Finger Training

Finger training it touted as an important part of budgie taming, and we agree.  However, like any kind of training, the less we handle the budgies, the less "into" the finger sitting they become.  Furthermore, the less we clip their feathers, the less patient they are with sitting on our fingers before flying off and back to the cage.  Mary ann is by far the most tame and docile, followed by Boo, and then Sutcliffe.  When Boo is not acting tame, we use our fingers as ladders and she likes to walk up them.  I think that sitting on a finger and finger-ladder walking are simply tapping into budgie instincts.

I have been trying to find the internet link to a talking budgie whose favorite word was "no".  I think that generally, budgies don't really like being handled, and "no" is what these budgies would say if they could. We definitely enjoy holding the budgies more than they seem to like being held.  They seem to simply tolerate it in a "oh brother, if you MUST" kind of way.

Sutcliffe-Continued Discussion

Dear all; while I know you can read the comments, I wanted to highlight this one posted today re: Sutcliffe's feeding behavior:

nacly dog said...

this is acting as the flock leader.  He checks out possibly tainted food, takes the first risk then guards the rest from possible predators.  this behavior is consistent with dimporhism and a social hierarchy.  I've seen flocks of geese show the same behavior.  Sutcliffe would be a good leader for a small feral flock".

This is fascinating.  I don't know much about geese, but remember their social structure being discussed in the book about King Arthur, "The Sword and the Stone" which I read as a young person.  King Arthur spent time with many animals and learned their social behavior.  The geese were very important to teaching King Arthur how to lead compassionately.

I am so proud of Sutcliffe!  He came from a budgie bin, where he really had no upbringing or opportunity at all, and he has become tame, socialized,  the pater familias who saved the life of his beloved child (Magoo), and a true flock leader.  

Thanks naclydog for these insights!

Brave and Selfless Leader or Hen-Pecked Wimp? OR???

Here is a description of a typical behavior of Sutcliffe at feeding time.  I am interested in your interpretation of this;

When a treat or the AM food is placed in the cage, the females do not approach it right away.  Sutcliffe goes first and eats some of the treat.  Soon thereafter, one of the females (Boo or Mary ann, but usually, Mary ann) will come over to where he is, and he'll leave and go to the next feeding spot.  Then Boo will go to that spot, and Sutcliffe will leave.  There is usually a third spot to eat, but Sutcliffe does not go there. Rather, he sits elsewhere and sings and chirps while the other two eat.  Later, when they are finished, he will go and eat some of the treats at any of the three places.

Hypotheses:

Is he being a wimp, chased away from getting a treat by his wife and then his daughter, although he is brave and tame enough, or foolhardy enough, to go first?  

Or is he checking the food for safety, then advertising "good food here" to the flock by singing, while the females feed, being brave, caring, and paternal towards his flock.

Or maybe, there is another idea which we haven't thought about yet?

And finally, what would be good experiments to test this hypotheses?

What do you think?

The Pineal Gland, Budgie Circadian Rhythms, and Other Thoughts

On the post about the Budgies Professionalism, a comment was left:

From Nacly Dog...."Maybe they're taking a vacation.   Can budgies change a circadian rhythm set point?"

This is a very interesting idea!

It definitely was a bit dark on the day when the budgies were quiet (due to thunderstorms).  I wonder if the budgies are particularly sensitive to light and dark?  Birds have a particular connection to the pineal gland.  

The pineal gland affects circadian rhythms in almost all animals.  In birds, it not only affects sleep (it makes melatonin) but also is thought to help with magnetic determination of flying directions.  Because of its role in detecting dark and light in some animals, it is sometimes called the "third eye".  Perhaps the pineal gland is important in budgie professionalism, and budgie vacations.  Apparently bird sleep-wake cycles can be set not only with light, but also with the sounds of bird songs.  There clearly is an interaction to explore between dark/light/sleep/wake in birds.  And perhaps we are more dependent on these cycles then our modern societal pressures may allow us to admit.  And denying them may not be good for us.  Next time is is rainy, I may just give in and sleep late.

