This is Pari!! He's my tiny, little friend, brother, baby, buddy, & sweetheart!
Pari is an older cockatiel, though I don't know his exact age; I've had him for about 7 years. He's blind in both eyes, has deformed feet, & of course is getting older. But I think those are the reasons he is so.... unlike a bird for me. He's my heart.

(Btw, I have never been to a nail salon. This girl ain't perfect...lol Also, I don't wear lotion when touching my birds. )

IMPORTANT:
*These cockatiels, as well as all other birds & animals, are intelligent & deserve to be treated fairly, kindly & with respect. When considering a pet, try to think of the longterm costs (food, vet, cages, emergency treatment, toys etc.) & time and effort required to care for them.
• Most of the birds & other animals are lifelong toddlers, remember this. "Who will care for them when you need to go on vacation?"
• Btw not all animals will get along with one another, nor will they have the same personality. Some might be easy to work with immediately & others take years of trustbuilding… Give everyone a fair chance to be loved. Have patience. Adjusting to a new family is 100 times more difficult for them than the process is for you.
• They have certain foods they cannot ever eat; even though you can eat something or another animal can, your particular pet might not be able to. In some cases, it can even kill your pet. (Birds, if given even a small portion of certain toxic foods, will suffer & die.) http://www.cockatielcottage.net/ (A great site for those, who want to learn more about safe/toxic food, wood, etc. for all birds, not just cockatiels.)
• You will need to animal proof your home, so they will not chew plugged wires, eat toxic houseplants plants, metals, or get hurt.
• They need fresh water & food and sometimes like kids you have to coax them to try new & healthy food... Don't give up if they do not eat healthy right away. Keep trying.
• They need to have a safe, quiet place to sleep & warmth to be comfortable. (ex. covers, animal beds, heaters made specifically for birds/animals)
• Learn all the mistakes you can from people, who have made them. You can find all kinds of information & personal experience online. Research, research, research BEFORE you get an animal to care for. Make sure you can first CARE for the animal in serious & dire situations & that you have the money, time & energy required. Otherwise, wait to adopt when you do. "Can you pay vet bills?" Foster/volunteer at a shelter/ rescue until you can adopt.
* Please don't get pets for birthdays or holidays for little kids. Animals are not toys or props to be shelved once someone is busy or bored. Let kids research and EARN to be a guardian of an animal as it's a serious job & an enriching reward.
*Also, consider adopting from shelter/rescues & NEVER pay a breeder.
• There are so many, who have bad histories: neglected, mistreated, abused and plain unwanted…
• There are many animals, who are painfully waiting to find a good home; some never get that chance to experience care & love and are put down/ euthanized. Please help stop this by adopting from shelters/ rescues or adopting animals from those, who can no longer take care of them...
• But NEVER buy from breeders, especially those backyard breeders, who sell animals ONLY to make money like on Craigslist or Facebook. They are the ones that have caused the sad overpopulation & even sadder animal euthanasia statistic all over the world. The other people, who are responsible are those, who don't think everything through when adopting animals & then dump them when tired or bored. Don't be that person. You don't kill, euthanize or dump an animal, a life, on the streets or with a stranger when you want to move, are bored, don't have the money, don't have time for or interest in the animal. Your mistakes are yours. Don't blame the innocent animals & take it out on them.
*A sobering statistic is that approximately 1,500,000 pets are killed each year. This is just for domesticated cats & dogs & only in the United States. There are countless other domesticated animals, who are just left in the cold, starved, wrapped in garbage bags & tossed into desolated areas & bodies of water. Many are severely abused, starved, neglected, "let loose" in nature when they become too old or too big to be considered "cute". There are other animals, who are used as bait animals for shallow & selfish people, who engage in animal fighting. Those obviously all go unreported & are not factored into the statistics. Then, add pet rats, snakes, mice, birds, lizards, horses, hamsters etc etc. Now think of what happens outside the US? You see how big the problem is...?
*As a pet owner, you are a guardian to a vulnerable, precious & innocent life. So, let's all take our roles more seriously.
Lives are lives, & so we need to remember to do better.
We CAN do better, each one of us. "Every single day, you are born again." Thanks