Hello from Ontario, Canada

[Missie]

Hi all,

Fantastic site you have, and lots of great people I see posting, I have been on the site for a few weeks now learning as much as I can before I go off to buy my first IRN. I have kept birds in the past but when we moved out to Canada 7 years ago from the UK we had to find a home for my male cockatiel (Grove). As a family we where all heart broken, as we had raised him from a very young age and he had lived with us for over 8 years. But with the bird flu in Canada at that time there was so many hoops to jump through, we had to leave him behind.

Now I have decided as the kids are growing up and leaving, its time for me to rebuild my nest and bring a feathered friend back into my life, I am very taken with the IRN's, their colours and their nature i just love.

I look forward to talking and getting to know you all and taking part in discussions on these great little birds and also getting some great help and advice on the way.

Missie

[MissK]

Welcome, Missie!

Plugging my own agenda, don't forget to consider a second-hand bird!

[Missie]

Well Hubby not in the loop , but my agenda is to get the little one first and then when he's around a year and over the bluffing (hopefully I don't see to much of that) I will then mention him needing a little friend and how we can give a new home to a unwanted bird, once he has fallen in love with our first one, I will be able to build my numbers this is the plan

[MissK]

Word to the wise -- older birds are done "bluffing", need no hand feeding, and present less to no question as to their eventual colour and gender. Depending on the bird, they may have some training and some language already. They're also an excellent price, compared to the babies. C'mon, think it over!
Also, hubby does kinda need to be in the loop...........

[Missie]

He does now, brought him up to speed

I do want a young bird to start off with, I don't want to take on a bird that I will have to work even harder on, once some one has cast it aside because they no longer want it or that it does not do what they want it too. Once I have settled into this breed I will then go and look for that second hand bird so to speak and then will enjoy the new challenge. In fact I am off tomorrow to look at my first IRN (turquoise blue, DNA tested, male, 2 months old).

Missie

[SkyeBerry]

Hi Missie. Good to see another person living in Canada. My mom etc are from the UK.

I totally understand how you feel about getting a baby, but....not all second hand birds have problems. I was offered an 11yr old Senegal that I suggested my mom might like. She has had Cubbie for four years. No health issues. No behaviour issues. Cubbie loves my mom to pieces. There was no adjustment period. Cubbie lets my mom pick her up, scratch her everywhere...etc. If you get an older bird you will have a good idea of the personality re; does it talk, scream, like tricks, like to be touched etc. Not all birds needing a home were unwanted. Because they are long lived owners sometimes die, divorce, kids go to university and no longer have time/money, person develops medical issues or like the lady trying to find Cubbie a home has realized they just can longer cope with the number of parrots they have accumulated - 14 in this case.

I am not saying I would not have ended up with the baby I purchased, but I do think I should have looked at some adults. You never know what you might find. It always amazes me how many people will get a bird and change there minds in as little as a few weeks...and a year later, you can always get a baby. Just something else to consider.

[Annie]

Did you get your baby yet?

[Missie]

Hi Annie, yes I did. We have had Clyde for 2weeks a male who was 2months old and he's more than we hoped for, he steps up and gives kisses and will step up when on the floor or to come out of his cage. He was hand fed by the breeder and is so tame I have a second cage in the basement that I carry him too when we go down stairs to play with him, but he just sits on top of it.
Skyberry I bought a large cage in the hope that in a year or more we will get a friend for Clyde and hopefully they might live together, the second one will be a rescue or a untamed one that we can work with and it can have a ever after home with us.

Missie