Bills and...Kitties?

It has come to the point where we want to get a kitty. The reasons are various, the simplest being, K has always had a cat (more or less) and really wants one. J as usual indulges her. So the questions are:

1. How to train the cat to not antagonize (or harm) the birds? (sub-question-is a kitten best?)

2. What cage is best?

I have been researching Q#2 this evening and think an acrylic cage might be just the thing. Of course, Mary ann, and the offspring (Boo and Magoo) were essentially free, and Sutcliffe cost $20. But pets are the gifts that keep on giving. These cages aren't cheap! (aren't cheep, hahaha).

Here are two options:

http://www.acrylic-bird-cages.com/samples.htm . This isn't a very good website, but it might be a good habitat.

and

http://www.kingsolomoncages.com/specials.asp (scroll down to see the side klean version...simple design...).

The sub-issue/question for the acrylic cage is: now that the birds are so happy climbing around on the side of the cage, will they be bummed out by an acrylic sided cage? this could be dealt with by a ladder/climbing system along the sides (have C and B and their kitty Lily inspired this ladder thinking?...gee the puns are bad tonight!

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 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.