Six Parakeets and Counting

To hear Eli tell the story it all began back in January. He had birthday and Christmas money burning a hole in his pocket. And he wanted a pet. We already have a dog and cat. Evidently it's all about 'personal pet' vs. 'family pet'. I vetoed rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters, and anything else small and furry that might escape and reproduce in the walls. I also vetoed snakes. Without any explanation. Lizards might have been okay but they are pricey. The maintenance on fish is a no-go and the boys both agreed that I have proven myself unworthy in the test of keeping fish alive. So we visited the pet store just to look around.

And we met the nearly perfect pet called a parakeet.

Then we left the pet store and looked for a little guy on craigslist. Including a cage and already friendly. Then Eli started wondering if his little guy (who is actually a girl) was lonely. So he read up on parakeets and decided to get his little lady and male friend. Stage 1 in parenting decisions gone wrong.

Stage 2 would be when I encouraged Seth to help Eli build a nest box. He had read so much about the birds he decided to try and 'get some eggs'. But I figured that was really unlikely. I mean, come on, really? So they spent an afternoon putting this wooden box together. We stuck it on the front of the cage and Petey (the girl) immediately began making herself at home. Then the week of VBS the birds began...ahem...'getting married' during breakfast every morning. It was rather shameful. The squawking and fluttering amidst cries of, "Look at them!! Will it work, are they married if he can't balance?!"

Though I tried to explain that there may not be eggs, though I hoped there wouldn't be eggs. One afternoon, an egg showed up. Then four little siblings followed all one day apart. So our summer plans quickly changed and shuffled around because the eggs would begin hatching and we certainly couldn't miss the big event.

I also tried to explain that the eggs might not hatch. But they did. Mom and Dad are so proud of their babies that they are trying to have more. This time they are working on it during lunch. Right before they sit at the side of the cage and beg us for more food. It's scandalous.