ANGELS IN DISGUISE

Rest in Peace, Leng Chai!

2009-09-05T12:52:00.005+08:00

I've lost tracks of how many deaths I've faced, as far as cats are concerned. But each and every one never fails to leave a very empty feeling in my heart.

My neighbours got back from the vet that day, told us that even the doctor couldn't do anything about Leng Chai. They had decided to take him home and leave him to die in the box. I couldn't bring myself to go and see him in that state. Watching him in so much pain would be so very painful to me.

Photo: Leng Chai (far behind), when he was strong and alive, with Coco on our neighbour's car.

Get Well Soon, Leng Chai!

2009-08-22T13:09:00.011+08:00

To think that I wanted to be a vet when I was 10!

Now, after more than 10 years later, I still can't stand the sight of injured animals. And today, I had to witness how Leng Chai was struggling in pain after he was hit by a car last night. No words could describe how I felt; it was just plain horrible!

By the way, Leng Chai is one of our neighbours' tom-cats. I suppose due to the fact that we ourselves own cats, Leng Chai and Coco (Leng Chai's partner-in-crime) would frequent our house - eating, socializing, or merely lepaking. But Coco is the adventurous type, so soon he started embarking on his own journey around the neighbourhood and doing his own thing.

Leng Chai, on the other hand, is the "softie" one. He whines for attention; he's very affectionate to us - he would even curl himself around your feet to get you to notice him!

I managed to force - okay, it was actually "to plead" - one of my neighbours to bring Leng Chai to the vet. He was nonchalant at first, and that fueled the anger within me. Such animal owners! Why do they want to keep pets, but don't want to be responsible for them?

Photo: Leng Chai when he was at his best health.

I Would Rather Being Broken-hearted By A Guy!

2008-01-07T23:32:00.000+08:00

The 3rd of January will always be remembered as yet another heart-breaking day in my life. How could a day that started off so well ended as a painful life experience that I don't think I can ever forget?

In the morning, helping out with the clients' needs and watching them smile back at me made my day. In the afternoon, late lunch with Nisa at Coffee Bean was great - girls' talks never fail to lift my spirit. But in the evening, there I was... climbing the stairs and anticipating to see her in my room after a hard day at work, cheerfully calling out her nickname.

There was no reply.

Typically she would answer me back with her sweet chortles whenever her nickname was being called. I assumed she was in the balcony and couldn't hear me, so I checked. Again, I greeted her. For the second time, there was silence.

I started to become frantic, bursting back into my room and looking at the cage - and only found her partner, Popcorn, there and standing still. I looked inside the wardrobe, where it is always kept open, just in case she was hiding between the hangers - one of among her favourite spots. I bended on my knee and scanned under my bed.

I searched all over the places in the house... but Sun-Ray was nowhere to be found. That instant I knew Sun-Ray, my female pearl cockatiel, was gone.

My sister and brother, who had been at home the entire day, had completely no idea where she was - an explanation not quite to my satisfaction. The windows of my bedroom were still closed, just as the way they were before I left to work that morning. What had happened to her?

What ever did I do wrong? The question kept circling in my head as I succumbed to the fact that I'm going through the very same hell as the time I found out my sun conure, Spunky, flew out of the window. How I wish it was all a nightmare and would million times rather being broken-hearted by a guy than having my 'baby' out of my life.

Photo: Goodbye, Sun-Ray!

Welcome to Your New Home, Popcorn!

2007-12-26T22:02:00.000+08:00

In this entry, I'd like to introduce you readers to a Lutino cockatiel recently bought as a birthday gift from my sister. The name's Popcorn, and I know I once had a Lutino cockatiel chick with that name, but I just can't think of anything else to name this cockatiel cock and feel that the name suits him.

Photo: Introducing... Popcorn!

At first, I intended to get Sun-Ray a whiteface. After surveying and searching at several places, I couldn't find the right one. My last stop was Macau pet Trading, a pet supplier store in Bandar Tasik Selatan that I frequently visit. Although there was quite a number of white-faced cockatiels available, they were young and rather inactive.

As I was scanning each and every one of the potential male companion for my baby girl at home, this Lutino cockatiel caught my attention with his happy chirps at the next cage. I diverted my view to look which one was it, and there he was... whistling cheerfully to other cockatiels, and approaching them and trying to be friendly but only getting cold shoulder, instead!

I'd made up my mind. The rest, as they say, is history...

For a cockatiel that has lived with several other 'tiels before, it didn't take long for Popcorn to get along with Sun-Ray. On the contrary, my girl has been aloof towards him. But from my observation, he's been patient and persistent.

I certainly hope that one day Sun-Ray will learn to accept Popcorn as her partner. Love takes time, doesn't it?

Photo: He wants to get to know her better, but she prefers to have that Grainola Bar!

FEI***** KL Grand Prix: The World's Greatest Horse Show

2007-11-26T22:05:00.000+08:00

Being an animal lover, it truly was an opportunity for me to be given a free ticket by my General Manager to FEI***** KL Grand Prix: The World's Greatest Horse Show that was held between 23rd and 25th of November at Stadium Putra, Bukil Jalil.

I purposely chose to attend the show on Saturday, for I got a weekend off this time. Sunday was already assigned for some appointments. Three of my colleagues took a ride in my car, and it took about half an hour to reach the destination from our meeting point - our office itself.

If truth to be told, my eagerness came from merely wanting to watch horses. Even as we were all having our lunch, since this was my first time watching a horse show, I had my own mental imagery what it would be like. At the same time, I was nervous that it would turn out to be something serious and boring.

The moment we walked into the stadium after showing our tickets around 3 in the afternoon, the first round had already begun. We were caught in awe at the sight of a fence-jumping horse, as we looked around for some strategic seats that could fit four people.

The Putra Cup winner was presented by Telekom Malaysia with the prize money RM125,000. The second round, The Samsung Malaysia Cup champion brought home RM180,000.

