Indy (Cockatiel - Nymphicus Hollandicus) hatched on October 23, 2005. We found him at Morning Sun Aviaries and they were a great experience. Currently, Indy is an "IT" because the gender-defining molt won't happen for several months. For now, we call it a gurlboyit.
UPDATE MAY 2006 Indy is definitely a boy. He's only in the middle of his first molt (feathers are flying and his tail is GONE) but his whistling and attempts at talking identifies him as male for sure. He does the standard wolf whistle, croons extremely skillfully during the morning with his very original whistling songs, has learned the Friendly Giant whistle theme-song (thanks MIL!), and says a very cryptic "Hi baby!".

May 2006 photo of the molting tail-less one. I blame the Telus commercials - Indy watches lots of television, and I think he believes he should look like a Fischer's lovebird, which also have no tail. The media is ruining my bird's self image!

Here's some original baby pics of our roomie from December 2005:

Before Indy, there was Dodger, a male cockatiel, and Buster, a lovely blue budgie. Indy will have its wings clipped closely because we lost the others to FLIGHT ACCIDENTS. It's a common way to be injured if you're a bird, and an even more common and terribly heartbreaking way to die. If you're not completely anal about keeping windows and doors closed while your bird is out of its cage playing or interacting with you, be a loving owner and clip!

Dodger - he's just a pretty little bird that we sucked into our crazy life when our friends' two "male" tiels ended up laying eggs. His mimic of the seagulls created a deep hatred in my soul for seagulls, but the mimic of the telephone ringing was the grooviest trick to get his humans into his room. A skilled whistler, he now lives wild with a pack of seagulls in Vancouver's west end. Rock on, 'tiel.

Buster - Buster was a loving little bird and would nestle in my hair while I played with the computers, hang out with Jay's mom for hours chittering at her, played on clothes hangers, and adored Jason & Jarrad. He lived with all three (Jay his brother and mom), then with us for a stint before the Great Cat Capture (both Buster and the cat recovered well), then with his brother. After years and years, this Saskatchewan bird finally just had to know what was going on outside with that white stuff falling from the sky. RIP.



I'm realizing more and more than most people assume that birds are boring, low maintenance pets that just stay in cages and sing prettily. If you want low maintenance, try a goldfish! Here's a great article from a Saskatchewan aviary about things to think about before getting a bird.

Cockatiel (and other bird) resources on the web:

Up At Six - Nurturing Guidance - how to train your cockatiel to not control your life!
Cockatiel Cottage - a lovely quaint site with more information than any other site I've found.
Cockatiel Genetics & Mutations - a very cool site with a "virtual breeder" and artwork of the different type of colorings of cockatiels.


Cockatiel (and other bird) resources in the Calgary area:

Calgary Avian & Exotic Pet Clinic
Calgary Parrot Club
Morning Sun Aviaries
Genesis Aviaries
Chaotic Exotics
Parrotdise Perch
Pisces Pet Emporium - the store is massive. And it has monkeys - SCORE!

Cockatiel (and other bird) resources in the Vancouver area:

West Coast Tropical Bird Studio
BC Exotic Bird Society of Canada