Birdy Blog

A cockatiel going about daily life with his human roommate.

[emifishwaffle]

Goodbye, and Thank You

I’d like to make this my final post to this blog. It started out in Birdy’s own perspective, and in my eyes was always his, I just ran it (though kind’ve took over in my own way). Quite likely I’ll still be lurking in the corners, I still like to see what the people I follow and their birds are up to, everything here will remain, I may even comment occasionally, but this blog will remain quiet.

Today I received his casket with his ashes. I held him, had a good cuddle, told him everything that’s been going on since he’s been gone, and really had to try to stop myself getting any tears on him. But it feels good to talk to him, and having him here feels like I can go on.

On our end we’ve been holding up... okay. Dealing with grief has been all over the place, at times I feel like I’m doing it wrong by not being upset enough, and then when it does seep through I hurt so much that my brain just... resets.

Tater’s been relatively okay. She’s quieter than usual (though still screaming because... it’s her). She’s been both demanding more attention than usual and also hiding away not wanting to be bothered. I have to take her with me if I leave the room or she’ll get upset.

As for what we’re doing next... well, that’s already in motion. Honestly, faster than I’d expected, and maybe a week or so faster than I’d have liked, but we’ve already found a cockatiel to adopt. My husband’s out right now going to pick him up. He’s a little over a year old, not tame but of course... I have experience with the best when it comes to uncooperative little shits. Raised in an aviary, seems he’s just not wanted anymore. Going to be a little rough I think adjusting them to cage life after an aviary, but with us cages are more of a sleeping thing anyway. It’s still going to be a while before they can really free fly around the house though. I do feel a bit guilty about that, but we’ve got a whole lot of love to give, and a cockatiel friend waiting on this end (they lived with budgies). Got a brand new cage, some old toys around and we’ll get whatever new we need to.

It’s... an end of an era for me. He’s been with me for over a third of my life, almost all of my adult life, and it’s thanks to him that I have... EVERYTHING that I have now. Without him, I’d never have gotten over my agoraphobia. I’d never have been able to take the steps to make a long distance relationship work into which is now marriage. I’d never have fixed my relationship with my mother. I struggled with a lot of things before I got him, and although my general health is lower than ever, my mental health is so markedly different that everyone can see it. He saved me.

Goodbye, you ridiculous pasta-obsessed nut. You’ve been my best friend for almost 12 years. I love you, and thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me.

[emifishwaffle]

My baby bird has passed away.

It was very sudden. One moment he was taking a nap and then something in him snapped and he collapsed. It seemed like he had a seizure from how his body initially contorted, maybe it was a massive heart attack or brain aneurysm, who knows. He wasn’t sick, it was just a very sudden attack on his body. I held him, and he was gone within two minutes, incredibly fast. He’d been playing, eating, singing and everything he loved to do all day. It was... just his time. He was at least 19, possibly older as we could only track his history so far.

I’m so grateful to him that he went in that way. A day full of fun as usual, and then a very quick painless death, with just enough time to hold him as he passed. No getting sick, no lingering on, he went perfectly. I just told him thank you so many times. Thank you for making this the best possible way, thank you for always being there for me, thank you for being the best possible friend I could have ever asked for.

He’s currently resting inside the jigsaw box he loved to play in. It’s got millet bits in there he’d forage for and he loved to chew on and throw the jigsaws. Tomorrow someone will come to pick him up and take him to be cremated, and I don’t know when but I’ll be getting him back in a box I picked out with a name engraving. It’s not goodbye, he’s just going somewhere for a bit and then I’ll have him back and I can keep him forever.

My mother and my husband are wrecked. I’m kind’ve having to be the stable sensible one making sure they look after themselves, and of course I’m looking after myself as well. Had fuck all sleep but making sure I eat and drink, especially drink because there’s a lot of fluid to replace right now.

Tater makes things a bit easier. We showed her his body and let her spend as much time as she wanted with him. She understands, and has been a little quiet and on edge, but has accepted scritches, as well as had some time to scream which makes the house not quite so empty.