Perhaps it wasn't the day of our very own contestant, Syed Omar Al Mohdzar and his Crusado. At one point on the first show, Crusado wouldn't jump on one fence. On the second, Crusado dropped four poles on the ground and was given 16 penalty marks. It must've been a very stressful day for the horse, but the big applause after each performance seem to indicate that we were still very proud of our Crusado.

Photo: We're still very proud of our Crusado and his rider, Syed Omar Al Mohdzar!

In between these two rounds, we were all entertained by our local R&B singer, Ferhad. This is the moment when me and my girl friend, Nisa, sang our hearts' out along with the rest of the audience to Frankie Valli's Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

There was also a performance by Malaysian Pony Clubs (Kelantan and Terengganu) and other pony clubs from other countries competing in kiddy games. Riders - or club members - were youngsters under the age of 21, riding their own cute and adorable little ponies. I don't think I stand alone if I said they were the most entertaining!

Photo: This boy is doing whatever it takes to win!

Merely wanting to watch horses aside, how was I supposed to know that this show would be so much fun?

And You Thought Parrots Couldn't Count?

2007-11-11T23:19:00.000+08:00

During one of the weekly cleaning routines recently, I had to separate Sun-Ray with her eggs by locking her in the balcony while I was washing the cage. As you would expect, she went frantic watching her home being taken away while she could only watch helpessly. She couldn't stop screaming the whole time!

When the drying up under the hot sun was done, everything was put into places back again. The toys were rotated, and the food and drink bowls' positions were changed. The final chore was to put bedding into the nestbox, and then her two eggs. Somehow, in a rush, one of her eggs slipped through my fingers and fell on the floor.

I was frozen for a moment, guilt was gradually emerging inside me. What had I done? I cracked Sun-Ray's egg! How could I've been so careless? She must be mad! She must be worried!!

Then, it wasn't long before I began to reason to myself that birds can't count.

Few days have passed since, and Sun-Ray haven't been out of the nestbox as frequently as before. As a matter of fact, I haven't been touching and petting her almost a week now. Is she sick? I even started to imagine the worst! Slowly, I investigated inside the nestbox by unlocking the below entrance. Startled, Sun-Ray was looking angry at me with feathers all ruffled up. She was rocking her body side to side, hissing fumingly... but she was well.

And you thought parrots couldn't count? My eyes caught sight of two extra fresh-looking oval things. It turned out that she had laid another eggs, and now she has three to keep herself busy!

Photo: One is just ain't enough!

The Hugest Cat I've Ever Seen!

2007-10-21T19:36:00.000+08:00

The recent Hari Raya - a celebration rejoiced by Muslims worldwide after fasting steadfastly for one whole month of Ramadhan - marked no difference from years before. Visiting relatives and friends, feasting like there's no tomorrow, and starting last year, giving out duit raya (money in a green packet) to children. Most would agree that Hari Raya is less joyful as one gets older, and therefore, it is enjoyed most by the young ones. After all, they're the ones who will be getting duit raya and staying up all night to count the collection of the day and thinking about what to spend it on. (My brother 'burnt' all of his duit raya solely on The Orange Box... and has no regrets about it!)

One of the highlights of the celebration to me is... well, the cat in the picture below. He's simply the hugest cat I've ever seen! The name's Bundit (pronounced boon-deet), and he's three years old. Weighs at 7kg and eats much more than he exercises, this heavy tomcat belongs to my Mum's colleague and her husband. Cute!

Photo: He's really handful!

Sun-Ray Chiming In: I am a Momma!

2007-10-11T15:08:00.001+08:00

Hello all!

This is going to be a short entry from me. I've been busy this lately, and in fact, I'm busier than Momma. Guess what? I've laid two eggs, and that means, I'm going to be a Momma myself! Been sitting on them for more than a week, waiting for my chicks to hatch. You have no idea how much I've been putting my heart and soul into this. I hardly eat, drink, come out from my house and play with Momma. She gets home from work everyday, screaming excitedly where I am and what I'm doing when she so well knows where I'd rather be and what I'd rather do. Sometimes she peeks into the hole of my nestbox and greets me joyfully; it pisses me off! Haven't she heard of the word "behave"?

Maybe if I work hard enough, my babies will hatch sooner than expected. I'm sure they'll cute adorable and cute... like me! I promise you, I'm definitely going to ask Momma to post their pictures on this blog for you all to see.

If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my eggs!

Photo: A Momma's gotta do what a Momma's gotta do...

Two-headed Turtle Goes on Display in Pa.

2007-09-29T00:54:00.000+08:00

AP Photo: Store manager Jay Jacoby displays a two-headed red slider at Big Al's Aquarium Supercenter in East Norriton, Pa., Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007. The rare turtle is on display at the store. (AP Photo/Matt Rouke)

Source: AP on Yahoo! News

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - A pet store has bought a two-headed turtle from a collector and plans to keep it on display, the store manager said. The 2-month-old turtle, actually conjoined red-eared slider twins, fits on a silver dollar.

It has two heads sticking out from opposite ends of its shell, along with a pair of front teeth on each side. But there is just one set of back feet and one tail.

The turtle is apparently healthy, and the species can live 15 to 20 years, said Jay Jacoby, manager of Big Al's Aquarium Supercenter in East Norriton. The turtle has not yet been named.

The store would not disclose how much it paid.

The same exotic-turtle collector sold another Big Al's store a conjoined twin about 20 years ago, Jacoby said. The man lives in Florida, but he declined to identify him.

Brainy Parrot Alex Dies at 31

2007-09-13T23:56:00.001+08:00

The Alex Foundation website's Photo: Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Alex the African grey, and friends.

The world of aviculture has been violently "ruffled" by the sad news of the death of Alex, the brainy African Grey parrot. For years Alex had helped researchers about the study of cognitive and communicative abilities of parrots as intelligent creatures. He not only had the ability to mimick the words taught, but also seemed to "understand" them. Now, who was it that first coined the term "bird brain"?

