Monday, December 19, 2011

This is "baby bear"....Bear got sick on December 5, 2011 and we immediately rushed him into the emergency care center......
His symptoms were lethargic and significant weight loss along with being very pale (gums, ears, nose).  His temp was 102.4 which was normal for a ferret and pulse was 250 which is also normal for a ferret.  He had severe itching and no this was not due to fleas.

So, we get there and the vet did what he could but told us he didn't know all that much about ferrets.  no big suprise there, because they do not know much about exotics.  anyway, bear was put on prednisone and given a critical care formula that i was to mix up and feed.  suprisingly he wanted nothing to do with this mix so i did some research (always researching pet stuff) and came up with a formula that i was sure he would like.  low and behold he loved it.
Here is a recipe so any of you ferret owners can print it out and keep it handy for when your ferret is stuck ill:

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup whipping cream
6 oz jar of gerber vegetable and chicken baby food
mix well and keep in refrigerator.  this mix will only last for 48 hours so be sure to toss it and make a new batch (that is if you have any left after 48 hours because our babies love this!)

now, you may be asking why the whipping cream?  whipping cream is used for the high fat content and its very palatable.  if your ferret has significant weight loss like our bear then you want to put weight back on him in a hurry.......IT WORKS!  I started out by spoon feeding every 2 to 3 hours around the clock and this is very important in a sick ferret.  their digestive system will empty out, per say, in three hours.  you want to keep him or her hydrated also and i did this by mixing the marshalls pellets 2 parts water and 1 part pellets and spoon fed the soupy part.  also began giving a cat hairball remedy and alternated it with nutracal for ferrets.  the nutracal is a high calorie supplement and also much needed at this point.

after just a couple feedings and medication and supplements we started seeing the pink come back into his ears, nose and mouth.  after a few more feedings we noticed some weight gain!!!!  a couple more and he had alot more engery!!! 

i do have to say that feeding around the clock is very exhausting but well worth the time and effort.  just try not to fall asleep in the ferret bed lol.

So its been 2 weeks exactly and i am begining to add a little less whipping cream and a little more water as i don't want him obesse....he has alot more weight on him now and getting playful....
the above pic is not a very good pic and will try to post a better one soon.

he will need to go back to the vet to check his red blood cell count in two more weeks as his levels were 14 and should be over 30 which means he is/was anemic.  she said it can take a good 30 days for his levels to come back up. 
so off i go for a feeding!  hugs

Sunday, September 11, 2011

rebuilding our hearts and homes after the flood of 2011




As some of you know, we were flooded pretty badly this past week when ppl opened their flood gates. I, personally have never been through anything like this….I never want to go through it again. When the water began rising I really didn’t know what to expect or how bad it was going to get. When the basement was half way full I realized what kind of disaster we faced. The power was still on and half of the house remained on throughout the entire ordeal. We realized that all our pet’s food was in the freezers in the basement and we had lost all of it. We had just enough upstairs to distribute during meals and would run down and grab more as we needed it. Needless to say, it was all gone. That started my panic. What were we going to do when we run out? And we still face this problem. We have had a couple donations so far for them but not enough. All of our food was lost also, with the exception of what we did keep in the cupboards and the refridgerator. The cost of replacing all the food we had for us and pets is going to be more than we have now. We have both lost days at work which we count on as many people do. There was no reserve.

Some of you also know that our cockatiel aviary in the house was damaged and they had to be moved out to a cage where they waited upstairs until a local rescue, wings over Williamsport, could come to pick them up. They are safe and happy and in foster homes until they can be adopted out. I can’t tell you how hard I cried. We miss them very much and love them tremendously. It will take some time to repair that room and we had no where that we could put them in the meantime. A very special thank you goes to peggy hoffman for her quick rescue and loving care of them.

You hear people say “oh, that can be replaced”…..the awful reality is…this doesn’t make us feel better. The simplist things to other people, tears your heart up, right down to the last yard ornament that you bought with your new husband.

