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.