That must have been hard for you.  We only had paraketes and they drove me nuts.  I had to give them away. They would always sqwack when I was trying to talk on the phone, do bills or when the kids were trying to do homework. I know, baddddd. I guess birds are not for me. I had one experience with my sisters cockatoo. They were having their place bombed so I watched Fred, He would not shut up. Everytime I left the rooom, he would say Hi Fred louder and louder and louder. I covered his cage with a towel and he tried to pull it in, I was then basically playing tug of war with this critter to get it back. Ohhhhhhh I can never ever own a bird. LOL  My sister rehomed him that turned out to be a freddrica too. No wonder he did not like women.

I used to have birds. As I got more exhausted from numerous dogs and work/bill paying, I found that I would neglect the birds, so I sold them off. At one time I had several talking cockatiels. Growing up, I always kept chickens, and had a couple turkeys until Thanksgiving, once. I like birds. If I am idle rich one day, I can see having them again. As it is the dust, mites, and noise are too much for me, same with snakes, mites and smell in that case, but I really like both. I just have no time for either, anymore and know my limitations. My last boa was 5ft. long when I sold him...I had always had a snake in the house, so it is a loss I feel keenly. I prefer the small wrist size snakes...

Hey, well i currently have birds, and have had birds for quite a few years now.  The only type we've ever had as been cockatiels. At one time we had 4, but all but one of them died.  And then I got another one for my 16th birthday.  Birds are great pets, but they are very loud, and messy.  And they also need a lot of time spent with them, which is seeming to be the hard part as of late.  My birds are great though, the one doesn't talk much, but the one i got for my birthday talks like crazy.  he says pretty bird, morning, love ya, night, pretty bird, hello pepper, hello tara, hello peter....and he likes mixing those words up!

I have had my share of budgies over my life time and they all squalk...I took in a Blue and Gold Macaw named aphache and he was abused and kind of mean..I started giving him the kids cereal with a hot dog tong and he soon associated me as the food lady...He would nip at you when he felt like it..most of the time it wasnt serious..He drew blood on my hubby and daughter a few times..I would give this thing everything we ate.,The lady who had him told me he loved speghetti..and pasta..He sure did..I think he loves scrambled eggs most though..I used to tease him to come and eat some cousin...lol..He would make the biggest messes..if he got ticked..he would rake all his seed out..and that stuff isnt cheap..and the poop...eating all the stuff he did he was a pooping machine..But..he got along well with the (bird) dogs and cats and walked on the ground or we put up PVC piping so he could have perches everywhere. He was a trip..I could not take his teradactal sounds he made...especially if you got on the phone..I did teach him some words..in adertantly..Like SHUT UP..and he would call Topper..the dog...and he would some times cry like a real baby..He must have been around small children..when ever he did this it was soooo errie..usually it was late at night when the house was still.

We had a wierd thing happen with a wild bird..A beautiful bright red cardinal began smacking into our sliding glass door..He would do it numerious times a day..He began painting the window with berry juice...and I dont no why..He also would go on our truck..and hover at the mirrors and sure enough..he painted the windows and mirrors with berry juice..He was here the first summer after we rebuilt after our house was distroyed from fire..I have not noticed him since..but I am sure puzzled as to why he did this...any one have any ideas?

 

I'm guessing it is because windows can reflect like a mirror when the light hits them a certain way, the birdy in the mirror is a rival, for birds are territorial...

Here's an interesting bird story.

Last year after we moved into our house, we put up a chain link dog kennel by the house.  It was in the back yard along the wall.  One day my brother, who lives with us, came out to the garage and asked me why there was a giant bird in our back yard.  I said "what?" and followed him to the back.  Sure enough, there was a big green macaw on the dog kennel.  We were amazed.  We threw a blanket over it and put it in the kennel.  We locked the dogs out of it and put a stick across for a perch.  We put signs up for 'found, Bird' and never got a response.  After a bit, my brother called a friend of his who is a Native American medicine man named Bear in Oklahoma.  Bear used to be a zoo keeper for wild birds so he knew what to do.  He said that if we weren't going to keep it, he'd drive here and get it (he never goes anywhere).  We said great. I was so excited because i had heard a lot about him from my brother.  The macaw was very scared and didn't speak and when Bear showed up, he started talking to it.  He found out it spoke spanish!  His name was Paco and he "explained" his story.  He was smuggled and brought over the boarder in Nogalas by a mexican woman.  He was taped up and put in a barrel.  He escaped because the woman almost got caught crossing the boarder (illeagle) and she didn't want to get caught with him.  When we found him, his toe was broken so we learned that when they closed the lid, his toe got caught and smashed.  He had mud on his nose, and found out he had been drinking water out of ditches.  He had flown from Nogalas to us.  He later revealed that he was taken from his mate (they mate for life)  He didn't say ALL of this but also explained in actions.  Bear put him in a cage and took him all they way back to OK.  He is now a very happy bird and is totally tame.  He even watches Bear on the computer!  The most interesting part is that we couldn't figure out what type he was (blue and gold, scarlet, emerald).  We first thought emerald but he had a red tuft on his nose.  Didn't fit.  After Bear got him home, he e-mailed us what he found.  Paco is called a Buffon Macaw which is on the endangered species list!  I also gained my Native name when Bear came and got to listen to many awesome native songs.  The whole neighborhood heard my brother and Bear singing them and came over to listen too.........lol

Buffon Macaw: