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!

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.

Bill and Quills?

The big news for next month is that a hedgehog is going to join our household (fingers crossed).  We had to reserve one as only a few breeders exist in the area.  We are schedule to get the hedgehog on April 20th.  So, the blog may soon be both about Budgies and Hedgehogs.  We would like to ask our gentle readers for thoughts on the name of the blog.  Perhaps Bills and Quills?  Budgies and Hedgies?  Perches and Burrows?  Let us know if you have any good ideas!

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.

Budgie Breeding-A Euphemistic Yet Biological Update

I have received a few requests to not be vulgar on this blog, so, I am using Euphemisms from this point forward as much as possible. However, if anyone wants a euphemism to biology translational post, I'd be pleased to oblige upon request.

This morning, both parents were out of the nest box. Mary ann did her "toiletting" Her "butt" was triangulated in appearance. The tail region was large. Sutcliffe was feeling "romantic" and attempted/succeeded in mating activity.

This is of interest, because there are already two eggs. Therefore, not all eggs are fertilized, one would surmise from this, at the same time. Only two eggs were seen so far. Last time, she laid 4 eggs, three hatched, only one survived. I don't know if there are unfertilized eggs laid when there is a cock around, or if the other simply didn't make it at an earlier point in the brooding.

Mary ann and Sutcliffe have also begun rigorous housecleaning. Mary ann "toilets" once a day (always in the same spot: to me, that is interesting). However, Sutcliffe occasionally "goes" in the nest box. This is removed promptly, as are some feathers (others remain, not clear how these are chosen-perhaps soiled featehrs are removed?).

Increase in Nest Box Time!

Both Sutcliffe and Mary ann are spending much more time in the nest box: Mary ann certainly is "in" more than she is "out". Additionally, the "giant budgie poop" as mentioned in earlier posts is still occurring, daily. Our webcam is not functional (it figures) but, I did peer into the nest box. I saw no eggs, but I did see Stucliffe grooming Mary ann on the top of her head with what I believe to be great affection. He also fed her cilantro last night which I provided. She basically doesn't eat at all now, and he does all her feeding, even if she is out of the box.For interest sake, pictured here is an earlier shot of the M and S in teh nest box, looking out.

Introducing: MIA

In order to discourage Boo's constant chirping to his mother (who is on another floor, but still, seems distracted), we have gotten him a new companion. Her name is Mia. She is lovely, white with a yellowish face, and a bit of other delicate coloring.
We were going to adopt, but, the hassle factor was SO high: we had to first drive to fill out an application. Then, when our application is approved, meet the bird. Then, get a home visit from some Takoma Park Hippie. Then, drive out and get the bird. All this for a budgie? I mean, yes, adoption is the right thing to do. But they need to lower the bar a bit, at least, on this. I mean, its a BUDGIE. And budgies are $25 at Petsmart. Which is where we got Mia. Walk in, get a budgie, walk out. I feel a bit guilty, but, hey, mission accomplished.
So far, Boo seems to hate her. At least, they spend a fair amount of their time pushing each other off of perches. He also pecks at her. But, he seems a bit deferential, as well. She comes in from the Budgie Bin, where it was a "Bird eat Bird" world, and he has known nothing but pampering and adoration. We will see where this goes, and, if it helps Mary ann and Sutcliffe FINALLY get the lovin' they need from each other.
On a general blogging note: I wonder if I should get myself one of these t-shirts for myself? http://www.onehorseshy.com/highbrow/no_one_cares_about_your_blog/.

"Fat Bottomed Girl You Make the Rockin' World go Round!

Thanks to all for your fun comments and interest! It is a great joy to read them. Lets hope Sutlcliffe agrees that fat bottomed girls make the Rockin' world go round!!!

Eucalyptus Arrived!

Today eucalyptus arrived from C and B: Three types! We put one branch of each into the cage. As you can see, Sutcliffe explored nervously--Mary ann, who is out of view of the webcam, seemed to simply want to avoid it. This is not unusual for budgies: they usually react to new things with caution, and these are larger then the usual greens they get by several orders of magnitude. We are about to go on a four day trip. Hopefully, that will give the budgies a chance to mate, since, last time, their mating occurred, I believe, while we were out of town. However, we won't be able to document more eucalyptus events to see the complete reaction. It will be interesting to see if they eat it also, while we are gone. I am going to leave these same leaves in the cage.

Video, Take Two

Cooler Weather

The weather has gone from extremely hot, to autumnally cool. The budgies behavior does not seem to have changed, however. It is a gray, dreary day. People and buddgies all seem a bit cranky.