fleming@acsu.buffalo.edu (christine m fleming) (06/26/91)
After my parakeet Maranga died, her cagemate Calysta started having severe personality problems. (Well, he was bratty: biting and swooping around like a hawk!) We thought that he was just lonely, so the other day we went out (and i mean WAY out - 60 miles!) to get him a friend. We decided to also get a friend for us...:) We came home with "Georgie" a normal blue female split to some mutation in which the "shell"-type back and head feathers are reversed: black on body-colour rather than body-color on black. (The edging on the feathers is dark and the inside of the feather is lighter...) I think that the breeder called it "spangling" but, i am not too sure. Does anyone know about this mutation? Is it rare, or just the "latest thing"? She is somewhat tame, but, i think that if she could fly better that she would be very wild. With her we got (an unrelated) male we named "Rival". He is a normal green, with a very pretty bright yellow face and markings and dark blue primaries and tail feathers. He is rather tame (he is finger trained, and will sit on shoulders) and will allow some petting and will not really struggle at all if you pick him up with your hands around him. One cause for concern is that they are fat. I don't think that this is just my perseption of them as big. (They are English type.) Georgie can not cross my (rather large) bedroom without difficulty. When she tries, she ends up on the floor. Rival is in a little better shape, probably because he is younger. They were kept in a rather small cage with a bunch of other parakeets. Fortunately they have been fed well, (veggies and so forth), but, this has not stopped them from being out of shape. (I assume that they are out of shape -- Calysta (and even Maranga, when sick) flies much better than these guys do...) I have been giving them daily flying sessions for exercise, and have been feeding them a little seed, a little twig of millet each and origional flavour Crazy Corn, rice and wheat bread, with Petemine. Georgie seems a little reluctant to eat, and i am wondering if she is pining away because of the change in environment. (She could have been bonded to a bird that was left behind i suppose...) Rival too does not seem to eat that much. They both have eaten the millet over the other foods that the breeder said that she raised them on. They DO eat, so i am not really worried about them -- perhaps they will only eat when the weird people-creatures are gone...:) I have been CONSIDERING clipping Rival's wings (something that i normally would not do with parakeets...), but, am trying to weigh the pros and cons. I DO want him to become very tame (like my cockatiel), but, i hate to take away his flying, especially when it is probably the best way for him to get the exercise that he will need to be healthy. I want him to be happy above all... With Georgie the situation is a little different: she is mostly there to keep Calysta company, and she is TOO fat to clip -- at least right now. But, i WOULD like to have her at least finger-tame. (She has little concept of stepping on a finger, but, she is making a little progress -- she did it once last night...) I don't know what her favourite foods are, so the only praise i can give right now is verbal. So, those are the new additions to the gang. Rutger (the cockatiel) thinks that they are weird; Calysta seems interested... I hope that they turn out ok! ...jones