Happy Boo's Day to You!!!

Some of you have been industrious, others of you, perhaps, slothful lie-a-beds. Some, to our sorrow, have not been feeling well. Others, and most, we hope, have been doing great! No matter how you have been the last seven days, another week has rolled around and it is once again time to observe
BOOS DAY!
While we don't have a picture handy for Boo's Day this week, we can report that Boo is doing great, but has been rather naughty. This morning she was singing joyfully. However, a few days ago, when a clump of cilantro was served, Boo bit her dear old dad (Sutcliffe) very hard on his wing and pulled it while he was trying to eat! I have never seen another budgie do this, other than Mary ann to Lola. I think Sutcliffe is fine and he can take care of himself, but this was very very bratty. Boo also was nibbling K's nose with affection, but then bit VERY hard! Clearly, she is feeling a bit aggressive, and perhaps, towards those who love her the most. Go ahead, you parents out there, say it (with a sigh):
"TEENAGERS".

Happy Boo's Day Tuesday March 11th, 2008

Happy Boo's Day! I realize that Boo-blogging and other Budgie-blogging activities have hit a lull...but all is well in budgie-land! In fact, the budgies are very happy living in a flock, and having N+1 feedbowls, N+3 perches, and multiple perch levels. While perch preference seems to convey status (that is, the bird with status seems to get to eat and stand where she wants), it is not always the highest perch. Mary ann remains top bird, but, due to her girth which is maintained by an ever attentive Sutcliffe, Boo is the more active second in command, chasing other birds away from where she wants to be. She is into puberty at full tilt, with a brown crinkly cere. Boo remains adorable and affectionate. Yes, she is the favorite. Is it so wrong to have a favorite?

We're BACK!

After a long hiatus (we even skipped Boo's day this week!) we are back posting on the budgie blog. We thought no one was reading it as no comments have been forthcoming. However, an ecouraging email came (thanks C!) motivating us to resume.

The new cage has perches at many levels. It seems that the budgies like to space themselves relatively evenly throughout the cage most of the time. Harmony largely prevails. A great joy was brought to all when a ball that was labeled as "toy", made of wicker, was purchased, filled with cilantro, and put in the cage. In a day and a half, the entire top of the ball was destroyed. Even after the cilantro was all eaten, shredding the toy seemed to be a lot of fun for all. I think I will make some toys out of straw from the craft store, wrapped around seeds. The budgies seem to take great pleasure in shredding things that have some food associated with them.

Female Bonding-Happy Boo's Day! Tuesday February 19, 2008

Happy Boo's Day to You! Happy Boo's Day to Yoooooooo!

Yes, it's Boo's Day again. Here are Boo and Mary Ann, who are getting along well. In fact everyone seems to be getting along these days in the new, big cage. Its not easy to see in this photo, but Boo has a crinkley cere, which is brownish pink. He is decidedly a she, as discussed before. Why is it so hard for me to get my mind around this? Boo is still happy and having a blast being Boo. Yesterday, she had a good time nibbling my nose; I sniffed her back in return. It was a bonding experience.

Happy Boo's Day-Tuesday February 11, 2008

Can it be? Another perfectly good week has gone by, much of it squandered on activities other than blogging, and now its Boo's day again?

All five budgies are doing well in the new cage. The perch order is variable. Sometimes, Boo just needs a bit of space and climbs to the top of the rungs (as seen here). Could this be because she is now going through puberty, and needs more time alone? Is she a broody teenager? Or testing her limits? Climbing up to the very top of the rungs, and hanging with tail down, wings folded, head straight, is how all five sleep at night these days. However, the rest of the time, they all seem to enjoy many different perches and food bowls (perches are many, and food bowls are "n+1"). On lower rungs, the inhabitants vary; sometimes Sutcliffe and Mia, Mia and Magoo, or Sutcliffe and Mary ann. There are almost always two birds on the bottom perches, but never Boo. We have seen almost no fighting all week. So, the cage seems to be copacetic. All the eucalyptus (the last of which was used in this cage set up) has been eaten, shredded, or trampled with joy except for a few twigs which still give much pleasure to the budgies, who like to hop on them, and let them bounce up and down a bit.

