WE CALL CHARLIE'S "HOME"

Impossible Dream

Chemo and the Three MONKeteers
Chemo, to the far left, is congenitally bald.  Occasionally a few feathers will show up on his head, but they don't last long.  The Three MONKeteers are all splay-legged.  They have been together since they were young and are extremely co-dependent on each other. The MONKeteers came from Missouri. Read our story.

Basil is a Quaker with multiple deformities..  He has curvature of the neck and the spine, probably due to mal positioning in the egg.  He is also splay-legged and  unable to preen himself.  He recently received a friend, Becca, another quaker, and she tends to his preening needs. Prior to Becca's arrival, it was my job to preen Basil every evening; our evening ritual!

BEAKER is a Javan Moustached Parakeet.  He had his beak traumatically amputated.  Fortunately, enough of the "beak bed" was left that a severely deformed beak did regenerate.  When he first arrived at Charlie's he was tube fed.  However, he has leaned to manipulate his new off-centered, crooked beak sufficiently  enough to feed his mate and his babies.

MARTHA, like Beaker, had a traumatic amputation of the beak.  She, too, was tube fed for several months.  A small portion of Martha's beak has regenerated and she serves as a "foster mom" for many baby cockatiels.  However, her mothering skills are not solely for 'tiels.  She has fostered Bourke's parakeets, Moustached 'keets, and even a Quaker baby or two!  Martha lives with several other physically challenged 'tiels and one dwarf Bourke's 'keet.

Maxi, The Flying Termite,  is a female blue-front Amazon.  Much to the dismay of the landlord, Maxi ate her way through the kitchen cupboards and bathroom door of her previous owner.  Maxi just needed more room to spread her wings and fly.  She is free flighted in the Bird House.  She is a magnificent acrobat in the air, maneuvering around windows, mirrors, ceiling fans, down narrow hallways.  She continues to use her woodworking skills!!

Muldur is a Ring Necked 'keet with an uncertain background.  His previous owner received him wearing nothing but head feathers, a tail and his "birthday suit."  All medical programs and behavioral programs have failed to bring feather regrowth.  The follicle damage is evidentially permanent.  We don't even see down or fluff anymore.  But Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and his cage companion, Ringo doesn't seem to notice he forgot to get dressed.

Ringo has been at Charlie's just under a year.  She has the personality of a "Hormonal Amazon."  She flirts, charms and begs for attention -- just to get you close enough for a good nip!   She is blind to Muldur's nakedness.

Thumper got his name when he went "thump" into a plate glass window at a pet shop.  He was taken to the vet. When it was obvious this little fella had the will and desire to survive, the vet asked me if I'd take him.  With good medical attention and lots of medication to keep the brain from swelling and to stop if bleeding, Thumper, blind & possibly deaf,  does well in a community cage of cockatiels.  He has learned to maneuver the entire height & width of the cage without difficulty. He assists Martha in her fostering duties.

LuLu came to live here in November 1999 when she (or maybe he) was just a little over one month old.  She is a Hahn's macaw and severely splay-legged.  LuLu spent the first three weeks here in leg braces; however, they did little to improve her condition.  She has complete use of her toes and it has been decided to let her learn to live with her condition.  She resides in a special cage with soft, plush toys, strings of beads for climbing and pulling up,  ramps and shelves.  She is learning to fly but the crash landings can be painful.  She must learn to control her landing and head for the soft, recliner or for me!

Several years ago I went to an estate auction looking for a computer desk.  That green bird to the left and his mate come home from the auction with me!  He is not a computer desk.  They are Rock Pebblar Parakeets or Regent Parrots, native to Australia.  They were on the estate, living free in an abandoned green house with several finches and a pair of red-rumped parakeets.  They all came home to Charlie's!  Took most of the day to net all of the little feathered tykes!

MS PEARL came to live at Charlie's when she was found by the breeder laying on the floor of the flight.  She had a broken or dislocated hip.  It never healed properly so she cannot stand.  She finds comfortable spots to "squat" on top of water jars, in food bowls, or on resting shelves. 

TWIT is a Bourke's Grass Parakeet.  He arrived at Charlie's as a featherless baby.  He was found laying on his back in the food bowl at the breeder's aviary.....Twit's parents were dead.  He was much smaller than the other Bourke's in the flight.  He was handfed for several weeks but grew very little.  Today Twit is almost 5 years old and is less than 1/2 the size of a normal Bourke's.  He continues to find comfort laying on his back in the food bowl or on his baby blanket.  He lives in a flight with several handicapped cockatiels and participates in feeding and weaning baby 'tiels, bourke's, and quakers.

SCOOTER has been with us for about as long as Charlie's has been open.  He was my first splay-leg baby.  Scooter is a "champion" whistler and makes up many melodies as he goes along!  "Scooter's Song" is a standard at Charlie's and it is the song I whistle when I want the homing pigeons to come back to the loft! 

Several of the corrective techniques I used trying to straighten Scooter's legs are discussed on a page about Splay Leg.  Scooter is the little tyke that made the trip to Florida several years ago serenading Holly, the Cat from Hell,  as she slurped her bottle.  They are still 'buddies.'  Scooter's legs never completely straightened - we got to him a little too late. 

CASPER, a Goffin cockatoo,  is about 15 years old.   A young lady found him living outside in a cage with some African Grey Parrots.  Casper was not a happy camper.  She made arrangements with his owner to take Casper home with her.  He has spent much of his time figthting colds/infections/respiratory probems.  He became quite a financial burden on a young lady college-bound.  Wanting the best for her avian companion and knowing the cost involved with his continued antibiotic therapies,  she allowed Casper to come to a new home.  He is quite a charmer -- and quite a dancer!  I recently found out that he has excellent taste in Jazz music on Public Radio!

PEACHES is a Bare-Eyed Cockatoo.  In reality, I think she is kin to a vampire.  She has the strangest sleep-awake cycle of any bird here.  She sleeps all day and starts her "Shall We Gather At The Tree" screaming about 10PM -- of course, during the summer, with DayLight Savings Time, that is 11PM!  Don't you know the neighbors have a few special names for her!  During the day she hides behind a sheet she has pulled down as a privacy curtain, resting on her rope swing in the back corner of her cage. Due to a personal family situation, Peaches and her Yellow-Naped Amazon buddy, Tutti, came to live here.  They are both a joy to have.  They both sing, dance and are in rare form as entertainers!  I do so wish their "Real Mom" had a better singing voice because they carry a tune just like she does!  Most singing is accomplished while standing on her head in her food dish!  I guess it is the acoustics in there!

TUTTI came to Charlie's with her best buddy, Peaches.  Tutti has the better vocal talents -- talking constantly, getting everyone's attention with her "Hey Baby!" and her singing ability!  She does a wonderful series of scales, without one single note ever being on-key!  Like Peaches, she has her "real mom's" singing talent!!!  Tutti also has a wonderful ability to mimic human body functions/sounds. This can be quite embarrasing!

There are many others that call Charlie's Home.  As pictures become available they will be posted here.

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Who Will Take Care of Your Birds?

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Be an Angel --
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So You Found a Baby Bird

Accidental Aviculturist

Charlie's Angels

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Charlie's Dove Cote

Caravan Across Texas
A Little Birdy Told Me
A Thinking Place
Charlie's Pigeon Loft
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MONKees come to Texas

Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

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