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Home My wife, Donna & I moved to the Gulf Coast of Florida in Decemeber, 2002 to take care of my very ill mother & father...With being full-time caregivers, we had to find something to do at home since mom's alzheimer's made it difficult to get out and work a regular job...I used to have an Orange-wing Amazon many years ago & was always interested in birds but with raising my three kids & being in the military, I wasn't able to get to involved...Now with caring for my parents, we have time on our hands, thus the bird business kinda evolved...We got a small flight of cockatiels & made our own aviary that's attached to the shed out back.. it took us about 6 months before we finally managed to get some babies out of the 9 pairs...On New Year's Day, 2005, we had our first baby hatch...We named her Leslie, after our niece...She was the first of 5 babies from that clutch... During the month of January, We gathered a total of 14 babies from 3 sets of parents...One set has an extraordinary story...There were 5 babies total & on the 5th ones birth, the mom got out of the cage...We had to bring in all 5 of them...We'd never hand-fed before & we were very worried about them, especially the newborn b/c it was smaller than my thumbnail...They all thrived though & grew into beautiful & loving birds that all found good homes...My wife has a small fleamarket business(Donna's Delights) and that's where she has been selling the babies, thus far...My mom passed away this past Christmas, just shy of seeing the first babies born but we know that she'd have enjoyed having these lovely critters around...A friend told us not to name any of the babies because once you do, you won't want to sell them...I agreed with that originally but Donna found that she couldn't keep saying Peter & Mary's baby no.1 or Mark & Bj's no. 2 baby did so & so...It seemed a little silly talking about them as just a baby bird, hence she started naming them...We let the parents feed them for the first 2 weeks, then we bring them into our bedroom & feed them accordingly...Usually, within a week or so, they've told her what their name is...She's a firm believer that the baby knows what its name is and it tells her...Okay, she's slightly nutty but I guess that might be a good thing...All her friends now call her the "bird lady". ..Some "birdbrain"...If you knew her, you'd agree...Both of us truly enjoy taking care of the birds, parents and babies...We've lost a few over the last year since we got started but we've learned a lot about birds, especially cockatiels...They're all the same but different personalities...We spend a great deal of time with them, thus they're very well loved & give lots of love back... They're a delight to be around & we highly recommend that a cockatiel is the perfect pet when a dog or cat aren't possible or practical...They don't need to be walked or cleaned up after on a daily basis like dogs do & they can travel with you much easier...We also firmly believe in clipping our pets wings...There are hidden dangers for flying critters, such as ceiling fans, the toilet, hot water in the sink or on the stove, or open windows and or doors...We're a small business so far but plan on expanding as our demands with my ill dad & finances allow...We will update our website with new pics & info about whats available on a weekly basis.. .We hope you'll consider adopting one of our cockatiels and will look forward to a long & happy relationship with you...Take care & God Bless... Bob & Donna Russell
Home Birds Like Us Bob & Donna Russell 7773 W. Rosedale Homosassa,Fl.34448 Email Address
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