We note that some of our regular readers are also missing, some for known reasons: R due to extensive travel and hard work, and C, due to flu. Good wishes for happy flying and rapid fleeing of flu!!

Happy Boo's Day-Tuesday February 5th!

Whether you were enormously productive, or, completely irresponsible over the last seven days, another week has rolled by, and once again, it is BOOS-DAY!

To conitinue in the spirit of MGs remark about the budgies looking as if they are snorkling (see Parrots in the Land of Oz Jan 30th entry) (Thanksf or comment, MG!) we thought we would address budgies and water, including, Boo-ish approaches to this subject.

As MG has noted, budgies do love water. I haven't yet observed our budgies bathing in water, even though pools have been made available to them in the past. However, when a spray bottle is used to spray into the cage, the budgies get very excited. Some, especially Boo, press their little under-bellies up against the edge of the cage in order to get their lower bodies completely drenched. Most of the budgies sit and jump in the spray bottle mist for a while, then retire to a less wet part of the cage. They also like licking water off of the wire of the cage and off of any greens that are there. Boo does not limit herself when it comes to water, however! Boo sits in the water until her feathers are completely damp, even to the point where she can't move very gracefully. Often, she will let herself get so wet, she'll fall off the perch. Now THAT is a love of water!

Happy Boo's-Day! Tuesday, Jan 29th, 2008-Boo and her Nemesis

Have spent the last seven days productively? Or completely squandered them?
Either way, another week has passed and it is once again Boo's-Day! (trumpet flourish!)
Boo is pictured here with her nemesis, Mia. Yes, HER. Boo is decidedly a female. It was clear yesterday, when we noted HER cere turning a bit brown and krinkled. That is a classic hallmark of a female budgie. Other feminine traits include gnawing on sticks (although all budgies enjoy this).
And, another interesting Boo-note: When in a cage with Magoo, and Sutcliffe, Boo is the top-perch bird. Perhaps this is just her femininity coming into play? Are females the top perch sitters as a general rule?

Happy Boos Day! January 22, 2008-Pecking Orders

Yes, another week has gone by, and once again is is BOOS-day!

To celebrate Boo's day, we'll talk about Boo's status in the pecking order, how it isn't predictable, and how it might be informative regarding budgie politics generally (warning: they are quite complex). I will list pecking orders from top bird to bottom bird and annote when and how Boo filled these various roles.

1st. Boo was top bird when s/he and Lola were alone together in a cage. In fact, Boo was so aggressive towards Lola, that I was afraid that the latter would never get to feed properly nor sleep comfortably.

2nd. Boo is currently second on the totem pole, with Mia in third place. However, when it was only her/him and Mia in the cage, Boo was decidedly "Bottom Bird". He even rolled on his back in a pathetic way when Mia pecked her/him! This led the vet himself to say "what a submissive little bird!" The order is: Mary ann 1st, Boo second, Mia third. Boo and Mia bicker a lot.

3rd. With both Sutcliffe and Mary ann in the mix, along with Boo, as well as Lola, it was: Mary ann 1st, Sutcliffe second, Boo third (although seemed close: and sometimes Boo seemed tied with Sutcliffe for second), and Lola decidedly coming in last (as always).

Where will Magoo fit into this pecking order? And what might be a good way to research the pecking order with more combinations? I am thinking: try the following combinations:

-Boo with Magoo

-Boo, Magoo, and Sutcliffe

-Boo, Magoo, and Mia

-Mia and Magoo only

-Magoo and Mary ann only

-Magoo, Sutcliffe, and Mary ann

Magoo and Mia only

-Boo, Magoo, Sutcliffe, and Mary ann

-all five (this is the long range goal for the new big cage, in any case!)

