JULY JOURNAL    2003  

HI ALL!!  These are excerpts that Jo got in emails this week about our guys and wanted to share with everyone.  So as you see, us babies CAN be poopy trained.  Mr. Pickle is none other than Dylan's new baby and later today Jo will be updating his page as well with pictures.  You can tell he is really taking this new responsibility quite seriously!

So what's new around here you ask.  Pretty nice pictures of all the baby linnies here I might say.  Then we have a picture of the four baby masked growing up, We have the two pied whiteface along with their siblings a slate and the other one we think is going to be a cinnamon lady.  Then we have me, who, don't know why but Jo has not got a picture of me here yet.  Maybe tomorrow.  My name is Hope and I was born with a cataract in one of my eyes.  Pretty rare thing to happen Jo's vet says, but it's either that or maybe one of my siblings scratched me in the eye, we are not sure.  We do know that I have one good eye and the other one I open a bit, but it is a milky color and not the nice glossy black it should be.  Jo can tell I cannot see out of it,  The first couple weeks I gave Jo a terrible scare, as I would not open either eye and my bad eye was really swelled up.  Jo talked to her vet who advised to ice it.  It was not running puss or crusting over, but Jo did treat with antibiotics for the first three days (on the advice of her vet) to make sure.  Then come Monday she took me in to see Marlene and they determined it was a cataract.  I was still not opening my good eye at that point, so Jo started gently prying it open 4 or 5 times a day, to let me know HEY you can see out of that eye, use it!!  So I AM!!  I am going to be a beauty pied whiteface and Jo already has a good home for me.  

So how about that nice olive next door here.  Tula and Grady came thru and not only gave Jo two olives, but a cobalt to boot!!  Course Jo should never "assume" and had them all sold before hatching as greens, so now we have to see if the folks would like olives or if they wish to wait for the next clutches.  

Which by the way won't be long either, as now we have Pascal and Azul (sky blue and cobalt), Nadine and Nigel (sky blue and slate), Cuddles and Huey (two dark greens - male green split to ino so Jo's hoping!!), and Fiona and Shrek (sky blue and green) all on eggs.  Then we also have Nana and Stub out there but Jo's wondering if Nana will ever go to nest!!  

Now that's it for the linnie update on eggs, as for lovebirds we have Chucky and Chuckles (two violet whiteface), Noah and Misty (two silver whiteface), Jessica and Lucas (these are the pair that produce the absolute most beautiful pieds Jo says), all on eggs.  We also have Corky and Courtney there but they are still building.  Oh and the scoop on Queen Betty, Jo says she thinks she is GONNA lay eggs this time.  Dear Betty, she sure rules the roost for sure, Jo worries and babies over her and she just laps it all right up!!

We now have three of Taylor and Tyler's babies upstairs in the Babies Room now as well.  They got ahead of Jo and laid on the floor in the Resting Room.  Course Jo was definitely not happy with them, especially when they laid and hatched them right at the front door!!  If you know Jo's cages, you know the whole thing opens, so Jo always had to be real careful they did not fall out!  Then because of where they laid them, she had a heck of a time cleaning the cage, so needless to say, they got pulled good and early!

Next for the really exciting news!  Jo went and ordered tons of toy parts this past week!  That's right, beads, leathers, ropes, shredders, etc.etc.etc. and real soon will have a toy section up for any of you folks wanting to get some new toys.  Says she is gonna have a ball making them. 

Hi Guys, Brandy here, the little edged dilute cinnamon whiteface next door.  Aren't I just the cutest baby girl.  Jesse and Jodie are my Mom and Dad and all the other pied babies and the slate baby you see here are all siblings of mine.  I gets to stay and live here and if you go way down in the pictures here, the picture right below the olive linnie you will see a nice yellow fellow with a violet rump.  Can't see his face, just his back, but guess that's gonna be my new man.  One of those prearranged marriages they say!  They are not even telling me yet, what his name is,  just that they figure between me and him we will make some kinda nice babies down the road.  Always thinking ahead, Jo and Lou are.  Not only am I just the cutest, I am always the first out to eat, first out to play, I just bob around all day trying to be first at everything!  See me here trying to annoy my sibling and get him going by picking at his feathers.  Just wanting him to play with me!!   The darkest slate (mauve) pied whiteface here is already spoken for, and the other one we are not sure bout yet.  But hey, there are not dibbs on the slate whiteface yet.  They could all be carrying the silver gene but you will never know for sure till they make babies.  

Then we gots three little slate masked in with us as well.  Guess there is also a cobalt but he is still over there in the brooder with three more whiteface violet babies.  I think Jo said there is only one slate of that lot that is not spoken for yet.  

