On June 24th, someone on our neighborhood Facebook page posted that they found a budgie in their backyard, hoping to find its owner. I commented that we could take him in until the owner was found, as we have extra cages, bird toys and plenty of food. The next day the woman who found him dropped him off. He was just a baby! He was starving, and his keel bone was very pronounced. He wolfed down some seed and promptly fell asleep.
We put the little guy in a quiet room (quarantine) and monitored him in case he needed a trip to the vet. He rallied pretty quickly. At first I thought he was tame because he was so easy to handle. But I think it was the heat, and the lack of food that made him so docile. The next day it was clear that he wasn’t tame at all. And he was a bit of a biter. So we started working on building trust and stepping up.
No one ever searched for him on our neighborhood pet pages or at the shelters. We think someone either let him out (maybe because of the biting?), or didn’t bother to look for him when he escaped. So now Tippi has a little friend.
Marvin has since finished his quarantine period and is in the bird room with Tippi and Sido. He is stepping up in the cage, but we still need to work on stepping up out of the cage. The biting is no longer an issue (knock wood). This little budgie is a cutie, quite a singer and very playful. Welcome home Marvin!
On January 19th, the night we brought Cooper’s ashes home, I looked at the adoptable animals page on the San Diego Humane Society site and saw a little green budgie who needed a new home. Emmy was now an only budgie and Sido (our cockatiel) was not open to being her new friend. We knew that Emmy would need a companion.
The next day we went to pick her up. She had been found outdoors and was brought in by a good Samaritan. She was very thin when she was brought in, so she received vet care at the shelter. Ten days later she was put up for adoption as no one had claimed her. In her photo she looked older, but when we brought her home we saw she had some faint baby bars. Tippi wasn’t tame, but it didn’t take long for her to step up.
Sadly, Emmy passed away (tumor) before Tippi’s quarantine was over. I’m sure they would have been great friends.
We noticed that Tippi was a little splay legged, so we took her to our own avian vet for a checkup and to have her band removed. She received a clean bill of health, and her legs have improved with time.
Tippi has been with us 6 months now and she is a darling. I like to think that Cooper sent her to us. I don’t know that Tippi will be a “poser”, but it will be fun sharing her photos with you.
This year for the budgie’s hatchdays, I’m sharing videos.
Gordie the Gold Star Budgie: Gordie was an older budgie. We never really knew how old he was. We were his third (possibly fourth) home. His last owner estimated him at five, but he could have been (and we suspect he was) much older. When we picked up Gordie, he only had one toy in his cage – a yellow mirror.
During Gordie’s quarantine, he just sat on his perch looking at himself in his mirror. He didn’t play with his new toys, move around much or call out to the other budgies. He wasn’t finger tame (but would sit on our shoulders). His previous owner told us that the family who gave her Gordie thought he was “boring”.
Gordie became a different bird once his quarantine was up and he moved in with the flock. He bonded quickly with his lookalike Ozzie. We think Ozzie was “the bird in the mirror” finally coming out to play. With patience, Gordie started stepping up. He expressed interest in what the other budgies were doing, playing with toys and nibbling on veggies and millet. Gordie became interested in us as well. If we stood by the cage, he would make his way right up to the bars to see us. He was the only budgie who did this. I think he liked kissy noises and being told what a good budgie he was. And he was a such a good little budgie.
When Gordie’s flight feathers started coming in he began to make the voyage from the cage to the little play gym on top of the bookcase. He really enjoyed being up high and would happily sit on his “gym” chirping to himself or the other birds. It took a lot of effort for Gordie to fly about. It could have been his age or perhaps he never had the chance to fly before. One of his wings was a little crooked – maybe that made it more difficult to fly. In any case, sometimes I would give him a little ride on his play gym back to the cage. Gordie also “hobbled” when he walked up and down on the perches. He was a little slower than the other budgies, but did his best to keep up with his friends.
We were thrilled when Gordie bonded with Lera. They were an adorable pair, constantly grooming each other. When Lera was ill, Gordie was so sweet and attentive, feeding her and cuddling with her on the bottom of the cage. I think he was key factor in her amazing recovery. This is what earned him the title of “Gold Star Budgie.”
Gordie loved to take baths. When he was finished he liked to sit on the rim of the bird bath and gaze out the window. One day he even plopped himself into my water glass. He had great fun climbing out and dunking back in.
I think because Gordie was an older budgie, he had a special place in our hearts. We wanted so much to give him happiness in his golden years. He was a sweet little fellow and we were lucky to have been able to share the short amount of time with him that we did. Seeing him playing, flying and interacting with the other budgies brought us so much joy. I just wish we had been able to have more time with him.
If you are thinking about adopting a budgie, please consider giving a senior bird a happily ever after.