I stood on the deck as the waters swept away 2 years of landscaping in our back yard….as I watched one of my yard ornament ducks begin to wash away….I thought of the day my husband and I bought it the previous summer. I ran off the deck and into the fast rushing water and began collecting what I could. I even ripped off some “hens and chicks” and drug them back with me to the deck. They are now in a pot of dirt on the deck….SALVAGED! I, never being through this kind of thing, did not realize the danger. I had resin duck in hand, when I spotted a small bunny floating….tears started to flow as I reached out and picked up this baby bunny hoping it wasn’t dead yet and I could revive him…..I picked him up and relief hit me like a brick and I just started laughing. It was one of my resin bunnies!

 

 

So we have begun the clean up…we have running water back in the house. I go through all these times when I just cry then I start working again.

To everyone who lost their homes and some, their lives…my heart and thoughts are with you. I keep asking myself “how could this have happened?” as I am sure you are asking yourselves too.

We will get back on track and we will be okay….some people can’t say that because their lives and homes were washed down the river with the flood waters.




basement

Sunday, August 21, 2011

WHAT A WEEK!

well, alot has happened this week....as some of you know we rescued a momma cat and her kittens from drowning by a neighbor....the danville spac (no kill shelter) will take them all but not until the babies are 8 weeks old.  if you want to know more about this please go to my face book page and and then go to "notes"...you will find all the info and pics there.

the kittens are doing great and the momma is doing extremely well.....she is friendly and trusts me to pick up her babies and inspect them and hold them.  she isn't real sure about other people yet so i'm giving her and the babies as much quiet as i can while still caring for them all. 

Our one dog, the dashand, i don't know how to spell that lol....is having cluster seizures yet ,again...they are getting closer together and more severe so how much longer he will be with us we don't know.  I can say that if there is any suffering we will not wait.  i believe there is pressure in his head and i say this because i see things that i have seen before in the dog i lost with the tumor a few years ago. 

we will be doggie sitting a blind dog next weekend.  a cocker spaniel, which are one of my favorite breeds and we are looking forward to it so much.  i hope she isn't scared and i will do all i can to calm her.  aslo going to move the coffee table and put some pillows around where she could run into something so she won't get hurt, and she will be in the living room away from the other dogs so they aren't jumping on her.  i'm sure we will be sleeping on the couch, unbeknownst to my husband, lmao, for the two days we will have her here. 

so i'm going to close now and begin repair work on my son's computer so that i can get to the other two computer repairs.......come monday its back to cage cleaning!  hope you all have a wonderful day and be sure to invite people to follow this blog that you think would be interested.  thanks again for reading!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

paper mache part 2

well...i put on another layer today of the paper mache...then went to ac moore to see what i could find....here is what i came up with......three types of shredded paper some colorful, some wood pieces and sticks, some pom poms, and fake feathers.   i am stringing the stringed leather for hanging because i don't want to use something that could injure or wrap around their little bodies.  i bought crape paper for the outside and some non toxic elmers glue.  they may not be the prettiest when i'm done but the birds should love ripping and tearing. 
i spent a bit more on the stuff than i wanted to but still saved money by doing it this way.  mom just had to go over board yet again lmao.  i would have spent 65 to 100 dollars on premade pinata's and would have still had to fill them so i am figuring i got away cheap. 
was also thinking that making more around christmas time for all of them as gifts might be nice.  may enlist some help next time. 
hopefully pictures will be posted tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

paper mache is for the birds....literally!

