I already told Carolyn that the situation was bothering me even before Cuddles flew away (now it's 1000000 times worse)

I don't think that my birds are happy with me, I was thinking about some changes. It's in general unhealthy to have so many closely related adults birds in the house. It was clearly a mistake to keep all the babies back then. Plus, I need lots of changes in my life. My family needs help (me working and making money), and right now I am kept so busy by all the pets (tiels and rabbits), a child, and the rest of responsibilities. I don't want to take just a job for $12 / hr, I want a job that I like and that pays not bad, so I anticipate that it would require commitment on my side. My tiredness and low energy level contributed to inability to solve Cuddle's runaway greatly.

Trillie was so happy that he found Cuddles 3 years ago when we got her as a replacement after we lost beloved Chipper. I am surprised how well things worked out for Cuddles and Trillie. They were definitely better off just 2 birds in the house, that's another reason I was thinking to maybe rehome everybody but to keep this two (and now what a disaster we have!)
Trillie was a great father when these two had babies.

The remaining birds don't seem to care for me much. Cuddles was the only one who was attached to me, so it's especially painful that I lost her. Bella is the only remaining bird who steps up, and now she is not willing to step up much. Occasionally several birds would land on my head (but you see, I am not even around a lot anymore, being busy). I can probably work with them and tame them, but as I mentioned, I am in need to be working on different tasks.

We have 2 pairs of "babies" kinda bonded - Stella and Tater Tot are always together, so are Bella and Sparkle. They mate from time to time but don't lay eggs.

I also have 3 "single" "baby" girls : 2 cinnamon girls who preen each other and
BabyFace who had Sammy as her boyfriend before Sammy was gone a year ago. Now she is trying to get Trillies' attention (even when Cuddles was here but Trillie doesn't give a damn)
One of Cinnamons is also now by Trillie's side, so Trillie has 2 daughters next to him rather often. He sits with them, but I haven't seem him being interested to mate or even preen them.

Trillie isn't a human bird. He obviously needs a mate to be happy. When I had him and Chipper, he kept to himself.

This is the situation I am stuck with... I need to mention that in general all of them are great birds, gentle and not aggressive when there is no need.

You know all the talks about "How an owner can't commit till the rest of pet's days? this is so irresponsible!" I agree, and this is bothering me too! Breeding was certainly a bad decision back then (and I wish somebody told me about it or at least what I'd be stuck with if I don't rehome the babies)

I am for sure committing till the rest of my rabbits' days, I know its very hard to rehome a bunny and mine are used to a certain lifestyle that people most likely won't provide.
I would probably never give my birds up just randomly unless something real bad happens and I am at the edge - like taking them to a bird store for random adoptions.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

I know what most of you are thinking - what a jerk she is.

Trillie makes beautiful babies, I am sure some breeders would be interested to buy him, but I don't want him to be a breeding machine for somebody's profit.


For those unfamiliar with the whole story. Long ago, husband brought home 2 tiels that co-worker couldnt keep. Trillie and Chipper. After some time, Chipper flew away and never was found. As a replacement, we bought Cuddles (ironically, the only bird I ever paid for), she made wonderful couple with Trillie. Soon she started to lay eggs and I was stupid enough to get involved with breeding (surely chicks are a lot of joy). They had 2 clutches and I kept all the babies, 8 total (got too involved and too attached). Then we lost one of them on the way, a year ago. Now I have 8 birds total. Trillie and his children

My birds give me more joy than my rabbits as pets but i love them all.
And i have absolutely nobody near me to talk about this about.

I hear you!
I hope it was helpful to set this down. I did something similar about a (non bird-related) via an email to my friend. Afterwards, things were a little clearer. I am NOT thinking you are a jerk, or any such thing. Keep sharing!

If Trillie starts favoring one of his daughters, would it be bad?

In general, do any of you have any stories when a bird lost a loved one and how they cope, and were they able to find new love? I thought Feathers wrote once after some tragic accident that the remaining bird later found a new mate and was happy... sorry for bringing this up...

THANKS DIANNE!

When a bird loses its mate it will grieve for a while, but they will usually find a new mate eventually if one is available. In Trillie's case the only potential mates are his daughters. That's too close of a relationship, so if they pair up you would need to prevent them from actually having babies.

If you feel that you have too many birds and it's all too complicated, one possibility would be to rehome some of them but not all of them. Someone who already has at least one other cockatiel might be a good option. You would know that the person has some bird experience, and your bird will have a companion of its own species.

Maybe it's time to cut back on so many pets.....
Find good homes for some of them..... don't be sad think
of it in a positive way....
Your family need's you working.... we've all been there.....
Think what's best make a decision and stick to it.....
There are many good interesting jobs out there....
Consider it as a new beginning...
We all luv our pets, but sometimes other things are more
important.....
I hope you make the right choice for you...
Good luck

maybe you are right Jan
But you know what I am thinking about? This birds live long lives if something doesn't cut it short
For example. when Cuddles' owner gave her away to me, she never even asked how Cuddles was doing which I found real strange. Surely, she moved on... I was the one informing her that Cuddles was a girl and she became a mother and so on. If they are rehomed, I would probably be still worried about all of them (which is understood)

I would love to find a devoted person like Carolyn, who does some breeding but not overly, to maybe rehome some birds there.
Do you allow them 2 clutches a year, Carolyn? How many bonded pairs do you have? some of your birds still single, right?