Post by Ira on Oct 30, 2021 8:35:56 GMT
I'd say OH finally picked a name, but that's only because we'd spent several weeks making suggestions knowing that we wouldn't actually name her until she got here, and trying not to get too attached to Boo as a shortening of her nickname, Boomerang.
So introducing Gwen!
She has a tendency to hang upside down in her cage, so she's named after Gwen Stacey/Spider-Gwen, but it's also a Welsh name. I quite like the idea of it being short for Gwendolyn, but we never call any of the budgies by their 'proper' name if they have a longer one, it's only ever the abbrieviation.
Gwen, along with her sibling, is the illicit offspring of Bumblebee and Woodstock. Illicit because her mother, Bumblebee, was blind from birth and thus was not to breed in case it was genetic. However she was determined and hid her clutch well. Interestingly, Gwen is the niece of the twin blind budgie, but they are her father's siblings rather than her mothers. Gwen and her brother were taken for handrearing once they started to move around a lot more in case Bumblebee struggled to feed them if she couldn't see them, although she has since proven herself very capable when fostering other chicks and will raise anything given to her.
Slow to wean and very attached to the breeder, Gwen was friendly and well-socialised with other birds and humans, so the breeder felt she'd have no problem finding a forever home. Gwen and her brother were sent to the pet shop that always sells the breeder's birds, run by another parrot breeder who she trusts to find good homes, but once in the pet shop Gwen was unable to interact with all the people she could see and started doing crazy acrobatics and going a bit nuts trying to get attention. The problem was, she ended up appearing feral, and no one was willing to pay extra for a hand reared budgie that didn't appear the least bit tame. In comparison, her brother was sold within the day.
So two days later, she was collected by the breeder, and as soon as she was in the car she was back to being her usual kissy self.
After several weeks of extra socialising, they tried again. She interacted happily with the pet shop owner but the breeder evebtually got a call that she was up to her crazy antics again. And thus she returned once more.
The breeder gives the baby birds nicknames based on a theme that changes each year, so she has something to refer to them by that isn't a number. This year's theme was Australia, so the constantly returning hen became Boomerang.
Although she was happy to keep her, Boomerang wanted more attention that the breeder had time to give, so after getting in touch with her for a different reason, the breeder asked if I had space for her in our flock. Deciding that as long as she was happy with the boys whilst we were at work then yes we would be more than happy to have a cuddly little girl in our lives, we agreed and arranged for when she could be delivered.
So she arrived Thursday night. We ended up getting her out yesterday evening because she hadn't touched her food but seemed to want to come out, and of course the little minx ate whilst I held her and the bowl.
My housemates came in to see her too and were astounded by how readily she'll step up. You can just pass her from person to person and she doesn't bat an eyelid. Now, some of that may be settling in uncertainty, so we'll see how she goes. She's not yet moving around her cage confidently but she got very toasty feet when she was sat out with us last night. Heads turned out to be her choice of perch for the evening and she had a little explore. At one point she crashed into my face and was fluttering whilst holding onto my hair and I was able to just scoop her up.
She's spoiled me already! I was briefly very confused when I later held out a finger to Yuki and he moved away rather than stepping up. 😂
I think life in Cagemantle Heights is about to get wilder.
So introducing Gwen!
She has a tendency to hang upside down in her cage, so she's named after Gwen Stacey/Spider-Gwen, but it's also a Welsh name. I quite like the idea of it being short for Gwendolyn, but we never call any of the budgies by their 'proper' name if they have a longer one, it's only ever the abbrieviation.
Gwen, along with her sibling, is the illicit offspring of Bumblebee and Woodstock. Illicit because her mother, Bumblebee, was blind from birth and thus was not to breed in case it was genetic. However she was determined and hid her clutch well. Interestingly, Gwen is the niece of the twin blind budgie, but they are her father's siblings rather than her mothers. Gwen and her brother were taken for handrearing once they started to move around a lot more in case Bumblebee struggled to feed them if she couldn't see them, although she has since proven herself very capable when fostering other chicks and will raise anything given to her.
Slow to wean and very attached to the breeder, Gwen was friendly and well-socialised with other birds and humans, so the breeder felt she'd have no problem finding a forever home. Gwen and her brother were sent to the pet shop that always sells the breeder's birds, run by another parrot breeder who she trusts to find good homes, but once in the pet shop Gwen was unable to interact with all the people she could see and started doing crazy acrobatics and going a bit nuts trying to get attention. The problem was, she ended up appearing feral, and no one was willing to pay extra for a hand reared budgie that didn't appear the least bit tame. In comparison, her brother was sold within the day.
So two days later, she was collected by the breeder, and as soon as she was in the car she was back to being her usual kissy self.
After several weeks of extra socialising, they tried again. She interacted happily with the pet shop owner but the breeder evebtually got a call that she was up to her crazy antics again. And thus she returned once more.
The breeder gives the baby birds nicknames based on a theme that changes each year, so she has something to refer to them by that isn't a number. This year's theme was Australia, so the constantly returning hen became Boomerang.
Although she was happy to keep her, Boomerang wanted more attention that the breeder had time to give, so after getting in touch with her for a different reason, the breeder asked if I had space for her in our flock. Deciding that as long as she was happy with the boys whilst we were at work then yes we would be more than happy to have a cuddly little girl in our lives, we agreed and arranged for when she could be delivered.
So she arrived Thursday night. We ended up getting her out yesterday evening because she hadn't touched her food but seemed to want to come out, and of course the little minx ate whilst I held her and the bowl.
My housemates came in to see her too and were astounded by how readily she'll step up. You can just pass her from person to person and she doesn't bat an eyelid. Now, some of that may be settling in uncertainty, so we'll see how she goes. She's not yet moving around her cage confidently but she got very toasty feet when she was sat out with us last night. Heads turned out to be her choice of perch for the evening and she had a little explore. At one point she crashed into my face and was fluttering whilst holding onto my hair and I was able to just scoop her up.
She's spoiled me already! I was briefly very confused when I later held out a finger to Yuki and he moved away rather than stepping up. 😂
I think life in Cagemantle Heights is about to get wilder.