My New "Kids"

We were almost home from the cabin when we saw a yard sale on the street next to ours. I was curious, so we pulled in. They had 3 cockatiels for sale, with their cages. Thye originally asked for $100 each but had dropped it down to $75 each. Dan had been thinking about getting me one for my birthday the last few years, but cages alone are about $60-$100. The birds are usually $120. Jayden walked up to the youngest of the three, and the bird went nuts, whistling, dancing and totally showing off. The owners were surprised at the bird's positive reaction to him. It was late in the day, and I offered $40 for the one bird if they weren't able to sell him. I assured them that he would have a good home, and that the others were welcome, too, if they absolutely had to sell. The lady said, "How about $50 for all 3?" So, now we have Buddy, Baby, and Tweety! Buddy and Baby are 10 years old, and have been together the whole time. Baby had an accident when she was a year old...she landed on an iron stove top while it was on and damaged her feet. Buddy whistles Jingle Bells, says "Hello", and wolf whistles. They said he knew a few more things, but those are the things he's graced us with so far. Tweety is white and yellow, and he is a hoot!! Buddy and Baby seem to welcome bed time, but he protests it as much as Jayden does when I put the sheet over his cage! He is full of energy, and loves to dance and sing to music. He was found on the side of the road after hitting the previous owner's windshield a year ago, and the vet estimates he's about 4 years old right now. Jayden is so patient and gentle with the birds, but it is no question that Tweety is his favorite. He hand feeds them Cheerios through the bars and sings to them. I think Tweety is partial to Jay, too. He gets close to him when Jay comes to the cage, no doubt hoping for food. Dan's favorite is Buddy. Buddy is a pearl cockatiel. He has yellow, white, and gray feathers that look like marble. Buddy will say "hello" to Dan, too. You can tell that he thinks of himself as the Alpha male. Baby is a sweetheart. She is quiet and and very tame. She will come close to Dan and I, but she is a little apprehensive about Jay. If he has a Cheerio, she will timidly take it, but retreat almost immediately. Karah, honestly, could care less. She tries to mimic the birds, but other than that, she keeps her distance. That was a big surprise to us. Its not that she doesn't like them...She loves to look at them, but she has not tried to touch them at all. We've had to twistie tie the cages shut...the birds don't escape, but we've caught Jay opening the cages, encouraging them to "Come out, Tweety! Come out, Baby! Come out, Buddy!! Let's play!!" Visions of a certain parakeet getting caught in the couch under unfortunate circumstances flashed through my head....

Tweety


Baby is on the right, Buddy is on the left.