The New Little Guys: Jubilee and Peter...

[fajrdrako]

If you were reading my LJ last December, you know the story of the budgies. I had three. Two of them died of Teflon poisoning. Teflon fumes are poisonous to budgies. I had no idea. Only Logan survived - a suitable hardiness for a bird named after the X-Men's Wolverine.¹

Right before Christmas the wonderful people in the Ottawa Science Fiction Society pooled their cash and bought me two new beautiful budgies. Sadly, those budgies also died within a week. I was upset. Even though I didn't want Logan to be a single and solo budgie, I didn't have the heart to replace them.

This week I did. I now have two new budgies to keep Logan company:



The one on the left is Jubilee.

The one on the right is Peter. In my habit of naming budgies after my favourite X-Men, you could say he was named after Piotr Rasputin, though Colossus was never a favourite.² You could say he was named after Pete Wisdom², the Warren Ellis masterpiece, Kitty Pryde's other boyfriend, who was never actually a member of the X-Men. Or you could say it's because I am currently enchanted by Peter Petrelli of Heroes, a meta-level X-Man by one remove. Or you could point to not one but two John Barrowman characters, from Titans and Central Park West. See, I couldn't think of anyone who was ever in the X-Men with the name of Jack.

~ ~ ~

¹ He's also named after Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars, but Logan Echolls doesn't have any remarkable healing powers. He does mostly land on his feet, though.

² One of my first budgies - and probably my favourite - was named Wisdom.

³ Though I did love the scene in Ultimate X-Men when Northstar was flirting with him in the hospital.

Comments

[fandom-me.livejournal.com]

Budgies are wonderful, wonderful, little parrots but *so* overbred and sometimes so delicate. I've got 2 budgies, 2 lovebirds, a tiel and an amazon - the vet bills on those two budgies and the amount of flat out TROUBLE I've had with them is easily 4 times what I've had with the others combined.

They've also got every bit as much personality as the big amazon, and are about three times as spunky and funny and in the case of the boy, friendly. Congratulations on your new pets, and good luck with them.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Budgies are wonderful, wonderful, little parrots but *so* overbred and sometimes so delicate

Yes. My suspicion is that the ones who died were too young to deal with a new environment and they weren't eating properly - but I'll never really know why they died. Budgies are so delicate and fragile, and yet they are totally reckless and believe they will live forever and that they can do anything - and they try! So much personality in such tiny, feathery packages.

Long ago I had an albino cockatiel named Tony, short for Mark Antony. He was a wonderful bird, and I have very fond memories of him.

[fandom-me.livejournal.com]

It's very possible. The poor little guys get a rough deal because they're fairly cheap to breed/buy. It's a sad situation because they can be just fantastic.

My male budgie tries VERY VERY HARD to make the Amazon fall in love with him. It's the most hilarious thing in the WORLD to see him headbobbing and dancing for this HUGE bird (Who is huge, a different species, male, and *infertile*). They're not allowed anywhere near each other, of course, but he tries!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I love the story of your budgie dancing for your Amazon - and that's so budgie-like! They have such ambitions, and they think they're the biggest creatures around, never mind that they weigh about an ounce.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Budgie-dancing is hilarious under any circumstances! Magnus used to dance for slices of apple!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I can just picture it! They're so nimble, and they get so excited.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

And… loud with it!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

"Loud" is their best specialty. They're singing loudly right now!

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

They are among the most naturally cheering of creatures. Squirrels and ducks are, too. It's impossible not to smile in their presence.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's impossible not to smile in their presence.

Which thought makes me wonder about the role the Little Guys played in my recovery from depression. I think I acquired them all when I was better - or mostly better - but they certainly help to prevent recurrance!

(Except when the little ones died; that was hard.)

Such smart, real, honest creatures they are. They's so expressive and they just can't pretend - what you see is what you get, every twitch or preen of a feather.

I am reminded how many more feathers three birds can shed, than only one. Better get my vacuum out more often.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Which thought makes me wonder about the role the Little Guys played in my recovery from depression. I think I acquired them all when I was better - or mostly better - but they certainly help to prevent recurrance!

(Except when the little ones died; that was hard.)

Yes: poor wee mites, that was dreadful. We were all very upset for you.

But they are always such happy little things, so cheerful!

Such smart, real, honest creatures they are. They're so expressive and they just can't pretend - what you see is what you get, every twitch or preen of a feather.

Yes! And so perky!

I am reminded how many more feathers three birds can shed, than only one. Better get my vacuum out more often.

Dad still has a small Magnus-feather in an envelope. We loved him so much.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

poor wee mites, that was dreadful

It was. I like to console myself that at least their last week was a happy one, with Logan paying them attention, and me giving them motherly TLC, and all sorts of things to interest them.

Dad still has a small Magnus-feather in an envelope

If his feathers were like Wisdom's, the tail feathers had am amazing array of colours - indigo and deep turquoise and sometimes bits of green. Really lovely. I suspect Peter's tail is the same. And Julilee's - ? I'm not sure. Must have a look.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Tony, short for Mark Antony

LOL!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My hope was that he would speak elegantly. He didn't, but he was elegant in other ways - a very expressive bird who made his will known in no uncertain terms!

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I think it may have been the usual pre-Christmas situation (it happens with larger animals, too - puppies and kittens). Because of the demand, breeders release birds that are too young to leave the nest on to the market. Poor wee Remy should still have been fed by his parents, I think - as you said, he was too young to hold on to perches properly, poor little guy.

But they all have big personalities, however tiny they are.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Because of the demand, breeders release birds that are too young to leave the nest on to the market.