Source: AFP on Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Alex, the African grey parrot who gained celebrity for his exceptional communication skills, has died at the age of 31, his owner, comparative psychologist Irene Pepperberg, has announced.

Alex was taught more than 100 English words by Pepperberg and could hold a limited conversation using phrases such as "I want X" or "I want to go Y", with the variables referring to appropriate objects or locations.

The bird could also identify 50 objects, seven colors, five shapes and quantities up to six, Pepperberg, who works at Brandeis and Harvard Universities, both near Boston, Massachusetts, said on a website devoted to Alex.

The parrot "showed the emotional equivalent of a two-year-old child and intellectual equivalent of a five-year-old," Pepperberg said.

Talkative Alex helped to "shatter the generally held notion that parrots are only capable of mindless vocal mimicry," the website -- http://www.alexfoundation.org/ -- says.

"Alex has left a significant legacy -- not only have he and Dr. Pepperberg and their landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology changed our views of the capabilities of avian minds, but they have forever changed our perception of the term 'bird brains'," it says.

Alex died on Friday of natural causes, according to the website.

On Thursday, when Pepperberg put Alex back in his cage for the night, she says he told her: "You be good. See you tomorrow. I love you."

The life expectancy of an African grey parrot is 50 to 60 years.

Motherly Instinct Begins to Kick In?

2007-09-09T17:57:00.000+08:00

Working in the industry that I'm in, one blatant thing you have to sacrifice is your weekends. You have to forget about spending time with the rest of the family and... in my case, my pet cockatiel. I must admit that sometimes I do think about Sun-Ray, even while I'm interacting with a client. I wonder what she's doing, whether she misses me as much as I do her. I'm thinking, in the future when I have my own house - and thus, a big room for my future parrots - I'm definitely going to install one of those webcams in it, so I could survey my birds and feel 'near' to them. They call it "electronic nannies" - the webcams.

Almost a week ago, I bought and put a nestbox inside Sun-Ray's cage. I thought it would serve as an entertainment for her, despite I was very well aware that an adult hen plus a nestbox with some bedding inside equals to the increase of 'I-am-a-Mummy' hormone level. Sun-Ray, naturally, regards the nestbox - besides something she can nibble and somewhere can retreat herself to for privacy - as, like the name suggests, a nest. Even before the nestbox was introduced to her, Sun-Ray had shamelessly shown signs of desperately wanting a mate. She had those sweet mating calls... but the sounds turned out disgusting if she became aroused whenever I petted her. I've never petted her in any way sexually stimulating. Petting Sun-Ray has always been the same from the beginning. She only permits me to rub and scratch her head area. Now she's taking it the wrong way. Everytime that happened, I either ignored her or put her down. Sometimes I had to tell her off, "Sun-Ray, I'm a girl - like you! I'm not your mate! And besides, I'm human!!"

Today was another dragging Sunday. I went back to my desk after provided what the client needed, only to find a text-message from Billa that Sun-Ray had laid an egg! I replied her message in an instant, but stopped myself halfway, just to dial her number. In a voice full of excitement, she related how she was worried Sun-Ray hadn't come out from the nestbox all morning. When she investigated, Sun-Ray was sitting on an egg!

Photo: Doesn't she look angelic?

My imagination was confirmed on how cute she would look when I rushed to my room after work to see with my own two eyes. She was angelic, although aggressively defending what she thought her 'baby' that will hatch soon if she's patient enough to incubate it. That's okay... I'm going to let her tend to it two weeks or so until the day she finds out that her efforts are futile. Only then will I throw the egg away.

And find her a mate - a cockatiel cock.

Photo: "Stay away!"

I'm back... but with sad news!

2007-07-13T08:34:00.001+08:00

After taking some 'hibernation' time, now I'm back... but not without some bad news. Before I go on, I would like thank each and every one of you readers out there for giving me support and persuading me to continue writing. I must say, after what took place, it's not an easy thing to do.

Somewhere in April, for as long as three memorable months living with me, Spunky escaped through the window and never came back. Never came back to me, never came back to my life.

Below are some excerpts from my diary:

Today is one of the saddest days of my life. I never thought it would happen - not even once - and even at this hour, I desperately wish to God that this is all just a nightmare. A very big nightmare. That tomorrow, when I wake up early in the morning to check him out and feed him breakfast, he was there... in his cage.

Oh, Diary! How can I tell you how heart-broken I am right now, to know that Spunky has escaped and gone away, and that I'm never going to see him again? How can I tell you that I can never, ever forgive myself for leaving him - and Sun-Ray and the white-faced cockatiel - in my room unsupervised? All I wanted to do was having a breakfast after folding a basket of clothes, and the next thing I knew, as Billa said, Spunky was outside of the bedroom window. He had slipped into the tiniest open space and flew away.

Frantically, I stopped eating breakfast halfway and went to the backyard, looking up to my bedroom. He was nowhere in sight. Billa and I searched for him in the surrounding area, and later, Dad joined us. About half an hour, I was already so despressed and broke down and cry.

... I was helpless, almost resigning myself to the fact that I could never have him back. I lied at the bed, crying and crying. I know I shouldn't have given up so soon, but when it comes to birds escaping, I'm pretty pessimistic. Almost a year ago, Syam's African grey named Sam flew out of the window and was never found again. Spunky, being a pet bird who had never seen the outside world, would've definitely perceived everything as daunting. And he was only 4 months old; he was such a baby. How would he survive? How would he eat? How would he sleep tonight, if he were still alive?

It was only within an hour ago that I had played with him while folding the clothes...

Within 45 minutes, Billa and Mum returned. Billa darted into the room and said that they heard Spunky's loud shrills. She urged me to get up and look for her. Both of us rushed downstairs and outside of the house, crossed the road and walked around the neighbourhood. We passed by trees, and all the while, I was calling him, "Spunky... Spunky-boy... Spunky..."