I adopted a frightened little cagebound puff about 12 years ago. Seed only, few toys. He never got over some of the things from his old home. He was a secret plucker, picking out from parts that couldn’t normally be seen, such as under the wings and legs, completely bald in some places. It took a long time, more than three years, to convince him to leave his cage. He never accepted scritches. He was always hesitant around hands, but didn’t hate or fear them nearly as much as he used to. I taught him to fly, because he just didn’t know how having been in his cage for so long. Getting him to eat anything other than seed was a chore, but he liked apples, cucumber, and he LOVED lettuce. Once Tater came along he learned from her to start eating some pellets. They had a rocky start, but became wary friends (and tried to mate but neither knew what they were doing). In the past two years especially he has been exploring, playing, and so much happier than ever. He wasn’t sleeping nearly as much, though as an old man he still needed lots of naps. He had arthritis which made it hard for him to climb around and fly, but he liked to follow Tater, and he would fly to the window to look at everything outside. He was always a grumpy git, but he had a lot of fun. I don’t regret a thing.

[emifishwaffle]

One day damnit I’ll have the guts to ask people for their friend codes. I want a to give people fruit so they can complete their collection, but mostly I want a reason to stop selling my recipes and be useful. I could send letters with gifts in! ...and then feel guilty when I got one back...

I am not very good at being social.

[emifishwaffle]

I know how highly unbelievable this might sound, but...

Tater was playing on my keyboard... typed 666 into the browser, hit enter, and then took a shit right inbetween the keys.

When you other people call your birds tiny demons you don’t even know.

[emifishwaffle]

Sorry for the non-bird post, but I want to do something for a franchise I have loved for almost 20 years.

Anyone who follows me and is thinking about buying the new pokemon games, Sword and Shield... please forego wishing to be spoiled. Please look up information. Make a judgement on whether to buy afterwards instead of going in blindly.

The main thing to note is that those not available in the regional dex CANNOT be transferred to the games. They are simply not available, nor will there be any future update to make them available. The only way to obtain them in the future is wait for a game release where they’re available, whether that be 3 years down the line, 6, 9, who knows. You could wait an entire decade before you’re allowed to play with Pidgey again. Around 60% of pokemon are unavailable, there are now only 400 and that includes new species. Keep your old favourites in Alola, or any previous game, DO NOT transfer to Pokemon Home as they may not come back for a very very long time.

But if the dex cut doesn’t bother you, which it won’t for many and I understand that, then consider the following. Game Freak deliberately kept this information under wraps until early game receivers leaked just how bad the cuts were. They have deliberately not told Japan about the cut AT ALL, their main consumers, and those that do know are angry at being kept in the dark. They have repeatedly lied, and are no longer the company they used to be.

I have loved pokemon from the beginning, and continue to do so. I want my beloved franchise to go back to at least some semblance of its former glory. And the only way I can personally do that is to refuse to buy the games, and urge others to at least consider whether you really want to give money to a company who has deliberately and repeatedly lied to its fans.

I’m not telling others not to buy these games, but at least be informed so that they can make their decision.

[emifishwaffle]

Sitting at a 45 degree angle, half-eaten millet sprig poking into belly, bunched up against a toy with no room, quite an uncomfortable looking position.

...one-legged crunchbeak falling asleep.

[kimifeathers]

Bedtime. He’s such a good boy… 😭💕

[emifishwaffle]

Meanwhile I’ve got an ABSOLUTE TERROR who the other night picked up her own shit with her beak and placed it on my finger in sheer outrage at it being bedtime!

[sweetiesugarbird]

Hey all! I have happy news. I’m picking up a lutino cockatiel in a couple days and bringing her home.

She’s a little over a year old. I’m brainstorming a name for her right now and I wanted to see if you all had any good ideas. Currently my list is:

Plumeria

Saffron

Dandelion

Maizy

Honey

Pineapple

Lemonade

Chamomile

Please chime in! ❤️

[emifishwaffle]

Given your name suggestions I figured you were after something soft and flowery, so I looked up some flower meanings.

Turns out Plumeria is actually perfect if you go for a symbolic name.

https://myflowermeaning.com/plumeria-flower-meaning/

My only thought though is it’s not that easy to roll off the tongue, and Plumeria isn’t easy to convert to a nickname either, though perhaps 'Meri’ or ‘Merry’ from the middle of it could work.

[emifishwaffle]

Chicks are cute, we can all agree on that.

But adult chickens are much better. They’ve developed their personalities, their quirks, and you get to like them for the individual rather than just how cute they are. Which isn’t to say they aren’t freaking adorable still.

[emifishwaffle]

Secret scritching technique discovered.

Around the back of the skull by the neck, just wiggle your finger rapidly on just the tip of the feathers.

BATH DANCE TRIGGERED

[emifishwaffle]

...she got me back. Decided bath dance wasn’t enough, went to have a bath in her water dish then flew back to my head to dry herself. Repeatedly.

