Ozzie's Story

When Laura, the underwriter where I work, first approached me about taking in Ozzie, her parakeet, my husband and I still lived in the apartment. With him working nights, adopting another bird seemed highly unlikely, so with regret, I informed her that I couldn't at that time. A few months later, my situation changed, and Laura posted a note at work asking if anyone wanted to take in her parakeet. This time, I could, and so Ozzie came to live with us.

Unlike most rescue birds, Ozzie had been kept well. She came with a nice cage, plenty of toys, and an ample supply of food. I saw quickly that Ozzie had been housed with lots of love and affection, and sought to ensure her environment remained the same. Once home with me, I put her into a larger cage, where she quickly settled down. After about a month, I tried to tame Ozzie. After clipping her wings, I worked with her in the bathroom for several days. I ended up with several hard parakeet bites and decided that perhaps she didn't want to be tame after all. She was nearing a year of age, and I suspect that her maturity along with her lack of handling contributed to her determination to remain untamed.

I decided then to get Ozzie a mate, for company. I chose a half-English green male and felt sure he would impress her. She at least liked him, for the two spent hours preening each other. They both explored the nestbox, but she made no attempt to settle down and have a family. After a few months, I borrowed a pair of parakeets from a friend of mine, in the hopes that the second pair would entice Ozzie and her mate to start a family. Much to my dismay they didn't.

I tried several cage configurations: all the parakeets together, side by side in divided breeder cages, separate cages across the room from each other. The birds did not breed. For some people there are species that they cannot breed, and parakeets must be mine. So, I returned the extra parakeets to my friend and returned Ozzie to her solitary life. She seemed happier, now having her swing, rings, and the rest of her toys all to herself. And, she enjoyed her solitary life until Chubb arrived.

It seems sad that the smaller birds, like parakeets and finches, get overlooked in the bustle to own "big birds." Adoption shelters for large birds abound, and in my next

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