Good Tuesday, Everyone!
I hope all of you had a good weekend!
I am getting ready for the Hurricane that is approaching. Neal is out of town, so I am trying to prepare by myself. I don't think this is going to be a big one, so I am not too worried.
As for bird news, five of the six Lovebird eggs have hatched. The babies are so cute! They are just little, fuzzy cuties!
Scarlet and Boo are doing well (the Eclectus). They have been getting more friendly with eachother and she has been posturing for him. I still don't think he knows what to do, but I am sure he will figure it out. The thing about these guys is that they are one of the hardest birds to breed, as well as Caiques. I have read this in serveral articles, books and in conversation with people. They said it is difficult for many reasons, but the main reasons are because if the Eclectus are not raised together from a young age, they will not necessarily get along (which I have found out). Also, the female with this species is very dominant over the male and if the male cannot stand his ground, she will not want anything to do with him. So, unfortunately, I have two pairs of the hardest birds to breed.
But, I am just happy Scarlet and Boo are getting along. This is a big step and I am sure, with time, they will have babies... :)
Kiko and Peanut (the Caiques), are still not hanging out together during the day, but at night, they sleep right next to eachother. This, too, is a big step as he tried to "kill" her in the beginning. I am sure this is another situation that may take a while to bring about. But, that is ok as I have all the time in the world. And, I just think they are beautiful creatures and even if they don't mate, I will love them anyway.
The Gouldian's are building their nests and courting their mates. What an awesome site it is! I have been dosing everyone with their vitamins, minerals and giving them lots of other goodies they will feed their babies with when they finally arrive. I think we are going to have some awesome colors this season. I can't wait to see what pops up!
The show is quickly approaching! I really enjoy going to these shows and helping others with their birds. What a great feeling! I really do try to be helpful and answer everyone's questions. It is hard sometimes to remember where each bird comes from, etc., but if I don't know the answer, I can certainly find out. :)
Neal found a neat document we are going to frame and bring to each bird show. It is called, "A Parrot's Bill of Rights". What a neat document it is and I can't wait to hang it! It is sad that a lot of people at the bird shows really don't want to know about birds.. or care to. They just want to find a breeder or find a bird for their child, and they don't do any research before hand and then stick them in a tiny cage, assuming the bird does not have any feelings. That makes me sad. But, if I can change people's attitudes, even a little bit, I am going to try!
Ok, I wish you all a wonderful day and I will write more soon.
Thanks for looking!
Neal and Phoenix
Wow! What a great weak it has been! I can't believe how much traffic we have had on the web site! How wonderful! Thanks to all who have stopped in to say Hello and to just look around. We appreciate your interest! And thanks to Mike for consulting with me about a bird adoption document! I hope it helped and things are going well with you and the new addition!
Neal and I are working on some good things for the site. It may take a bit to get them implemented, but once they are... wow! We have had some requests to do some things for children also, so we are slowly working on that aspect for the site as well. Thanks to all for their suggestions and input! You are awesome!
It is Friday, thank goodness! I think Neal and I are going tomorrow to pick up a freezer for our bird food. Thank goodness! The bugs have been so bad this year! Yuck! I can't wait to take the bird food out of our freezer and put it in their own. Now we will have some space to put food for us! ::giggles::
I think on Sunday we are going to the launch of the shuttle. I can't wait! I saw the last one and wow, was it neat! I think we are going to invite our friends Walt and Judy who we are meeting tomorrow for dinner. They are nice people and we like them very much! They are into birds too and we love to chat about them! I don't think talking about birds ever gets old.
I noticed today that my female Eclectus, Scarlet, was posturing for Boo, the male. What a surprise that was! I don't think he really knew what to do, although he was preening her and making nice. I am sure, with time, he will figure it out. This is exciting news!
Everyone else is doing well. Three of the six lovebird babies have hatched. I can't wait to hand feed. I just love it!
Well, I guess that is it for now. I will write again sometime next week with all the lastest news.
Have a super, duper weekend!
Phoenix and Neal
Hi All!
Nice to see you again!
I apologize I have not written in a while, but a lot has been going on. Besides, my birthday was on Saturday and it was wonderful (no working on that day). Neal got me an ice cream cake and it was yummy! I said I would only eat one piece, but of course that was a lie. He also bought me some clothes and he said he would make me a cart that I can role around when I do the water/food dishes for the birds. I can't wait! That will make it so much easier! We also just relaxed as we are both recovering from being sick.
As for bird news, everyone is doing wonderfully! Our Eclectus pair have been bonding, which is awesome news! I was not sure how that was going to happen as they were very aggressive towards eachother in the beginning. But, this weekend I saw him with a slice of orange hanging out of his mouth and she was grabbing the other end. It was so cute!