As you can see the olive linnies are growing up and feathering in real, real nice.  They just started to take flight yesterday.  Jo got the sexing back this week on all the bigger linnies.  I hear they will all be leaving next week for their new homes, all cept two or three that is, that Jo is keeping to make new pairs for us here.

What else is new round here.  Misty and Noah, that silver pair, have got four of their five eggs hatched so far.  Lots more silver babies coming.  Then Shrek and Fiona are out there with two of their babies hatched so far as well.  Tomorrow Jessica and Lucas should be having theirs start hatching.  Last time they gave Jo just the most beautiful pieds, or Jo thought they were anyways.  

Never a dull moment round here it seems.  Jo has got to get to work and update and remove old and new pairs on our Lineage Page.  Like for example Tim and Tulip.  Bet you don't know who they are.  Tulip is a regular fischer with a bright red beak and Tim is a dilute ino or least that's what we will call him till Lou, the genetic expert reads this and corrects Jo!!  Sunset and Buster have gone to their new homes as well as Little Pearl and Seawilly have left for their new home.  But any day now Jo is so hoping to hear news on if her new blue belly meyers are ready to come and live with us soon.   Hope that won't shake BB up too much, two new meyers in the house and no friend for her!  She is just a card and just loves to go everywhere with Jo.  Lays upside down and just melts in Jo's hand to have her belly scratched but holy smokes, don't let anyone else try it.  She is Jo's girl and there is no doubt bout that!! 

They also have a Pricing Page they are working on to put on our site.  Don't forget the Toys Page either.  Jo has got a lot of her parts but still waiting for the big order she made.  Runs to the Post everyday hoping it will be here.

Oh Ya, the big toy order is here and Jo is in full swing!  Toys, toys, toys.  She has a lot made and pictures taken to post but has not had a chance yet to get a page done for our site.  Says we keep her too busy if you can imagine.  

It's Mex here folks.  I am one of those cobalt boys you see at the top of the page here and am waiting patiently for my new Mom and Dad to come get me.  That's right, they are coming all the way down from Ontario on vacation and picking me up at Jo's on their way back.  Guess I am going to have a friend, a little green lady, but she is not ready yet.  Good gosh she has not even got feathers yet from what I saw yesterday in the brooder.  Out of all us guys you see at the top, a whooping seven of us are boys and only three girls.  Most all of them are leaving this week on the big planes, cept me of course and the ones that Jo is keeping.

Now for the really exciting news this week.  Sophie and Soloman are coming next week.  And just who are Sophie and Soloman you ask.  Well they are Jo's pair of blue belly meyer babies she has coming.  They are weaned as of this week, the DNA has come back and they are coming home next week.  Lou figures that will really put BB's nose out of joint.  Hopefully not Jo's hoping.  They have not got their new quarters ready yet as Lou is away a lot, but have no fear, Jo has a good good friend who is going to lend her a nice big cage with a playpen on the top till theirs is ready.  We'll be sure to post pictures of them for you.

And so that is the good news, now for the sad news.  Jo has decided she is going to part with Benji and Alley and Mork and Mindy.  They are just oh so beautiful violet and slate masked and excellent Mom and Dad's but as you know Jo hand feeds all her babies.  Well those babies are just not so easy to deal with.  Jo likes babies that run TO her for supper, not AWAY from her, and that is just what those little masked fellows do.  This time round she has them in with some peachface that are just so friendly they are uncontrollable, all over the place.  She figured maybe if the masked saw how friendly those guys were, they would come running as well.  NOT so.  One out of four of them comes.  But he only comes to the front door and sits there with his mouth open for Jo to feed him there!  So there Jo is trying to feed him and what happens .........the peachface are all over him like a dirty sock trying to get the grub first.  Fast as Jo moves them so she can feed the little masked, right back in the way they are.  See those pieds in the pictures here.  Well, it's them!  Jo has not even clipped them yet, they are just so friendly.  

Misty and Noah they have five wonderful silver babies in the brooder, not feathered in yet, but we'll be sure and get Jo to post pictues as they start.  Then Jessica and Lucas have four out of five of their babies hatched so far.  Nadine and Nigel, they are two linnies by the way, they have three babies hatched so far.  Shrek and Fiona well they only had three of their five eggs hatch, but considering this is their first time round, Jo's not disappointed.  They were excellent parents but now Jo has them in here for handfeeding as well.  Pascal and Azul they are due to start hatching this week, so Jo's anxious to see what happens with them this time round.  Cuddles, Jesse . Jo's grandson's little girl linnie is here sitting on 6 eggs as well and Jo says you can be sure soon as she hatches those eggs, she's gone back home!!  Never, never, never she says, has she seen such a cranky Mama.  She'd as soon take Jo's hand off as look at her when she is trying to change food dishes.  But yet Jo can open her nest box and talk softly to her forever and she just sits there and gazes, quiet as can be.  Think maybe she's just territorial of her home in her condition!

