See how Bailee has filled out

[Ruth]

 Here is a newer picture of Danny and Bailee.  You can see how Bailee's chest has filled out now that she is getting closer to a year old.  

[Catherine]

They are both looking good, but you are right she has filled out beautifully.  It is so nice that it worked out for Danny to have a companion like that. It is wonderful for Bailee that she found a loving home with companionship.

You have two beautiful birds.

[Ruth]

Thank you Catherine! Those 2 are so much fun to watch. They don't like me to handle them so I don't. Some people go out of their way to handle their birds and "tame" them but I feel it would give them stress they don't need. It was really good luck that I found a bird like Bailee who is accepting of an older bird like Danny. They fly together around the room and it looks so cool. They also like to run around on the carpeting. Suzy ran up to them several days ago and they flew off the floor really quickly. Suzy doesn't usually do that but maybe she wanted to have some fun with them, too.

[Catherine]

Suzy might just be curious. After all she sees them fly around. I laugh when I see birds walking, but many of them do it.  Even though they can fly they still like a little time walking on the ground.


I was arguing with someone about birds a few days ago. Not all pet birds want to be handled. I think it stresses them. I can find pictures of diamond doves being held, but I don't think they are comfortable with it. I have my doves so that they are comfortable with me feeding and cleaning them. They even listen when I talk.

I can see how your birds, even though they are tame, would find handling to be stressful. I don't think most birds like being handled.  I think it is respecting the bird to respect its boundaries.

[Ruth]

Yes, I respect my birdies' boundaries. Danny bites me when I put my finger near him. He doesn't bite hard even though they can. He just nibbles on my finger. But he does not like to be picked up so I don't do it. Bailee doesn't like to be picked up either. Once in awhile she will let me pick her up and scratch her head and pet her.

[Catherine]

A lot of animals are comfortable to be with us as long as we don't insist on handling and petting. It isn't always comfortable for them to be touched.

I can see how your birds need to have their boundaries respected.  I know the doves don't want me to even try and touch them.

[LPC]

Very attractive budgies, Ruth! My mother got a budgie when he was quite young, and I suppose for that reason he was very tame. He used to sit on her head or shoulders and talk. But budgies are different in character, just like people!

[Tobi]

Yes they all have their individual characters, and things they like, and things they don't.

The only brds I have ever tried to pick up were any wild ones who were injured, etc. To take them to the wildlife rescue. And of course no wild bird likes that. But once I found a Blackbird completely entangled in wire. She had to have a great deal of handling, in order to free her, and the wire had pierced her wing, so we had to be so careful.

We got her freed, into a box, and to a woman in town who ran a wild bird rescue. We went to visit her a couple of times, and she was not scared of being handled at all by the lady who had to give her antibiotics regularly and had sutured her wound. Eventually we were able to release her back to the same place. She was still 'wild' and happy to go yet had been quite calm about being handled.

But even some pet birds don't like to be touched too much.

[Catherine]

Sometimes an injured animal will let you handle it and go back to being wild when it is well.

The baby robin I rescued last year and climbed a tree to put back in the nest, was fine with me holding it during the rescue. Even the parents were okay with it. I doubt they would let me near any of them now.

[Ruth]

(04-14-2016, 07:09 PM)LPC Wrote: Very attractive budgies, Ruth! My mother got a budgie when he was quite young, and I suppose for that reason he was very tame. He used to sit on her head or shoulders and talk. But budgies are different in character, just like people!

Thank you!  Some budgies are real tame and some are not.  Birds are so little and we are so big compared to them.  I think at first they must be frightened at how big we are.  Bailee was so scared when I first got her.  She would just sit real still with those big black eyes staring.  She is well adjusted now.