It occurred to me while writing my last post, that I’ve neglected to mention THE BIRDS. Yes, birds. Plural. I’ve been wanting a pet for a while. My apartment doesn’t allow cats and dogs, which limited my options to the caged variety. Originally I had considered a lizard or turtle, but eventually decided on a bird. I had never had a bird before, and feathers are closer to fur than scales.
Bird #1 was a common parakeet, or budgie, whom I named Beryl because of his bright green coloring. Once he got adjusted, Beryl became pretty friendly, eating out of our hands and sitting on fingers. Shortly after getting Beryl, Scott got a job, so to keep Beryl from being lonely we got him a companion.
Bird #2, also a parakeet, was named Little Bird. Little Bird got her name due to the simple fact that she is even smaller than Beryl, and I really couldn’t come up with a better name. Typical of her species sex, she is less social than Beryl. For a long time she seemed to be afraid of us and still somewhat wary of humans.
A rare photogenic moment
I was happy with two birds. They keep each other company and get along, as well as providing song and entertainment for us. Scott on the other hand, really really wanted a bird that he could interact with more. Something, as he put it, that would sit on his shoulder and hang out. This of course meant a larger bird.
Bird #3. After some debating and some searching for breeders, we eventually added Paddy to the house. As the name might suggest, Paddy the Turquoise Green-Cheek Conure was born on St. Patrick’s Day. Typical of larger parrots, he is more friendly, playful, and willing to be handled.
After that, I said NO MORE PETS. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals and would be happy to have more, but in a small apartment, space is at a premium and I’m already feeling claustrophobic as it is. I have to admit, I was tempted by the parakeet sale at the pet store the other day, but I had to force myself to keep walking.
Overall, having birds as pets is pleasant. They don’t need to be constantly entertained. They are easy to feed and maintain, their messes are confined to a small space, and they’re fairly predictable. As in, they will almost always go to sleep when it gets dark.
There are some downsides of course. Birds are very delicate, and must be handled gently at all times. The do have personalities, and will sometimes express themselves by squawking or being overly loud when you would prefer them to be quiet. Paddy likes to be outside of his cage when people are around, and will follow you wherever you go, even if that’s to the bathroom.
Yes, I know the photo isn’t displaying correctly. No, I don’t know why that is.