WE’RE BACK!
Thanks for your patience in waiting for us to reopen. I’ve got some fun new releases to share with you to celebrate our return, so here’s the first set - budgie borbs! We’ve got the classic green and yellow, a pretty blue and white, and our very own little friend Basil!
I have a conundrum, maybe you can help.
Our two-year-old female budgie Pico really wants to nest. Our 10-month-old male budgie Cricket loves Pico. Pico loves Cricket. We have to keep an eye on them because they'll mate if they have some time alone. Both budgies are very pretty (Pico knows this but still likes you to remind her how pretty she is) and would have very cute babies. I'd let them have little beebs but I have a few concerns.
1. Once Pico starts laying eggs will she stop?
2. Is now a good time? As I write this there have been currently 500 Covid-19 cases in the city where I live. If something happens to me I have a friend that can take care of my little flock, but if there are baby budgies I'm not sure the babies could be moved, especially if they are very young.
3. If there are any babies how will I find good homes for them? I would certainly be tempted, but I shouldn't keep any possible babies. I've promised my husband that 4 budgies is the limit for our apartment. I want to be a responsible bird parent.
So, knowing all this, is it a good idea to let these beebs have babies?
Observation: Small parrots make many musical noises and have on several occasions repeated entire melodic sequences.
Question: Would a small parrot make an acceptable musical instrument?
Hypothesis: A small parrot makes an acceptable musical instrument.
Experiment: An experiment as to whether or not a small parrot will make an acceptable musical instrument was conducted by the selection of three subjects; a male cockatiel approx. 4 years old, a female cockatiel approx. 14 months old, and male budgerigar approx. 18 months old. Each subject was clasped loosely in two hands and held at face level. The beak of each subject was then placed against the lips and subjected to several soft “doots” by the scientist in a manner most resembling the method of playing the kazoo.
Results: The male cockatiel expressed doubts about the clasping and was released before the experiment could be conducted. He then retreated to the top of the bird gym and proceeded to observe the rest of the experiment with suspicion.
The female cockatiel appeared to be confused about the nature of the experiment and responded to the dooting by grooming the scientist’s lips, attempting to insert her beak into the nose before removing several nose hairs. The experiment was abruptly concluded and the subject expressed disappointment and refused to leave the scientist’s shoulder, repeatedly attempting to continue it and throwing a tantrum when denied the opportunity to remove more hair.
The male budgerigar responded to the dooting enthusiastically with returned dooting and various electronic noises along with intermittent exclamations of “HBBBRRRRPPPPTH!!!”
Conclusion: Additional data must be obtained before a definitive conclusion can be reached.