Denny's Aquascapes and Aviary
P. O. Box 274 Waterford, PA, USA 16441 Phone 814-860-6577
EMAIL: salesdept@dennysaquascapes.com
Back to home page! Feathered Friends Feathered Babies for sale
How this all happened.
About 9 years ago, I had to give up my very fulfilling career because of physical disabilities. I had been a farmer all my life, raising my own food and food for my children in addition to my career. We lived on 100 family farm and had a herd of cattle, mostly hand raised and very tame, we had a beautiful dapple grey Arabian mare and about 150 rabbits, two dogs and a few cats. As my disabilities progressed, I had to give up more and more of the animals. To a farmer, this was devastating. Over the years I tried to raise a few goats and some more rabbits but I couldn’t maintain the relationship that I’d had on a daily basis. Last year, for my birthday, my husband bought me a cockatiel. He was a beautiful little fella that had golden yellow feathers, very dark wings and a bright orange circle. He became my best friend almost overnight and seemed to fill the void that had been in my heart for so many years since loosing the farm.
I learned that cockatiels are curious creatures. They want to know everything that’s going on around them. Each bird has his or her own personality but when they are bonded to you, then you become their flock and family. This was so with Java. Java loved to sit on my shoulder watching my typing and looking at the computer with me. We’d email for hours and do research on birds endlessly. He’d sit with me often and would begin to preen my neck and hair. Quickly I discovered the therapeutic benefits of this gentle nibbling and nuzzling. My physical pain was lessening. My thoughts were less and less of the discomfort and more and more on the wonderful little bird that kept me company all day.
An idea began to grow. If this little bird could be so helpful to me, then couldn’t other birds like him help give relief to others with similar problems and even loneliness and depression? My husband agreed and our Aviary began. We started searching and discovered that many people enjoyed the cockatiel for several reasons. Cockatiels are much quieter than the larger exotic parrots. Although they can be taught to talk, most of the sounds they make are softer and more melodious. The average life span of a cockatiel is about 15 to 20 years. Growing no more than 12 or so inches from tip of tail to beak, they make ideal apartment pets where size and noise is a factor with neighbors. I have found cockatiels to be more versatile as far as their choices for human bonding; and are more likely to accept company and a new pet than are the larger birds. (Only my White Bellied Caiques are as adaptable.) Cockatiels are healthy birds if given a good start. That’s why we are very careful how we raise them.
Cockatiels usually wean onto bird food, fruit, and veggies between 4 to 8 weeks. Our babies are fed a special hand feeding formula when they are transferred to us from the parents at around 10 to 14 days of age. Cockatiels adapt quickly to syringe feeding and enjoy seeing the human care giver come with the food. Our birds are handled often and gently. This is not a quantity venture. We prefer to keep the breeding at manageable numbers so that each bird gets a well socialized, well fed, healthy start while providing mentally stable pet companions to the people that need them. It’s a bit of a juggle but we fill our orders according to what’s best for our exotic parrot friends. They are worth the wait and you can place your name on a waiting list with a deposit.
Another benefit that we provide is a home filled with activity and diversion. The babies are raised right in the midst of each daily happening from loud and noisy teens to a big black Labrador. The brooders are with us in the family room and we entertain guests right with our babies being sure to keep everyone disinfected before touching the babies. By the time our babies are weaned, they have experienced normal family life for many weeks. This ensures our birds are mentally stable and their learning potential has been maximized and stimulated. If startled, our birds tend to calm down quicker and are ready to learn faster. Several of our own pet birds enjoy working in the yard with us and riding in the car. This also makes them easier to feed because they have seen us eat and have been offered the same foods (if on the approved and safe list provided in the Articles and Info page.)
We feed Roudybush, Zupreem, fruits and vegetables with plenty of fresh clean water. We enjoy variety and feel our babies enjoy it too. We also provide millet as a first food and grow our own Vitamin C filled veggies when the season permits. Yes, Cockatiels eat Hot Cayenne Peppers. A bird tastes foods differently than a human does and the extra spice is enjoyed by many birds. Finally, we can honestly say that we do all we can to give our babies the best start so that they will be the best pet birds for you for many years to come.