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Chosen Few
Alpha Channel Slave
Join date: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 7,496
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08-15-2006 11:03
Thanks everyone for all the help! Well, today's the big day, and when we went to the pet store this morning, as soon as I picked the little guy up I knew I couldn't put him down. So, $250 later (bird, cage, and accessories), he's now home with me, and he seems quite happy to be here. There seems to be some disagreement over whether he's actually a he though. The first sales girl kept referring to him as "he", but the one we dealt with today said the coloring is more indicative of a female. I guess we'll have to wait for the first vet visit to find out for sure. Ayway here's my new little friend (and please forgive the blur; my camera seems to be broken at the moment):  Thanks again for all the help, everyone. If anyone wants to help name the little guy, please respond to this thread. 
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Land now available for rent in Indigo. Low rates. Quiet, low-lag mainland sim with good neighbors. IM me in-world if you're interested.
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Merlyn Bailly
owner, AVALON GALLERIA
Join date: 7 Sep 2005
Posts: 576
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08-15-2006 15:21
From: Chosen Few My girlfriend and I were driving home from lunch today, and as we were passing the petstore, we got it into our heads to stop and "visit" the animals. We figured we'd look at the puppies, maybe pet a kitten or two, and be on our way. It didn't quite work out that way though, as the stars of the show were undoubtedly the numerous birds this place had.
Never having had a pet bird myself, and never having known anyone who has very well, I had had no idea that birds were so affectionate and so interested in people as they apprantly are. We had parrots climbing all over us, playing with our hair, chewing on our clothing, tugging on our ears. It was amazing fun.
Then the sweet little sales girl laid it on us. "You gotta see my baby that you have to take home". She took us to the back of the store, and pulled this dishevled little mass of torn feathers out of its solitary cage.
"We had to isolate this one because the others were pecking on him," she said. And it showed. The poor little guy had a bald patch above his tail where the other cockatiels in the store had apparently ripped his feathers out, and his tail itself had had some of its plumage broken in half.
"He's the nicest bird there is though. He's so affectionate." And he really was. He had immediately jumped onto her finger as soon she opened the cage (something I understand birds usually have to be trained to do), and as soon as she handed him to me, he climbed up my arm, perched on my shoulder, and buried his little head in my hair. He spend the next 20 minutes or so there, before I finally had to bring myself to give him back.
"You should take him home," she kept saying. It was so tempting. I really wanted him. However, never having had a bird before, I decided it would be best to do a little research before taking the plunge. Apparently these birds live upwards of 20 years, which needless to say is a very long time to have to live the consequneces if you screw one up.
We explained to the nice sales girl that Tuesday is my birthday, and that if we decide to get the bird, that will be the day we do it. She promised not to show the poor, beat up little guy to anyone else before then. Hopefully she'll keep her word.
So, I must turn to my SL friends here for some help. Does anyone have a cockatiel? How hard are they to take care of? How hard are they to potty train? Any pitfalls I should be aware of? Gimme the good, gimme the bad; I really want to know everything there is to know. I've been doing some reading, but I'd very much like to hear some personal stories. Should I bite the bullet and bring the little buggar home? I'm actually more of a cat person, and almost all the birds I've met personally have been fairly nasty of temperament, but one sister of a girl who worked at RL job has a white cockatiel that is really cool and friendly -- now, if I'd walked in that store and that little fuzzball had buried his head in MY hair, I'd take him home in a minute. I hope you go back and get him.
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SL used to be a game -- now it's a corporate advertising/marketing platform.
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