Parakeet Playtime

While we're in fierce disagreement that owning a pet (dog, cat, bird, lizard...) is good "practice" for raising a child one day, I will admit that it is fun to have a little life around that we care for. His name is Optimus, and we brought to our home in the midst of a harrowing hail/thunder/lightning storm (and he consequently didn't move from his perch for 3 days afterward).

As we fast approach his one-year anniversary of being with us, I thought I'd give some glimpses into a day in the life of Optimus J. Prime.
For starters, this is the face that greets me every morning, as I remove the towel covering his cage.
Though he isn't really a morning bird, sometimes I can still get one or two chirps out of him before I leave for work.

Upon returning from work, we always try to greet him and ask how his day has been. For the most part, his days consist of water, play toys, and oatmeal (never knew this, but parakeets can eat a wide variety of human food, and this one can suck down plain, uncooked oatmeal like there's no tomorrow!).
In the evenings, we try to spend quality time with him. He's developing quite a love for technology.
As his wings have grown back, and he's been able to fly around and explore the apartment, he's made quite a few "friends" out of his reflections in various fixtures around our house. His favorite we've named Charlie, who resides in the ceiling fan of our dining room.
He also took quite a liking to his shadow recently as the sun streamed in.
It's not uncommon that we catch Optimus stretching his wings (pun intended) and attempting to add new skills to his already well-rounded set of skills like biting the hand that feeds him and playing with the food on his plate--er, dish. Today, we caught him perched (another pun intended) precariously. While I don't think he appreciated our laughter at his expense, I must give him props--I couldn't stand successfully with one foot on a ladder and another on a swing!
And while he can't talk, he does sing quite well. We've found the best way to encourage this singing is to play music he's fond of. Caedmon's Call and Casting Crowns are among his favorite bands to sing to.

And, finally, we've learned that though he can't vocalize his contentment, he can show us in other ways that he's happy. For example, when he puffs up and stands on one leg, he's showing us that he's happy right where he's at. :) See that little pink dot beneath his wing? That's one claw that he's curled under.
So, here's to another year with our little budgie! :)