From there, we were hoping he'd be discouraged at the amount of work it is to take care of a pet. Turns out, a mere four hours of play per day is nothing to a kid like Lucas. He reassured me that he would want to spend at least 10 hours a day with a new bird. I explained how long 10 hours was and he decided that 8 hours a day would be about right. =)
We wanted a baby bird, and a boy. This is hard to do, since you can't tell the gender of a bird until it grows up and it's cere (the part around the beak) turns blue or white. So we took our chances on gender and ordered a 6 week old baby. Lucas bought his bird with his own money and brought it home on March 11th, my parents anniversary. =)
At first, this little birdy stayed in his cage because he was scared and we needed to figure out what his personality was like. But soon, he began to eat out of Lucas's hand. And then Mommy snuck him out of the cage... and he did great! He is sooooooo friendly!
Notice this really cool cozy nest that Lucas crocheted. It's his first attempt at a single crochet, first departure from a simple chain. And the little guy snuggles into it, although at first he would fall out and be hanging by his feet to the bottom.
Now little birdie has found a niche on the bookcase... not a great spot for dropping little presents, so we've draped it with a small blanket. He likes to sleep up there!
His wings are clipped, which is great for getting acquainted and doing a bit of "step up!" training. No verbalizations yet, and still no sign if he's a she or what. We'll just have to wait and see...
Meanwhile, this little guy is stealing all our hearts!
How exciting! A very pretty bird! It's interesting that they need 4 hours of playing a day. Very social I guess. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's neat. I used to have a parakeet. Didn't have the patience to train it though. Cool nest, too. I would love to see a picture of the bird in it :) I like your new picture of the kids.
ReplyDeleteHow neat. I remember when I loved animals like that. Now all I see is work...Its too bad because they are so much fun. That nest is amazing. I never would have thought of such a thing!
ReplyDeleteHe is SUCH a gorgeous blue. The pictures do him much better justice than grainy ole Skype. This kind of makes me look forward a little bit to when my kids are big enough to ask for pets. I think we got Buttons on Sniffy on my 8th Birthday -- such a joy! In spite of the stench!
ReplyDeleteWhat a dedicated "parent"! 8 hours a day? I'm impressed with his crocheting. Kayla creates things from her head in a similar fashion, and I'm always amazed with what she turns up with.
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