About Buddie the Budgie

Buddie the budgie is a very mischievous and determined, yet funny and lovable, budgie. On February 5th 2000, I brought Buddie home from the local pet store and prepared myself for the role of birdie mom. The first few days that Buddie was with me, she was scared stiff. She was terrified to the point of not moving from her perch. After placing a cover over half of her cage she began to perk up. Its been over three years now, and that once timid and shy budgie is no more. Buddie has developed her own personality complete with likes and dislikes which are here to stay, and I couldn't be happier.

Why the name "Buddie"?
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Well, when I first got her, Buddie was so young it was virtually impossible to determine whether she was male or female. My parents were hoping she was male so she would talk like the budgie they once had and I didn't really care whether she was either, I just wanted a loving pet. Anyway, I started out calling her "Buddy", because she is my little feathered friend, and assuming she was a male. As time passed and she had her first molt, my little "boy" budgie began to act like a girl budgie (trying to build nests in her food dish etc). Although I was sure he was a boy, I became less and less confident. My father began to make jokes saying how Buddy will soon become "Buddette". Then one-day Buddy's cere began to turn not a bright blue, but a rich brown colour. I was beat, but I was also hopelessly in love with my little friend. By this time Buddy was responding to "Buddy" and I didn't want to confuse her by calling her a more feminine name, so I changed the spelling to "Buddie".

Buddie's Likes:
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-Rhea's 20 inch ponytail<--UPDATE-rhea's ponytail, which reached a grand total of almost 30 inches, was cut off in Nov. 2003 and donated to Wigs For Kids. Sorry Buddie :-)

-Spray millet

-Chasing and nibbling on Rhea's toes

-Head scratches

-Destroying cuttlebone

-Chewing/destroying windowsills, clothes, necklaces etc.

-Getting laughed at

-Her cage (aka her nest)

-Rhea's shoulder

-Running (although she does have clipped wings she can and sometimes does fly when it suits her, but she prefers running on what I think are the most well developed budgie legs in Canada)

-Making her "pbbbbbbbbbb-b-b-b-b" sound, her kissing noise, her imitation of velcro ripping apart (I wear a lot of joint braces :-), her computer keyboard imitation, the noise the portable phone makes when dialing, and just about any other sound that she finds interesting.

-Giving and receiving kisses

-Bath time!!

Buddies Dislikes:
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-Bedtime

-Wake up time

-Her bird diaper (To learn more about the all new bird diaper, errr "flight suit" visit www.poopoff.com I promise you'll laugh!)

-The dog (Heidi our soon 11 year old standard schnauzer)<-- UPDATE: Our dear Heidi is in a better place now after suddenly getting very ill with a brain lesion that even the best doggie vets couldn't cure. So please replace DOG with DOGS, Hannah my 2 yr old 10lb black poodle and Raffi, my parents 5lb apricot poodle.

-Being told "no" or "not allowed" (she actually does know the meaning of both)

-Wing and nail clippings

-Food pellets (She HATES those #$&*, blasted food pellets. 2 years I've been trying to convert her froms seeds to pellets and STILL she detests them. I don't think she's ever eaten a single pellet in her life!

-Being told to step up when she's "busy" eating the windowsill etc.

Buddie's Weird and Wonderful Habits
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-Making talking and pbbbbbbbbb-b-b-b-b noises directly in a person's ear

-Prying a victim's (usually Rhea's) lips open with her feet
To try to see the inside of the person's mouth

-Preening hair, toes, or skin in general