Budgie Professionalism (or Lack Thereof)

All animals have a job to do, and do it with pride.  For example, the parental cat (Nikko) patrols his turf daily.   He also must bring back any creatures caught, to share with his human pride.

Budgies have a very important job; greeting the day.  Every morning, it is their job to sing and chirp and greet the morning.  Also it is their job to be active and prepare for nightfall.

This morning, we had to awaken without the budgies.  No songs, nothing.  It was quite rainy, and the budgies just didn't bother getting up to greet the day.  We had to walk downstairs and talk to them to even get any chirps.

Professionalism?  These budgies are slipping!

In an earlier posted comment, C stated:

"The budgies may enjoy "Manzanilla" which is what Spanish-speakers around here call chamomile".  He went on to state "Mantazilla" sounds like a giant manta ray that emerges from the deep to ally with Godzilla against Mothra."

A picture of the budgies vs. the monster "Manzanilla" is shown here (courtesy of C).  Because budgies are really dinosaurs, it will be an impressive, B movie-worthy battle.

K wondered if she had misread the label on the herb bought at the Walmart in Sealy.  The best way to check on this is to Google it (not check the label).  A quick google search revealed:

from a site about the history of chamomile  "In spain it has been known for centuries at Mantazillla or "little apple".  It goes on to state that "this is also the name of a type of sherry which has a similar flavor."

But what about Manzanilla?

Wikipedia states that: Manzanilla is a variety of fino sherry...In Spanish, chamomile tea is called "manzanilla"...

So what is the answer to this confusing quandary?  Are there two ways of talking about chamomile in Spanish?  Is one a mutation of the other?  Is one more "correct"? and who will win in the battle of the Mantazilla monster and the ancient feathered dinosaur budgies?

See the Sequel, "son of budgies" to find out!

Mantazilla

While shopping in a Walmart near Sealy TX, following Hurricane Ike (where we had to drive in order to find an open store), I came across a bundle of dried plant called Mantazilla.  It smelled nice, and was in the food section, so I thought I would give it a try for the budgies.  I put a few sprigs in the budgies cage, and they went wild for it, especially Mary ann!

Only after this did I google Mantazilla, and learn that it is also called Chamomille.  Apparently it is used to help budgies who are ill overcome infection.  I don't think Mary Ann is ill, though.  I think she just liked it a lot.

Favorite Weed Seeds

The season for these particular plants has passed, but they flourished in August.  (Of course, now, after Hurricane Ike, all the flora are a bit of a mess).  This picuture shows Sutcliffe about to enjoy this beloved budgie snack!  I couldn't find out what kind of plant this is on any site.  Any readers have any ideas?

The budgies now have new fresh Eucalyptus (Thanks C!).  Sutcliffe was grooming himself by rubbing on the leaves this morning.  It was pretty cute!  Although I can't find information about budgies sense of smell, I am convinced they are able to smell, as they seem to enjoy aromatic foods such as eucalyptus, cilantro, and basil.

Texas is Such a Big, Empty Place

The budgie-prius arrived well before any furniture did.  The budgies had some fun running around the house without furniture.  Mary Ann was particularly cute; rather than flying to the birdhouse, she ran over and hopped up on my finger.  It was very sweet.

We have quite a bit more furniture now, but the budgies remain in the same place (on a tall table now).  I hope they are safe during the coming Hurricane (Ike)!  We will move them away from the window.

Kids These Days!

As our faithful readers know (both of you), Boo is a teenager and acting like one.  She is quite mean to her dad, and cranky with her mom (though she knows better than to cross the latter).  I found this article sent by MG today very amusing:  See "Parrots Wreak Havoc in New Zealand Bird Sanctuary".  Apparenlty the teenage "Kaka" parrots are destroying the breeding cages  as if they are a game or rubics cube.   Furthermore, older teenage parrots seem to be teaching the younger ones how fun this is.  Before you know it, they'll be singing songs that sounds only like irritating noise to older parrots.