Spunky screamed, and I tried to locate where his voice came from. I looked up the big tree in front fo me, and there he was... perched up high in one of the tallest branches. I called his name again, and he responded. Only that he was so afraid that he didn't know where I was and how to get to where I was. He was looking here and there, searching for the sight of me. Billa suggested me to get something to lure him with. I thought of a bowl and a spoon, because the sounds emitted from those two items were very familiar to him because sometimes I would stir the formula in front of him. Still, Spunky was clueless of what to do. He started to see us, but he only hopped from one branch to the other. In desperation, I asked Amil to climb the tree. He said he wouldn't, because the tree was very tall and big. I almost got angry at him right there and then for being such a coward, but I reasoned myself that it would be no good to put anyone in danger.

We kept calling him, only to know that he didn't know how to get down and perched higher. No sooner, Dad came around and called him, "Baby... baby..." He asked Amil to bring a ladder from our home, because he said he'd climb the tree. Amil did, but when he got there, he offered to climb, instead. My brother climbed as far as he could, but still couldn't reach to where Spunky was. Dad asked him to shake the branch he perched on and Billa asked him to throw some small fruits of the tree, so that he'd fly to where we could grab him. But it was a futile effort, as Spunky only flew further. I asked Amil to stop, but he and Billa persisted. Billa reasoned that Spunky would get down. I couldn't say anything.

One last shot of the small fruit, and Spunky flew away ever so quickly that we couldn't trace him anymore. All of us thought we knew where his direction was, but he couldn't be found at the spot we thought he'd be. We didn't know what to say to each other. Dad went home to continue painting the master bedroom, asking me and Billa and Amil to look around. So, when the sun was rising above us at noon, off we went to search for him at three neighbourhood passageways. When we took a rest, I sadly said to Amil, "That was a poor strategy..."

Billa said there was no use bringing up things done. I agreed, but I so wanted to tell them that if only they had listened to me. Even if Spunky was out of our grasp, he was still within our sight. Now... he was gone. He didn't make any more noise. And it was more dangerous.

Everything was so exhausting to me that about 4 o'clock, I didn't have the enthusiasm to do anything and I searched for solace in the bed. I cried again. I blamed myself for everything. I prayed to God for a miracle, for Him to guide Spunky home and that the next morning when I opened the door, he was in front of the gate. I, again, wished that this all wouldn't have happened to me. The pain was too much for me to bear that I closed my eyes, wanting so much to shut the world out and to sleep and waking up to learn that everything would be like it used to.

But the fact is, what is happening to me is very real. When I awoke about an hour later to Billa's phone conversation to her boyfriend about my missing baby, I opened my eyes when she had hung up the phone. As she had told her boyfriend, she and Dad went to search for Spunky more by the car while I was asleep. They went around and around the neighbourhood, but Spunky wasn't making any noise, so it was hard.

About 15 minutes later, I got on my feet. I didn't want to cry anymore. I wanted to take a bath and get ready and look for him. I walked in and out of the resident passages, walking in a slow pace, hoping to hear his screams and looking up at every tree. I wanted to tell everyone I saw that I had lost a beloved pet, and had they seen it? I wanted to scream to the wild birds to shut up and if only I could communicate with them, I'd want them to find my missing baby. Had they seen him?

I passed by many houses with pets and their homes, and silently told myself that I'd taken care of Spunky much better than those owners care for their animals. Look at the houses! They're dirty and filthy and not well-kept. I cleaned Spunky's cages everyday, and even at the age of four months old, I still pampered him by hand-feeding him. What did I do to deserve this?

I surrendered after walking for awhile. Before I left home to look for him, I prayed to God that this would just be an episode of living with Spunky; not an ending. But after while, Maybe I'm beginning to surrender to the fact that I'll never see him again...

Photo: One of the few treasured pictures I have of this sweet little guy...

The incident was one of the saddest things that has ever happened to me, and things were never the same without my baby bird. As for Sun-Ray, she's a fine 'tiel. As much as she seemed to be annoyed with Spunky, sometimes I sense that she's lonely without that little sun conure. Sometimes I feel that she's wondering where The Little Greeny is.

Another sad news is, J.L. Lemone is dead. If you notice, there's a link of his blog at the sidebar of my blog. I was an avid follower of his amusing entries, although I seldom left comments. He was an entertaining cockatiel to live with, I'm sure, and my condolences go to his caregiver - The Tall One - and his partner - Miss Prissy.

After quite a long time, now I'm back to writing. I love to write. I love animals. I especially love writing about my love for animals, and so I'm here. I'm here to continue what I love doing most.

Sun-Ray Chiming In: The Little Greeny

2007-03-16T00:49:00.000+08:00

Hello all!

I've been away for quite some time, so have you all missed me? I've been wanting to post a blog entry entry, but since the very first day The Little Greeny came to live with me and Momma, I haven't been able to say to my human mother what I had wanted to say. She's always been busy attending to the needs of this little guy that she hasn't had much time for me like she used to have. Momma brought him home when he was one month old, and she had to hand-feed him many times a day - and she still does until now - and that has taken much effort and time on her part. To tell you the truth, I'm so jealous! Momma always comes running whenever The Little Greeny screams for food and attention, and it irritates me so much! I hate the fact that Momma cares for him more than she cares for me. I also hate the fact that those earth-shattering shrieks disrupt my beauty sleep. I need to have at least 10-hour sleep, or otherwise I'm going to be cranky for the whole day. Unless, of course... Momma makes it up with our private girl talk and a dish of mixed seed!

Photo: Sometimes I get very impatient that I simply jump into the container. I tell you, Momma can be very slow at times!

Now and then, The Little Greeny can be extremely annoying. Everytime he thinks he's been in the cage for too long, he gives those ear-splitting screeches to be let out. And when somebody finally lets him out, he gets very euphoric and flies on top of my cage. It makes me feel very insecure! Another thing is, when Momma lets us both out of our cages, he follows me wherever I go. He flies whenever I fly; he lands wherever I land. Whatever he does drives me insane! I know that he wants to make friends with me, but I'm sorry... I don't hang out with kids!