All you math and engineering wizards can probably think of a very good way to organize and research this! A matrix for this is welcome.

Happy Boos-day, Jan 15th 2008

Can you believe that Boo was conceived just about one year ago this week? It was a week we traveled to Miami, the Everglades, and Key West. We didn't have a webcam in those days, so can't know precisely the day of laying of the Boo egg, nor of hatching (the latter, we think, is around Valentines a year ago).
Boo is in a cage all by himself now. That is soon to change however! We got a big new cage, with a single divider in it. Because Sutcliffe and the baby will likely continue their convalescence in one part of that, Boo is destined to have to pair with Mary ann and Mia. (The latter two are currently sharing a tiny cage: there is usually a bit of a face off, with what seems to be glaring from opposite perches for those two). It will be interesting to see how Boo interacts with these two grouchy gals. I think "he" is as "she" which will mean, she has to find her place in that female pecking order! Assuming Mia is female, that is. Sigh. It is so complicated being a budgie. And a budgie guardian.

Boos-day, December 18th, 2007

Happy Boos-day, all! Boo is doing great. He's still adorable and playful, and tame. He seems to particularly enjoy when we get home and give him greens. Mia is also fine. She/he remains neurotic, and often runs back on forth on the perch closest to Boo's cage, quite nervously. She also squawks loudly whenever a hand goes into her cage to deposit food. She actually falls off the perch in her terror. There are tame budgies; and then, there's Mia. Boo and Mia are polar opposites in terms of tameness.
In the summer Boo, and the other budgies gets fresh grasses and dandelion greens. However, in the winter, he (and the other flock members) typically get dill weed, almost daily. They rejected parsley. They love cilantro, but it is a bit pricey and so it is reserved as an occasional treat. I did freeze several stalks of wild grass with seeds, recently thawed. The result of this experiment was budgie elation all around.

Happy Boos-day, Dec 11th

Well, another week has rolled by, and once again, its BOOS-DAY! In order to celebrate, I thought we all might like to look at some pictures of Boo from his childhood (March 2007, when he was one month old). I believe the more mature (in box) picture is about age 3-4 weeks, and the younger one, about 2-3 weeks. However, the new baby(s) will help us better gauge that as we have a much better idea of the actual incubation period on this brood. Budgies grow fast (thank goodness, since the current baby doesn't look too strong yet). We thought Boo was just adorable, of course. But, when I proudly showed his picture to someone at work, she replied "he's got looks that only a mother could love". And let me tell you, SHE was no bargain herself. How dare she make any negative remarks about the brilliant Boo? And aren't these pictures CUTE? One, two, three---Awwwwwwww.
General Blogging Reminder: Please post comments, one and all, stranger, family, and Friends! We really enjoy them. We'll even read them outloud to the budgies. (well, maybe).

Test Question: Do You Know What Day it Is?

Yes folks, another week has passed and the very special, not to be missed, BOOS-day is upon us!
Boo has had an excellent week. His feathers are shiny again, and he has stopped molting. I am not sure if he has re-gained the 2 ounces lost due to the stress of Mia moving in, but, he certainly is eating with regular gusto. He is playful and happy. Mia seems to be settling into her cage nicely too. We let them out for "playtime" a couple of times a week, and mostly, they just sit happily together on the houseplants (as shown, with Mia in the foreground).
The really big news on Boo this week is: his nose doesn't look too blue-ish anymore. In fact, it has a downright brownish tint. This suggests that HE might be a SHE. Budgies are notoriously hard to sex, especially, prior to puberty. And puberty often occurs right after the first molt. Boo was born last FEbruary, so it is possible he has just entered puberty. We will keep yo posted on the color of his cere (cere=the top of the beak which is brownish pink in female budgies, and blue in male budgies). The nose knows! Happy Boos-day!