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From: mary@dinorah.wustl.edu (Mary E. Leibach)
Newsgroups: rec.birds,rec.pets
Subject: Re: Sick birds issue
Message-ID: <756@dinorah.wustl.edu>
Date: 7 Jun 89 18:09:09 GMT
References: <748@dinorah.wustl.edu> <1453@compugen.UUCP>
Followup-To: rec.birds
Organization: Washington University (St. Louis)
Lines: 64
In-reply-to: john@compugen.UUCP's message of 3 Jun 89 18:40:23 GMT

john@compugen.UUCP (John Beaudin) writes:

>Does Bird Talk mention Canadian vets?

I don't know off hand.  Maybe you could try your pet store or the
yellow pages if they don't.  

>Is there a book which discusses budgie behavior? 

There are a lot of books on budgies, but they mostly have keeping,
taming, and breeding, not cute behaviour.  There was an article in
Bird Talk on birdy body language featuring the author's Amazon
parrots, but it doesn't cover all species that well.  Watching your
bird, and see in what circumstances it does what repeatedly is your
best bet.

>What immediately comes to mind is the postures/gestures they assume when
>they get interested in a mirror. 

Cally twettles to her mirror friend, Vila attacks or cuddles with his,
and Blake (my new budgie) cuddles and pecks the mirror.  They do think
it is another bird, but I guess reactions depend on the individual
bird and their mood.

>Or grabbing something hanging with their 
>beaks. 

Just grabbing?  That's no fun.  Now hanging upsidedown from a hanging
toy, that's more like it!

>Or when they bob their heads up an down. 

The article in Bird Talk described this as part of an Amazon attack
posture.  However, only Vila out of my birdies does this, and as he
does this toward me, Cally, the window, etc., I interpret this as more
excitement than aggression.

>Or wildly flapping their wings
>while on the top perch. 

That is called flying in place.  It is a very good thing for your bird
to do, as he will get some good aerobic wing exercise without flying
all over.  Though letting him out to spread his wings, or at least
giving him a cage he can fly in would be better.  All of my birds are
now in cages that give them some flying room, and all but the new,
untame budgie get to come out of their cages to fly, cuddle, play,
chew up the apartment, etc.

>There's no end to the
>enjoyment I derive.

Yeah.  Happiness is a pretty birdie!

	-Mary, 
		and Cally the Precocious Cockatiel(tm), 
		and Vila the Cudly Conure(tm)

		And introducing Blake, the Beautiful Budgie(tm)!

	 Better known as      Blake's Birds(tm)!
	
	 Dedicated to the memory of the British SF show Blake's 7, and
	 the liberty and rights of pet birds!