graushill
02-09-2007, 10:06 AM
This is a lovie love story meant specially for those of you considering a second lovie. For those of you not familiar with my flock, here’s a little background. Pidget is my approx. six year old male green mask. I first saw him in Blocket (a kind of Swedish E-bay site) about two and half years ago. At the time I had been taking care of a pair of lovebirds (Pontus and Nemo) for a good friend of mine and had decided I wanted one of my own. Enter Pidget. He was at the time about four years old and had been sold to his family unweaned so he had been alone with humans pretty much his whole life. I can’t say that he was mistreated but he had almost never been let out of his cage, and he didn’t really have any toys to speak of. He came to us in a small, albeit very clean cage, which had been his home his whole life, and his only possession was a rather threadbare and holey green towel.
Piccolo is my “miracle baby” and she’s Pontus and Nemo’s first and only chick. You see, Pontus and Nemo moved back in with us just a month or so after I got Pidget. They were supposedly going to stay only for about six months or so. At the time, we (their former owner and I) still believed they were a male couple, so you can imagine our shock the first time Pontus laid an egg. Following my friend’s instructions, I had boiled all the eggs in the first clutch, but when Pontus laid a second clutch some months later I decided to addle the eggs. That’s what I did, except for the very last one Pontus laid because I miscounted and by the time I discovered my error, that last eggie had probably been there at least a couple of days, and I didn’t have the heart to addle it and destroy what could be an already forming chick. About a month later, and right on schedule, that egg hatched and Piccolo came into being. By then I had already decided that when Pontus and Nemo left, I would get a friend for Pidget but I didn’t think I would ever be able to house him with another bird because he seemed to be really afraid of other birds. Having been a single lovie for all his life he just didn’t seem to know how to act around other birds and after quickly discovering that a) other birds just don’t appreciate when you try to land on their heads and b) other birds, unlike humans, bite back, he had decided that his best bet for survival was to beat a hasty and loud retreat from any approaching bird, whether said bird’s intentions seemed friendly or not. Pidget did have a big crush on Pontus, but he was apparently resigned to adoring her from afar. So that was the situation in my house when Piccolo hatched. When she weaned, I decided to move her in with Pidget since she was so young and had thankfully inherited both her mom and dad’s sweet disposition.
Piccolo and Pidget’s relationship has had its up and downs but Piccolo has really shown herself to be a true lovie hen, persistent and determined, and little by little she has managed to worm herself firmly into Pidget’s good graces. They are now a couple, and a heart warming one to watch. Piccolo, being so young, is very playful and active, and when she’s out with her foster brother Elmo and with Bubblan they play fast and hard. My little Pidget, due partly to his age and partly to the fact that he had not had much practice flying before, can’t really keep up with them (they can all literally fly circles around him). But he’s learning and trying so hard and every day I see an improvement in his flight. He wants to be with Piccolo, you see. Piccolo for her part has done something I’d never before seen; she will actually swoop in and defend Pidget when one or more of the other birds are harassing him. She will also land on my head when Pidget is perched on my shoulder even though I know she doesn’t really like to be so close to me. Here’s a picture of the happy couple sharing Pidget’s favourite swing:
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/8258/onaswingbg8.jpg
Piccolo is on the left and Pidget is on the right.
Since I mentioned the others in passing, here’s one of almost the whole flock:
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/1181/birdconventiongk2.jpg
The three green masks on the foreground are Piccolo, Nemo and Elmo (from left to right). The two in the background are Pidget (green) and Bubblan, the only blue mask in my flock. The only one missing is Pontus, who was sitting on a clutch at the time.
And the last picture has nothing to do with this post, but it’s actually a small miracle and is dedicated to Shy (board member shylevon):
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/613/nemoinhiscozienq5.jpg
That’s my Nemo in his cosy. And believe me, the first time I put one of those in his cage, he almost had a heart attack. But now he loves sleeping in one. Shy, your cosies can work miracles :clap: !
Piccolo is my “miracle baby” and she’s Pontus and Nemo’s first and only chick. You see, Pontus and Nemo moved back in with us just a month or so after I got Pidget. They were supposedly going to stay only for about six months or so. At the time, we (their former owner and I) still believed they were a male couple, so you can imagine our shock the first time Pontus laid an egg. Following my friend’s instructions, I had boiled all the eggs in the first clutch, but when Pontus laid a second clutch some months later I decided to addle the eggs. That’s what I did, except for the very last one Pontus laid because I miscounted and by the time I discovered my error, that last eggie had probably been there at least a couple of days, and I didn’t have the heart to addle it and destroy what could be an already forming chick. About a month later, and right on schedule, that egg hatched and Piccolo came into being. By then I had already decided that when Pontus and Nemo left, I would get a friend for Pidget but I didn’t think I would ever be able to house him with another bird because he seemed to be really afraid of other birds. Having been a single lovie for all his life he just didn’t seem to know how to act around other birds and after quickly discovering that a) other birds just don’t appreciate when you try to land on their heads and b) other birds, unlike humans, bite back, he had decided that his best bet for survival was to beat a hasty and loud retreat from any approaching bird, whether said bird’s intentions seemed friendly or not. Pidget did have a big crush on Pontus, but he was apparently resigned to adoring her from afar. So that was the situation in my house when Piccolo hatched. When she weaned, I decided to move her in with Pidget since she was so young and had thankfully inherited both her mom and dad’s sweet disposition.
Piccolo and Pidget’s relationship has had its up and downs but Piccolo has really shown herself to be a true lovie hen, persistent and determined, and little by little she has managed to worm herself firmly into Pidget’s good graces. They are now a couple, and a heart warming one to watch. Piccolo, being so young, is very playful and active, and when she’s out with her foster brother Elmo and with Bubblan they play fast and hard. My little Pidget, due partly to his age and partly to the fact that he had not had much practice flying before, can’t really keep up with them (they can all literally fly circles around him). But he’s learning and trying so hard and every day I see an improvement in his flight. He wants to be with Piccolo, you see. Piccolo for her part has done something I’d never before seen; she will actually swoop in and defend Pidget when one or more of the other birds are harassing him. She will also land on my head when Pidget is perched on my shoulder even though I know she doesn’t really like to be so close to me. Here’s a picture of the happy couple sharing Pidget’s favourite swing:
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/8258/onaswingbg8.jpg
Piccolo is on the left and Pidget is on the right.
Since I mentioned the others in passing, here’s one of almost the whole flock:
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/1181/birdconventiongk2.jpg
The three green masks on the foreground are Piccolo, Nemo and Elmo (from left to right). The two in the background are Pidget (green) and Bubblan, the only blue mask in my flock. The only one missing is Pontus, who was sitting on a clutch at the time.
And the last picture has nothing to do with this post, but it’s actually a small miracle and is dedicated to Shy (board member shylevon):
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/613/nemoinhiscozienq5.jpg
That’s my Nemo in his cosy. And believe me, the first time I put one of those in his cage, he almost had a heart attack. But now he loves sleeping in one. Shy, your cosies can work miracles :clap: !