Move to Texas-Budgie Pics!

Finally-the card reader and internet are set up and we can share some of the pictures of the budgies moving to Texas in a prius.  K had worried a great deal in advance; she even feared they might suffer health problems on the trip (or even die?!).  (Yes, K is a worry wart.)  To the contrary, the budgies loved the the trip as far as we could tell!  They particularly liked singing along to the radio (with a preference for Toby Keith songs, and also weird Celtic music, apparently.  This preference is based on the fact that when this music played, they all sang and chirped).  They also quite liked the grasses we cut from roadside weed fields.  The one time they involuted, was in KY (the state, not the jelly) where the scary "Nikko" the cat was living!

Why Pets? Why Cute?

In yesterdays coments, carl said...
I think that the more interesting question is why humans have pets at all. Other species don't in the wild -- I've heard of captive chimps having dolls or pets, but that must be an awfully artificial environment for them.

Maybe we started out by joining packs of dogs to help us hunt, and then transferred our loyalty to wider circles of species.

I think this is an interesting question, and answer.  It is clear that people have used animals to help them hunt (dogs helped hunt, hence bonded with men, who were traditionally hunters) or protect what is gathered (cats protected grains from rodents, hence bonded with women).  i am sure the feminists in the group (of which I consider myself one) may find these generalizations offensive, but, they are interesting and worthy of discussion, I hope.  Other animals have been useful as foods themselves (rabbits, goats) or to produce food (once again goats, or cows who produce milk).  That said, I think that we have a natural affinity and affection for animals which extends beyond their usefulness.  Could it be the amazement that our instinct of fear is overcome with trust and affection trans-species?

While cute overload is horribly anthropomorphic, as I have said before, it still is an excellent collection of animal pictures of all types.  One category of pictures, called "interspecies snorgling", (yes, saccharine, I realize) has a lot of pictures of animals "bonding" in unexpected ways.  And an earlier blog here reported a monkey and pigeon who had formed a special bond.  We don't understand these traits in ourselves, but I am not convinced that other animals don't also have them to a degree.  

MIddle Aged Childless Women and Pets

I realize that I (K) am nuts about the budgies. Even I have perspective that this is a little weird; weirder than being obsessed with a dog or cat, even. However, I also get great pleasure from the budgies. It is a cliche to say that this is biological; childless woman, middle aged, blah blah blah. Why fight it? I can't WAIT till we move (in about a year) to a house we own, so I can get a hedgehog.

Singing

the fact that parrots are noisy, and can learn to talk, is well known. Since moving to Texas, the budgies are singing a lot more. Sutcliffe has always been a singer, and I attributed this to his male sex. However, all three budgies are singing, very much. I wonder what this signifies?

Budgies FINALLY featured in Cuteoverload.com!

I was so happy to see a budgie photo on cute overload.  Yes, cute overload is anthropomorphic, often to the point of being irritating, there are all kinds of made up words which strike me as a mixture of baby talk and psuedo french-like phrases, and worst of all, it rarely has bird pictures.  I do not recall it ever having a budgie shown (and I visit it almost everyday).  "What?" The gentle reader may well ask.  You bash it and then say you visit it daily?".  Well, yes.  I can intellectually distance myself from it, but I must admit, those adorable, sweet, lovable, and amazingly cute pictures really brighten my day.  Even if I can't relate to all the captions and comments.  I can't paste the picture on blogger for you to admire, but it is worth visiting at the above link.

My biggest regret is that, because I am at a new job and don't dare go to "blogger" while at work, I wasn't able to add comments on the day that this budgie post was posted; which could have brought more budgie fans to this blogsite!

