Our friends in Gilroy had a parrot that they just loved but, they ”wanted” to be rid of it.  (Apparently it was a pain in the ass, but who is going to say that while trying to get rid of a critter?)  My hub thought “beautiful bird, nice bird, likes me”.  I said “no.”  For his birthday a few months later, however, I broke down my guard and got him a lovely, baby, hand-raised, white-faced male cockatiel.  “Bird” (best name we could come up with at the time).  Bird is 18 this year.  Bird has been lots of fun, terror, scary moments, oh yeah, fun, umm messy, 2-year-old that never grows up, healthy! (which I hear is a plus for white-faced), just your average pain in the ass, makes too much noise… pet bird.  Talks like crazy.  Loves me, loves our other pets.  Because I’ve done research and talked with avian veterianarians and all, I feed Bird right.  Because Bird gets all the necessary pelleted nutrition, he could easily live to be… 25-30.  What am I to do?  Start feeding him only seed like most un-educated bird owners (parakeets, budgies, cockatiels)?  He will die of malnutrition in less than a year!  Of course I won’t do that.  I loves my “Bird”.

Part II – Parakeet (Budgie) added to the “flock” (to be continued)