LolaWatch: Month One

So, Lola's been around for a month now, and is still a nervous little budgie. And I'm a nervous budgie owner. NinjaStolz tried to get me comfortable holding her, even going so far as to catch her and put her in my hands, and I sat there as still as possible. I didn't move an inch, just cupped my hands and let her freak out to her heart's content. Maybe it'll be better once we get her wings clipped.

I know that there are people out there who say that you shouldn't clip a bird's wings, but Lola, unfortunately, needs it. She's getting more comfortable with exploring the apartment, and can fly REALLY fast from a sitting start. Combine that with her general jitteryness and you have a bird that flies into doors, windows, walls, and mirrors in the attempt to escape the giant humans that are walking nearby. I think when you're looking at the lesser of two evils, making sure she doesn't inadvertently give herself a bird-sized concussion or break a wing beats out making her a little less independent.

We got her a bigger cage than the one she originally came with, as The Peach felt she needed more space and more things to sit on, as having only one size of perch can mess up a bird's feet muscles. So here's a picture of her new home, complete with a new friend. I don't know if she likes him very much, but he's at least a better conversationalist.



Finally, after about a month of observation, I've created a partial list of her likes and dislikes. It's not much, but it at least gives me some references when she's getting upset and I need to calm her down.


Things Lola Likes:
Prodigy's "Everybody In The Place" single
The commercial breaks in House, because it usually gets very frantic: people start yelling, machines start beeping, and there's usually strings. Apparently she likes loudness and mayhem.
The sound of rain and running water
The Beatles
NewsRadio (mostly because of the laugh track)
Outkast - Aquemini
Ben Folds Five - The Autobiography of Reinhold Messner
The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta

Things She Seems Not To Like:
Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline
Any food that isn't millet
Me


We're still working on it.