She also, whilst typing this, licked my monitor power button and turned the screen off. ...repeatedly...

You know what, just don’t fuck with your birds, they will fuck you right back.

[emifishwaffle]

Secret scritching technique discovered.

Around the back of the skull by the neck, just wiggle your finger rapidly on just the tip of the feathers.

BATH DANCE TRIGGERED

[tinysaurus-rex-deactivated20240]

Bantams

Okay so the adult bantams that we need to find a home for. We are NPIP certified and can ship out of state, and can possibly meet up depending on how far (aka if we can afford gas). We live in upstate NY. 

Peanut, Almond, and Cashew. The sebirght sisters came from Tractory Supply, they hatched 3/29/17. They’re pretty big chunkers for sebrights (hatchery quality) and full of sass with other birds, they’re used to being the bosses. They usually bicker but are still tightly bonded and need to be kept together. Being hatchery birds, they lay surprisingly large white legs everyday so keep in mind that they may encounter reproductive issues. Peanut is the friendliest and likes to be on your shoulder at all times, watch your eyes as she is a Forbidden Grape fiend. Almond is a little frightening, she’s plenty friendly with people and likes to hang out on your shoulders when it’s least convenient. Almond has gone broody but decided to devour one of her chicks when it hatched so uh, don’t let her hatch eggs, she’s a fiend but we love her. Cashew is a lover and loves to give kisses! She won’t jump onto you but will constantly be under your feet, trying to untie your shoelaces.  

Thistle, Pili, and Walnut. Thistle is a young stud, hatched 3/30/18, and incredibly devoted to his wives, Pili (05/17/17) and Wally (5/10/17). These three are all old english game bantams, Thistle is silver duckwing and the two hens are Wally and Pili. These guys won’t jump on your shoulders or demand too much of your time, but they’re easy to handle and pick up. Thistle’s favorite thing in the world is to build a nest for his ladies to lay in. He’s also a perfect gentleman, always so polite! You’ll be hard pressed to find a better rooster than this guy. Wally and Pili are kind of hard to tell apart, and their personalities are strikingly similar. We have a red band on Pili to tell her from Wally at a glance, although Wally does have light feathering on her legs. These two both have gone broody, Wally is a good mom and Pili is…okay. She was very protective! The girls are pretty big for OEG bantams, Thistle is a more typical size (smaller than the ladies but still bigger than average). The ginger red gals came from a private breeder who likely got her original stock from a hatchery hence the larger size. Thistle came from an agway who sourced from a private breeder. This trio is bonded and must be kept together.

Quinoa, Acorn, Chia, and Coco. These guys were raised with Thistle. Quinoa and Coco hatched 3/30/18 and Acorn and Chia are slightly older at 3/15/18. They would do well if they went with Thistle’s group, however it’s not necessary, they’re buds but would do well without them as well. Quinoa is a lovely booted bantam fellow, he’s a good boy and for some reason EVERYONE wants to snuggle with him, he’s a hot object at night when it comes to roosting, whoever gets to be next to Thistle is one happy chicken! Acorn (black breasted red OEG hen) and Chia (red pyle OEG bantam) are in love, they’re what the kids call “gal pals,” though they do like their roosters too. These two are pretty hands-off and not too into people, Acorn is easy to pick up but good luck with Chia, she’s a wild child. Quinoa is plenty friendly and likes to scratch on your shoes and follow you around, but don’t you dare pick him up! He’ll scream like a lil baby. We’ve tried working on it but for whatever reason he hasn’t understood that it’s okay like every other chicken has. Coco is a petite cuddle bug and just wants to be held and kissed, she especially likes to snuggle into your jacket, I feel like she’s a d’anvers x OEG bantam because of her beard. Acorn and Chia came from Tractor Supply and have never gone broody, Coco has gone broody, and her and Quinoa came from a private breeder like Thistle. Acorn and Chia must be kept together, Quinoa and Coco can go separately.

 Bruce. Bruce is a show quality barred bantam wyandotte hatched 3/15/18, although his color is not yet recognized by the ABA he would be a great breeder or just a good friend. He’s friendly and good about being held, likes attention, confident and is such a cute dude. He’s proven fertile and has two offspring available as well! I showed him just a few weeks ago and he did awesome, handled it like a champ and took home first in his variety which is uh…not that impressive since he was the only one in his variety- but if his color was recognized I’m sure he would’ve done better. Could also be ideal in a bantam Dominique program. Bruce does have a weird breathing thing, he’s been treated for upper respiratory infection and tested for various diseases, we can’t find anything wrong! He just gurgles and hurgles after he runs a lot like he has asthma. Still though, keep this in mind before considering him.