I have decided to make my own pinatas for all the birds....something special for them to play with that mommy made.  Have you priced a pinata for a kid or a bird?  WOW!  I have priced them at $15.00 and up.  Now i needed one for the cockatiels in the aviary, the green cheek conure, the other two conures and phoenix.  Of course, all in different sizes to accomidate each bird size.  So, for the cost of the balloons, flour, and cray paper i will have made five pinatas for maybe the cost of 1 pinata if that.  I have spare foot toys and will pick up some special treats for inside.  The picture above is only my first layer.  This could take a few days but in the end my babies will have something fun to play with that their momma made them. 
As i was blowing up the balloons and waiting for them to pop in my face (lol) i noticed every single bird in the house watching me.  So as i worked i talked to them all and told them what they were and that they were for them.  Misha, my pomeranian, quietly and intently sat in the chair next to the table watching me and listening.  I told him i would next make each of them a special one of their own to rip apart and that there would be some special treats and toys inside. 
So, i'll let them dry for today and put another layer on them tomorrow and then get into the store and get my cray paper and maybe some shredded stuff for the inside also.  I'm really enjoying this!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

ALRIGHT ALREADY, PHOENIX!!!!!!!

my day started out pretty well....then i got tired...everyone had been so quiet and peaceful so i decided "maybe" (huh) i could get a little nap in.  I gingerly laid down on the couch hoping against hope that none of the birds would catch mommy napping and throw themselves into a hoopla tizzy!  all was well for about 5 minutes...count them with me 1..2...3...4...5....then....tick, tick, tick, tick, ........tick, tick, tick, tick.  (phoenix has this little plastic dog toy that he loves to slowly shake back and forth and make the legs fall to make a clicking sound)....tick, tick, tick.....dammit!!!!  all's quiet for a few minutes....tick, tick, tick.....
i pick myself up off the couch and stomp my way up the steps...litterally i might add, and throw myself into the bed and cover my head.  along comes ferret number 1.....up and over me to  my head where she procceds to sniff my eye lids to be sure i am asleep before making her way to my ankle and latching on!  ferret on the floor!   i lay there thinking "what the hell did i do to deserve not getting in a small friggin nap?"........i lay back down, again covering my head and bundling my ankles inside the blankets where said ferret number 1 can't get to them.  then the phoenix screaming starts....oh dear god!  i ignore it as long as humanly possible....then throw myself over the bed and down the steps i go.....making wildly for the coffee pot!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

baby mouse found...nursing back to health

we found this little guy sitting in the middle of the floor on one of our jobs.  i was very careful about picking him up at first.  looked like he was a bit dehydrator.  i think he lost his momma somehow and was on the verge of death.  turns out he is quite bonded to me already, been feeding the little guy puppy formula for two days around the clock every three hours.  can't tell you how tired i am lol.  he is doing very very well.  he is now also eatting bread soaked in water.  he likes that better than the bread soaked in formula.  today a lunch time he will get his formula as well as a bit of mashed bananna and we will see how he likes that. 
will post a pic of him now after two days in my care.  his eyes are wide open and very bright.  he is begining to run around his cage also.  
what a great little fellow he is too!  he will have a very happy life with us and hope that it is a long one, although mice only live 1 to 5 years.  i will have had a pretty cool little buddy. 
i am keeping him away from the other animals just incase he has any kind of disease and also vigorously washing hands after handling him.  he is only a little over two weeks old. 
at first we didn't think he would make it and my thought was we could atleast keep him as comfortable as possible until the end.  but after 12 hours he perked up and as soon as i put my hand down to him he jumps in it.  it is a sweet experience watching him take his formula and he watches me the whole time lol.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

this one is about ferrets.....hope you enjoy!

Most of you know that we have three ferrets that we just love, I thought I’d make this post about them, along with a few facts about them. I have heard of some people that have had bad experiences with ferrets that have not been properly socialized or cared for and are now totally against them. If you leave a ferret in a cage without love and attention and proper care, that ferret is not going to appreciate the human touch at all. Like any other animal it needs these things. It is very important to the ferrets character and loving nature. Ours have never been and never will be caged.

Contrary to what some people believe, a ferret IS NOT A RODENT!!!! It upsets me when someone says they are rodents. They are mammals related to the weasel family.

They have a life span of 7 to 10 years and only weigh between 1.5 and 4 pounds.



