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Post by skeen on Feb 7, 2004 4:00:31 GMT -5
You know- I couldn't help myself. I've had A Yellow Fronted Amazon who could curse better than a Cornish sailor (and did it eloquently in Espanol); Budgie's and worked in a pet shop for a few years in my youth, but due to spatial parameters, my abode is shared with my cat people. Thanks for taking a peek at my housemates. Lilly.. my kitten. She was on the bathroom door... sigh. Nadia.. Naughty Baby Anubis.. and she's bad. Naka-mousieBearheartMittenkanSan.. he took over being my watchdog after my Great Pyrenee's left "temporarily" and not with my blessing with an old roommate. Long story. And last but not least: My adult kids and Tofu, my daughter's boxer.
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Post by Mech on Feb 10, 2004 23:06:22 GMT -5
Hi Skeen....
I had 2 cats myself from when I was about 8 years old untill I moved out.
Alexander was my favorite. He was a big Grey Tomcat. The best hunter in the world and beat the snot out of the neighborhood dogs. He had NO fear. But yet...he wouldnt leave you alone untill you pet him for at least 10 minutes. Very demanding.
My other cat I named (a black cat with a white neck and paws) Count Icculus..or "icky" for short. I named him "Count" because he was like a vampire and loved to chew on my fingers...he was a bit sadistiic like that. Icky was a cat that likedd to hide in weird places and jump out at you when you walked by. Very playful.
I stopped owning cats after a girl I was dating had terrible allergies to cats.
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Post by Swamp Gas on Feb 11, 2004 10:02:08 GMT -5
Growing up, my family had up to seven cats at once. Most got killed, because they would sneak out, and get run over.
One cat, Smokey, got hit by a car, and got it's leg crushed. He came home dragging his rear, almost severed, leg. My grandma put a big bandage around his leg with peroxide, and waited until my dad came home. They took him over to the vet, and they saved his leg, although he hobbled along. He was then a permanent house cat, much to his pleasure.
Having 18 birds now doesn't make a good combination with cats, so we just pet our friends cats, one who is going on 26 years old.
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Post by Thetaloops on Feb 11, 2004 12:16:14 GMT -5
My family had a cat when I was growing up named 'Katsy'. He was an orange and white striped cat. He was huge. We had a small baby grand in living room (completely out of tune and seldom played : that he would curl up on and almost cover the whole top of the piano cover. He was full of attitude and little snobbish. Our dog at that time was a Shetland Collie named 'Lassie'. She was a really nice loyal dog. We loved them both. Now we have our flock of 18 Birds and that is plenty. They are alot of work but so loving and funny. Constant entertainment.
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Post by Mech on Feb 11, 2004 14:26:57 GMT -5
I love the Noble Gas flock!
It's so cool you guys sampled their voices into your music.
They are definately a very social bunch with different personalites.
I think a cockateil may be my next pet.
But I will probably be present during a hatching so it will be imprinted on me. That's what a former girlfriend of mine did. She claims that the bird will be much more at ease with you than if you just bought one grown up in a pet store in a cage.
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Post by Swamp Gas on Feb 11, 2004 14:43:46 GMT -5
claims that the bird will be much more at ease with you than if you just bought one grown up in a pet store in a cage. Twelve of our 18 were raised from eggs, and as you can see from other pictures, you have to handle them as soon as the little feathers and punk crests comes in. They are then used to you, and the only way to socialize them. Sometimes, you have to clip their wing feathers (very carefully, special ones need to be clipped), and tap them in the chest with your finger to train them, as some are like people, wilder. We feed them Foundation Formula, the best pellet mixture there is, a small amount of various herbs and seeds, fresh vegetables, sprouts, and apples. Harrison's pellet mixture is a hype. Much more expensive, and they bind it together with animal fat, whereas Foundation Formual uses all organic herbs and proteins, and is bound with seaweed. They completely disintegrate there food everyday. Especially important to birds AND humans is dandelion greens and milk thistle. Small birds tend to have weaker livers, and by feeding them smaller amounts of fat , with the herbs, you can ward off illness. You really have to watch standard pet stores in selling birds. Commercial hatcheries put the babies in Zinc-Galvanized cages (Cost-Cheap), and the birds absorb this. VERY DANGEROUS. That is why commerical cockatiels only live to 6-8 years, whereas hand fed at home can live up to 35 years, average being 20-25 years. Very important not to shcrimp on the cage, and toys. They love toys! One of the funnier moments was when we watched a Senegal and Conure for some people at work. They are twice as big as our birds. We kept them in the living room, so to have privacy. Well, the King, CB, got into the living room, and scared the heck out of the two parrots, and they went flying across the room. Fearless, that CB! So, Mech, we will be seeing you soon, and we can discuss birds, music, and the state of the world!
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Post by Thetaloops on Feb 11, 2004 18:24:30 GMT -5
Your so right about being around when your future bird/friend is born. Handling them and hand feeding them, bonds them with you. Mech, I bet you're a great bird/friend, from seeing you with ours. There was a terrible experience that we had with a Zinc Galvinized steel cage. It was called a flight cage. At the time we had a cockatiel 'Mutey' who was mutated, thus the name. He had deformed legs. He could only shuffle along on his twisted legs. We wanted to get a new cage so he could hang on the side and climb easier. The company which we bought it from had a danger message on the ad but insured us that it was not toxic, and don't worry. We scrubbed it down with a wire brush as they suggested. With in a month 'Mutey' had died and the other three cockatiels we had put in with him were all Zinc toxic and had to get chelation. Only one other of them, 'Stormy', eventually came down with liver damage and passed away. The other two (CB and Ollie, the king and queen) are still alive . The company paid for all of the vet expenses and the cage, but it really does not replace our friends. We have felt terrible about this. It is very important not to take those kind of chances when the warning signs are there. Even our intuition was ringing, but we didn't listen. These kind of experiences can only be taken as hard lessons, never to happen again.
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Post by Mech on Feb 11, 2004 18:51:03 GMT -5
How sad.
I had my cat Alexander put under because he was so old that his legs gave out and was in such pain that he was becoming despondent and wouldnt eat. I was with him ever step of the way and had my goodbyes with him before i turned him over to the vets. Im sure he fell into a deep, restful sleep with no problem.It was a heartbreaking experience.I loved that cat. I grew up with him. I'm glad i have many pictures of him still.
Thanks for sharing about your birds.
There is a farm closeby here that gives hay rides that also raises hand fed cockateils. I might pay them a visit in the spring.
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