Jerry Sex: Male
Age: estimated around 6 months of age, brought home on 11/13/05
Type: Standard Budgie
Mutation: Violet factor Opaline
Jerry's story
My husband and I decided that we wanted a budgie for our first bird. We researched online for about a week before bringing one home – we learned the basics through our research but really had no idea what a wonderful commitment it is to have a bird companion. We bought Jerry from a chain pet store, and he was in a cage with several other budgies.
His wings were clipped at the pet store (pretty severely clipped). Since I had never had a bird before, I think that I was honestly as scared as he was when he first came home! We learned and grew together on our journey of getting to know one another. It took him a few days to settle in – to eat and move around in his cage a bit. He was not tame so we began working with him from within the cage. We were successful at getting him to first step onto a “perch” (a large gauge knitting needle) within the cage, and after a few weeks he was stepping onto our finger.
After about a month of working with him in the cage, I took his cage into the bathroom (the smallest and safest room that I could think of) and we had our first session out of the cage. Since his wings were so severely clipped he could not transport himself anywhere without dropping to the ground like a rock and landing with a squeak. We began our ritual of having out of cage time with him every night and we grew closer and closer as the days went by – we spent many hours together reading, singing, watching TV, or just talking. He was, and still is, my best little blue buddy. I’m smitten with him beyond words and we share a very strong and unique bond. Jerry was an only-bird for about 4 months until we brought home Lulu, a cockatiel, and an only-budgie for one year and 4 months until we brought home Winston, an English budgie.
Jerry began speaking English around 3 months after he was home with us – it started with simple words here and there that weren’t very clear, but boy is he a brilliant boy who has shocked us with his vocabulary and willingness to speak in our language! Daily he speaks quite a lot of English (his word count is at least 200 by now, and growing), mostly phrases and sentences, and sometimes he’ll be spot on in context. My favorite thing to do with him is have chats back and forth at the computer or with him on my finger and “close-talking” with him an inch from my face.
When his wings first grew in he was a very strong flier and flew with grace. His infatuation with Lulu led to a decision that I now regret – getting him clipped a second time. At the time we were worried that his persistence to woo Lulu would endanger him. Having him clipped again broke my heart and his – I’ll never forget how sad and forlorn he looked for days after being clipped again. Throughout the months that it took for his flights to grow in again he never gave up trying to fly, he was very determined.
When his flights grew out a second time I noticed just how HAPPY he was that he could fly – his entire body was lit up with joy and he radiated. It was then that I told my husband, “We NEED to make it work to have him flighted, look at him, he’s just too happy.” That was what encouraged us to try recall training with him. Although I’m not entirely consistent with the training, he’s quite good at recalling on command. It’s a fun thing for both of us that helps to burn some of his massive amounts of energy and take the focus off of Lulu. And now that he has a budgie friend to play and fly with, the issues with Lulu have diminished enormously.
Jerry's first day home - very shy and scared:
Jerry's first time out of the cage - I was so proud!
He's always been a Momma's boy:
He loves taking showers with me:
And playing on his many gyms (here's a good picture of his Opaline coloring):
He has blossomed even more with another budgie around, his brother Winston:
He's my boy and I love him dearly!
02-06-2008, 01:08 PM
Jerry: young Standard Budgie from a pet store 
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