My full name is Phoenix the Fire Bird, but my human family calls me Phoenix, or just "Nix" for short. I am currently 6 weeks old and this blog is to share my life and adventure with the world.
My human mom, Jewel, says that she has wanted a parrot for as long as she could remember. However, she never had the courage to actually get one, due to the time and knowledge it takes to have someone like me. Fortunately for me, she met some wonderful people that she loves, and they happen to be bird people too. With the help of Darris, Shelly, and their 6 birds (2 African Greys and 4 macaws), Jewel has the courage and support to take care of me.
Bradon, my human brother, isn't like most 12 year olds. He has something called Aspergers. Jewel was really concerned how he would cope with having a bird in the house. So, she sat down and talked to him before making the decision of getting a bird. He really loved the idea, so after a lot of research and talking, Bradon decided that a Congo African Grey was the bird for them. Lucky for me, that is exactly the type of bird I am.
Jewel contacted a breeder close to where she lives, and was told she would get one of the birds out of the current clutch (that's aviary speak for eggs that are developing). This was not me, but I'll get to where I come in later.
Bradon and Jewel were very excited. Bradon even asked to go to different pet/bird stores so he could start picking out toys and look at birds. I am told this is very unusual for him, he generally like to stay at home and not be around a lot of people. He even asked to go over to Darris and Shelly's so he could watch their birds.
Jewel was concerned because loud noises bother Bradon, and let's be honest, birds can be noisy. ESPECIALLY a room full of macaws (I'm not saying macaws are bad, I'm sure I will love my new feathered friends, just stating a fact). However, she told Bradon that it would be loud, and they could go home whenever he was ready.
I am told that it was really amazing watching him. He walked into the "Bird House" and the birds really didn't make much noise. All of the birds where out in the living room playing on different gyms. Bradon sat his bag with his computer down and went to say hello to every single one of the birds, then Shelly let him give each of them a treat.
After watching and talking to the birds, he sat down on the couch with his laptop. He is still a little nervous around those birds. After all, he only just met them and they are big, and there is a lot of them. As he was on his computer his attention kept being drawn to the two African Greys. Wednesday is a Congo African Grey, and Sunshine is a Timneh African Grey. They both talk, but Sunshine doesn't say anything unless Wednesday isn't around. Wednesday talks a lot, but not around new people. She normally sits there and just states at them.
After a few minutes of staring at Bradon, Wednesday started talking. Bradon thought this was amazing. Sunshine even came over to the couch and sat beside Bradon and watched him play his video game. Sunshine is a big fan of video games. Bradon even got up the nerve to try and pet the greys, but they weren't quite ready for that and he was ok with that and said he could tell that they were still unsure of him. He said "They just have to get used to me and he was happy they were wanting to be around him." This really shocked Jewel, Bradon can't read human expressions or emotions because of his Aspergers, but somehow he could read and react to the birds. Even when the birds starting squawking and getting loud, Bradon just smiled, laughed, and asked questions. He didn't cover his ears or anything.
They stayed there for HOURS, and didn't go home until Bradon was falling asleep on the couch because he was too tired. He didn't ask to go home, Jewel had to tell him it was time to go.
So, now that you know a little about my humans, you are probably wondering where I came in. Well, Jewel had called and left a couple of messages with the breeder that she was using. After no return calls she sent a couple of emails. The breeder never got back to her, probably because the birds were still eggs, but Jewel is one of those people that is very conserved about her future babies (human, furred, or feathered) and made the decision that if the breeder could not respond to her questions about getting things ready, and how the babies were going to be cared for, then that was not the breeder for her.
She contacted several other breeders in Texas and received no responses to her inquires. So, she started looking outside of the state. She contacted several breeders but luckily my breeder, Lynda Broach with Tweety Bird Aviary, responded quickly and was very patient in answering all of Jewel's questions. All the other breeders seemed shady and couldn't answer some of the simplest questions. Lynda answered all of the question and even gave Jewel her cell phone number and texted with her frequently. Never once did my Lynda complain or think Jewel's questions were stupid. In fact she was happy that Jewel was so concerned about the birds.
Jewel decided that Lynda was the right choice, and I can't tell you how lucky I feel about that. Jewel was expecting to have to wait for another clutch before she would get a bird, but luckily I had just become available about a week before she contacted my Lynda.
So, now I have a human family that I will join in Texas, after I am completely weaned and fledged. I am very excited and I think my name is really cool. I was even told that Jewel is going to send me some toys to play with before I even get to my new home. I can't wait!!!!!!!
Here is a picture of me (at 6 weeks old) Am I not the cutest thing ever???
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