In my experience, Ferret’s play like a cat, walk like a skunk and think they are a dog. With proper socialization they make wonderful pets and playmates to other pets. Although there are some no no’s. don’t let them play with your pet birds, rabbits, etc. These animals are prey to the ferret in the wild. Some people may think it would be really cute to introduce them to their pet mouse or hamster….don’t do that, most ferrets are great mousers and you most likely will not have your pet mouse or hamster. I am sure there are some exceptions to the rule but I just wouldn’t chance it.





Ever do the ferret shuffle? Lol, we do it all the time. If your ferrets have free run all the time like ours do then you learn to shuffle your feet along the floor as you walk. This guards against stepping on these curious little, under the feet, sweet and utterly lovable pets.

Our ferrets diet consists of marshalls ferret pellets in water in the morning and at night and a high quality mix of ferret pellets, and cat foods with no coloring. We also give a ferret supplement that comes in gel form which is very handy when trying to clip nails! If you have ever tried to clip a little ones nails then you know what I am talking about. Putting some of this gel on the upper side of your thumb allows you to hold the ferret while he eats and clip his nails with no problems.

These animals are very intelligent creatures also, they will figure out how to get something they want and usually won’t stop until they get it. There was a person that owned a ferret and the ferret wanted something so badly that she finally moved something in front of what she wanted so she could climb up on the object and get it.

Did I mention they are thieves??? Oh yes, if they want it, they will steal it. Most of the time you can find their stash easily but other times you have to hunt for the things they have stolen from you. Shiny objects are a big big thing. Watches, rings, etc….but I have found they like to steal our socks and shoes too. They love to pull the inserts out of shoes and run like hell with them. They are very comical and entertaining pets.

Ferrets are very susceptible to tumors. This is one of our biggest fears. We are so worried about the day we have a sick ferret. Removing the tumors do not guard against them coming back. I am up in the air about this subject. Do you keep removing the tumors or do you euthanize so the pet does not suffer at all? I guess that is something we will have to wait and see what happens. Doesn’t mean it will but it is a possibility. It will be a very sad day if we lose any of them to tumors.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, I enjoyed writing it. There is so much more I can add but I’ll leave it for another time.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

okay.....now i'm PISSED!!!!!!

i am going to veer off the subject just for this post....because well.....i'm pissed and need to vent.  the charity yard sale we had and got the material donations for....doulgas and i  had decided that the clothing that was left from the sale should go in the planet aid box right next to our house.  we figured that the people that donated all the clothes for the sale would appreciate it if we redonated it to people in need.  it seemed appropriate.  so, we put the large box in front of the planet aid box knowing that the next day they would be picking it up.  well, it disappeared.  the driver pulled in and i asked if they had gotten the box and he said "no".  two blocks down the street was a yard sale.....so.....we went down.  i was looking around at all the clothes and low and behold, there they all were.  for sale!!!!!!  i turned around and said "um, ma'am.....did you take the box of clothes in front of the planet aid box?".  she says "yeah", they are supposed to be in the box, not in front of it.  well, needless to say, i flipped a lid.  then came home and called the state police who also confirmed that what she did was theft.  he said if it had been in the garbage then fine but since it was something we wanted donated to people in need that it is in fact "theft" and that she was selling it for a profit.  he instructed me to go down and tell her to give the clothing back or she would be procecuted.  we did just that.  douglas told her she had 2 hours to get it all back to the house or we would be contacting the state tropper and they would be stopping by.
now, don't get me wrong, if she had looked at me and said "i just don't have money and could really use it from these clothes" i would have gladly said okay, keep them, or even if she needed the clothing to wear.  but she did none of that, she made excuses that if it rained....and blah, blah, blah.  now, was i wrong?  would you take from a planet aid box and then have a yard sale and sell them?  i just think it was wrong.  if i'm wrong, please tell me.  i guess i am fighting with myself here.

