Category: Birds and Bunnies
A Girl Named Bob
June 20th last year we rescued a lovebird, who came to be known as Bob.
The first week Bob was rescued, she escaped from her room.
Until a few weeks ago we thought Bob was a boy. Now it has been confirmed, she is a girl.
Bob began dancing for The Bird, the cockatiel who lives with us.
Then she began shredding everything shreddable which wasn’t unusual. But what was unusual was how much time she spent in her room and how quiet she became. No longer was she the 5:45 am bird alarm.
Because Bob loved to shred and dig around, we put several cracker boxes in the bottom of her room. She made a tunnel through them, and apparently this nest–
that she wasn’t using.
And this space hidden under the boxes that she was using–
Apparently she even shredded two baskets.
How large are lovebird eggs?
We decided to remove the eggs and all shreddable materials from her space. She seems okay. We will watch to make sure she really is okay. A friend who raised lovebirds, mentioned egg binding. That would be bad.
Today she seems to be her cheerful self.
Now what to do with the eggs. I was thinking about burying them in the garden.
Make Mine Chocolate
Make Mine Chocolate is a campaign to educate and deter folks from purchasing bunnies for Easter. Often those bunnies end up in shelters after a few months or worse, released to fend for themselves.
Rabbits should not be an impulse buy. When properly cared for a domestic rabbit can live over 10 years. That is a commitment.
There are loads of stuffed plush bunnies that can be left alone in a room, do not require food, or veterinary care.
Or stick to purchasing chocolate bunnies.
Bob, the lovebird in the photo was rescued. He was found flying in my garden on a Sunday afternoon in June of 2016. We attempted to catch him with no luck. The next afternoon he returned. I wrote a post about how we were able to capture him.
We were unable to locate his family. So, he has found a forever home with us, two bunnies, and a cockatiel.
Recently, a family member mentioned seeing a flock of lovebirds in a nearby park. We haven’t yet visited the park. Someday we might check it out.
Updated Bunny Ornament and Elliot
In September I noticed a little bunny ornament was being crushed by a tree. This is the way it looked before I removed it.
It actually took some digging. When I freed the little bunny, I discovered that part of its head was missing.
What do you do with a rabbit ornament that has a broken head and missing ear?
I gave it a quick spray with black paint, nothing fussy. Then filled the opening with a succulent.
I now know why resin garden ornaments are so heavy? This little guy was filled with small pebbles.
Before Elliot came to live with us, I would never have thought about black for a bunny.
I am so glad she came to live with us. She is a delightful furry one.
Living With Bunnies and Birds
When you share a home with bunnies and birds, you must make loads of compromises. Bunny proofing means protecting or removing anything that can be chewed that is up to approximately 3 feet high, unless the bunny likes to climb on furniture. One of our bunnies runs laps on the back of the sofa.
It is incredibly difficult to bird proof a room. Removal of plants and anything that they might want to tear and shred is a given. But don’t forget about the thin iPad/iPhone power cables. They love to chew them.
One of my See a Penny pieces has been hanging on the dining room wall since I completed it in March of 2013.
Completed See a Penny piece prior to hanging in dining room.
Today I found one of the pieces of mirror on the floor. When I replaced the mirror, I noticed damage–
and certain the culprit is either The Bird or Bob.
The Bird
Bob
They both love landing and perching on the piece, but I didn’t realize chewing was involved.
I could attempt giving the birds a misting with water as a deterrent. Probably would not be a deterrent for Bob because he frequently takes a bath in Big Baby’s water dish.
Big Baby
Haven’t decided if I will be moving the wallpiece to a different location. Repair will be time consuming, but doable. The squares are constructed of roofing felt, tree wrap, mirror, hardware cloth, and cotton twine.
See a Penny, Squares Used for Code–Spacer, Dot, Dash
Slipping in a new square of tree wrap won’t work. They squares were perforated for ease of binding with the cotton twine.
So, what is the solution to prevent Elliot from chewing my shoe laces while I am wearing the shoes?
Repaired laces with embroidery floss.
Elliot in the studio.
Happy Holidays, Bob, and The Bird
How I rescued the lovebird, who came to be known as Bob–
1. Opened upstairs bathroom window, removed screen, placed towel over window frame.
2. Placed The Bird, our cockatiel in his travel cage, placed cage in plain view in the bathroom.
The Bird enjoying our tree. Yes, his name is The Bird.
3. Played a Youtube video of Lovebirds singing.
Then I waited.
The lovebird flew to the window and looked in. Then he flew back to the top of the birch. Then he perched on the window ledge. He would not come in the bathroom.
After a couple of hours, yes a couple of hours of him flying to the window and hovering, I had an idea. I turned on all of the lights in the room. Immediately he flew into the room and landed on our cockatiel’s travel cage. John was home by then, he closed the window. Success.
What did I learn? The towel on the window ledge was a good idea for the bird to grab onto and enter the room, but a really bad idea for closing the window. Patience is a good thing to have. The entire rescue took only 4 hours.
Why is his name Bob?
It took a long time to name him. We noticed he has a habit of bobbing up and down before flight and when he is attempting to escape from his room. The bobbing is funny, almost dance like. So, Bob he became.
The frames and text applied to the photos were an easy peasy couple of clicks in Snapseed.
The Snapseed app is on the App Store.