New to Board

[Booda's Butt]

Hi everyone, I just registered with this forum after reading through a few of the posts. This is probably one of the most active forums I've found on the net!

My name is Karin, I'm a full time student at UIC, going for Pre-Vet. I have an almost 2 Senegal named Booda, an adopted 5 yr old Quaker Mia, and my newest adoption addition, a 1 year old white-face double-violet Lovebird named Cali. :D

While I'm not new to birds, and am a member of Senegal lists, and quaker lists, Lovebirds seem to be different in some way I can't point out. I somehow think that maybe their taming and socializing requirements aren't the same as my other two. :confused: (don't ask..i probably worded that really badly). :roll:

well, i look forward to meeting the members, and i'm going to get posting right away!

Karin

[Mummieeva]

Welcome to the board. I am partial to Violets myself. I am Steph In georgia. I am owned but 3 human kids,5 fish,4 inside cats,and a hamster. Plus my 4 birds. I have to Budgies named George and Sky(unknown sex). Then there is Baggy my female 2yr old Whitefaced Violet and her offpring which I is am not sure what..lol(pictures never turn out to well). This is a very active board and we try to help as much as we can. I would suggest reading the attention section if you have not already. We will answer anythign we can. We have alot of experiences Lovebird moms and a few lovebird dads also. Lovebirds are little lions in a small package. Look forward to getting to know you and your birds.


Steph

P.S. we have a photo section and love seeing pictures ;) lol

[linda040899]

Hi Karin and welcome to our community!
There's a lot of activity here and tons of information. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your flock!

[Booda's Butt]

Thanks Steph, I just uploaded a picture of my Lovebird Cali as my avatar - it's small, but you get the picture!

In addition to my birds, I also have a Persian Cat named Taz, a Siamese Cat named Karma, and soooo many reptiles I could not name them all. (everything from breeding geckos, snakes, chameleons, etc..) I also have a pair of Zebra Finches and their 3 new babies. Oh...and I can't forget the boyfriend, Nick. haha, he seems to get left out and forgotten a lot!

I haven't looked in the photo section yet, but it did say "links only please" and unfortunately, I don't have any links to anywhere! Maybe that will motivate me to start a photo page somewhere though, lol.

[Mummieeva]

There is a wonderful place called image station most of us use(it is free). it is at top when you click on the photo section. Your have snake? :eek: I want a snake but can not yet. LOL Funny your BF is Nick..that is my husbands name. I am going to be down sizing in a few week(the animals that is). My fish will be getting a new home as will 2 of my cats. I am very Partial to Violets..lol. I love the picture.


Steph-who is off to bed sleeping pill is working.

[Booda's Butt]

Snakes? why, I've got 3! I have a 3 ft ball python, a 3 ft red tail boa, and a 5 ft red tail boa. I'm actually looking for new homes for all three of my snakes right now - I need the space and also need to downsize. But snake talk can be saved for a different thread!

[Rubygem]

Lovebirds seem to be different in some way I can't point out. I somehow think that maybe their taming and socializing requirements aren't the same as my other two.

First off welcome to the board, and if your looking to learn this is a great place to learn :D . You need to check out Your Attention, Please! Section, as there is a lot of good information for the questions you posted in the other section.

Lovebirds are a bundle of energy, and very curious!!! They need a lot of handling to keep them tame, and they are like a child in their terrible twos for their entire lives…(meaning if there is something to get into they will :lol) The Quaker and Senegal are much calmer Parrots IMO. A Lovebird is just a big Parrot in a little body, and they don’t know they are small. I have fallen in love with this species of bird, because they will keep you on your toes, when they don’t have you rolling on the ground laughing.


Welcome to the wonderful world of lovies, and you have a beautiful lovie :)

Rubygem

[bellarains]

Hi Karin,

Welcome to the board. I'm glad you have found us, and hope that we can answer any lovie questions you may have. In return, I'm sure you can help others with their Quaker and Senegal questions. We have many here who have different breeds of parrots, I myself have two lovies and a GCC. Lovies are addictive though, so you might find yourself with one or two or ....... more in the future :lol

I look forward to hearing all about Cali. Do you down Cali's sex? M/F? I ask because that may have some bearing on personality, temperment and territorial issues. Just a few things to think about when trying to tame/bond with Cali.

Anyways, C-ya round the board :)

[Z28Taxman]

Welcome!

That's one cute little violet you have there. I love the violets!

I've got one Pied cobalt seagreen named ditto.

[Janie]

Hi Karin and welcome! :) I have three lovebirds and was new to any kind of pet bird when I adopted my first lovie, an older bird, 2 years ago. I've added two new boys, four months old, about two months ago. I agree with Ruby's suggestion about reading the thread, "Your Attention Please" since it deals with lovebirds and might answer some of your questions regarding behavior. I can't help you with comparing them with other parrots but I can tell you that my three are ALL different in behavior. :D

Pre Vet.....how cool is that???? Very! :D I'm sure you stay very busy with your school work. I've been told that it's easier to become an MD than a vet! We look forward to seeing you around the board! :)

[Booda's Butt]

Thanks everyone for the welcomes, Cali was surgically sexed female, the previous owner has papers for her and the sexing, but I have not recieved them from him yet.

