Lizzie and Beeker are cockatiels. Cockatiels are the only member of their species, and are native to Australia. They are about 12 inches long, including their tail feathers (which my clumsy two have broken off at the moment!), and come in many different color varieties. Lizzie's color, called normal grey (split to pied), is close to that of the wild birds, which are not endangered, but cannot be exported from Australia. Beeker's color is called pied. Cockatiels are very sweet, gentle birds, that are not very loud. If male they can learn to talk, and most whistle songs. The females are usually quiet, just chirping, and are more cuddly. I know Lizzie is female, but Beeker's color makes it harder to tell; I should know for sure when she's about 9 months old- if she whistles usually it's a boy, if she lays an egg she's a girl! :)
Lizzie and Beeker are very sweet and completely spoiled! Lizzie is currently "top bird" in my house (although Hazel is working diligently to take that spot!), and she and Beeker are friends if SHE feels like it. She will be preening Beeker one second, but if Beeker gets too close to her food, watch out! Of course, she expects Beeker to share, though... They both love to have their heads scratched, and will lower their heads when they want me to pet them. They love to snuggle and play, and both give me kisses. They go nuts chirping when they hear my key in the door, and they have learned the sound of my car- if they are at John's and they hear me pull up, I can hear them chirping before I even come in! Lizzie is my baby, and Beeker is very special to me as well. I didn't even know I liked birds until I went to the pet store in Tally one day, and put my hand out... and onto it jumped this grey tiel with no tail! (her feathers were all broken) She ran up on my shoulder and started preening my hair, and started chewing on my necklace (they love shiny things, that's why I rarely wear jewelry now). After sitting on my shoulder, being carried around the store for 20 minutes, Lizzie came home! The first day I put her on top of her cage to play. She climbed down, ran over to me, and sat on my foot, looking up at me until I picked her up! She got to stay on my shoulder whenever I was home, and went everywhere with me. I got Beeker about 8 months later, because I started working longer hours and didn't want Lizzie to be lonely. Beeker was sweet from the beginning as well, she was absolutely beautiful. When the Saul's showed me the birds, the others didn't seem to like me too much, but Beeker jumped right on my shoulder! She got very sick about three weeks after I got her, it was normal bacteria that all birds have, but she was a baby so her immune system couldn't handle it. The vets didn't think she would make it, but she held on, being handfed by me, and getting lots of cuddles. She came to work with me for two weeks! She got through it and is very healthy now, and in the process I completely fell in love with her. Lizzie didn't like her a first, but now they play together and beg for treats and scratches together! They are very special birds and are close to my heart.
