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GradeThree
My mission began about nine months ago. Objective. Find the perfect
flying friend. Mrs. King and fellow classmates. I have been
interested
in birds for a few years. Outside birds mainly. This year I wanted
one
for my own. Really it is all Mrs. King’s fault. The day that she
brought
George into the classroom I knew that I had to have my very own
bird.
One day he sat on my desk and looked at me with a funny little look
on
his little blue face. It was sealed in stone and my mission began.
First I thought of having a budgie, but I wanted to be able to play
with
him and walk around with my friend on my shoulder or in my pocket.
So I
thought a big parrot would be cool. Arg Matie, Dylan the Pirate. But
big
parrots cost big money. Then one day my Mom told me about lovebirds.
A
miniature parrot that comes in many colours and is very
affectionate.
We went on the net and sent emails to breeders across Canada. The
very
next day I got a reply from a breeder in New Brunswick. Joanne and
her
husband Louis run Tiny Rascals Aviary. They raise lovebirds and
parakeets. Way cool. Joanne has become my penpal. She is awesome.
She
has taught me a lot.
Did you know that there are 9 different species of lovebirds? To
make it
more confusing there are different mutations or colours. MY favorite
is
the peach-face. I couldn’t decide what one was right for me. Then
one
day Joanne sent me a picture of a tiny little violet seagreen
peachface
and I knew that baby bird just had to come and live with me.
Lovebirds were first found in the wild in the late 1700’s in Africa.
Yah, Africa. My lovebird will weigh about 52g and will be about 16cm
long. One wing stretched out will be 11cm. A pair of lovebirds will
lay
five eggs, which take 28 days to hatch. The babies learn to fly
between
35 and 42 days.
My baby bird has been hand fed. This means that it was not caught
from
the wild and someone other then the mother bird has feed it. This
makes
it more affectionate.
There are many things that I need to have ready for my lovebird. I
need
a big rectangular cage not a circular one as birds can’t see bends
very
well. My bird will need pellet food mineral blocks, and two perches.
I
will also need to get a water bottle and food dishes. My mom tossed
out
all the teflon pots and pans and bake stuff. When heated up it
exposes
fumes to the air and those fumes kill birds quickly. We also threw
out
the air fresheners and pam spray as they can hurt birds too.
My lovebird will eat many different kinds of foods. I will always
check
to make sure the pellet bowl and water are full. In the morning I
will
give him fruit and vegetables. His afternoon snack will be something
like cereal or bagels. He will really love his treat of plain
popcorn
once a week. Seeds and millet are only for special treats and not a
regular diet like you would think. It is also a special treat to
have a
bath dish to play in. Joanne is helping me put together a weekly
schedule so my bird will stay healthy.
In a few weeks, my bird will get here on a plane. I just can’t wait.
For
what you say? Can’t wait to meet my bird.
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