In Budgie Heaven, it's all about the fresh Grass Seed

The texas flock has been greatly enjoying the grasses that I have found growing in the green patches in this urban area near our townhouse (near Medical Center). A very good resource for identifying grasses is: TEXNAT, Texas Natural Resource Center Plant Identification site (geared largely towards which ones are good for grazing cattle, not budgies). My impression is that Houston has swamplands, Louisiana style, to the east, Prairies to the north, marshes to the south, and a bit of desert starting to the west. Rhodes Grass, Hooded Windmill Grass, Bermuda Grass, are among the grasses I have found and fed the budgies. In fact, if I come home from work where I pass through a grassy area named (by me “snake alley”, though none of these eponymous creatures have been sighted there, as it is probably, simply just too damn hot for them too), anyway, if I come home and don’t bring grasses with seeds, they act petulant (squawk, peck at each other, and hop about staring at me with expectation). I would love to find some Barnyard grass, Canada wildrye, or Plains lovegrass, and especially, RAT TAIL SMUT GRASS for them. Those look as if budgies would find them very delicious. There is even some Texas bluegrass; but as a native Kentuckian, I think this is where I would draw the line.

While we were on vacation, we asked a neighbor to feed the budgies. She let her preschoolers feed the budgies ALL the food for the week in about a day and a half; they had so much fun pouring seed out into the bowls (and then the floor of the cage). But, she reassured me, they gave the budgies grasses. Well, she must not know much about birds, or pets, because they just threw grass LEAVES in the cage. Boo went into a serious molt, and we really thought Mary ann was going to make a “celestial final flight”. Her usual voluptuousness was gone, and she was very thin, and had a lot of missing feathers, especially on her head. I am happy to report that with regular seeds/pellets (Eggcite brand) and grasses (WITH SEEDS) from the urban prarie, Mary ann has all her feathers again, is looking back to her usual zaftig self, and Boo has gosy and complete feathers.

When choosing grasses, (note neighbor, this means WITH seeds!), its best to choose them from a non-maintained, non -manicured lawn, as that is less likely to have chemicals such as "chem lawn" treatments, which can poison budgies (or other animals including children, btw). Avoid creosote (telephone poles), also toxic. And wash them, especially if from near a roadway.

M and M (Magoo and Mia)

Good news from the adoptive family. They are enjoying Mia and Magoo (M and M). Magoo has been doing very well with finger sitting. Mia has stopped acting neurotic, and when Magoo is finger sitting, he calls her with a little "chiRRRPP". That, I think, is pretty cute. They didn't rename Magoo "Ringo" so I will call this famiy "the Ringo's" to honor them with a good bird name. Anyway, the Ringo's have been very patient with M and M and working regularly with them. I certainly hope Mia will make progress and not discourage the wondeful Ringos.

The Budgieman

Apparently he is a beloved Busker around London (often seen near the Tate Gallery). His budgies are awfully cute. It makes me wish I had more time to spend working with mine.

Update Mia and Magoo Thrive

We have heard an update from the Adoptive Family (AF) regarding Mia and Magoo (M and M).  Apparently Magoo is doing very well with finger sitting.  Also, amazingly, Mia will sometimes sit on a finger, and perhaps is more likely to do so when Magoo beckons her with a chhiirrrPPP.  That is amazing for timid little Mia!  I am not sure if Magoo is now Ringo, or not-will check on that.  The AF is clearly working regularly with M and M, and it seems to be paying off.  There is an adorable dachshund in the family, who seems a bit excited about the new additions.  But being intelligent, as dachshunds are, he has learned to not bark at them (which in turn got them rather flustered).  This is all very good news.  Whether or not the budgies stay part of the new family may depend a bit on the dachshunds adaption to them.  I was under the impression that dogs and budgies tended to get along well, but of course every dog, and every budgie is different.

Budgies in Texas-Update

The budgies seem to have calmed completely since the move.  They are a bit less active, but that is probably because they are in a darker place than before (the summer palace was quite bright, being basically outdoors).  I have not heard yet from Magoo (Ringo?) and Mia but will let everyone know if I hear anything from the wonderful family who adopted them.  

While walking to work (an urban walk) I (K) pass through a grassy area which I have called "snake alley" although none of the eponymous creatures have yet been seen there.  I have been picking grass seed stalks from there on the way home, and the budgies are clearly thrilled with these.   Sutcliffe is not as aggressive about getting these as the females are, even though I make an effort to distribute these evenly so all can enjoy.