I think so. At the store they swore they wouldn't sell birds that were too young, but those little guys were so tiny they were all clumsy and round - utterly cute, of course, but they acted as if they didn't know what the world was all about - wide-eyed and curious, but falling over their own wings and not knowing yet how to climb cage bars.

They stared at Logan in awe and he loved every minute.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Logan must enjoy being senior bird in the mini-flock. His ego must be well-flattered!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I've never seen any sign of a low ego in Logan, but yes, he's enjoying senior status. But he isn't showing off for them in the egregious fashion he was showing off for the babies in December. In fact, he treats Jubilee and Peter with a kind of lofty respect.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

1 He's also named after Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars, but Logan Echolls doesn't have any remarkable healing powers. He does mostly land on his feet, though.

His lack of regen is made up for by the fact that the PCHers couldn't deliver a realistic beating if their lives depended on it. Jeez, guys, a beating implies physical contact between you and the person that you are beating.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

LOL - good point, it was a very discrete beating he got from those guys. Mind you, Weevil and his gang never seemed very tough to me - they were sort of a sweet Disney version of bikers whom you really couldn't hate. Well, you really couldn't fear them - their crimes were, by and large, nice ones. As if Weevil never really wanted to let down his sweet old grandmother.

Which was great, since I always liked Weevil as a character.

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

So cute! I hope they flourish.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I hope so too!

Your icon is lovely.

[jkluge.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on your new feathered friends! :-) May they be very happy and give you and Logan both much companionship and joy.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you - so far they've done just that, the cute little things.

[brashley46.livejournal.com]

So cute! Of course we called 'em parakeets where I grew up. Mom must have had four or five in the house, sequentially; she never got one to live beyond a year. Lots of love, room to fly, cuttlefish bone and Harz Mountain parakeet feed ... little dead birdies. 8(

She was much better with plants. And children.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Mom must have had four or five in the house, sequentially; she never got one to live beyond a year.

I've met parakeeets (or budgie) who'd lived for a decade or more, but mine have never lasted individually more than four or five years. They are so very fragile, one way or another. But so smart and cute!

I only ever had one budgie as a kid, and I don't remember him ever doing much of anything. Perhaps he was intimidated by a lively child - ? (Suddenly I picture Miles Vorkosigan with a bird. Hmm.)

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Magnus was nearly 14 when he died. When they've been with you so long, the parting is rather harder. I was away at university when I got the letter from my parents, and spent 2-3 solid hours crying.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I remember well when Tony died - that was a very sad day.

[rosiespark.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay! Wecome to Peter and Jubilee. Aren't they pretty? :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think they are pretty, and they think they are pretty, so everyone's happy! Logan must think they're pretty too, because he can hardly take his eyes off them.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Aw! Welcome, little guys!
They are adorable! (And cheepy. I know!)
Peter is like our Magnus used to be.

It was so sad about the 3 darling babies, but these guys are enchanting. What beautiful bright eyes! They always have such wise wee faces. May they thrive and flourish!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Peter is like our Magnus used to be.

So handsome! Wisdom looked like that. It's a good sign.

May they thrive and flourish!

Yes! They say they plan to. Such cuties.

[duncanmac.livejournal.com]

Long may your new budgies last! I hope they keep Logan company for a long while.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I hope so too. They seem to lively and healthy that I'm trying not to worry about them - and really, there's no reason to think anything will happen to them - but every morning when I uncover the cage if feels like a wonderful miracle that they are alive and well and happy.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Every day with the privilege of having such wonderful tiny creatures in the house is a miracle! They are very special.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That is so true. They're chirping now - their happy post-supper song, soon to be followed by their sunset song. (Not to mention their "let's drown out the television" song, which will start as soon as I turn on the TV for Heroes.)

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

Yay! Here's wishing them a long life and much happiness! Hopefully they will all get along.

I never did own a green budgie, myself. I think I had every other color.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the good wishes! So far, they seem to be getting on very well, though Logan is still in his own cage. Jubliee and Peter do a lot of cuddling and preening of each other, so I suspect I'll be picking fertilized eggs out of the cage at some point. They're so very cute - sometimes even eating together out of the same seed dish rather than (as is more normal budgie practice) trying to elbow each other aside.

I hadn't deliberately set out to buy green -in fact, I'd been intending to get a blue budgie. But Jubilee had such unusual markings, and Peter seemed so pretty and lively in the cage - and though I didn't think about it till long afterwards, it might be that I am just a little prejudiced in favour of green-and-yellow budgies because that was Wisdom's colouring, and Wisdom was such a little sweetheart.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Peter's colour is natural wild budgie colour, too (like Gambit and Magnus). I do wonder if that gives them good genetic material? Not messed about with elaborate breeding.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've long suspected that the birds with the wild budgie colours are the healthiest. maaboroshi and I originally bought our birds at the same time; her Eddie and my Pryde were both white and blue without the normal black markings, bred for a certain look. They were beautiful - well, initially - but Pryde developed a weight problem and Eddie had a habit of plucking herself naked, poor thing. I really think it's best to go for the basic, natural colours.

Of course I'm not exactly practising what I preach, since Jubilee has unusual colouring. But she seems well, and I hope for the best.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Congrats on your new featherfuzzies :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think you - they thank you - lots of chirping all around!

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

Hugs. I didn't know about the second pair that died. Lots of luck and joy for and with the new pair. Hope they all get along happily.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I didn't know about the second pair that died.

Yeah.... I hated talking about it, I felt so bad. I just wanted to forget.

The new guys seems to be thriving and doing fine, already acting as if they're in charge of the apartment. Colourful and cute, just as they ought to be. The new pair cuddle a lot; I haven't put them in the same cage as Logan, or let them out of the cages at the same time, so I don't know how well they'll interact with him, but they seem interested and friendly with each other so far.

Thanks for the good wishes!