NanceXToo Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 So, yesterday the kids and my husband and I went with my mom to a bird specialty store to get her a new parakeet to replace the one that just died recently. She lives alone in an apartment building, she's turning 75 next week, and the bird made a nice companion for her even though it didn't want to ever be held or petted or anything. We go to this store because she knows many of the birds have been hand-reared and she's hoping to get a more social parakeet. No such luck. The ONE parakeet they had there didn't want the owner to go near it, and it bit my husband haha. Meanwhile, I'm hanging out by this big open display of young cockatiels, and when I put my hand down in there, this one comes hurrying right up to me and climbs on my hand. I fall instantly in love and between myself, my husband, and both of my kids, this thing just lets us hold it forever. It's content to never get down and go from person to person and be touched, held, etc. It's awesome. It also costs $119 instead of the $20 my mother had planned to spend and requires a bigger cage. We tell her we'll pay for $75 of it as a birthday gift (originally she had wanted a Michael's gift card to buy yarn) if she decides she wants this bird, and she decides to go for it. We bring home the most awesome bird ever and get it all set up in her apartment. I just know it's going to make her a great companion. So she's trying to decide on a name for it, not knowing for sure if it's a boy or a girl, and I did a little looking at bird names online and sent her a list of some of them to consider. She decides she likes Jesse. She posts the following on Facebook: Mom: My baby bird is named Jesse (thanks Nancy) be it a boy or a girl. What's that old song? I wanna be Jesse's mom. Mom's friend: I think it is "I wanna be Jesse's girl," but that works, too. :) " Me: Haha...No, the one you're thinking of is called Stacey's Mom (has got it going on) and it's about a guy wanting to go to his "friend" Stacey's house because he is lusting after her mom. Jesse's Girl doesn't really work either, it's about a guy who has a male friend named Jesse and wishes Jesse's girlfriend could be his instead. He sings, "I wish that I had Jesse's girl..." I was cracking up LOL. And now, here are a few pictures of the totally adorable, sweet bird we brought home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 (edited) :lol: I have both Jesse's Girl and Stacy's Mom on my iPod. I was feeling mischievous one day & told my dd11 that I should have named her Stacy. She asked me why & then I played that song. She was like, "Mama!" and she just shook her head.:D And what a cute bird! Edited September 15, 2012 by freeindeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Lyrics can be a funny thing. I will never forget the day my eldest rally listened to the words of, "All I wanna do is make love to you" and declared it the most awkward song ever. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 What a SWEET bird!!! I love the pic of it sitting on your son's shoulder looking at him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Cockatiels are great! I think your mom will be very happy with her new companion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I told your story to my wife, from memory, after I read it. She said that if that is the same bird she is thinking of, here in Colombia they are USD$400 minimum. There is a lot of illegal trafficking in animals, so here, one would not want to be caught with a species that is illegal to have. Super story and I hope your mom and her new bird have many years of good health ahead of them! We have a Parrot who will be 48 years old in November. About 4 or 5 days ago, he apparently fell off the perch in his cage and we thought he was going to die, but my wife has been a great veterinary nurse for him and he is still with us.:D Now, he is in a much smaller cage, with no perches, and he is on the floor of the cage, so he cannot fall again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 LOL!! The bird is so sweet looking. And it looks like it'll be the perfect pet for you mom. I hope she continues to enjoy having a new bird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I love the pic of it sitting on your son's shoulder looking at him. Me too! I'm so happy for your mom. It looks she'll have a great companion :) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 He/she is gorgeous! DS8 has been asking for a pet bird for the last three years and DH and I have just kept thinking 'No, we really don't need another responsibility ...', but having read Jesse's story and seen how beautiful he/she is, I'm now feeling really, really tempted ... Oh dear. I know if I show this to DH he'll feel exactly the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 My sister has a parrot named "Jesse" for the same reason didn't know if it was a boy or girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Looks like you found a sweetie :001_smile:. Cockatiels make great pets. If your bird is over 6-8 months old, it is a female, because of the muted cheek patches. Males will have more vivid cheek colors. If it is younger than that you will be able to tell it's gender eventually. Here's a guide.. http://confluence.mickaboo.org/display/MBPublic/Visually+sexing+your+Cockatiel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted September 15, 2012 Author Share Posted September 15, 2012 Lyrics can be a funny thing. I will never forget the day my eldest rally listened to the words of, "All I wanna do is make love to you" and declared it the most awkward song ever. :lol: :lol::lol: I told your story to my wife, from memory, after I read it. She said that if that is the same bird she is thinking of, here in Colombia they are USD$400 