Kim feeling overwhelmed from my birds, it all started from the raccoon attake then moons foot ingury and them being in the garage in a tiny cage! I feel bad for them, I feel like I am not giving them enough attention. I feel like I am torchering them, I feel like I ruined their life!
I have always wanted a big flight cage that would be inside the house, but my parents don't really know that birds need more care than what happens in the flea market

I feel sad, I am miserable. I just want to keep Bio and Marshmallow in the aviary and find the others a good, loving home that people can take care of them like a normal bird! Not a bird that lives in a tiny finch flight cage inside a garage

My birds are NOT fed pellets not even vegetables and I have been wanting to give them a good life but my parents just don't understand

My cousin and Grandfather call me a baby because I like birds

I hate taking care of things! I never succeed
I don't even think I want Bio or Marshmallow now

I'll try to find them ALL good homes and maybe one day when I move into my own house I can succeed at my dream but right now, I just want to dump my head in the toilet

Don't do anything right away. You're obviously feeling depressed and it's impossible to make wise decisions under those conditions. You haven't mentioned school lately but that's probably still a source of stress too. My suggestion would be to wait until the end of the school year, and if you still feel the same then it will be time to think about rehoming your birds.

In the meantime, you love them and they love you and there's nothing wrong with that. Don't mind your grandfather and your cousin, they obviously don't understand how pets can improve a person's life and that's their loss.

Maybe your parents don't understand this either, but I think they do understand that life has been hard for you lately. If you can make them understand that it will help you feel better if you can provide better living conditions for your birds, maybe they'll be more helpful and cooperative. Your father especially seems to be sympathetic so maybe talk to him about it.

Here are a couple of big cages that are a very good deal for the price:

http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Hendryx-F0 ... 0002AQ228/ I have this one and it's great. Personally I like it best as a four-bird cage but it has room for 5 or 6 cockatiels that get along well with each other. The food cups that come with it suck though so I replaced them with 'coop cups'. I made some more perches out of tree branches from the back yard.

http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Products-W ... 00176F5L0/ This one is smaller and cheaper. If you had two of them you'd have plenty of room for all your birds, and could keep some of them separate from the others if necessary. If your birds are kept indoors you can let them out of the cage for exercise and fun in an appropriate area (like your room).

It's fairly easy to provide vegetables, and there are probably some in your kitchen that you could use. Cockatiels tend to like hanging leafy greens better than cut-up veggies in a bowl, so if you have any salad greens in the house you can clip them to the side of the cage. Asparagus spears and broccoli florets are also good to clip to the cage. If you have access to pesticide-free lawn grass, that's an excellent cockatiel veggie. Unripe seed heads are a definite plus. My birds like to eat corn and peas out of a bowl.

It can be hard to persuade cockatiels to eat pellets, but it's usually pretty easy to convince them to eat Nutriberries, which are nutritionally equivalent to pellets. They're available at most pet shops, and if you order them online they'll be delivered right to your door. Amazon has a good price, here's the 12 ounce package: http://www.amazon.com/Lafebers-Classic- ... 0002567WS/ I buy the 4-pound tub which lasts about two months with my flock. The birds do tend to drop the nutriberries on the floor a lot though so I offer them on top of the playgym, not inside the cage where they'd fall through the grate.

Thank you!

Those are my dream cages! I always wanted them but my mom has only seen flea market cages so that's all she thinks bird care is!

I have the money for the cages but I'm a little scared to ask her if we can order it. And the birds are not allowed inside the house, my mom says they attract ants and they are very dusty

I think can easily get nutriberries, I just have to find a time that the birds food runs out so I can go with my mom to get it, I wanted to get it last time but my mom went without me,so I couldn't get it

I don't know, I'm still having mixed feelings about keeping the birds. It's pretty obvious that my mom hates them from the moon and back and I won't believe her when she says she loves them. She really dislikes them.

They really are dusty but they don't attract ants. Cockatiels don't eat the kind of food that ants would be interested in. If you had bowls of sweet juicy fruit sitting out it would be a different issue.

It sounds like you and your mother have completely opposite personalities, but based on things you've said before it's obvious that she wants you to be happy. She might let you keep the birds in the house if you promise to clean up after them. Just make sure you keep your promise!

If it makes your mother feel better, you can buy an air purifier. Honestly, I never found them of much use, but it may give her some peace of mind to know something's trying to cut back on dust. My recommendations are just to keep the room spic and span around them. And I would go ahead and buy the cage if you have the money. But, you must prove yourself that you can care for it. No stray poop on the floor, clean off soiled perches and sweep stray feathers. Maybe you can sit down with her and come up with a compromising deal together. Both sides have to listen and not interrupt. Both sides may give their point of view respectfully.

Baruch, I am really sorry that you are having such a hard time.
The first thing I do when something bad happens to my birds is questioning my ability to keep them safe and happy. Doesn't matter if what happens is actually my fault, I feel responsible for everything that affects them. I think we all do that.

So I understand your feelings, and the fact that you feel pressured on different fronts.
The terrible raccoon attack on one side; the frustration of not being able to change your mother's feelings; plus you are exhausted for the verbal attacks you receive from your peers because of your love for your birds.
I can't blame you. I am 53, I live far away from my family and they still manage to annoy me enormously with their complete lack of understanding.
If my sisters lived with me, I'd have to kick them out or move out myself.

I honestly don't think that this is the right time to make such a big decision. You have too much going on, you don't want to add more stress, guilt and the mourning that would come if you give all your birds away.

If you think that rehoming a couple of them might help your situation, be VERY sure to find a very good home for them.
I made a big mistake with one of my rehomings, and you won't believe the anguish and feelings of guilt that follow something like that.

Your father is very understanding and sympathetic: don't go ask your mother for a new cage, go talk to your dad! He might be able to help convince her.
Tying to change your mom's feelings will just make you feel more and more miserable. Sometimes we just have to accept that there are things we have no control over, and other people's feelings are one of those things, unfortunately

And just remember, we got your back. Us fellow bird lovers are pretty close knit. We know a thing or two.

All very good advise there for you.
DONT rush and find homes for your birds.
Think about it properly... will you miss them, will you worry too much once they are gone, will you feel guilty.
If your answers are yes yes and yes.... you are not ready to make the decision to rehome any yet.
Take lots of time, just make sure you look after your birds as well as you can. Mum's aren't always right! ignore people who say nasty things about you keeping birds... they don't understand.
I wish you good luck take it slowly.

Thank you everyone!

I am a clean freak! I spent my whole winter break cleaning, It was actually pretty fun.


Thank you! I will look into it. I will do anything that will make at least a little difference


My cousin first told me how he thought I was going to send him pictures of my birds when I never sent him one in my life!
Then, my cousin called someone over and my cousin sad to him "what's better? Girls or birds" the man didn't hear him clearly so he answered birds. Then my cousin said "you would rather like a BIRD than a girl!?!? Then he said girls and then my cousin laughed at me