Budgies Like Hanging out on the Porch

Gentle readers, I am sure you have been missing the budgie updates and worrying, needlessly as it turns out, about the cat.

The cat has gone through three stages: 1) not noticing the budgies 2) noticing the budgies and acting like Sylvester 3) being indifferent to the budgies (very similar to 1).

When the cat first started noticing the budgies, she got sprayed with the water bottle. At this point, she doesn't even seem to look at them. They get put out on the porch every morning, around 7am, and come in around 8pm. They seem to love this routine. Although in the house they had a closed room to themselves, there was just too much risk for a door being left accidentally open and mischief. They clearly prefer the porch (as manifest by singing, jumping around, preening). This may be because it is more light (and smells good) outside. Also, there are neighbor budgies who make the loud "ChIIRRRP" noise to our budgies. The neighbor also has his budgies out in the AM, inside in the PM. The other day, a mockingbird was in the yard making budgie noises. My heart leapt up with joy.

In the evening, myself, the cat (Shania) and the budgies all tend to hang out in the same room together. It is very peaceful. The cat and I play, or the cat sleeps while I read or watch TV, and the budgies wind down from their day. The cat shows no interest in them; she is more interested in her toys now. I hope it stays this way.

I have had to switch from the lovely victorian style cage to the more ordinary cage; it isn't as beautiful, but it is much, much lighter, which is key since I have to lift the cage, with one arm, twice daily.

The new cage-suitable for hanging

This is a picture of the new cage. As you can see, it is the perfect shape for hanging from the ceiling. I hope to hang it in a room that will be closed off to the kitty (yet to be adopted) by day, and then, opened when we all hang out as a family. I will train the kitty then to not antagonize the birds. We'll see if that is possible. Additionally, I'd like to hang the cage outside, on the front porch, on some weekend days when I am working in the yard. I suspect they will enjoy it. There is a squirrel around who seems pretty feisty, and also, the neighbors cat "Mr. Cajones" (this is what I have nicknamed him, because he isn't neutered...I don't know his real name).

The other day, I heard the distinctive "cheEEEP" "cheeEEEP" and "brawk, brawk brawk" of budgies emanating from next door. I can't see the back yard of my next door neighbors, but I was sure; they have budgies, and they were outside! I asked my neighbor (Frankie, the owner of Mr. Cajones) if he had budgies, and indeed, he does. He said they put them outside during the day, in at night. Every day, every night. I asked him how he kept Mr. Cajones away from them (Mr. Cajones is pretty wild from what I have seen). He said "oh I gave him a bonk and after that he stayed away". The basics of classic conditioning reduced to its elemental terms, I suppose.