All three seem to have fully recovered from the bad episode of negligent babysitting that occurred while we were out of town (the family caring for the budgies poured all of the food for the week into the food bowls in a single day, and then just threw pieces of grass into the cage after that.  The budgies lost a lot of feathers, especially Mary ann on the top of her head and Sutcliffe around the eyes.  Boo went into a serious molt.  Fortunately Magoo and Mia were spared, possibly because they are the youngest).

Moving Highlights

Sorry to all our gentle blog readers (yes, both of you) for this long hiatus.  However, the move caused some delays in getting online to blog!  

The budgies did well during the packing up phase, mainly because of their location in the "summer palace".  However, a bittersweet moment (for the human flock) occurred when Mia and Magoo were adopted.  The good news is, that we now have a new family which has joined the human flock, especially, several girls who seem very well suited to budgie ownership.  I haven't heard yet if they are enjoying the budgies, but I certainly hope so.  If they don't like the budgies, we offered to take them back.  It was a no risk adoption.  I was rather sad at first to see them go, especially Magoo, who hatched in our house only just this last winter, but I know he will be happy.  He may even be renamed Ringo!

The drive and the stay near Nikko the cat (the latter of whom resides in Louisville) went well, but deserves longer posts in the future.  Pictures will also soon be posted from the trip.   The budgies were very quiet around Nikko, probably instinctually.  In the Prius, while driving, however, they seemed joyous and sang and chirped the entire way, especially if country music was playing, or classical.

Good News

As you can see here, this blog entry celebrates Mia and Magoo. They are definitely a "pair" and an adoptive family has been found, at least temoporarily, here in the greater suburban Washington DC area. It is a family I know, as I work with the mom and the dad in the family. They have several daughters, who are interested in having their own pets. I hope they really have fun with Mia and Magoo! I set up their cage today, and will set up another cage for the remaining three as well. The aviary will be moved, empty, with the moving van to Texas. I have purchased food, litter, and a book and magazine to help the girls learn about budgies. I am so excited that these wonderful birds will have a good home and be a part of the lives of young people.

Weathering, Feathering, and Grassicles

We had a huge storm yesterday, with severe thunderstorms, and winds up to 70mph! Several tornadoes were spotted in the area. I was too afraid to go outside (and I am NOT agoraphobic by any means!) I don't know how high the wind was on the screened in porch where the budgie summer palace is, but, there were many branches and even a few trees down, and, the budgies were soaking wet as was the entire screened porch. They seemed a bit freaked out, but fine.

This morning as a special treat I put some very special large "feed grasses" in their case, in very large bunches to reward them for budgie bravery. The caveat; these were still frozen kernels, as I have been storing them in the freezer for special occasions. Boo and Sutcliffe ate them with joy, but the others took a few bites and then stood to the side, with the usual aversive budgie behavior which is typical when they encounter something new. I'll serve them new, frozen Grassicles tomorrow, and see if they come around to liking them, as they often do for other newly introduced foods.

The Summer Palace is Wintery

The budgies seem to be greatly enjoying the summer palace, but last night it was down to about 50 degrees Farhenheit and tonight, even down to 45. I hope they do ok! They have been covered with blankets. Interestingly, they have not climbed up to their usual sleeping postures (as high as possible, hanging by their beaks and holding on with their toes on the vertical cage bars below). Tonight, they are sitting in a "traditional" posture, on perches, in the middle portion of the cage, and with heads tucked under wings. Could this be a much warmer way to sleep? I feel rather anxious letting them sleep outdoors in this weather, but am going to allow it. I certainly hope this is the right decision.

Budgies Move to Summer Palace

Spring has sprung, and according to the Farmer's Almanac and NOAA, the last risk of frost passed May 16th and so the budgies have moved to their summer residence. Their winter palace is the basement, in front of the window, which is nice, indeed. However, the budgie summer palace is truly grand. Sorry there isn't a picture, but I can't find the point and shoot and Mary ann chewed through the webcam cable as many of our gentle readers know.

