As it has been 30C in London today I misted Penny, Peter and George with a little water. This encouraged Peter to have a bath in his water bowl and he got a bit soggy.
I had put some baths out for the other budgies – a little green boat with an orange propeller, and a blue double water bowl.
Chipper and Billy had a bit of a tussle over who could use the small green boat as they bathed!
Max just watched all of this unfold but declined to bathe.
A lovely selection of recent photos of the gang. Also to add that yesterday morning I took the cover off of Penny’s cage and could not see her at the back on her usual bedtime perch. I looked all around the cage, including the floor – fearing the worst. My heart leapt. Then I looked up and there she was, at the front staring at me!!
This is Penny below! Little minx tried to give me a heart attack 🙂
This photo is proof that for budgies can happily sit side by side and eat seed without squabbling. One of them is even a hen!
The budgies are Peter, Iris, George and Dinku 🙂
I noticed that Peter was really soggy and realised he must have had a bath. Then by some miracle, George had one too, it’s the first time I have seen him bathe in years. George finds it hard to balance due to his stroke in June 2021, so he’d stopped doing a lot of things that other budgies take for granted.
This made for some very cute photos 🙂
Yesterday one of my non-fliers who is also my oldest budgie George (10 years and 9 months) leapt out of his cage and ran along the floor. I put my hand out and he jumped on, nibbling my fingers a few times.
I figured he needed a little break away from his usual surroundings, so I put him in the higher vision cage with Penny for a couple of hours. He pottered about eating and looking around. Dinku came and bashed beaks with him through the cage bars for a little while.
When I felt that he had had enough and wanted to go home, I picked him up – suffering his many many bites – and put him back in his cage.
He was immediately greeted by his bestie Peter. George did the budgie version of a high five and then preened Peter for a good 5 minutes. It was like he was saying “Don’t worry Peter, I have not forgotten about you and I am happy to see you”.
George is the green boy and Peter the blue.
Every so often, even though he cannot fly, George will climb out of his cage all the way round and then back again.
This was one of those mornings. I watched with baited breath and tried to encourage him to come back in, as if he tries to fly he falls to the ground with a thud.
When he was in, I noticed the reason he had come out – Peter had also left the cage for a wander. Peter can’t fly anymore either, but he can flutter to the floor.
When Peter fluttered to the floor he landed in the middle of the room. So I put him on top of the highest vision cage. He had some seed and then eventually landed on the floor in front of his cage.
All safe and back together they had some kissy face (budgie version of a high five?!)
I like Peter to get a little flying practice as I believe his flightless-ness is as a result of staying in with his buddy George most of the time. After Georges stroke, Peter didn’t go out much even though the door is always open for him.
Peter “Wot? me? err, nope.”
No silly April fools jokes, just lovely photos of the budgies.
Chipper is all grown up now, he’s lost all his baby head bars. Also his Iris rings are no longer black, they are still very dark, but if you are up close to him you can see them.
George, Iris, Chipper and Peter
Iris looking suspicious
Iris and Chipper in background. Bertie close to camera
George almost asleep
George preening in background. Peter on platform. You can see part of Iris.
Chipper close to camera.
Colin preening Daisy
George, Chipper and Max (or Max’s bottom) eating seed.
Max looking handsome
Chipper counting blocks
Iris threatening to throw a mirror off to show how naughty she is.
Bertie and Max playing
Chipper all grown up (almost, he’s still not an adult)
Peter and Bertie (Iris in background)
Colin on swing. Max trying to get his attention.
Peter and Iris
The budgies are having some millet to cheer them up on a gloomy day. Also in a bid to stop the girls chewing the curtains. Obviously the latter did not work.
Max and Chipper are getting on very well. They like to come to my table to play on the T-Perch and have a general run about. Chipper is also about to go into his first moult and is changing colour! His face is more of a golden colour now and the yellow is coming through all over him. Who knows what he will look like once it’s finished 🙂
Max is very sociable, both with the other budgies and with me. When he’s not chasing Chipper about he can be seen trying to sing to Daisy, or sitting with George, Bertie and Peter, preening.
Iris is being her usual henny self, trying to pull off the seed pots and scatter seed everywhere.
Daisy keeps biting the curtain.
George doesn’t come out much as he cannot fly too well, but he is 9 and a half and had a stroke last year. He still sings and plays, but takes it easy and rests quite a bit.
Penny and Lyra still do their own thing, I have changed things around in their cage a little by removing two rope perches that they didn’t really use. I’ll be very gradually making more changes for them as they do not like me putting my hand in their cage.
Bertie’s flight feathers have returned, so he’s not ending up on the floor any more and can fly about properly.
Peter occasionally likes to sing to Max and is trying to make friends.
Colin and Billy spend most of their day chasing after their hens and trying to keep them in line (Daisy and Iris)
Here are some photos!
Featheredfiends 