Libby's Plant Odyssey

Come by and see the new Aviary for our birds! We've relocated them to their new home inside the greenhouse. The birds have a new home and appear to be very, very happy.

It all started with a bird named Mr. Darcy and a man named Barney. When Barney came to work for me, Mr. Darcy accompanied him, perched comfortably on his shoulder. Except for brief moments when Barney put him down so that Mr. Darcy could eat or drink, that is where he stayed all day. He would groom Barney's cheeks, ears and hair, whisper sweet nothings in his ear and scream at the top of his lungs if anyone else tried to touch him. I fell head over heels in love with Mr. Darcy. Determined to gain his affection, I began by talking to Mr. Darcy, whispering sweet nothings to him, but Mr. Darcy fended off my advances with wickedly quick bites to my arm or hand. I was hurt in more ways than one, believe me. Next, I tried offering him all sorts of his favorite treats. Mr. Darcy greeted my offerings with hostility, taking the treat in his mouth and slinging it away. An attempt to bite me always followed this display. I was crushed but Barney assured me that with enough time, Mr. Darcy would accept me. And so, undeterred, I continued my efforts. Every morning I would greet Mr. Darcy, inquire about his evening or day and then place my hand next to his feet and say "step up." Three weeks passed with Mr. Darcy attacking me and then one day, Mr. Darcy stepped up. You could have knocked me over with a light breath. And from that day on, Mr. Darcy and I became fast friends. Never again did he bite me or even attempt to inflict injury on me, even while grooming my face. We had learned to love and trust each other. Mr. Darcy was a nanday conure.

Harry is a tiny blue and white budgie who lost his mate when she escaped from her cage and flew away. Susan brought him to the store so he would have company and not be by himself all day. He is less than a year old and  shares a cage with Flash, a cockatiel described next.

The only information I have about Flash is that she is 13 years old and had to be given away because the nursing home her owner was moving into did not allow pets. What a terrible shame for the both of them. Flash is a beautiful soft yellow three times the size of Harry.  Therefore she is the first to eat and drink and occupies whatever space of her choice inside the cage. 

Sojourner, a peach faced love bird, has a defective leg and was going to be killed by the breeder, a habit I find deplorable.  A wonderful couple took pity on her and took her home. When they came to the store and realized what a great place it would be for Sojourner to live, they generously let me adopt her. Sojourner is a year and a half old and due for a name change since behavioral displays indicate she is a he.  He shares a cage with Loretta, another variety of  love bird.

A customer who was hitting the garage sales one Saturday found a love bird in a  cage with a for sale sign on it. When he asked what, if anything, was wrong with the bird, the lady replied she was moving out of state and didn’t want to take the bird with her. Once again pity for the bird entered the picture and Loretta was taken to her new home. Reading up on bird care like a good owner should,  he realized he couldn’t meet the birds needs and asked me if I had room for “just one more.” We put Loretta in with Sojourner and love blossomed.  We are expecting our first babies any day now.
 
Louie, a brilliant yellow and orange sun conure, is the most colorful of all our birds.  He came to us when his owner died unexpectedly from a massive heart attack.  My friend Vickie, who inherited Louie, was too overwhelmed by the loss of her brother to cope with Louie’s display of grief. After much agonizing, Vickie asked me to give Louie a home. He has his own cage but loves to spend time visiting with his best buddy, Pickles, a green Quaker parrot. Louie, age  4, sings and dances up a storm when Cajun music is played. While you might be tempted to touch Louie, his bites are very PAINFUL.

Pickles first owner, Erica, grew up and went off to college, leaving him at home. Although fond of  her parents, Pickles expressed  his displeasure to Erica’s absence by attempting to bite anyone who came close to him. Hearing through the grapevine that I took in birds, the  parents asked me if I had room for one more.  I said yes but questioned my decision after witnessing Pickles attack us and his cage day after day. It took weeks, and lots of patience on the part of Susan, for Pickles to come around. He is normally found on Marina’s shoulder, talking up a storm. He still hasn’t warmed up to me, continuously trying to  “bite the hand that feeds him.”  At age 14, Pickles is one of the older birds.

Watching Barney and Mr. Darcy interact made me jealous- I wanted my own bird. While shopping for dog food at a local pet store I saw a severe macaw, alone in a big cage.  She looked lonely so I spent a few minutes talking to her. When I inquired about her being socialized I was told the staff didn’t really have much time to interact but that one particular employee tried to spend a few minutes with her each day. I was appalled, knowing how much socializing they required to remain sane and healthy.

After making my purchase I left but couldn’t get the bird off my mind. For three consecutive days I went back to the store, spending longer and longer periods with her. Of course I had already named her and sexed her in my mind! One day I’d ask about her papers, the next about her parents, the next about her birthday. And that cinched the deal, for you see, she and I shared the same birthday.  Cage in hand, I went to pick up Bacall on a Thursday morning.  The first time I had my hand out and said “stepup” she bit the fire out of me. For her it was clearly not a case of love at first sight.   However, time, patience and love won out and now she spends most of the day riding around on my shoulder. Bacall is very possesive of me, raising her head feathers and opening her beak to bite if someone gets too physically close to me or if I don’t pay attention to her while I’m busy with a customer.   She is learning a few phrases but the one I hope she will learn soon is “you do know how to whistle don’t you Steve?” after her namesake, Lauren Bacall.
  
The most interesting and difficult bird in my flock is Sweetpea, an umbrella cockatoo. For years she lived with a couple who displayed violent behavior, both physical and verbal,  not only towards each other but towards Sweetpea.  She was given to me when her owner of eleven years realized Sweetpea was unhappy and not transitioning well to a new home and a new relationship.  I have worked for months calming down Sweetpea, holding her in my arms, rocking her back and forth, softly cooing to her ‘it’s o.k., it’s o.k.” Her behavior is still unpredictable- everyday I seem to learn something else that triggers her anger or insecurity.   But I remain impressed by this beautiful bird’s progress and by her  trusting me enough to allow close contact.    While some of Sweetpea’s  vocabulary raises eyebrows (and mine, on occasion) we are teaching her a whole new world where gentleness and kindness reign, where bad language is rarely  used, and physical abuse is out of the question.  Please do not pick her up even if she repeatedly says “step-up” because she just might turn around and bite you.  And please, knowing her history, be patient with us as we try to undo the terrible trauma she experienced. Thank you.
  

OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS:

Bridget is an adoptee from the organization Friends of Cats and Dogs. When they found her as a puppy, she was starving and showed signs of being beaten. After bringing her home and nursing her back to health, Bridget was put up for adoption. Because of her black tongue, she was identified as possibly being part chow with a heavy dose of lab. Some people might have hesitated to bring her home, but I did not. I assured Jodie, the head of FCD that we were a perfect match as I was part lab and part chow we would get along famously! She readily gave her permission for me to adopt and Bridget is now an official store greeter. Because there is abuse in her background, she might appear to be standoffish at first, but she is a sweet girl who will not hurt you. Again, if she makes you uncomfortable we will put her up during your visit.