Cooper’s Cuties

Meet Perri Blue!
pb4Perri Blue (on the right) lives in North Carolina with Susan, budgies Ellie, Oscar and Tucker, and cockatiels Gracie and Jo Jo.pb3(left to right: Tucker, Perri Blue, Ellie and Oscar)

I kept hinting to my husband that we needed to get a mate for Oscar because he seemed lonely to me. He is in love with our cockatiel Jo Jo but she does not feel the same at all.  After going away for 2 nights and my husband caring for the birds, he said, “Oscar needs mate he is lonely.”  I tried to get a budgie from http://bird.rescueme.org/NorthCarolina  but at that time there were no budgies listed.  As far as I am concerned anything from Craig’s list is a rescue.  I found a lady who was selling budgies for $10. (HOW SAD)  I made the call and went to pick up my budgie.  Much to my surprise the cage she was in with her mother, father, and 2 siblings was very large and nice. They were all very healthy.  BUT Perri Blue’s wings had been clipped and she kept falling to the floor where a CAT sat waiting to pounce. The lady was not at all concerned about it. She also told me they cover them sometimes when they are watching TV because they are too loud. (budgie sounds are music to my ears) She did not seem at all concerned that the budgie would get a good  home.pb1Perri Blue now lives with Oscar, Ellie, and Tucker. She is in love with Oscar and follows him everywhere. Oscar likes her most of time but you can tell his heart is still with Jo Jo (the cockatiel)  From the beginning Ellie was not happy about another female and she was not very nice to little Perri Blue.  Now Perri  Blue is the largest budgie in the flock and the most dominant too.  It’s a soap opera for sure.  We recently bought the new extra-large cage and everyone seems to be much happier.  I have 4 of the exact same swing and they all pick one to sleep on at night. I play the same CD at bedtime and as soon as they hear the music they start winding down and find their swing. When Jo Jo hears the music she starts hissing at me because she doesn’t like to go to bed. pb2

 

New Toy – December

toyIt’s the vine ball Christmas tree from Super Bird Creations.

Cooper investigates.coopSunny investigates.sun1And goes for it.s2Felix is shy. fLera looking sweet.lEmmy was hesitant at first.e1But soon got into the destructo spirit. e2She’s been working on the tree all day. All the other budgies come and go to give it a nibble, but this is HER toy – so watch out!

Birthday Budgie

Look who’s one(ish)!hbdayHarvey hasn’t moved in with the budgies yet – but he’s getting there. I’m able to almost touch him. Stepping up is right around the corner, I think. Then it will be time to meet the flock.

Harvey doesn’t really play with the toys in his cage, though he does look at himself in the dice. I haven’t bought any birthday toys for him yet. Once he moves into the big cage and “becomes a budgie” I’ll know what his toy preferences are. He’s not really into millet and won’t touch his veggies/fruit. I’m hoping the other budgies will show him the way.

Happy birthday little one – we love you!

Cooper’s Book Report

This month’s book was Winging It: A Memoir of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Who’s Determined to Kill Me by Jenny Gardiner.wiIn Winging It, Jenny Gardiner writes about her life with her family and assorted pets. One of them being Graycie, an African Grey Parrot. Gardiner is humorous in her descriptions of the joys and tragedies in her hectic life. The author loves her pets and has good intentions, but…

The book doesn’t really center on Graycie, she appears sporadically. The family is too busy for the care of Graycie and due to various calamities, she is often overlooked. This is a book on how not to care for your parrot. Graycie even makes a few trips to the vet with a broken breastbone after falling off her cage before Gardiner discovers that maybe she is clipping the bird’s feathers too short. Ack.

Cooper doesn’t think Graycie was vengeful at all. She thinks the parrot’s bad behavior (much of it is normal parrot behavior – chewing and pooping) was a result of the care she received. Being bored, ignored and shut away in a basement is not an ideal life for such an intelligent bird.

At the end of the book Gardiner states, “I suppose when that day comes (when the kids are grown) we’ll finally have time to really devote to Graycie.” I certainly hope so. Gardiner mentions a parrot sanctuary, Project Perry, which is near her. She writes of seeing the grey parrots flying freely and socializing. Sounds like a great place for Graycie.

*Thanks to Susan for the recommendation. I love to read about people and their birds. There’s always something to learn from their viewpoints and experiences.