calzephyr | Life in the Birdhouse

Mellow is the last budgie that I would call obnoxious, but she has been so obnoxious!

She developed a fascination with her reflection in the mirror and the craft cabinet and so very wants to meet that other bird. She's been running up and down the one perch and squashing herself between it and the food cup in order to get out.

This developed into a little flying routine where she would try to escape, flap to the lower perch then up to the main perch. Now she forgoes the escaping part and does a little circuit around the cage - down, up, across, down, up, across, down, up, across and the pattern of her wing flaps is so annoying. Flap, flap, fla-flap! Flap, flap, fla-flap!

It's driving Muffin and Feisty crazy, particularly Feisty, because every so often she pauses on the main perch to flap and scream while he's sitting there. Sometimes she lets go of the perch and hovers while flapping and screaming.

Mellow flew on the weekend. Mellow is not a good flyer. Is it sad that she never learned to fly? How is that possible? Her tumour makes it a little difficult and for the first five years of her life she was never let out of the cage because it was located in a hotel.

She flew a few times when we brought her home, but it was disastrous. Usually young budgies learn quickly to avoid walls - but not Mellow. She didn't have much motivation to fly until she met her reflection. Feisty used to sit on top of the cage and chirp encouragement, then he began to flap and scream it. It was kind of like when my husband tried to teach me how to drive ;)

Anyway, Mellow finally braved the open door and flew! Badly. I had to catch her after a while. She couldn't figure out how to get back in the cage. But I think she enjoyed her big adventure because she is still doing her little circuit. Now she over shoots the main perch just a little so she can gracefully land on it. It's never too late to learn!