Photo: Don't you dare come near me!

Ricky, the Pearl Cockatiel

2007-03-14T02:46:00.000+08:00

This is the story of Ricky. The male pearl cockatiel was purchased by my friend who lives alone and wanted a bird to keep him company. Due to the instant connection with Sun-Ray when I cared for him for only one day, I decided to pay the birdie from him. From the excerpts of my diary entry, the day started when I followed my friend to a pet supplier store...

... I - as usual - stood in front of one of the cockatiel cages. I scanned each and every one of the members of the big flock, cramped in a medium-sized cage, hoping to find a different bird from the rest. Normally what I do is touching the cage bars with my fingers, and only the tame ones come near. Mind you, the action is here is not the same as poking my fingers through the cage bars. Poking fingers will only frighten the birds more. I touched the cage bars, and expectedly, all of them frantically ran away... except for one. One male pearl cockatiel who seemed to beg me to take him out of the cage and bring him home. The physical appearance so much reminded me of my Sun-Ray at home. He made this cute little sound while looking at me and walking back and front. How was I not intensely moved?

It was love at first sight with my own pearl cockatiel...

... the moment he saw Sun-Ray, he couldn't get his eyes off her. The little guy didn't want to be with me anymore. Whenever I held him, he would quickly fly back to where Sun-Ray was. Whenever I was not around them, I could hear 'songs' he would sing to her from the balcony where they were at. At one point, I thought the sound was coming from the wild birds outside. It was so melodious that I asked Billa about it and she said it was Ricky. True enough, when I checked later, he was trying to court my girl!

Ricky was given back to my friend, and that was when this incident took place...

... Ricky was let out of the cage and he forgot to shut the window. The next thing he knew was Ricky escaped and he saw, right in front of his two eyes, Ricky being chased by a crow.

When I broke the news to Sun-Ray...

I took Sun-Ray out of the cage and tried to have a heart-to-heart talk with her. I know I sound eccentric, but that's my way of relating to animals. Unlike typically, she seemed agitated and wouldn't stay at my hand. She would fly to the window and started making sounds when there were no birds outside. I'm not sure whether it was just my feelings, but my feelings told me that she could feel Ricky's loss.

Photo: Ricky was named after Ricky Martin, named after a singer because he loved to whistle and mimic sounds.

That was the story of Ricky, the pearl cockatiel. Ricky, the first bird who actually wanted me to take him along from the pet supplier store. Ricky, Sun-Ray's first love.

The Joy of Hand-feeding Spunky

2007-02-11T09:07:00.000+08:00

At first, I was thinking of writing and posting this entry after Spunky is fully weaned. Somehow, even after about 10 weeks old now - I brought him home when he was about one month and it's been six weeks since - and with no signs of eating totally independently, I thought I'd just write on.

The weaning age of conures is, generally, ten weeks. By right, Spunky could've learnt how to eat on its own and shouldn't have begged to be hand-fed anymore. Of course, every bird weans at their own time - some go faster, and others a little bit slower. I don't wish to rush Spunky to wean as quickly as possible, and as a matter of fact, I'm actually more than happy hand-feeding him whenever he begs for food. As the avian experts say, the longer the hand-feeding process, the tamer the bird will become. Drawing from my own experience with this young sun conure, it can't be more true.

Spunky is making progress day by day, trying new food being offered to him with gusto. Broccoli, corn, long beans, mango, cauliflower, pellets, mixed seed for conures - he takes everything down! Always eager to check out what I offer him in the dish bowl, he is one hearty eater - a small body with a big appetite. The time he's not eating is when he's playing with the toys or when he's out of the cage or when he's asleep. If he's in the cage, anyone will likely find him looking up from the food bowl, munching away, with beak looking very messy. True bird people will find it cute. As for myself, most of the time I can't resist taking a tissue and wiping the food off. Sometimes, though, I'd just laugh at his face!

Photo: A small body with a big appetite!

Now and then, still three-four feedings a day, I'd give him the baby cereal, recently mixed with drops of wheat germ oil for beautiful plumage. This little guy is very smart, I tell you. He simply hates it whenever I wipe the mess off his beak with a tissue, and he'll always find ways to escape and fly onto my body and wipe his beak on my clothes! But how can I be angry at him? For more than a month I've been waking up early in the morning to feed him, I've been losing many good times with my friends to be with him, I've been cutting my shopping time short just to rush home and play with him, I've been worrying at work and thinking how's he doing... my love for him goes beyond everything.

Err... minus the ear-splitting screeches, of course!

[Additional Note: Repeating the sentence from my previous entry, although I made a vow not to buy unweaned baby birds anymore after two traumatic experiences before, I still strongly believe that novice bird keepers shouldn't purchase neonates (the term for unweaned birds). I know you might go, "Do as I say, not as I do", but as I've learnt so far, hand-feeding a baby bird is one delicate process. It requires total commitment, patience, and tender-loving-care. Learning from this experience, I'm beginning to understand how busy bird breeders are, why they practice close aviary and never let outsiders go near the breeding sites, and why their main concern is to have caring and loving potential owners who will care and love the babies as much as they do. Definitely never, ever fall on the myth that just because you hand-feed the bird, it will bond closer to you. Birds that are just recently weaned can also learn to be tame, provided you spend more time to build trust, interact and play with it.]

Spunky, my Sun Conure

2007-01-27T21:42:00.000+08:00

This entry was initially entitled "The Diary of Spunky, my Jenday Conure". I had written the whole 30-day daily progress of my new baby when, before I could make it to the very last day and transfer everything to this blog, my thumb drive got corrupted. My work documents... my budgets and spendings... my songs... my pictures... everything was gone! Talk about Murphy's Law...

Notice that the first title of this post was about a jenday conure. I firmly believed I bought a jenday, even though some people I've shown the bird's pictures to claim that it's a sun. It doesn't help that suns and jendays fall under the aratinga sub-species; they both share the same personality and almost alike physical characteristics. People tend to get confused, and I was one of them.

