Mercy was Grace's beloved little bird that passed away in February 2003. Mercy was only 3 years old. He sustained serious beak injuries as a result of a tragic accident. Mercy followed Grace into the kitchen by walking on the floor. She didn't see him and when she turned around he was accidentally stepped on. This little angel survived surgery and was scheduled for a second one. He joined the angels only one day before the second surgery was to be performed. The loss of this very special bird touched the heart and lives of many. Grace took Mercy to work with her at a home for people with disabilities. The residents loved to hear him sing and talk. They enjoyed his company as well as cuddling with him and touching his soft feathers. He always managed to put a smile on their faces and brighten their day. Grace said, "He always called himself pretty bird so to him that was his name. He also loved car rides and often would ask"Do you want to go byebye?" Mercy brought so much joy into my life and I was able to spend an incredible 3 years with him. Mercy will always be remembered not only by me but by those whose lives he touched in his short life."

Peabody and Penelope are Sue's 2 little rascals. They are older birds. Penelope has been going through a rough time and has been very sick. Sue took the bird's to the vet for a routine check up. Penelope had Giardia, a type of parasite that lives in the intestinal tract of birds. Cockatiels suffering from Giardia often have no symptoms at all and it is detected by a routine examination. Symptoms can range from loss of weight, poor, shabby feathers,feather plucking, itching or watery droppings. Sue said, "I had to give both birds a thick medication that was prescribed by the vet. It was difficult for them to swallow and I often thought Penelope was going to choke to death. I am so grateful that she has recovered from being such a sick little girl. It broke my heart to see her suffer." Sue thinks the 2 birds were mistreated by their previous owner. "They have both bit us hard enough to bleed. Now their bites are more like pecks. Peabody always has to peck before getting on your finger. Penelope will put one little foot up very slowly before stepping up. I feed the birds, keep their cages clean and buy the toys. However, they prefer my husband and can spot him coming home from 3 blocks away. They are excellent Guard Birds alerting me when somebody is coming."

Dexter is Valerie's very handsome, normal gray, male cockatiel. She thinks he is about 5 years old. Valerie said," Dexter was surrendered to a local vet along with his best friend. She flew into a pot of boiling water and died from the infection in her feet. The vet kept Dexter until he could find him a good home. Dexter shares his life with a pretty lutino cockatiel named Daffodil. Daffodil recently lost her partner Pretty Bird when an unexpected visitor left the back door open. The 2 of them get along together very well and spend about 4 hours a day out of their cages under extremely close supervision. Dexter is a little afraid of fingers but will step up onto shoulders, heads or arms. He's quite a good hopper too! His feet are huge! We call him Little Snowshoe Boy. Although he is a bit of a seed lover, he is gradually being introduced to pellets. He does love greens, fruit and some grains. He doesn't talk or sing just yet but he loves to whistle his own little songs to Daffodil. I truly feel blessed to have this gentle, little bird in my life."

This is Samantha and she belongs to Ann and Daniel. Lukey, her mate, was in one of the earliest months of this feature--the second one! He enjoyed it so much that he wanted to introduce his wife Samantha or Sammy as Dan calls her. Luke and Sam have been a couple for eight years. Dan said, "They have parented many clutches but are now enjoying their retirement like a wealthy, spoiled, middle-aged couple. Their Mummy and Daddy enjoy their company immensely and spoil them in return with fresh food, treats and cuddles daily. Luke likes to say "Hello" in the mornings and always say "Pretty boy" to Sammy all day long. Every night they are brought inside of the house to sleep so no "Nasties" can get to them and because  they scare so easily. When Mummy and Daddy go on holidays, they stay with Nanna and Pop. During their stay they get fat but such is life for a pair of perch potatoes."

Archie is Erin's 2nd cockatiel. She got him in April and he is about 9 months old. Erin said, "He wasn't very tame when I got him. I clipped his wings and gave him lots of love and attention. Now it takes him a matter of seconds to get out of his cage when it's opened.In my opinion he was neglected were he previously lived. He had never eaten anything but millet seed and was rarely taken out of his cage which looked like it was the size for a parakeet. Archie knows how to whistle. He does the cat call and about every sound that the wild birds do. He was also starting to talk when I got him. Now you can clearly hear him say "pretty bird", he's still working on "hello", "Whatcha doin" and "Archie". I've slowly improved his diet. He won't eat pellets yet but he loves broccoli and will at least try everything I give him. I think he loves his nice big cage, and of course he loves being out of his cage.