Sweet Pea Aviary, Rescue and Rehabilitation

Proud pet parent of:

36 cockatiles [I also own and run an aviary], 5 snakes [Medusa a corn , Pale' a cal mt. king, Bramble a ball python, and Cleopatra, and Leviathan are both rosey boas], 3 zebra finches [Moonlight, Shadow, and Twilight], 2 ferrets [Scooter a silver blaze and Loki a sable], 2 rats [Dinky a silver hooded and Carley a black hooded], and 41 mice. I have also "fostered over 2,000 animals in the past 4 years who now have been placed with good families. These included ferrets, cats, guinia pigs, rabbits, sugar gliders, wolf hybrids, fish, hampsters, gerbils, and many many more.

How we met:

All my animals are rescues, either from the local shelter or other places. My daughter and I volenteer 2 hours or more every day [6 days a week] at the local ASPCA shelter.

Pet likes:

All my kids love attention, there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. The birds love to fly, the snakes, ferrets and rats love to play and be held. The ferrets and rats also love to go for walks outdoors with me on a leash at least once a week, during good weather. All of my animals are great with kids.

Pet dislikes:

One of my cockatiels does not like men at all, as his wing was broken by a man shortly before he came to me. Other than that they have very few dislikes.

Pet’s favorite spot:

Bramble [the ball python]s favorite spot is around my neck, Scooter and Loki [the ferrets] favorite spot is their hammocks, and Cassious [my daughters cockatiel]s favorite spot is in his "fort" with my daughter.

Pet’s favorite toy:

The snakes do not have toys, but do have places to hide and sleep. The ferrets both have mini "bobo" dog toys that they have shredded and worn down to nothing, and have been replaced a few dozen times. The mice love empty toilet paper rolls, the rats have kitty balls, and small "fishy" squishy toys. The Birds all have at least 2 toys each but several of them have their favorites as well, especially toys with mirrors.

Pet’s silliest habit:

When I am spraying my cockatiels with water one of them [Bella Donna] will hang upsidedown on her perch and spread her wings so that she can get the inside of her wings wet as well. Medusa [my corn] loves to hide in my shirt and then come out and say "hi" when she is least expected. Loki [my baby ferret] carries his stuffed animal with him everywhere, and it looks very silly.

Pet’s sweetest moments:

Taking several of my kids to a halloween pet contest. Granted it was open to all, but only dogs won. However I dressed my ferret Scooter as a fairy, Medusa [the corn snake] as a mummy, and the cat we had at the time [Minion] was dressed as a scorcerer. They were all cute...the awwww facter, for sure.

I crack up when my pet:

My cockatiels wolf whistle when someone enters the aviary, and then all come down from their perches to say "hi, ya got some food for me" Its like a scene from Alfred Hitchcocks "The Birds", but it makes me laugh out loud every time it happens. I also can't help but laugh when the two ferrets get onto the floor together to play, and they nip at each other like they are playing tag and just having a grand old time together.

My pet is unique because:

All my pets are unique because they are all well behaved considering their background. Some animal when they have been abused for a long period of time never come out of it. Because I work from home, I have the time to spend with them all, and they have learned trust and love again, some maybe for the first time in their lives. I feel very blessed to have this unique position, as to be able to have them all with me, and they have the unique position of being loved and cared for humanely and personably all by one owner.