Our Caiques are weird! They will sleep together at night and feed eachother, but during the day, forget it! Kiko (the male) turns into a crazy lunatic! Peanut (the female) just tries to get away from him. I think if both of these types of birds had more privacy, it would help. Maybe when we get our permanent residence, that will happen. Right now, we just don't have enough room. I am not sure if that makes a big difference as they have already been in this type of atmosphere for a while and don't seem to be shy or anything. I guess time will tell.
I have two Lovebird babies hatched. They are the cutest little fuzzy things you will ever see! I will start pulling them around Sept. 2nd or so. There are six eggs total, but I don't expect them all to hatch. She and he are good parents and usually hatch atleast 5 eggs. So, we shall see.
The baby Cockatiel we have is doing much better. He is now eating on his own and is gaining some much needed weight.
The Gouldian's are busy building their nests. It is like a work of art when you look inside. I can't wait for the babies to come!
The big birds are all doing well. They are so spoiled!
The Orlando show went well. We sold more of the puppets than I thought we would. They were the hit of the show, I think! Neal did a good job with playing the "Master Puppeteer"! People would laugh at him and of course, come over and look. He is such a character!
All of the articles we wrote about "Read this before you buy a bird" went. I was shocked! I think there were atleast 50 copies! That made me very happy! We have to print more and also get our flyer together for the September show. So much to do!
I talked with Corene Fry for a bit. What a nice and intelligent lady she is. I hope to chat with her more in the future! Don't forget to check out her web site and call her if you are having any behavioral problems with your bird(s). She is the lady to see! (Her web site is on our Links page). We are planning on going to her Parrots in the Park meeting which is coming up. Join us!
I was thinking about doing a monthly newsletter, but there are not enough people yet to do this. Maybe when we have more people who are interested. It is just a thought.
More articles will be coming to the web site soon. I try to be as detailed as possible which makes them take longer. We are also going to be changing a few things like the size of the font, etc. It is too small in my eyes... ::giggles::
Anyway, that is enough for now. Have birds to look after.
Don't forget, if you ever have a question or concern about your bird(s), contact us! We are always willing to help!
Have a super day everyone. Thanks for looking!
Phoenix and Neal
EXCITING NEWS!I want to let everyone know Fire Crest Aviary is now offering DNA and/or Disease testing. We can do this in the comfort of your own home and the charge(s) are very inexpensive. If you live in the Central Florida area, please contact us if you need DNA and/or Disease testing. Our phone number is: 386-951-1018 or via e-mail at: phoenix@firecrestaviary.com for more information and rates.The bird show is Sunday! We can't wait! Lots of new goodies and surpises for everyone!Did I tell you WE LOVE BIRDS?!Be well,Phoenix
It's that time again.... Did you miss me? :)Hope everyone is well. Things are going good here. Neal is out of town this week and I miss him terribly. But, it must be done and I can accept that.. I think.Anyway, some new news with the birds....A wonderful man named Mike and his family have given us the wonderful honor of taking care of their Yellow-Fronted Amazon name Pretty Boy (even though she is a girl). What a super bird she is! She talks up a storm and makes chicken noises and laughs just like a human! She is so great! This is my first Amazon and although I have had some neagative issues with them in the past, she is slowly changing my mind about their species. She loves to eat veggies and fruit and she loves to hang out with all the other birds. I think she will be happy here and Neal and I will post a photo of her soon.Also, I have some Lovebird eggs in the nest. Yay! They should hatch in about two weeks or so and then I will pull them to handfeed. This pair of Lovebird's are awesome parents. They have given me some super friendly babies in the past and I am sure these will be just as good. They usually "throw" peachface babies and dutch blue babies. Both are so pretty! If you are interested in obtaining a baby, please contact me and we will set things up. These Lovebird babies are very sweet and make great pets!The Parakeet babies are getting bigger. There is a photo of one on the front page of our website. What a cutie pie!I am trying to finish up a few more informative articles for the Bird Article page. There is so much I want to write about and am trying to figure out what is the most important article to post first. I want to add so many things to this site to help other bird owners and to share my experiences and knowledge. Hhhmmm, what to post first?????Ok, I guess that is good for now.Will write more soon.Thanks so much for looking and please check back often.Phoenix
Hi All! :)I hope this Thursday finds you doing well and getting ready for another weekend.I want to share something with all of you that is very meaningful to both Neal and myself. I wrote this article myself and hope to affect a few people with it. Neal has added some photos to it to make it even more potent. However, I am not sure if the photos will be present in this article. If so, it makes it even more effective.I do not mean anything bad by this article, I just want people to think and do research before they purchase any bird. Here goes...So, you think you want a bird…
Ok, what have you done to prepare, if anything?The first thing you want to do before you purchase any bird is to do as much research as you can! Birds are definitely not an impulse buy! Many birds end up in rescues or homeless within the first three years of their lives! Can you imagine if that happened to children? That is what a bird is, after all!There are several ways to do research which can include; reading articles (such as this one), go to the library and read books about pet birds, talk to a knowledgeable person who may own one or more birds, find a chat group about pet birds, etc. There are many ways to improve your knowledge about birds to see if this is really a commitment you want to make. Please take the time to do this research so that you and your pet bird will be happy and committed friends!
