Post by siobhan on Nov 10, 2017 11:34:48 GMT -5
My birds always seem to die when I'm not home. I found Johnny on the floor last night after work when I went in their room to do bird chores. He'd probably been dead for hours by then because rigor had come and gone. There was absolutely no sign of any illness or trauma or anything and he was fine when I left for work.
We got Johnny from a friend of a friend who was moving to Alaska and "couldn't keep him." He'd been an only bird and was a little overwhelmed by suddenly being thrust into a flock, but Freddie was ecstatic to have another tiel in the house and the two of them were best buddies almost immediately. He came with a tiny cage unsuitable for a budgie, much less a cockatiel, so I got him a much bigger one, and since we moved into this house six years ago, he's hardly been in a cage at all. They have their own room and only go into cages if they want to play with the toys in them or steal somebody's food.
He was subject to night frights occasionally, but mostly was a happy and sweet boy who never bit and even if I required correction, he used the smooth top of his beak to bonk me, instead of chomping. (Freddie chomps enthusiastically) He and Freddie took turns being Boss Bird in their partnership.
Freddie is a little lost without his sidekick, because the two of them always had each other and didn't make any attempt to hang out with the other birds. Last night, Freddie sat on the boing and tried to show me a new word he's learned (Johnny whistled, but didn't talk; Freddie mostly mimics the other birds' noises but can talk a little bit), but his heart wasn't in it, and at bedtime, he got on the curtain rod as usual, but stuffed himself into a corner against the wall, which he never does. This morning, he was flock-calling, and it wasn't me he was calling for. I hope he'll be okay. He's still fairly young -- he'll be 8 in January -- while we had no idea how old Johnny was. His former family "thought" they'd had him about seven years but didn't remember where they got him or if they'd ever known his age, and we'd had him since February 2011. I estimated his age at about 14, but it was only a guess. I buried him last night near where Maggie (pigeon) and Greta (cockatiel) and George (basset) are buried.
Benjy was oblivious, but Clyde was quiet and just sat on my hand last night. Jade stayed on her swing and was pretty quiet for her, too. Clyde did NOT like Johnny, but he likes me and he knew, because I showed them his body. I don't want birds to think I've just spirited away a member of the flock. Johnny's eyes were closed and his body relaxed, so I suspect it was a peaceful death. He might even have died in his sleep. He liked taking naps in the afternoons.
This reduces us to six birds, the lowest number we've had for years, and only four in the birds' room. Ringo has the spare bedroom and Rocky the living room because they can't be with the small parrots or each other.
We got Johnny from a friend of a friend who was moving to Alaska and "couldn't keep him." He'd been an only bird and was a little overwhelmed by suddenly being thrust into a flock, but Freddie was ecstatic to have another tiel in the house and the two of them were best buddies almost immediately. He came with a tiny cage unsuitable for a budgie, much less a cockatiel, so I got him a much bigger one, and since we moved into this house six years ago, he's hardly been in a cage at all. They have their own room and only go into cages if they want to play with the toys in them or steal somebody's food.
He was subject to night frights occasionally, but mostly was a happy and sweet boy who never bit and even if I required correction, he used the smooth top of his beak to bonk me, instead of chomping. (Freddie chomps enthusiastically) He and Freddie took turns being Boss Bird in their partnership.
Freddie is a little lost without his sidekick, because the two of them always had each other and didn't make any attempt to hang out with the other birds. Last night, Freddie sat on the boing and tried to show me a new word he's learned (Johnny whistled, but didn't talk; Freddie mostly mimics the other birds' noises but can talk a little bit), but his heart wasn't in it, and at bedtime, he got on the curtain rod as usual, but stuffed himself into a corner against the wall, which he never does. This morning, he was flock-calling, and it wasn't me he was calling for. I hope he'll be okay. He's still fairly young -- he'll be 8 in January -- while we had no idea how old Johnny was. His former family "thought" they'd had him about seven years but didn't remember where they got him or if they'd ever known his age, and we'd had him since February 2011. I estimated his age at about 14, but it was only a guess. I buried him last night near where Maggie (pigeon) and Greta (cockatiel) and George (basset) are buried.
Benjy was oblivious, but Clyde was quiet and just sat on my hand last night. Jade stayed on her swing and was pretty quiet for her, too. Clyde did NOT like Johnny, but he likes me and he knew, because I showed them his body. I don't want birds to think I've just spirited away a member of the flock. Johnny's eyes were closed and his body relaxed, so I suspect it was a peaceful death. He might even have died in his sleep. He liked taking naps in the afternoons.
This reduces us to six birds, the lowest number we've had for years, and only four in the birds' room. Ringo has the spare bedroom and Rocky the living room because they can't be with the small parrots or each other.
