Post by Nani on Jul 6, 2012 1:46:31 GMT
Hi all,
Another budgie has flown from this earth and has moved to be with budgies past. This time it was our resident senior Cola-Chinga. It means "short tail or stumpy tail"
I've finally found my usb's and will be uploading pics of her some time tonight.
Cola Chinga came to us with the rest of the aviary budgies last year in July. She was the runt, the one that was picked on, her tail had been either plucked out by herself or by others.
The first day she came home, she and the other budgies were terrified of hands and would run to the bottom corner of the cage all piling ontop of each other-with Cola-Chinga at the bottom.
The vet checked her out and apart from smelling like cigs-she came with a clean bill of health. Besides her tail feathers missing, and a couple missing toes, and a couple bald spots from overcrowding and picking on her, she was fine.
She was our "ugly duckling/budgie"
Unfortunately without her tail feathers, Cola Chinga could not fly. She leapt. She sounded like a helicopter trying to land when she leapt from branch to branch or from the top of the cage to the birdroom floor. All you'd see is a blur and the chopping sound.
Everywhere I put her, her flock would pick on her. I eventually put her with Pinto who was just a baby and despite several rejections was looking for someone to bond with.
When Tiger survived the ordeal and was able to eat by himself I tried placing him with the rest of the aviary budgies but they just attacked him. I presume because he was "different" by then. He couldn't fly then either so I placed him and Cola Chinga in a separate cage by themselves.
They bonded. It was endearing seeing them both on top of the highest perch. Quite a sight really-a short runt of a budgie with no tail and another who could not look straight down but up.
We started calling them the resident seniors because when their cage door was open, they stayed inside usually. If they did come out, they stayed together and just chilled on a perch.
Cola Chinga was a fighter. When she got together with Tiger, her confidence shot straight up. She no longer let them "push her off the branch"-Literally. If she fell off, she climbed and climbed until she reached the top. When she struggled with the climb, we shouted words of encouragement "do it Cola Chinga, go go!"
A sweet memory of her is when we would put everyone to bed and because she couldn't fly-she ran. She ran so fast she was nearly impossible to catch! We called out "ColaChinga where are you?" and without fail, she would peek out of her hiding place.
It was really funny
Anytime I placed food in their cage and Tiger came upon it first, he would call out to Cola Chinga until she was next to him and he'd let her start eating first. They never fought over food. They shared.
The first time I saw Tiger "courting" Cola Chinga was hilarious. He was trying so hard. He sang his little head off. He sang to her several times.
Cola Chinga loved being misted, if I misted her back feathers, she'd turn around and puff out her chest so we could mist her face and chest area. A real cutie.
When I found her, Tiger was preening her. Such a sad thing. When I gave him food, he called out to her. Broke my heart.
I placed Juanga (his original partner) in the cage and they seem to be taking care of each other.
We're all going to miss Cola-Chinga. Run fast Cola Chinga, run faster and faster! 
Another budgie has flown from this earth and has moved to be with budgies past. This time it was our resident senior Cola-Chinga. It means "short tail or stumpy tail"
I've finally found my usb's and will be uploading pics of her some time tonight.
Cola Chinga came to us with the rest of the aviary budgies last year in July. She was the runt, the one that was picked on, her tail had been either plucked out by herself or by others.
The first day she came home, she and the other budgies were terrified of hands and would run to the bottom corner of the cage all piling ontop of each other-with Cola-Chinga at the bottom.
The vet checked her out and apart from smelling like cigs-she came with a clean bill of health. Besides her tail feathers missing, and a couple missing toes, and a couple bald spots from overcrowding and picking on her, she was fine.
She was our "ugly duckling/budgie"
Unfortunately without her tail feathers, Cola Chinga could not fly. She leapt. She sounded like a helicopter trying to land when she leapt from branch to branch or from the top of the cage to the birdroom floor. All you'd see is a blur and the chopping sound.
Everywhere I put her, her flock would pick on her. I eventually put her with Pinto who was just a baby and despite several rejections was looking for someone to bond with.
When Tiger survived the ordeal and was able to eat by himself I tried placing him with the rest of the aviary budgies but they just attacked him. I presume because he was "different" by then. He couldn't fly then either so I placed him and Cola Chinga in a separate cage by themselves.
They bonded. It was endearing seeing them both on top of the highest perch. Quite a sight really-a short runt of a budgie with no tail and another who could not look straight down but up.
We started calling them the resident seniors because when their cage door was open, they stayed inside usually. If they did come out, they stayed together and just chilled on a perch.
Cola Chinga was a fighter. When she got together with Tiger, her confidence shot straight up. She no longer let them "push her off the branch"-Literally. If she fell off, she climbed and climbed until she reached the top. When she struggled with the climb, we shouted words of encouragement "do it Cola Chinga, go go!"
A sweet memory of her is when we would put everyone to bed and because she couldn't fly-she ran. She ran so fast she was nearly impossible to catch! We called out "ColaChinga where are you?" and without fail, she would peek out of her hiding place.
It was really funny
Anytime I placed food in their cage and Tiger came upon it first, he would call out to Cola Chinga until she was next to him and he'd let her start eating first. They never fought over food. They shared.
The first time I saw Tiger "courting" Cola Chinga was hilarious. He was trying so hard. He sang his little head off. He sang to her several times.
Cola Chinga loved being misted, if I misted her back feathers, she'd turn around and puff out her chest so we could mist her face and chest area. A real cutie.
When I found her, Tiger was preening her. Such a sad thing. When I gave him food, he called out to her. Broke my heart.
I placed Juanga (his original partner) in the cage and they seem to be taking care of each other.
We're all going to miss Cola-Chinga. Run fast Cola Chinga, run faster and faster! 
..
