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Adventures in Parakeets

© Mary Wilson

In January 1997, I popped the question to my husband. "Honey, can I get a parakeet?"

Already, our apartment held Bouncer, my cat, and Matt looked at me dubiously as I looked at him with that "please honey, I won't nag for an entire day" look on my face. He shook his head and said those fateful words. "Bouncer is your cat. If she won't eat them, I don't care." Like any wife who had received her most grand wish, I hugged him and trudged off to the store.

I returned home with Glyf and Gregori, two parakeets whom I had decided were male. I promptly decided that Gregori was my husband's bird, thus splitting the chores between us. Glyf, a pretty green and yellow pied, and Gregori a cobalt bird, lived happily together munching on Kaytee seed and enduring their mother's affection. I began reading everything I could on parakeets and soon discovered that Glyf and Gregori needed to live separate for me to tame them down. I bought another cage, and when I asked the question of cage cleaning to my husband, soon found out that he really didn't want Gregori and that I could have both birds. I was okay with that, and life went on.

Then, I decided that Gregori needed a girlfriend, because I only had time to spend with Glyf. I asked the question again. "Honey, can I buy Gregori a girlfriend?" My husband replied with a shrug and a "Sure, honey." Just like he does anytime I ask if I can get a bird.

So, I returned to the pet store to buy a female parakeet and a nestbox. I returned home, set up Gregori and Alexandria, and read everything I could about breeding parakeets. About a month later, much to my surprise, Alexandria laid an egg.

I jumped up and down, showed my husband and told everybody I know that I was going to have baby parakeets. Then, I waited for the next egg. And, I waited. I waited some more, until I realized after about three weeks that Alexandria wasn't going to lay another egg.

By this time, the noise of three birds in the apartment had begun to slowly drive my husband insane. He slept during the day, and the happy birdy noise that I loved so much, split into his sleep. I'd come home from work to hear, "Your birds kept me up again." So, with a heavy heart, I placed an ad to sell Glyf, Gregori, and Alexandria. I had acquired a tank of African Cichlids, so decided that fish would be much quieter than birds.

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