I'm not sure of the gender, but I’m assuming it’s a male. The name is Spunky – for his spunkiness and high confidence. I know I’d made a vow to myself that I would never, ever buy an unweaned baby parrots. The bird was in the hand-feeding process when I purchased it a month ago, and still needs and begs to me to feed him. He’s about eight weeks now, so he’ll be fully weaned soon. Before I made up my mind to have him at that crucial developmental stage, I’d read numerous articles on hand-feeding and seen with my own eyes how the process works by care-givers.

At the age of two months, Spunky has grown a lot since the first day I brought him home – physically, mentally, and in general. Physically, the tail is getting longer and the yellow plumage is getting more visible. No more coarse feathers. Mentally, he’s becoming more alert and attempts several ways to get his thoughts and opinions across. Generally, he’s turning into this sweet and adorable little being that loves cuddles, snuggles, and kisses. Everyone in the house loves him and showers him with lots of attention. I’ve wanted it that way, because I want him to grow up being a well-socialized parrot. Reading from other conure owners’ experiences before, I’d gradually developed a strong desire to have one of my own. I’d always wanted one of those clownish and acrobatic creatures so much and believed that I could care for another parrot, so by burning a hole of RM500 in my pocket, nothing could’ve stopped me.

Fortunately for me, I had a back-up of my songs and photos – the few things I could still have. Below are some I’d like to share.

Photo: On the very first day…

Photo: Even though it was his first toy, it didn’t seem to daunt this little guy!

For more Spunky’s cute photos, feel free to click on My Photo Albums link.

Bird-watching... with a Bird!

2006-12-21T21:24:00.000+08:00

One of Sun-Ray's daily routines is coming out of the cage, being transported to the balcony, and staying there for several minutes to enjoy the view beyond her home. Sometimes I accompany her, but mostly I just leave her alone. Whenever she's enjoying the scenery, she doesn't want to be disturbed. When I first brought her there, trying to widen her perspective, she just sat at one place. Lately she's getting more excited, running to-and-fro against the window, and calling out loud for whatever that interests her. It varies everyday. One day it could be my neighbours; another day it could be the ice-cream man. The moving cars also amuse her. Of course, the aeroplanes intimidate her a lot!

Watching Sun-Ray can be fun. At times, I come up at her and ask, "Do you see anything interesting?" Watching her can be heart-breaking, too. I simply hate it whenever she totally ignores me and attempts to fly to the robins and mynahs she's looking at. When that happens, I always remind her, "Sun-Ray, the grass is not always greener on the other side."

Today is no exception. As I was sitting with Sun-Ray, folding clothes, my Dad approached. Sun-Ray started being agitated, and without feeling offended, Dad already knew it was because of him. The thing is, the two persons my little parrot can't tolerate in the house are my father and my brother. I assured Dad that it wasn't because of him at that particular time, as she was just getting thrilled "watching her 'wild cousins'."

Photo: One of the things that excites Sun-Ray!

Dad pitied Sun-Ray for the situation she was in and, quoting Mum's sentence, stood on the ground that birds' nature is flying and by keeping this pearl 'tiel, I'm depriving her of freedom.

I frowned. "Dad, don't make me feel guilty..."

Dad laughed and added, "But you have a point. This bird isn't the (constantly) flying type."

I couldn't agree more. "Yes. In Australia (cockatiels' country of origin), they feed on the ground. And I don't always keep her in the cage. I let her out everyday."

And I supply her with plenty of toys to play with, food in abundance to eat, as well as tremendous love I could offer!

ROMP's Macau Parrot Tank Top

2006-11-09T22:36:00.000+08:00

I've been called crazy for buying this for the sole reason of loving hookbills, but as parrots are my new obsession, I regard this ROMP's Macaw Parrot Tank-top as a valuable purchase. It was initially priced RM39.90, and although it was love at first sight, money hindered me from grabbing it from the display shelf and rushing to the payment counter.

Soon, the staff of all ROMP outlets kept it in the store for a few weeks before finally getting it out again. This time, it's RM18.90 - a price I can never resist for such a lovely top! The colours available are white, pink, yellow, and light green. As much as I love pink, I chose white. Macaw parrots are colourful creatures, and having a white background eventuates their beautiful feathers more.

Nevertheless, I can't help contemplating to buy other colours. Just wait and see...

Photo: Only bird enthusiasts understand!

Sun-Ray is One Year Old!

2006-11-06T22:24:00.000+08:00

In the entry entitled "A Labor of Love", I posted a picture of Sun-Ray in her new house. Since that day, many things happened from removing my darling 'tiel to her old home (the small pink cage) because Putih came along to shifting her again to another new cage I bought for her. This cage is also white in colour, but smaller than her 'bungalow'.

Photo: I assume she's much happier now!

Nothing much has changed, except that I've installed additional toys and several new items. Instead of a cuttlebone, she has a pear-shaped mineral block. A bigger baththub in pink. Four food containers; two to put fresh food (fruits and vegetables), the other two to put dry food (plain and colourful pellets mixed with egg food).

Photo: This mineral block actually smells nice and looks cute, but unlike the cuttlebone, Sun-Ray only chews this ocassionally.

Photo: Sun-Ray has to teach me how she plays tic-tac-toe!

The timing was right, at that time, because Sun-Ray was about to celebrate her first birthday. The little birdie was given to me when she was roughly five months old. It seems impossible to know her exact date of birth, so I just make it on the 3rd day of November. Now, why the third? Well, it's because I was born on the third (of December) myself!

Photo: This packet of wafer crisps costs much, much more expensive than my own wafer crisps. But it's just a little treat for her birthday, and she loves it!

Sun-Ray Chiming In: One of the Pleasures in Life

2006-10-23T13:37:00.000+08:00

Hello all!

