Thinking about our Lera on her what would have been her Hatchday.
Feisty, curious and adorable. That was our little Lera. We found Lera on Craigslist in 2014. Her owner was going off to college, and the family was looking for someone to adopt her. After her quarantine, she joined the flock, and wasted no time showing everybudgie who was boss. Lera loved baths, toys, cauliflower and getting into everything. Unfortunately, Lera had issues with her health. She had to have regular beak trims, and in her later years with us, would visit the vet occasionally to have fluid withdrawn from her abdomen. None of this slowed her down in any way. Lera was doted on by Gordie, then later Harvey and Felix. And of course, her humans. Lera packed a lot of personality into a tiny body and we loved her very much – we were so lucky to have found her. If you are looking to add a budgie to your family, please consider adopting. There are some amazing little budgies out there who need a happily ever after.
As always, on our rainbow budgies’ hatchdays, I like to celebrate them by sharing memories and photos.
Today our little Felix would have been 10(ish). He passed in February from a testicular tumor. We adopted Felix from Craigslist (his former owners wanted to concentrate on their cockatiels).
Felix was a handsome little devil. He had a biting problem when we first brought him home, but he mellowed out as he began to trust us. He received many kisses despite the occasional nip. He really was a sweet fellow at heart.
Felix was a great friend to the other budgies. He flirted with our girls, but he loved Lera (his tweetheart). He enjoyed baths and millet and would fly to my finger when I called for him. He loved to chew up balsa, and talk to himself in the mirror. He was a very handsome boy and we treasured the nine years we had with him.
On February 19th we said goodbye to our little Felix.
Last year we noticed that Felix was panting and tail bobbing. We took him to our (avian) vet, who withdrew some fluid from his abdomen. This helped for a bit, but the bulge returned. On a later visit, it was determined that Felix had a testicular tumor (which explains the lightening of his cere). Despite the tumor, Felix was doing well, singing and playing and enjoying life with Cooper and Emmy. He had periodic vet visits to monitor his health.
Last month the tumor became too large for Felix to fly, so we moved him into the condo. He was still happily eating (all the millet he wanted), playing and singing to himself in the mirror. Unfortunately, he took a turn on the evening of the 18th. We could tell he was not doing well. On the 19th he quietly passed away in Harry’s hands. We were able to give him kisses and tell him how much we loved him.
Felix was nine(ish). We found him on an ad in Craigslist in 2014. His previous owners had two cockatiels, and wanted to concentrate on them. He was a bit of a biter, but over the years the nips were fewer and farther between. Felix quickly adjusted to being a flock member and loved hanging out with the boys. He flirted with Cooper, but Lera was his little love. Felix loved chewing up balsa – he was a busy little beaver. One of his quirks was tilting his head and looking up at the ceiling when the cage cover came off in the morning. He was a good eater and loved his veggies. He tolerated his bedtime kisses, and the chances of getting a bedtime nip on the nose decreased over the years.
Cooper and Emmy were quiet after he passed, but seem to be doing better. Emmy is Cooper’s little shadow now. Felix was such a handsome, lively fellow. It’s hard to believe he’s gone. We were lucky to have him in our lives.
If you are looking to add a bird to your family, please consider a rehomed bird, or adopting from a shelter or rescue. There are wonderful birds out there, just like Felix, looking for a loving home.
Today would have been Ozzie’s hatchday. It hasn’t been a year since he’s been gone, and we do miss him so.
We adopted Ozzie from the animal shelter in 2012. He had been attacked by a cat and a good Samaritan found him and brought him in. As soon as they patched up his puncture wounds and nursed him to health, he was put up for adoption. How lucky we were to bring him home. He was so friendly and very easy to tame.
If there was a budgie yearbook, Ozzie would have been voted “Best All Around.” He was the perfect budgie. And so photogenic! He was very chatty – if you talked to him, he would “talk” back. Not words, but vocalizations. And sounding exactly like he understood what you were saying. He was the flock welcome wagon. He was so sweet to the newbies. He showed them the ropes – how to play and how to eat their veggies. Ozzie loved any toy he could nibble on. He enjoyed his baths and Romaine lettuce was his favorite – maybe even more than millet.
When we brought Emmy into the fold, all the budgies ignored her at first. Except Ozzie. He let her pester him, and over time became her sweetheart.
We were blessed to have Ozzie in our lives for over 10 years. If you are thinking of adding a bird to your family, please consider adopting (rehomed or from a shelter). You may end up with a bird (almost) as wonderful as Ozzie.
Alfie flew over the rainbow bridge in 2017, but I still like to share the birds’ photos and memories on what would have been their hatchdays. Alfie was the personification of adorable. He loved his bells, his baths and his Romaine lettuce, and he often had food on his face. He was a sweet little nut and his antics always made us smile. We brought Alfie home from the shelter sight unseen (we adopted him before his photo was posted). When we arrived home, we opened the box and found this beautiful budgie. He was almost named Captain Underpants due to white under feathers, but Alfie suited his personality more (and was a little more dignified). He was easily tamed and became a great friend to the other birds. He loved hanging out with the boys – especially Ozzie. We were so lucky to have this dear little budgie in our lives. If you are looking to add a bird to your family, please consider adopting. You may end up with a treasure like Alfie.
Today would have been our little Gordie’s hatchday. So we are celebrating the life of our little gold star budgie.
Here is Gordie’s story:
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 first brought Gordie home, he just sat on his perch looking at himself in his mirror. He didn’t play with his 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.
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.
