't go into my opinions on these people (and
I use that term loosely), but I do try to find their birds good homes.
Next came Duffy, an old (probably in
his 20's) grumpy Yellow Naped Amazon. We first met at the local pet
store. I had stopped to admire the large, well chewed sign above
his cage that said please don't touch. It went on to detail how he
was rather unfriendly, and how the store wouldn't be responsible for any
injuries incurred. So I, of course, took this as quite a challenge.
Anyway, I looked at him for a few minutes, and then turned around to look
at another bird, at which point he launched himself off of his cage and
onto my head, biting my ear in the process. When I finally got him
off of my head (with minimal blood loss from my ear) I started walking
around the store with him, and from then on we were quite good friends.
I found out that he had been abused before being returned to the store,
and that no one else could handle him. I visited him daily for about
6 months before taking him home. The store had been feeding him french
fries for lunch everyday, which had really not done him much good.
He has a fatty tumor, as well as liver disease, and cataracts, and a deformed
wing. But he's my buddy. He actually loves my mom, and regurgitates
quite fervently every time he sees her. She's not a bird person,
so she's usually not thrilled with this behavior.
Anyway, when I bought Duffy, I had been
doing some behavior work for the store, and had also been asked to look
at a Green-Cheeked Conure that appeared to have mites. The store
apparently thought perches for this bird were a luxury they couldn't afford,
and so she hung on the bars of her cage day and night for at least a month
before I took her home. I was scheduled to bring her back the day
I took Duffy home, and actually returned her to the store the morning after
I got him (her mite problem had been cured). Then, instead of going
home to enjoy my new dirt-maker, I went home and felt terrible for taking
her back. I went back to the store that afternoon and bought her,
and promised myself I wasn't going back there ever. My mother named
her Cleo, and we've been together ever since. She still sleeps hanging
from the bars of her cage, which is a sad reminder of the way she was treated
before.
Duffy and Cleo, despite having come from the same store, don't exactly get along. A couple of years ago, they had a rather unpleasant
interaction which required Cleo to have surgery. Although
they are kept apart, Cleo managed to get onto Duffy's cage, and he ripped
her beak from the side of her face. We drove 3 hours to our avian vet (Dr.
Greg Burkett of the Birdie Boutique), and she had surgery on Saturday (the
accident was on a Thursday). He couldn't do the surgery sooner because
she was in shock. We didn't think she'd pull through, but she's home and
doing great. We know she's all better because she bites harder than any
bird I've ever met. Her beak is very securely attatched to her head :)
And she now lives well across the room from Duffy.
The addition of our 5 budgies
was under the most terrible circumstances; they were rescued from a local
pet store. Sky, Lemon, and Mud pulled through, but Baby and
Teal passed away. You can read their story
if you like. We now have an albino budgie named Ouigi to keep Lemon
company. And if anyone ever tells you that budgies aren't loud, just laugh really hard at their complete lack of budgie understanding. These guys make noise ALL DAY LONG. but I know that they're very happy. So happy in fact, that Sky and Lemon have been trying to mate for quite some time now. They haven't quite got the hang of it. Lemon will get way over by the cage bars and hold onto the side with one foot, and then puts her head between her legs and turns over. At this point, Sky just looks confused :) Who knows why she's turning over--I guess she didn't get the memo that that's not how birds do it :) Anyway, they're all adorable and they love brocolli.
We also have two Meyers parrots, named Mango and Cricket, which I cajoled Jim into buying for my birthday a couple of years ago. They're very sweet but tend to be a little moody (just like me). They do not love Jim, who in turn tends to think that is a little ungracious of them since he brought them home.
Eeeek!!! Another one :) The (now) most recent bird is Agaliska (also known as Aggie or Maggie, depending on our mood). Aggie is a Sun Conure who was given to us by a family who could no longer take the noise. We know what they mean :) She seems to be fitting in well. All the birds are now living in our new house in our new sunroom, and appear to like their new home. It's definately easier to clean with linoleum floors than carpet :)
If you're in the mood to browse, you
can take a look at my quotes collection which has not been updated in forever. Even so, they're a pretty good reflection of my ... personality ;)
Oh yeah, I also have fish (who, incidentally,
are terrified of the birds!)
Well, I could go on and on, but I guess
I already have.. If you want to go back to The Birdcage (or if you haven't
been there yet)--there are links at the bottom of the page.
Thanks for stopping by!
Please,
feel free to send me mail 