minimum. There is a lot of illegal trafficking in animals, so here, one would not want to be caught with a species that is illegal to have. Super story and I hope your mom and her new bird have many years of good health ahead of them! We have a Parrot who will be 48 years old in November. About 4 or 5 days ago, he apparently fell off the perch in his cage and we thought he was going to die, but my wife has been a great veterinary nurse for him and he is still with us.:D Now, he is in a much smaller cage, with no perches, and he is on the floor of the cage, so he cannot fall again. Wow, 48 years! That's amazing!! My mom has already told me that her bird may outlive her and that it's a good thing I really like the bird as I may have to care for it after she goes. :P He/she is gorgeous! DS8 has been asking for a pet bird for the last three years and DH and I have just kept thinking 'No, we really don't need another responsibility ...', but having read Jesse's story and seen how beautiful he/she is, I'm now feeling really, really tempted ... Oh dear. I know if I show this to DH he'll feel exactly the same. lol...I was sorely tempted to take one home for myself, too, but like you, I don't really need another responsibility, and I have a cat, and since my mom is only a few blocks away, I can go play with her bird instead. My mom keeps sending me emails telling me about how the bird loves sitting on her shoulder, walking all over her computer desk while she's sitting at her computer, hanging out on the loveseat with her, exploring the floor. She's definitely a very social and curious creature! Looks like you found a sweetie :001_smile:. Cockatiels make great pets. If your bird is over 6-8 months old, it is a female, because of the muted cheek patches. Males will have more vivid cheek colors. If it is younger than that you will be able to tell it's gender eventually. Here's a guide..http://confluence.mickaboo.org/display/MBPublic/Visually+sexing+your+Cockatiel I am pretty sure the lady said it is only like nine or ten weeks old or thereabouts! She said in the next few weeks we may be able to tell because the females kind of tend to sing with one note whereas the males tend to make different notes and tunes when they sing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I am pretty sure the lady said it is only like nine or ten weeks old or thereabouts! She said in the next few weeks we may be able to tell because the females kind of tend to sing with one note whereas the males tend to make different notes and tunes when they sing. :001_huh: Uh-oh! I think I'm a Cockatiel! :glare: :001_smile: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 if the face gets more yellow, like all yellow, then it is a boy. I used to raise cockatiels when I was a kid. very nice birds! Kind of loud. I'm trying to think if my females sang less, yes, maybe, I never noticed then, though. I had one that would say "here kitty, kitty!" it was pretty funny. Read up on good diets for cockatiels, they do need more than just bird seed (fresh veggies are a good thing) and they shouldn't have a seed that is all sunflower, it's bad for them...I think things have changed now, but in the 70's and 80's popular cockatiel seed was all sunflower and the birds got fat and died young. I think things have changed, fortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Sweet story. My guess is that Jesse is a girl. http://www.birdtricks.com/Cockatiels/sexing-cockatiels.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Cockatiels make great pets! I have had two and they were both great. If it's a male, it might end of talking or at least be a good whistler! Great story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Jesse is a girl cockatiel. I've raised them for thirty years. They are so sweet. I still have two: a boy and a girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Jesse sounds like she will be a great companion for your mom. I had a parrot for years who I still miss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 if the face gets more yellow, like all yellow, then it is a boy. I used to raise cockatiels when I was a kid. very nice birds! Kind of loud. I'm trying to think if my females sang less, yes, maybe, I never noticed then, though. I had one that would say "here kitty, kitty!" it was pretty funny. Read up on good diets for cockatiels, they do need more than just bird seed (fresh veggies are a good thing) and they shouldn't have a seed that is all sunflower, it's bad for them...I think things have changed now, but in the 70's and 80's popular cockatiel seed was all sunflower and the birds got fat and died young. I think things have changed, fortunately. The bird specialty store gave her three lbs of food to start with and stressed the importance of buying quality food for her (the store is an hour from home so not sure if we'll keep going there). Whatever they gave her they said to keep in the fridge as it has no preservatives in it. They said that any food my mom ate (except avocado or chocolate) she could offer her little bits of and that it is good to give her people food. So my mom has offered her little bits of fruit, vegetables, bagel, brown rice, sweet potato, etc. Sweet story. My guess is that Jesse is a girl. http://www.birdtricks.com/Cockatiels/sexing-cockatiels.html Jesse is a girl cockatiel. I've raised them for thirty years. They are so sweet. I still have two: a boy and a girl. I'll pass that on! The bird store lady said it may be a few weeks before you really know because s/he's still so young but that link didn't say anything about these things happening after a certain number of weeks. My mom has already taken to calling Jesse "her" anyway! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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