Monday, May 2, 2011

puppy and two new tiels

so we just dropped the puppy off for his second eye surgery.  if you remember on April 12, Ryder had his surgery for cherry eye.  well, he was doing great and late last week his stitches popped.  they are doing the second surgery for free......i hated leaving him there again.  the closer we got to the vet tonight the more agitated he became.  he is begining to associate car rides with vet. 

last night we went to talk to a lady that needs to get rid of her african gray (20 years old) and 9 cockatiels.  she has been so upset about having to do it, but she is 71 and can't keep up with them any longer.  i wanted to be a support post, so to speak, for her and to refer her to a local rescue that will monitor the birds adoptive home rather than give the bird to someone and not be able to do anything after the fact.  well, i went over with the intentions of "not" comming home with any new birds.  we go into the room she keeps them in and immediatly this male white faced grey is trying to get my attention and comes as close as the screening will allow.  she opens the door and this cockatiel comes flying out and right to me.  he sits there for the entire time we are talking and then this woman reaches over for "nemo" to step up.......low and behold he lunges for her, then snuggles closer to me.  it was unreal.  i told her there was no way i could leave without this bird if that was okay with her.  she asked then if i would be willing to take his daddy also how is about 17 years old.  i said absolutely.  i wanted "nemo" to be as comfortable as possible with the transition.  needless to say, i will go in the aviary now and he is either on my should within 5 seconds or on my head.  he chatters to me something fierce lmao.  he is most definately the sweetest cockatiel i have ever met in my life.  i am so in love with this little bird. 
so anyway, hopefully tomorrow i will have some pics i can post but its kind of difficult to take a pic with five or six tiels sitting about my head lol.   

Monday, March 21, 2011

just for the record.....

I recieved a comment on the last post, which i do want people to do and have no problem at all with it....but i feel that i need to address this comment.  My blog is about my experiences with all my animals, not to be confused with going out and buying a bird, dog, ferret, etc....just because i don't post how hard it is to keep up sometimes or how much hard work it really is, not to mention the expense.  IT IS but that isn't what this blog is about.  I have a strong love for animals and want to share with everyone what kind of interactions i face with these wonderful creatures.  I don't mention the costs or time put in because i knew what i was getting into with each and every one of these guys.  i would hope that everyone would research, research, research, and then talk to other owners, then calculate time and cost before comming to a decision about purchasing or better yet, adopting any animal or bird.  i have very strong feelings when it comes to abuse, neglect, an even improper diet and exercise.  so please guys, when you read my posts please keep in mind that we do have a daily schedule and absolutly no life outside of the house lmao.  also keep that in mind before placing a pet in your home....do you have the time and are you willing to put the pet first?  we go above and beyond for our guys and we wouldn't  have it any other way.........i hope you are all continuing to read my posts, i am enjoying sharing with all of you and please keep the comments comming, good, bad or iffy lol.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

phoenix, the umbrella cockatoo

well, i decided to write a bit about phoenix today....he is quite the little character!  he has learned to cry like a baby when he doesn't get his own way!  its commical and evidentally he thinks so too. 
every single morning when we get home from work and make our rounds turning on lights and preparing everyone's daily morning breakfast consisting of their regular pellets, fresh water and veggies and fruits....phoenix can be heard "dod, are you done yet?".  then after a bit he will begin to cry and yell "hey, you forgot the bird". 
yesterday, daddy got him out of his aviary and phoenix's immediate response was "did you have a busy time with work?".  It still stuns my husband how much this bird understands and is able to state what he wants so clearly. 
when phoenix was a baby, only three months old, we brought him home.  a few days later he was on the table and douglas and i were sitting there, douglas asks phoenix "what can i do for you?".....phoenix replies  in a scratchy voice "water".  we both were stunned and at a loss for words.  i don't think my husband really understood what a joy and i might add "chore" this parrot was going to be.  neither one of us can be away from the house for very long together before we begin to stress that we aren't home with our birds and making sure they aren't lonely and that they are in fact safe.  i'd say about an hour into whatever we are doing, like going for dinner, is when we both begin to stress out.  then, of course, we are both in quite a rush to get home.
being that i'm home during the day and dad is at work, phoenix doesn't get a chance to miss mommy.  when dad pulls in the driveway, i will either hear "daddy's home?" or he will just go absolutly nuts when he walks in the door.  here is where i'll end for now.  hope you all enjoy this post!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