What my Mama and I have in common is that we believe food is one of the pleasures in life. I love eating! Mama used to feed me with mixed seeds, which I loved so much. But too bad, lately she has been reducing my seed intake. As she keeps telling me, seeds are high in fat, which is not good for me. I don't get it! How can something so good be so bad?

She's feeding me pellets now, as she thinks they're good because each bite contains all the nutrients I need (although, I've no idea what nutrients are - let alone what I need them for!). The pellets are not bad at all, and I munch especially greedily when Mama mixes them with egg food.

Photo: Mama insists that pellets are better than mixed seeds. Even though I don't complain having to eat these pellets much more than anything else, given a choice, I would prefer mixed seeds anytime!

Photo: These colourful pellets appeal more to my sight than my taste bud, so it makes them fun to eat!

Veggies are also my favourite. Pennywort (pegaga), spinach (bayam), water spinach (kangkung), Chinese kale (kailan), alfalfa sprouts, broccoli... just bring it on! Mama always compares me with some other kids on their reluctance to eat vegetables. I get praises for making her life easy.

Photo: Golden Butterhead leaves? Any day!

Photo: Because of this picture, I've got another name given by Mama - Broccoli Bird!

Photo: Veggies are rich in vitamins and minerals - so says Mama. All I know is that they're yummy!

Oh, and I can never get enough of corns! We cockatiels are messy eaters, so besides cleaning up the mess I make after I'm done, Mama also has to wipe the corn pieces off my beak. Otherwise, I'd have hard corn flakes sticking on it!

Photo: Cooked or raw, corns make a good snack to me.

A Labor of Love

2006-10-17T20:59:00.000+08:00

Photo: From a terrace to a bungalow!

Since Sun-Ray has moved into a bigger cage, she rarely wants to go out anymore. Apart from allowing me to be creative in decorating her home, the new cage also gives so much distraction to Sun-Ray that everyday it's getting more and more fun watching her play. Instead of one toy, I've installed two. The other one is more of a perch, a swing. And instead of one wooden perch that came with the cage when Syam first bought it, I've put one branch from my mango tree. This particular mango tree branch lets Sun-Ray rest on a different level from the first wooden perch, as well as something that she spends hours and hours gnawing.

Oh, my little birdie also has her own bathtub! Before this, I've read that some owners put a "bathtub" for their tiels in the cage. Not like cats, birds love water and especially on a hot day, they'll want something to cool themselves off with. I take Sun-Ray to bath and mist her often, so I thought that wasn't necessary. Until one day, I caught her trying to fit herself into her small drink bowl! Immediately I changed that one to a bigger food/drink container. From that day, she's been having shower to all her heart's content!

Video: "They have shower at night. Why can't I?"

Toys, for birds, are made as boredom-busters. But most toys are designed to be attached to the cage that it's almost impractical to bring them all outside when your birds are also out of their homes. There are - believe me, there are many - times when Sun-Ray insists on going out of her cage when I have to do important things to attend to. Sometimes she wants me to take her along, and she doesn't mind anywhere. Other times she just wants to stay outside. When that happens, I normally place her on another wooden perch, hanging on the wall or other flat surfaces. Similar to their cousins the cockatoos, cockatiels are also destructive by nature. With nothing to do besides preening, Sun-Ray are often caught chewing the perch.

Photo: Sun-Ray's favourite pastime!

I've always wanted more for my darling. I've always wanted the best, and the next thing on my mind was having a playgym for her. That would keep her occupied whenever she's outside, when at the same time, I couldn't attend to her needs. It still remains a wonder to me to learn that, after visiting numerous pet stores and asking the salespeople, bird playgym is not available in Malaysia. In the meantime, I could only be green in envy everytime I feasted my eyes with the pictures of bird playgyms on the Internet... just as I salivated over Barbie dolls on display when I was eight!

Nonetheless, I'm not the one who would sit around to get what I want - even if it was for my parrot! Armed with little experience with carpentry I gained in secondary school, I collected all the materials that would make a pretty playgym. Syam helped a lot, and in fact, the wooden base and the pieces of woods were from him. For those of you who think the price of a simple playground a little too much to take - especially some are worth much, much more than a new cockatiel - why not make it yourself? You don't have to be a carpenter, really. Just look at things around you and let your creativity streak run wild! Anything for your avian companion, right?

Building a Bird Playgym: STEP 1 - As seen here, this is how it looked like before I 'destroyed' the replica. I only wanted to use the wooden base.

Photo: Sun-Ray is too big for this!

Building a Bird Playgym: STEP 2 - Off with the Polly Pocket bungalow! The wooden base, in the picture below, is bare and has a rough surface. To smoothen it out, I applied a few coats of shellac.

Photo: Putting shellac will also makes it easy for me to wash Sun-Ray's droppings later on.

Building a Bird Playgym: STEP 3 - On my mind, I already knew what I wanted. I sketched the design on a paper. There were some minor alterations from what I imagined it to be, with some addition here and there.

Photo: To super-glue it or to nail it down? We decided the latter.

Building a Bird Playgym: STEP 4 - As well as co-ordination, space is also important. First, so that the bird can move around easily; second, so that the toys and accessories won't collide with each other. So, okay... I didn't really apply the carpentry skills I learnt in school that much - because all the sawing the woods and hammering the nails was left to Syam!

Photo: Yes! This is the basic of this playgym for my beloved tiel!!

Building a Bird Playgym: STEP 5 - The toys and accessories are set in the playgym as entertainment and adornment. The food and drink cups are placed at each end of that perch where I hang that triple-mirror with a bell, so Sun-Ray needs to exercise a bit to quench her thirst and satisfy her hunger. The pink ladder is meant for hamsters, actually. Besides the fact that Pets Wonderland was selling it for half the actual price, I fell in love with the vibrant colour that sure would appeal to Sun-Ray's perspective. Parrots are able to see colours - better than us humans, really - and they do appreciate cyan, magenta, maroon, teal, aqua, beige...

Photo: Colours play an significant role in making this playgym as interesting as possible from a parrot's point of view. The toys and accessories help a lot!

