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May 13, 2006
I've been given the bird!
I hesitate to say this, but ... we got a replacement budgie.
As of a couple of hours ago, it has survived slightly longer in our house than birdie #1 did. Hopefully this is a positive sign. It may help that half the boys are at Scout camp this weekend. Yes, they brought home a new bird and left it here. With me. Me, the one who found the last bird dead in its cage. No anxiety here, nosiree.
Birdie #1 was active and curious. It would sit on anyone's finger and climb all over them. It wanted to explore. It was downright gregarious.
The new birdie wants nothing to do with us. It does not want anything to do with anyone's finger. It has, at times, turned its back to us on its little perch. It's still alive, though. (Maybe I should go upstairs and check?) It sits on one particular place on one perch and that is it. I can tell that it's been elsewhere in its cage, but it has never let us see it off its perch. Except that earlier today, when I was talking to it in what I hope was a soothing way, it suddenly climbed off its perch and walked all around its cage. Then it leapt onto the cage walls and clawed its way around the bars. It chirped several times.
Then it got back on its perch.
I'm hoping the sudden trek around the cage is a good sign?
The boys are having a blast at camp. Tonight they made marshmallow blow guns out of PVC pipe. You have never seen happier boys.
Posted by lynx at May 13, 2006 11:30 PM
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Comments
"marshmallow blow guns out of PVC pipe"
Our Scoutmaster never let us to stuff like that - which probably explains why I didn't stay in scouting long.....
Posted by: Mark L ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.caerdroia.org/116/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 14, 2006 7:46 AM
Stephanie,
You are a good mother. Really, really good. Better than me. Way better.
We have a bird - Agmontonia. She is a cardinal that comes to our dining room window and tries to come in. That's the closest thing we have to a pet.
Posted by: Amy at May 15, 2006 1:28 PM
We had two budgies pre-baby, and they hated us. They lived for a long time, though.
Posted by: Shawna at May 15, 2006 2:11 PM
I've thought about getting birds before. What sorts of unexpected responsibilties come with birds, other than them dropping dead. Are they messy? Noisy? How long can you leave them alone if you go on vacation?
Posted by: Myrtle at May 16, 2006 6:53 PM
Mytrle,
Our first bird was messy - he threw food everywhere. This one does not. This one doesn't chirp often, but when he does he's loud. The boys no longer need an alarm clock. Heh heh.
I was surprised by the amount of social interaction they need. If they get bored or lonely, they pluck out their feathers and can hurt themselves. You have to rotate their toys and play with them, but ... not too much, apparently.
I don't know how long they can be left alone. We're planning to go out of town for a few days next week, and I plan to leave the cats here but have the bird boarded. It's $5 a day to board the bird, and I think we'll all be happier/calmer/safer that way.
But in general, it's been a pretty low-maintenance pet. You give it fresh water every day. You give it food - it can eat most people food as well as its bird food. Give it a dish of water to bathe in every so often. When it's comfortable with you, you let it out of its cage to get exercise and to play.
Posted by: MamaLynx at May 19, 2006 2:46 PM