puppy may need surgery

we took ryder to the vet first thing this morning after noticing something very wrong with his eye.  it almost looked like some kind of cist on the corner of his eyeball.  of course i was freaking out as usual over any pain my babies may have.  daddy was the trooper and strong one and said he was going to be just fine.  anyway, the vet said it is his third eyelid that had popped out.  he also said in these small dogs that it does happen and most of the time they need surgery to correct it.  he goes back on the 18th for a follow up and then we will know if this little guy is going to need surgery.  he also has an infection in it and is on antibiotic eye drops 4 times a day.  boy he really hates that!  i mean hates it!  anyway, if he needs surgery the doc said he will wait until ryder is old enough to be neutered also and do them at the same time.  reason being, his face is still growing and he doesn't want to do it until ryder is about full size.  this little fella has not had it easy.  first he ingested one of the birds beak blocks and was rushed to the er vet for that, now this.  i will do an update on ryder on the 19th.  vet appt is for 5pm on friday. 

Friday, March 4, 2011

updates on all the feathered and furries

I'm so very sorry its been so long between posts.  A friend reminded me of that fact today.  So, I thought i'd take some time and write a bit.  Please feel free to comment.

Cockatiel aviary:
Due to some activities in the aviary, we realized our latino we thought was a male is in fact a female, and our "normal" that we thought was a female is infact a male!!!!  Came as a bit of a shock to me.

picture created by win lampe

cockatoo and conure update:
I moved sumoc and cayenne's cage over next to phoenix's aviary.  They talk to each other and eat at the same time.  they even appear to try to play together.  the cages are just far enough apart so no disasters happen.  i roll the conure cage to a different area for cleaning and until i bring them back, phoenix has a royal fit.  he really enjoys their company and they his.  BUT, i don't dare let them play together for fear of some very serious consequenses.  safety first!

update on the new puppy:
Ryder is doing very well.  He is quite the little love and has fallen into household routine quite well.  he is a wonderful little dog.  boy is he growing up fast! 

Ferretts:
i noticed some weight loss in one of the little girls about a month ago so i began giving all three of them a high calorie supplement, because, well lets face it....if you give one ferrett something and not the other two they will go completely bezurk on you.  anyone that has ferretts can attest to that and to their little pissed off dance, not to be confused with their happy dance.  anyway, this is amazing stuff!  it not only put the weight back on her but shined up all of their coats and softened the fur, these babies have never looked better!  if you are interested in purchasing it, it is called "nutri-cal for ferrets" and i order it from www.petsolutions.com
this weekend will be a much loved bath/play time in the big bathtub so they can snorkle awhile. 

I will begin posting some pics of all the pets soon.  i am digging up some baby pics of each one to post along side the recent pics.  its proving to be a bit time consuming so bare with me please and if i don't get it done in a timely manner, feel free to let me know. 

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

emergency vet call for the new puppy

Last night I found a beak conditioner block laying on the floor and partially chewed. This was one of the ones with the sand particles in it. I picked it up thinking, I thought I threw this in the trash when I took it out of the cage…..
About 20 minutes later the puppy, Ryder, began vomiting pretty badly. I was immediately on the phone with the animal emergency center and then we were out the door with this little puppy that we have only had for one week.
I drove, Douglas held the little guy, not a sound out of him and he just laid in his baby blanket all snuggled up.
An x-ray was promptly taken when I showed the vet the beak block and told him what I thought happened. Sure enough there were small pebbles on the x-ray. Being a puppy the course of action taken was the least invasive for him. He was given an injection at the back of the neck for dehydration due to the vomiting. Then an anti vomiting drug which has greatly helped him. An adult formula is to be administer for two days and the extra anti vomiting drug every 12 hours if needed.
As for the clinic and the vet that saw our little bugger…..wonderful. Dr. Thomas Hass, DVM, was amazing. He took the time to explain everything for us and provide anything and any information we could have asked for. He went well beyond the call of duty to help us and to inform us.
Update: Ryder woke up with us to get ready for work and was his peppy old self, drinking water and chewing on some of his puppy chow. The little trooper drank his formula and seems to be a lot better considering his terrible night.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

how we got each.....