Below are a few things to consider when contemplating owning a bird. I hope some of these points will be of assistance to you in your decision.
Money Matters! You need to figure out exactly how much money you are willing to spend. Keep in mind that several of these expenses will be ongoing.
The initial expenses: There is the bird, which can cost anywhere from $10.00 up to $10,000.00! A good breeder may charge a bit more, but will be willing to show you their facility and explain many things to you with no hesitation. A bad breeder will make excuses and then the initial expense to you will be way more when you have to treat a sick and/or dying bird. Then there is the cage, which can cost anywhere from $7.00 up to $3,000.00. The care, which includes food (pellets, seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables and many other goodies), additional food cups, perches, a playground for time out of the cage, toys (which can include wood, leather, acrylic, rope, etc.) and all of this can cost anywhere from $100.00 up to $600.00, bird-safe cleaners which can cost up to $60.00, an Avian specific veterinarian which can cost up to $2,000.00 (including initial visit fee, tests, etc.) and your time… priceless!
Time Matters! You need to figure out exactly how much quality time you will have to spend with your bird and taking care of its special needs.
Time Concerns: If you purchase a weaned bird (which I recommend unless you have specific training on how to hand-feed a baby bird), he/she can be anywhere from six weeks up to four months. This is when things are wonderful and you and your new friend will grow together and bond. The bond between a bird and its human companion is very strong!
If you have a full-time job, are young and like to go out or have young children, your time with your bird may be very limited. Your job may need you for extra hours, your friends call and want to go to a club or your children need help with their homework, unfortunately your bird will be put on the back perch for a while until you have more time for it. This can be difficult for a new bird, as it needs its flock to learn from and to love (and to be loved).
As your bird gets older and longs to be connected with its companion (who is no longer around due to work, friends, children, etc.), you start to notice your bird is missing feathers in certain spots on its body. It screams all the time, bites and chews up the furniture you just bought. You take it to your Avian veterinarian and have some tests run, which all come back negative. So, your veterinarian may say it is a behavioral problem. You ask, “why”? And then you look at your bald bird as it looks up at you from its carrier and hopefully realize (and remember) your bird is a child and that it needs your constant love and attention. That you have been ignoring him/her and he/she is reacting in the only way it knows how.. and only to get your attention!These are the kinds of issues that will arise if you do not spend enough quality time with your bird(s). You have to remember your bird is an animal being raised by a human. He/she cannot communicate with you as you can with it. If your bird is happy and you spend many hours with it, the chances of it reacting negatively are very slim. However, if you do not, the chances of it reacting negatively are very high. And, if he/she is not pretty anymore, it’s too much to clean up after, does not bring you as much attention as it used to or you just don’t have time for it anymore, think to yourself; If my children (or I) were treated like this, what would I expect them to do and if they reacted negatively, would I throw them away like they were trash?Please, if you cannot commit to a child, do not even try to commit to a bird. At least children have a fair chance at finding a good home, Birds Do Not!
Second Thoughts Matter! Right about now you should be thinking, “Wow, this commitment may be a lot more than I thought”. And, it is!
The money, time and love that go into these beautiful creatures can be very special and rewarding. It can also be overwhelming, sad and psychologically challenging. The purchase of a bird is definitely not for everyone. There are many people who purchase a parakeet or cockatiel, throw it in a small, cheap cage and never play with it. These birds usually die very young. Most people know this is cruel, but they don’t understand the level of care a bird needs. If you want a status symbol in your house, buy a vase! If you want something to put in a cage and never touch, finches may be a good choice. But, they need care too!
Again, you should be asking yourself if you know you can meet the needs of a bird? If you think the answer is yes, try again! You have to know this is the right animal for you! There is no think about it!
It is imperative you find out as much information as possible before you purchase a bird (or any animal for that matter). Below please find some websites we have listed to help you in your search for knowledge.
Knowledge is the Key to Success!
www.firecrestaviary.com
Avian Protection Society
http://www.avianprotectors.homestead.com
Judy and Jerry’s Place – Stop Bird Abuse
http://www.geocities.com/jjhornb/babuse.html
Before you buy a Cockatoo – Visit this site!
http://www.mytoos.com
Parrot Behavior Consultancy – Corene Fry
http://www.beaktwobeak.com
Hot Spot for Birds – Bird Information
http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot
Bird Talk Magazine – Helpful Information
http://www.birdtalkmagazine.com/bt