Dear dear Betty, No she is not going to lay eggs as Jo thought she might be.  She gave up on the nest finally.  Jo's convinced her nesting days are over and maybe Betty even knows that herself now, we'll see.

Brooke and Dhillon are out building a nest now.  Told Jo it was about time as they have been waiting forever to get their turn out there.  

Jo had some folks come to visit last week and was real pleased when the folks told her they have never seen birds with such nice plumage.  Makes all this continual feeding she does worthwhile!

Yo Folks, Mex here, the little cobalt lineolated sitting down munching millet with me friend on Jess’s chest.  My new Mom, Dad and the rest of the family are down East here on vacation and I hear they are going to come pick me up on their way home.  So no, I don’t get to take one of those plane rides, I get to go home in style!  Might take longer, but don’t brother me none.  I also heard I am getting a friend as well to come live with me.  Just might take a little longer as she’s still in the brooder.  A little green wife is what they are getting me.  Jo’s not so very very impressed with me though.  That’s a good reason that I get to stay out a lot.  I am one of those linnies that don’t care too much for “the finger”!  I would stay on Jo’s shoulder, or anyone’s, most all day long, put me back on my drawbridge and I’m gonna jump right back onto your shoulder.  Take and PUT me on your finger, then take me to practice my step-up’s from one hand to another and I have no problem whatsoever doing my step-up’s.  But from the floor or my drawbridge, No way I’m a gonna.  Put your arm there and I’ll jump onto that no problem.  Not very many babies Jo has like me but now she has two of us like this and she is just beside herself.  Specially when she goes downstairs and the little one that she is keeping as he’s split ino jumps right onto her finger and up her shoulder to preen her hair!  But really I think I should smarten up as I heard Jo saying that if they were not happy with me, that she will keep me and give them another one out of the brooder!

Lots of my siblings and roomies when to their news homes on the planes last week.  One lady has sent Jo numerous pictures so far which Jo’s gonna put a couple on the next Journal edition. They are just tickled pink with their new family additions.  A lady that Jo has sent numerous lovebirds to in Toronto area got her first pair and she just loves them.  Knowing this lady as Jo thought she did, she felt quite confident she would love them right away.

So the gossip around here, is that what you want?  Rumor has it that the brooder over there is full house!  5 edged dilute’s (silver whiteface) just feathering in now, 5 more from Jessica and Lucas and if you remember they produce the most beautiful pied whitefaces.  Let’s see who else, two linnies from Nadine and Nigel, three from Shrek and Fiona, 1 from Pascal and Azul which man oh man is a little fart.  Guess Pascal figured she did not have to feed the first baby so Jo took over at a day old.  But then she got with the program as now she has two more babies and she’s feeding them just fine.  The best part ……one is a lutino!!  Jo’s first lutino baby so you can beat your sweet bippy that she’s on pins and needles that all goes well.  Then Cuddles and her spouse have two babies hatched so far and that Cuddles,  she threw the first one right out.  Jo’s giving her the benefit of the doubt and saying the baby crawled way back there…..we’ll never know for sure……….but we do know that when Jo found the poor little one it was ice cold.  She warmed him up in her hands and put him in with the other wee one.  So far, so good but they still have a ways to go. 

Corky and Courtney should start hatching theirs tomorrow.  Next after that will be Brooke and Dhillon.

Jo took a bunch of pictures today of all the pied whiteface and the cinnamon silver whiteface babies today but she is saving them for the August Journal she said.  Guess she had better get busy.

Before I go I just have to tell you that old BB’s nose could be way outta wack by the end of the week.  Friday is the day that Sophie and Soloman, they are Jo’s new pair of blue belly Meyers are arriving.  Jo’s so hoping that BB will take to them, but time will tell if they get to sit side by side or opposite sides of the room.  Jo’s been told that Soloman is still real friendly but not so for Sophie.  Should be some real nice pictures on the next Journal of them as well.  Don’t know who’s more excited about them coming Jo or Jesse as he is calling Soloman his bird already!  Jo told him that if this was the case, he had to clean and feed them when he’s at Jo’s house and he says “No problem”!  We’ll just see how long that lasts.  It was funny today as he goes out into the Resting Room saying he needs to see how big BB’s poops were!  He has a little linnie and is used to little poops!

O.K. gotta run so Jo can get started on those pictures.  I’m sure you’ll be updated with the news if I get to leave or stay here! 

TINY RASCALS AVIARY