Someone told me recently that i should post about each animal, so I'm going to tell all of you a little bit about how we ended up with each one.  i will try not to make this real lengthy. 
phoenix:  umbrella cockatoo:  we had gone to the pet store for some supplies and i was allowed to go in the room housing all the baby birds.  i talked to each bird a bit and then turned around to find this beautiful three month old cockatoo staring at me.  i began talking to him and he raised his hand and clutched my finger and did not want to let go.  my heart melted and as we turned to leave i looked at my future husband with tears in my eyes.  he ran to the cashier and put down a deposit, came back and said "as soon as i get the rest of the money around he is yours".  boy did i cry and was so happy and excited.  phoenix will be 2 years old on April 19th of this year.

Kasha:  latino cockatiel:  i knew a woman who breed cockatiels and i went over to look at them with the intention of getting one.   when i got there he was in a cage with another cockatiel but get this, it was an extremely small parakeet cage.  i was blown away by this and knew i had to get him home and into something a lot bigger.  i bought him a parrot cage. 

Bella:  white faced gray:  kasha needed some company from another bird.  when i picked her out the woman at that particular store got pissed off because Bella would not co-operate with her so she very viciously used the net to get her and in the process broke a blood feather on her.  we took her to the vet the very next day as soon as we realized what had happened.

sumoc and cayenne:  sun conure and Nanday conure:  funny story.  last thanksgiving we drove all the way to Illinois and back to adopt these wonderful birds.  seems they have had numerous homes due to their vocal ability.  this will be their last unless they outlive us.  we love them dearly.

okay, Bella and kasha laid their very first egg last year in the spring.  we did not remove the egg and were very excited.  in the end she hatched two very beautiful babies.  weather is a pure white latino and raine is a normal.  in the fall, four babies were hatched.  we sold one baby to a wonderful older couple that love Silas so much. 

next post I'll tell you all about our four dogs and three ferrets. 

Saturday, February 12, 2011

This week, Douglas (my wonderful husband) got me an 8 week old shih tsu. He is beautiful, great personality, and very cuddly. He will not replace Mikey but he does help heal all of our hearts including the three other dogs.
I’ve not found a picture of Mikey to post yet, but I will. I know I have one on disk somewhere so I will do my best to find it and get it posted.
Here is a picture of “Ryder”.
 

Monday, February 7, 2011

aviary is up and occupied.......


the new aviary for phoenix, our cockatoo



well, here it is!!!!  phoenix is loving his new house and so are we.  when we purchased this cage we had expected some sort of general instructions to come along with the cage.....well, not so!  douglas built the base the night before, then we are up and at the assembly of the cage right after morning feedings.  needless to say, without instructions, it proved alot more difficult than you would think.  all the sides were up and ready for the top to go on until we realized, to our utter astonishment, the cage panels were upside down!!!!!  at the time, we really didn't see the humor in this newly realized problem.  my husband was quite the trooper, as i was not, and he immediatly began unscrewing and flipping panels.  let me say that if you intend to purchase one of these amazingly cool cages, please plan ahead by having a few extra hands and well as brains to do this job as well as plenty of extra time for mistakes lol.  the cage was not completed until 2pm!  i have to say now that it was well worth it.  the cage construction itself is very very good and i give it a five star rating.  the one thing that is a problem is the door.  the latch, at the top of the cage, seems to loosen up easily so we will be removing that.  the reason being, i don't want to be locked in the cage during the day when my husband is at work lol.   the key can not stay in the lock or the bird WILL be able to open the latch and as many of you know can be quite distructive.  thankfully we have not, as of yet, experienced this.  knock on wood.
when the base was built the linoleum was brought down over the sides, which was fine or so i thought at the time, but now that i look at it i am thinking a very nice and attractive fix to this problem would be some metal stripping tacked on to hide as well as hold the linoleum. 
you can purchase this cage at http://www.birdcagemart.com/ for about 950.00 with free shipping.   the origional price is 2495.96, so as you can see you have quite a nice savings.  its actually an outdoor aviary so you would not need a base if used outside.   