If interested please dm me on discord (Quail#8005) or email me at [email protected] as tumblr messaging barely works for me. I think we’ll be okay hanging onto them for a month or two but since we no longer have stable income I’m nervous about being able to feed them for that long! I can manage, like, money’s tight and everything’s stressful.

Original Post

[tinysaurus-rex-deactivated20240]

Welp, it’s finally happening and I’m not ready

The folks are getting a divorce- yay! Dad’s an abusive alcoholic, mom is good and deserves so much better. Problem is, my mom, brother and I are being forced to leave the property and getting cut off. I knew this would come but we were counting on actually having a plan and money saved up, but we don’t. This is very sudden and scary and on top of all the bad shit that’s happening I have to say good bye to my babies, my sweet angels that I love so much. I can’t even express how much my heart aches right now, I’m just not prepared for this at all.

We have over 50 chickens that we need to adopt out/sell. Once they’re safe we need to figure out a plan for 4 horses who are my mom’s whole world. She thinks she needs to sell them, but these guys are everything to her, they’re the reason she’s still here today. I have a friend nearby who may be able to take them until we’re on our feet and can find a place to have them, but I haven’t asked her yet. Like I said, this all happened the last two days. I’m so overwhelmed and stressed. After we get the horses taken care of, then we’re going to try and get help from local organizations (social services I guess?) to get out of here and find a cheap place.

I’m obviously keeping Rex, I don’t need to tell y’all how important she is, and she’s cheap and easy to keep. Tatem (fluffy chaos) is staying with me too because same deal. Together they cost all of $20 every 2-3 months which I can manage no problem. I should technically find a home for my snakey, Cornelius, but if I can keep him I will. I’m probably moving in with my friend in NYC for now.

My dear, amazing, absolutely wonderful friend @friedgeppetto is going to kindly take in my pidgies (Piper, Carrie, Peter, lil baby) and our very favorite chickens until we can find a place to have them! Send them love and thanks if you get a chance for being so good, it makes my heart fill up with warmth that they’re willing to help. The birds that are going to them are: my 6 modern games (Flint, Barbar, Killian, Letitia, Dwayne, Laylani), Hazel, Momo (Sweeney’s baby), Tomtom (Barbar niece), Kiki (I’d rather not but she’s bonded to the latter two), Max, Wade, Pansy, my mom’s 6 bantam babies (Butternut, Filbert, Tallow, Hickory, Praline, and Litchi), the weird little serama guy Ferguson, and Capers (Millet’s daughter). Buckley, Sweeney, and two elderly rescues we have will probably also be going to them but it’s iffy.

Some of the bird’s already have homes lines up like my bachelor silkie trio (they’re going to become breeders, they’re gonna be stoked). A friend is taking the two bantam americauna pullets, Dali and Dori. Many of my brother’s orloffs already have homes but not all.

So, here’s a list of all the chickies:

If you’re interested in any of them excluding the ones mentioned (or if you are interested in the ones mentioned I guess go for it and maybe you’d be a good match) dm me on discord (Quail#8005) or email me at [email protected]

We live in upstate NY and are now very limited on money so shipping is only possible if the other party pays for the cost, meeting up is subject to what we can afford in fuel. I’ll do my best.

I’ll be posting a full list of all the birds and their information, I just gotta get up to date pictures.

So yeah, life’s falling apart. I’m hurting so much I’m numb. But at least we’re getting out of here…right?

[emifishwaffle]

Anyone follow me within the NY area who can come pick up some chickies?

[emifishwaffle]

Artist name: Tater Artist Species: Cockatiel (Nymphicus Hollandicus) Title: From One End to Another, 2019 Description: *angry bird noises* Medium: Seed and poop.

[sweetiesugarbird]

she’s gone. my heart is broken.

[emifishwaffle]

She was such a good bean, with such a sweet owner.

[emifishwaffle]

LARGE

[emifishwaffle]

It’s raining really heavily right now, hail included.

...Birdy’s doing the bath dance.

He has NEVER done the bath dance, and has always hated baths.

I sprayed him a bit hoping he’d be into it now and he stopped all “...why are you being mean?”

ffs