I have been nosying around the Attention Please section, but since I joined this board last night literally at like 11:00 PM, I didn't have much time to read much of the articles - but not to worry, I will! I'm one of those nerds that feels the need to research everything there is to know about whatever pet I own - and with the birds alone on top of allll the trillions of reptiles I own, it's no wonder my bf gets pissed off that I spend so much more time on the computer than with him!

Yes, Pre-vet is tough! Lots of people compare it to Med school and say it's harder, but really it's because there are so much fewer Vet schools in this country than Med schools. You're lucky to have one in your state, and if you do, there's guaranteed not another. So unless paying out of state tuition sounds appealing, you best hope you can grab one of the seats in your state Vet school!

[LoveBird]

Hi! Welcome to the board. I am Lovebird or Taylor. I have one Lovebird named Martha. This is a great board, it's my favorite one. Thanks for joining!
Taylor

[butterfly1061]

Hi Karin,

Welcome to the board! :D I'm owned by three lovies. Molly who is a little over 1 yr old is a Lutino Peachface, Daisy who is 7 1/2 months is a Creamino & Piper is my baby Pied at about 5 months old. Daisy is my only female and has an attitude to boot. Molly is a very laid back lovie and extremely bonded to me. Piper is young and thinks Daisy hung the moon. :whistle:

I have a friend who attended vet school at UGA and now lives in Florida. Too bad he didn't go into the avian department, we could all use more of them. Good luck with school and look forward to seeing lots of pictures for your pets. :)

[Paulette]

Hi Karin.....Cali is gorgeous. Everybody at my house knows exactly how many birds I have except me. I have 4 tiels, 3 of which I just figured out are female. Yes I believe Bam-Bam is a hen I just saw the stripes under the tail yesterday when I was taking some pictures. 2 male zebra finches, 6 lovebirds, 4 budgies & ??? babies that just hatched in the night or this morning. This is a wonderful, informative caring board. Hope to see you around.

[Janie]

I'm one of those nerds that feels the need to research everything there is to know about whatever pet I own

Karin, that is music to my ears!!!! :D I am the same way and while I've been called compulsive AND crazy by some people, mainly my family members, I don't pay a bit of attention to them! :lol Seriously, anyone taking on a new type of pet or a new breed/species is not, IMHO, a responsible owner if they don't do their research! :D Since I adopted a bird in need of a home with almost no time to be sure I really wanted one (no time for research) or that I'd be able to care properly for him, this board saved me from many disastrous mistakes. I read for days! :D I am so glad I did adopt Oliver and so glad I found this board 2 days before he came to us. :)

[Mummieeva]

Karin I wonder are you going to go for one certain type of animals vet like Avian,reptiles, and such when your done with school. Or just general. I use to want to be a vet but could not handle the bad parts of it. I admire the good vets out there.


Steph

[Booda's Butt]

Hi Steph, Originally, I did want to be an Avian and Exotics Vet, but lately, I have really been thinking about Laboratory Research Vets. In the long run, I'd love to eventually get to go on Field Studies out in Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo Africa, Australia, that sort of stuff. And to do that, being in the Lab Research Vet field would help. Also, when you go to vet school, there actually isn't a curriculum based for Avian and Exotics, I think everyone ends up taking a class or two on the subject, but to become Avian and Exotic Certified, you basically have to have a DVM, and have learned all there is to know to be an Avian and Exotic Vet on your own, and pass the certification to be on the Board. Pretty Crazy huh?

I had a great opportunity last year to work at an Animal Research Facility for UIC, and it really opened up my eyes. You would not believe how many vet students I met who were doing internships and residencies there who genuinly couldn't give a rat's behind about the animals. They say to do well in Vet school, having compassion for animals and a genuine love for them only gets you about 20% there, the rest is just science background and book smarts. I think too many people are realizing that people these days are willing to spend a lot more on their pets than they used to (like on dental and surguries, etc) and so this draws a lot of smart kids who are more in it for the money than for the animals.

[bellarains]

Karin,

That is so sad. I have had the same vet for almost 15 years now, and it is very evident how much he loves animals. Every animal that he sees get a little love from him before he does anything. Even my birds get held and told how pretty they are before he even clips a feather. He won the vet of the year award a few years back, and he deserved every bit of it. The only drawback he has I tell him is that he is a Florida Gator's fan :lol

I also have a dog that doesn't care much for anyone but her family(us) and she takes to him very easily even though she only sees him once a year. Animals are smart and very intuitive though, and I think they sense who is genuine and who isn't.

I fell sorry for those that don't have a genuine love for animals, as I truly believe they are missing something so special.

[butterfly1061]

Janie & I use the same vet and she had an intern working in her office this past spring. I asked him if was going to do Avian work and I was told "probably not" - sad. Of course the new vet in her office is :omg: . I just love going to the vet! (Oh, it's suppose to be for my birds >o )

[Janie]

Jackie, do you have a little crush on Dr. J?????? I really like him cause he is obviously a birdie lover! So is Dr. S but she is so much more reserved and doesn't wear a pony tail like Dr. J! :D

[butterfly1061]

Janie,

He is a doll, isn't he? Too bad he's married. Always my luck :rofl: