Post by Sivin on Feb 19, 2007 0:52:10 GMT -5
Hi friends,
I was discussing budgies with a friend in Ireland and sent her the video of Chloe and Kiwi. In response she wrote me of a budgie she had long ago, Georgie:
"I got him as a baby - and started to teach him his name. I just said his name to him every day - but there wasn't a peep out of him for about 5 weeks and then he slowly started to say his name. Then I started to teach him "Pretty boy".... and he picked that up very quickly and from then on - it was simply amazing the way he was able to learn phrases from me. Everyone
was amazed at what he could say and even neighbours would ask to come in and hear him.
He would sit on his perch and fluff himself out and start his repertoire which went like this:
Georgie Porgie Puddiney Pie, pretty boy, best birdie, To be or not to Be..... hello my little darlin' give us a kiss, hello tatty head, Howdy Doody, that Bloody Cat....
Also, for something to say to him each day I would recite the poem "Daffodils" to him and he was able to say the first line.... "I wandered lonely as a cloud" - but sometimes he mixed it up slightly and would say.... "I wandered lonely as a cloudley" - which made us laugh. He was also able to say another line from that poem.... "fluttering and dancing in the breeze".
I allowed him out of his cage every day for a fly around the living room. He was extremely tame and would perch on my shoulder or anyone's that happened to be there. He would go nose to nose with our dog and talk to her and follow her around the room. He would also perch on my arm as I did the ironing and would go back and forth as my arm did. He also perched on the
edge of a newspaper when I was reading one.
I would put Georgie's cage out in the garden during the fine weather - so he could enjoy the warm sun and the fresh air and be able to hear other birds. He loved it. But one day to my horror, he escaped from the cage and flew away. I was devastated. I told a neighbour about it - who also kept birds
and he was very sympathetic.
The next day I was out somewhere and when I returned - my husband and daugher were at home and they said nothing - but when I happened to glance at Georgie's cage THERE was Georgie in it. I did a double-take and screamed with delight - I couldn't believe it. It transpired that Georgie had landed (exhausted)
in front of a girl out jogging in some fields nearby. She picked him up and took him to the only person she knew who had birds - and that was my neighbour and he returned him to us. I was overjoyed to have him back again. What a miracle. He was so exhausted from his adventures he slept for about 24 hours.
But alas, I lost Georgie for good when he was about 18 months old. He developed a tumour (very common in Budgies as you know) and he was operated on - but the Vet said it was hopeless. He couldn't save him. The day he was to be operated on, I went up to Georgie's cage before I took him to the
Vet and he listened intently to me (as he always did) and I told him he was to come back to me and get well. It was not to be.
I tried getting a Budgie that would talk like Georgie again - but was never able to repeat that experience again. There will only ever be one special Georgie."
I was discussing budgies with a friend in Ireland and sent her the video of Chloe and Kiwi. In response she wrote me of a budgie she had long ago, Georgie:
"I got him as a baby - and started to teach him his name. I just said his name to him every day - but there wasn't a peep out of him for about 5 weeks and then he slowly started to say his name. Then I started to teach him "Pretty boy".... and he picked that up very quickly and from then on - it was simply amazing the way he was able to learn phrases from me. Everyone
was amazed at what he could say and even neighbours would ask to come in and hear him.
He would sit on his perch and fluff himself out and start his repertoire which went like this:
Georgie Porgie Puddiney Pie, pretty boy, best birdie, To be or not to Be..... hello my little darlin' give us a kiss, hello tatty head, Howdy Doody, that Bloody Cat....
Also, for something to say to him each day I would recite the poem "Daffodils" to him and he was able to say the first line.... "I wandered lonely as a cloud" - but sometimes he mixed it up slightly and would say.... "I wandered lonely as a cloudley" - which made us laugh. He was also able to say another line from that poem.... "fluttering and dancing in the breeze".
I allowed him out of his cage every day for a fly around the living room. He was extremely tame and would perch on my shoulder or anyone's that happened to be there. He would go nose to nose with our dog and talk to her and follow her around the room. He would also perch on my arm as I did the ironing and would go back and forth as my arm did. He also perched on the
edge of a newspaper when I was reading one.
I would put Georgie's cage out in the garden during the fine weather - so he could enjoy the warm sun and the fresh air and be able to hear other birds. He loved it. But one day to my horror, he escaped from the cage and flew away. I was devastated. I told a neighbour about it - who also kept birds
and he was very sympathetic.
The next day I was out somewhere and when I returned - my husband and daugher were at home and they said nothing - but when I happened to glance at Georgie's cage THERE was Georgie in it. I did a double-take and screamed with delight - I couldn't believe it. It transpired that Georgie had landed (exhausted)
in front of a girl out jogging in some fields nearby. She picked him up and took him to the only person she knew who had birds - and that was my neighbour and he returned him to us. I was overjoyed to have him back again. What a miracle. He was so exhausted from his adventures he slept for about 24 hours.
But alas, I lost Georgie for good when he was about 18 months old. He developed a tumour (very common in Budgies as you know) and he was operated on - but the Vet said it was hopeless. He couldn't save him. The day he was to be operated on, I went up to Georgie's cage before I took him to the
Vet and he listened intently to me (as he always did) and I told him he was to come back to me and get well. It was not to be.
I tried getting a Budgie that would talk like Georgie again - but was never able to repeat that experience again. There will only ever be one special Georgie."
! Georgi sounds so cute, I wish my birdies were talented like that! but with 2 cats in the house..it may not work as well. Let him RIP!