Friday, February 4, 2011

cage is here!

the new aviary arrived yesterday.  next step is to build the base for the aviary and then set it up on the base.  we will be using 2x4's, sheets of plywood and swivel casters so we can move the aviary around easily.  we opened one box to look at a panel when it came, it looks to be well worth the price.  anyone thinking about purchasing one of these aviaries, i will be posting pics after  set up and will then rate the ease of assembly and the quality of the cage.  the cage we ordered actually runs 2500.00 but got it on sale for 900.00.  A&E called me to tell me they were out of stock on the one we ordered (62x62x79) so he was upgrading the cage to 85x61x79 for free.  so the price posted above is what we would have paid without the sale for this particular size. 

Thursday, February 3, 2011

well, yesterday was a very trying day for my husband and i.  we got up to mikey (one of our dogs) not being able to breath or walk.  we rushed him to the vet and had to make that very difficult decision....his organs were shutting down and there was the question of a tumor.  we could have had blood work done and all kinds of things but we were not about to prolong his suffering knowing that because his organs were shutting down on him, there was nothing left that could really be done.  i held him in my arms, daddy and the wonderful vet talked softly to him and made him feel more at ease.  during the process douglas and i both wanted to say "STOP", don't put him down.  of course we knew what we had to do.  our poor dear was suffering and we needed to end it for him.  putting down any pet no matter what the size or what kind of pet is one of the most difficult things us pet lovers have to deal with.  my heart goes out to anyone who loses a beloved pet and yesterday mine broke.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

new aviary

well, today i will be ordering the new aviary for phoenix, our umbrella cockatoo.  i've been saving for it and very excited to get it ordered.  this is for in the house, we will build a base for it and put linoleum over the base so it can be mopped out.  its a little bigger than the home built aviary he is in now which is 4foot by 5 foot and 7 feet high. 

Friday, January 14, 2011

food for the birds

its really amazing how we get home from the grocery store and while putting all the fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and other bird snacks away, we realized that we  bought maybe and i say maybe two food items for our own consumption.  
well, all is quiet for the next hour and a half....it is birdie nap time through out the entire house.  now if i could just get the dogs to nap for me it would be complete peace for a little while, atleast until dinner time feedings. 
Beepers is on my mind again, although he never leaves my thoughts, sometimes it is so strong that i cry.  i will do my best to write about beepers next time.  its very hard for me to talk about but anyone reading this will understand what i mean after the post.  have a great weekend all.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

wasn't sure how to start......

I had set this blog up a couple days ago but really wasn't sure how to start it, i'm new to this so please bare with me.  i decided to start, essentially, from the begining.  I am ashamed to admit this, but I didn't always love birds.  My wonderful grandparents had vaccationed for two weeks in florida and low and behold came home with a cockatiel.  I lived with them, and thought the bird was really cool.  i was young and stupid and ended up hating the bird.  i mean litterally hating it.  he was loud and obnoxious in my eyes.  little did i know i would end up falling in love with birds and owning 11 of them.  we now own an umbrella cockatoo, a green cheek conure, a sun conure and a nansun conure (recently aquired by traveling 3 states over thanksgiving in 2010, but that is a story for later), 5 baby cockatiels all under 6 months of age, and a mamma and daddy cockatiel who are now sitting on a clutch of eggs.  the furry animals, aaahhhh, four dogs, and three beautiful wonderful ferrets........