THE VERDICT - Sun-Ray's crest went straight up upon seeing the playgym. She started chewing things, including the colourful hanging toy and the hook of the triple-mirror. Obviously, she didn't know what the ladder was for. My sister put her in the middle of the ladder, and she climbed halfway through the stairs awkwardly. She, apparently, needs more training on this one. Unsurprisingly, she knew where the food and drink cups were. She was, nevertheless, disappointed to find both cups empty. When positioned on the hanging criss-cross perch, Sun-Ray realized how unstable she was and promptly nibbled the wood!

Photo: "I'm gonna getcha!"

Overall, I couldn't be more satisfied and pleased with the playgym I created with the help of Syam. Although the result doesn't look as professionally made ones, Sun-Ray's own playground is truly a labor of my love for her. From time to time, I'll install more toys and beautify it with colourful frills.

Photo: "This is fun!"

Popcorn, my Lutino Cockatiel

2006-10-10T09:49:00.000+08:00

Due to the brief period of the opportunity to keep and raise this chick, I hadn't had the chance to capture the moments when Popcorn was still with me. I wasn't sure of the gender, but I half-assumed the baby Lutino was a male. Mostly because of its fiesty and active nature. It demanded food anytime he wanted it, waking me up from sleep most of the time.

But he's gone now. He was sick. But it was too late when I finally found out about it.

Putih, the Citroen Cockatoo

2006-08-26T17:57:00.000+08:00

Photo: A Citroen cockatoo named Putih.

It was only for two days, but the chance to be a pet-sitter for this Citroen cockatoo named Putih was something I would never forget in my entire life. I had never kept or pet-sat a cockatoo before, so Putih was my first experience. I must say, he was one of the sweetest creatures I've ever encountered. It's true; they say, cockatoos are sugar and spice and everything nice!

Putih was initially priced around RM7000, but my boyfriend managed to bargain as low as three thousand from a reputable bird breeder. The reason is Putih didn't like the whole family of his previous owner - just because they once clipped some of his wings! It's a very rare case, I believe, where a parrot would go frantic to the people who trim its wings.

This sweet two-year-old Citroen cockatoo gets along perfectly with my boyfriend, me, and everybody else. He is nothing far from what I'd read about cockatoos before - likes to be pampered, to be caressed, to be hugged, to be kissed, and just to be with you. Everytime I pretended to leave him, he would panic and would try his best to get to where I was, and at the same time uttering, "Hello... Hello... Hello..." The voice sounded like a plead each time, sometimes it was heart-breaking to see him attempting to fly to me, knowing full well that he was unstable and would only land on the ground.

In my care, I found out that he liked wheat breads so much. Every time I wanted to have my piece of bread with Putih around, I knew that I wouldn't be left alone until he had 'trained' me that "sharing is caring".

Photo: This picture of Putih confirms my personal belief that parrots are such good posers!

A Final Goodbye for Baby Caramel

2006-08-21T10:09:00.000+08:00

I never thought I would do this, but the pain I'm feeling inside is just too much for me to bear. I cannot keep it, I cannot hold it any longer... and this is what I have to say.

It's 2:49 a.m. I'm not able to put myself to sleep, no matter how much tossing and turning I made in bed. For everytime I closed my eyes, the thoughts of you and the memories of us together came vividly into my head. Do you still remember the time when we faced each other, and I talked to you until we both fell asleep? Do you still remember the time when I kissed you relentlessly the moment you were handed over to me, saying how much I had missed you? Do you still remember the times when we watched television and played "Come!"? Do you still remember the times when we looked out the window and I showed you the world beyond your cage, beyond my house?

I still do remember... every facet of the reminiscences of the brief period we had. And I will treasure everything of you as long as I shall live.

Did I not tell you to hang on? Did I not tell you that I wanted you to stay healthy and be strong? Did I not tell you that I wished to see you grow up? And did I not tell you that I would never, ever forgive myself if you died?

For the truth is, baby, I cannot forgive myself. I cannot let go of this enormous guilt within me for what you had gone through before your last breath. You were such a darling, my baby. You did not deserve it. My heart shattered into pieces knowing that you were hurting, and knowing nothing I could do to help you ease your suffering. And my heart broke all over again looking at you looking at me when the Almighty Lord decided it was time for you to be by His side.

Photo: I'll be a good girl, baby, just like you were. For I hope to see you again... but this time, in Heaven.

Goodbye, Caramel - my baby, my pet, my angel.

Nursing My Maternal Instincts!

2006-08-19T18:48:00.000+08:00

I don't believe in neutering cats. In my opinion, that's a cruel practice. Nonetheless, veteranians who perform the task as well as pet owners who sterilize their felines may be quick to criticize my non-compliance, especially if they learn about Salem's ceaseless birth-giving.

The worse has yet to come. Everytime she gives birth to kittens, she suckles them ONLY for a few days before she moves on to her next sex-capade. Most of her babies didn't get to survive. By the way, Salem is Lucky's mother and hence, Chi-Boy's grandmother. Quoting from another blog of mine, if Salem was a human, she would be a 60 years old lady!

I came up with what I think a good solution. Kindly scroll down for the image.

Photo: Yes, it's a pet nursing bottle!

A good number of Salem's kittens didn't get the chance to see the world was because, first, she refused to suckle the previous babies until they died, and second, she often compressed them with her weight until they couldn't move and even breathe. How the heck did I know? Well, it wasn't uncommon to find out a baby's muffled screams under Salem's body. The next thing I knew was the baby was already dead. It still remains a wonder to all of us (my whole family) whether she did it deliberately or accidentally. We eventually came to a conclusion that this female cat of ours is senile.

Photo: Are these babies going to have the same fate?

This time, I'm not going to let that happen again. Before, everyone in my family would dread looking at Salem's bulging tummy. Now? Err... at least I was the only one who anticipated her pregnancy this time around. But then, why not?

Video: Because I'm getting used to being a surrogate mother... and loving every minute of it!