My friends Maybelle and Jon have a pet budgie named Aki, whom we met at their home before. When they flew home to the Philippines for holy week, they asked if Jemma and I could pet-sit Aki. Since birds are low maintenance pets, we said sure. I didn’t realise how adorable she would be!
She has her own cage with all her toys and things, and for most of the day and night that’s where she stays.
Look at how she does pull-ups. At least this bird exercises, unlike some people (I mean me).
But in the mornings she always goes stir-crazy and demands to be let out, so she can hang out on your shoulder.
At first Jemma was scared of her (because she likes to peck and sometimes it hurts) or of hurting her, so she dared not have her on her shoulder, but after a while, she got used to it, because how could she resist Aki’s chirps?
She usually grooms herself while sitting on your shoulder, then when she gets bored, she would fly off and hang out in other spots, like on top of your laptop or cellphone.
But she craves human contact, so after a while, even if we set up her own play area in the living room where she could chill while watching Netflix, she would find her way to your foot. Or maybe your hair. Baby bird don’t care.
Quick question: do you think it’s cruel and unusual punishment to eat chicken, Aki’s relative species, in front of her? 😅
I really enjoyed adopting Aki for the long weekend. I haven’t been in a house with a pet in it for over 15 years or so, so it’s refreshing to have one for a bit. Somehow, interacting with her, and talking to her even though she obviously can’t understand me, lightens my heart.
Maybe someday if I can have a pet of my own, I can consider having a budgie, which I didn’t know until now could actually be quite affectionate but is not as high maintenance as cats or dogs.
P. S. Below is a funny video of my last moment with Aki.
Leave a Reply