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).

Chicago is Like Lasagna is Like Our Aviary

K is visiting Chicago. She realized that Chicago has a river, streets, bridges, more streets, then buildings, layered on top of each other, before the buildings start shooting up into the sky, is something like our aviary.  That is, there are perches at many different levels, food at several different levels, and lots of criss-crossing. It reminds me of how you make lasagna.

Twins

It is really adorable (to us) how much Boo and Magoo look alike. Of course from the genetics standpoint, it is not surprising, since, Mary ann is PERFECT Lutino (technically, hypomelanic) and Sutcliffe is of the blue variety. So the two babies demonstrate the phenomenon of regression towards the mean of any phenotype over several generations.

While it would have been fun to have a more rare mutation rather than wild type, I suppose, I love our wild type twins. They remind me so much of the wonderful wild budgies flocking in a large group in the Parrots of Oz.

Sometimes it is hard to tell these twins apart. But Boo has darker markings in the black tips of his feathers and other dark markings, and Magoo is more greyish in these areas.

I'd like to breed them some more and even do some breeding, er, experiments, but human daddy (J) says "No". Always practical. Sigh.

Mia the Lovely and Untame

Mia is a lovely bird. She is from a budgie bin, and was in a tiny cage full of "rare budgies". There is really no such thing as a rare budgie, she is simply a budgie that is unusual looking. We don't know yet if Mia is female or male. She seems rather young and it may be too soon to tell. She is not terribly picked on, other than a bit by Boo, who is a bit stroppy because she is 1.so adored 2. so fearless and 3. a teenager. The others tolerate, and sometimes (especially, Magoo and Sutcliffe) even like her. Because the male, and possible male like her, we are guessing she is a She.

Perhaps it is inbreeding, or perhaps, life in a budgie bin, but, Mia, like Lola, is a very skittish bird. She is virtually untame-able, at least so far. By this time, Sutcliffe was eating out of our hands. Not Mia! Any human presence near the cage results in frantic flying, and even falling off a perch. If she is caught, she screams bloody murder, really alarming to the other budgies. But, she is indeed a great beauty.

Mary Ann Exerts Her Will

These pictures are about Mary ann exerting her will. She has always liked picking up the silver food bowl and dropping it back into the holding ring which makes a "clink" sound. Lately, she has taken to tossing it completely out of the ring. We are no longer putting food in that bowl. I wonder if she is trying to find a nesting site? Once we removed that silver bowl, she began emptying another bowl (made from coconut shell and strongly adhered to its post). She does this latter action almost daily now that the silver bowl is gone. Curious behavior, Mary ann. I suggested we put a nest box back in, but practical as always, J said no, five budgies is more than enough.
I have read a number of budgie internet sights that malign female budgies. We have observed at least two (Mary ann and Boo) and probably more (Lola was probably female but so young, ditto for Mia, and re: Magoo, it is hard to say, s/he could go either way at this point). I must say in their defense that female budgies are delightful and each has her own personality. Both our females are more tame then the male(s), although Sutcliffe does pretty well, especially considering he came from the Pet Store "Budgie Bin". Females definitely chew on a lot more sticks. Mary ann can make short work of a clothespin in about a day or so! Perhaps this is part of the nest building instinct. Both Boo and Mary ann are more aggressive towards the other birds from time to time, but as long as they get their space, they do alright (although Boo can be a bit unreasonable about sharing cilantro and sometimes bites her dad's tail for no apparent reason).

Hedgehog Meets Cat (Igel und Katze)

Check out this video from Google!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5224133467918685712&q=igel&hl=en

I can't embed this video, so you'll have to click the link or paste it into your browser...but it is worth the extra step! Anyone who doesn't like this Igel, is just a cranky kitty!

Check this Out (Turn Speakers ON!) by Waverly Films

Shower Time

The budgies really love their showers, which they get a couple times a week, ideally. It is hilarious to see how they try to press themselves against the cage sides to maximize water exposure. They let themselves get totally bedraggled! Boo, Mia, and Magoo are the most enthusiastic about it. Perhaps this is because they are younger? I tried bowls with water in them (and sticks to allow easy climbing in and out) but these were not used at all. I once held Boo near running water in the sink (apparently some budgies really like this) but she was not interested.

Thanks to our readers, especially those who are leaving comments! It really keeps me motivated to post!

Budgies are Getting Long Wing Feathers: To Clip or Not to Clip?

To clip or not to clip? That was the subject, in part, of an earlier blog, in part, where I discussed that wing clipping was not cruel, since, for domesticated budgies, it could save their lives as there are many hazards that not flying well could help them avoid (such as, for example, flying into a tray of goo). This was written right after witnessing Magoo's terrible accident.

However, now that I have some distance from the accident, I realize I remain on the fence about this subject. On the internet, there are very strong opinions. Some feel that wing clipping is an essential part of bird ownership and not clipping is as absurd as never getting your kid potty trained. Others find that sentiment enormously offensive, and feel that clipping wings is just plain wrong. Whoah! It just isn't clear what should be done. And, if wing clipping is chosen, the vet says that only the vet should do it (quelle surprise).

On the one hand, clipping wings leads to better safety. On the other hand, birds are evolved to fly. Flying is what birds to, and to clip their wings is to lessen that joy. I'd like to know your views on this subject, so leave comments even if incendiary, on the topic!