The summer palace is actually still in the same aviary cage, but, it is moved up to the screened in porch. They get plenty of indirect sunlight and a corner of direct sunlight. They get fresh air on three sides, and have one side facing the wall. So, they get the UV that they love (because they can see in the UV range). I note that Mia is particularly lovely in the sunlight, with a pale, delicate yellow undertone and very lovely blue markings (once again, no pic). They interact with the other birds by chirping loudly and of course generally, hopping and flying around. The budgies really like the eucalyptus, and it seems to be where they sit when it is a bit cooler (it was only 64 today). They still sleep by crawling up the side of the cage and hanging from their bills at night (more on their sleeping positions to follow).

What do you Get if you Cross a Budgie with a Hedgehog?

A platypus!

Eucalyptus Has Come!

Eucalyptus has arrived! C found a tree down at his place of work (sunny California) and very kindly and generously harvested a lot of leaves and twigs for the budgies. Thanks C! That is very kind.

It arrived in a box, some of which was packed in plastic, some not. The Plastic wrapping seems to have been very effective in keeping it quite fresh. the non-plastic wrapped is also good, but a bit drier.

The budgies are ecstatic! I put some in their cage the other night, while they were sleeping. Upon awakening, there it was!

The have been enjoying taking tiny triangular bites out of the leaves, and chewing the stems. Boo in particular likes rubbing against the leaves. Mary ann is quite the stem chewer! And Mia and Sutcliffe are heavy leaf eaters. Of course Magoo is an active particpant as well, mainly by hopping about between the leaves and twigs. I look forward to giving them a shower to see if they enjoy it with the eucalyptus vapors!

Aside: re Budgie sense of Smell: While it is not known (at least in my reading) whether or not budgies have a sense of smell, there is no doubt in my mind that they do. While they may recognize eucalyptus by sight, I am betting that the smell is quite important to them. And, they can also differentiate well between cilantro and parsley, which look alike.

Because of the ways the budgies are reacting to eucalyptus, I am guessing that it has both a nutritional benefit (since they eat it) and a medicinal/grooming benefit (because they like to rub it). Perhaps this is a way to prevent vermin in the wild? Or maybe they just like to perfume their bodies. If I were a budgie perfume vendor, eucalyptus and cilantro would certainly be two fragrances I would sell.

NB:Because of the process of cleaning the house for trying to sell it (prior to the move to Texas), I can't seem to find the camera. Mary ann has chewed through the webcam. Therefore, posts may be sans images until the camera is located.

Oh Where Oh Where Has the Budgie Blog Gone?

Its been a while since the last post-sorry about that!
Its been very busy for the human flock members due to the plan for a move to Texas! Budgies seem unaware of the fact that a long, cross country trip (longitudinally speaking) is ahead of them. A stop in KY (the state, not the jelly) will be a good reprieve, although that stop will have the added complication of a resident CAT. (this will occur around the end of June and will be blogged).

the biggest news: Hedgehog is on HOLD due to the impending move. There is a hedgehog vendor/breeder in the area where we will go, so hopefully at some point we will add the quills to our bills.

In the meantime, we will keep you up to date on the activities of our beloved budgies! All are well and enjoying the longer, sunnier days.

More Shower Action!

Budgies Eating Grass

While this may not be the most thrilling video to our gentle readers, the budgies are very happy, herein. That is because spring has sprung! And along with spring, have come some early seeding grasses. It is a welcome treat and a change from the cilantro they have had all winter (although admittedly, cilantro is beloved when it comes to budgies and greens and the all time favorite, EUCALYPTUS from C and B, RULES). Pulling the seeds out of their grassy envelopes is good exercise, too, I think.

It is important when getting grasses from suburban yards to:
-avoid yards that look great. They probably use chemicals. Safer to go for grasses from a yard that is unkempt.
-wash the grasses in case any chemicals, or car related schmutz might be on them (dog pee, also a potential contaminant, is probably just gross, but not dangerous).