New Family Members
Meet Amelia (left) and Roger (right):
Beth won a gift certificate for a free parakeet a few months ago. Yesterday, we finally redeemed that gift certificate. We waited a while in order to have warm weather for transportation and so we could learn as much about having parakeets as possible. We learned that they like to have companions, so we got two. The place we bought them from is a breeder with a really nice store in East Brunswick. They had all sorts of baby parrots. The conservationist side of me feels some guilt as to the original origins of these species. Our parakeets ancestors were probably brought over to the US a long time ago, but there's still some heavy trade in the larger parrot species.
In any event, we've given these parakeets a nice big cage, lots of food, and a bunch of toys to play with. They're a bit nervous around us now and they just sort of sit there. We handled them a bit yesterday and I got some nice nips on my fingers for it. We had them out and walking on our carpet too. We'll keep you posted on the progress of our "kids."
6 comments:
-Better you be the owners rather than someone who does care much about birds.
At least you won't have to buy them a car and send them to college! We had a green parakeet for several years which we adopted one day when the kids came running in screaming, "daddy there is a gree bird up in the tree." From the point I climbed halfway up fir Rainbow was ours. I won't buy a parakeet for the reasons you alluded to, but we enjoyed having one, I hope you enjoy your "kids."
Vern
Congratulations on having some members of the avian kingdom as your companions! They will soon get used to you; you will soon get used to having them out of the cage (and cleaning up small droppings!)
These birds are now domestically bred, thank goodness. You will soon be crazy about them! I had to trim my little canary's claws today. My hands were shaking - and he wasn't too comfortable with being on his back in my hands either - but it got done, and he was soon giving me kisses again.
I wouldn't own a bird endangered, but these canaries and parakeets have been bred for 500 years.
I really feel we humans are *meant* to interact with animals, and both realize new possibilities within ourselves, and them as well.
Enjoy!
Those two look a whole lot like my own little guys. I got two, for the same reason you did, but I think it backfired on me. They are more interested in each other than me.
Work with yours as much as you can and they will reward you with lots of love.
And their names are?
Thanks for the kind words everyone! Oops... I forgot to write out their names: Roger and Amelia. We're pretty sure we know the sexes too. They're doing pretty good so far. We're trying to take them out and make them comfy around us. I'll keep you all updated.
If you have a blacklight, or a UV flashlight (not sure why you'd have one of those, but hey, weirder things have happened), you can catch a glimpse of how budgies see each other. If you turn off the lights and shine the blacklight on them, their cheek patches will glow brilliantly. It's pretty cool to try and gives you a whole new appreciation for their plumage.
We used to own a pair of rescued parakeets, named Harold and Maude. They were a joy to have in the house, but when we moved from Alaska they couldn't come with us. Every once in a great while we'll still come across a Maude feather (even after three years), and it makes us miss them all over again.
Be sure to get them a variety of perches, too, including some that have different textures. It will keep their feet from getting sores on them.
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