Gus the Parakeet

[FrontierBarbie]

I had a much lover budgie about 40 years ago, Buddy, who I adored. He was such a sweetheart and I taught him to say Who's your buddy, Birds can't talk, and various mixes of the two phrases. He had a metabolic problem that caused his beak to overgrow and I had to have it trimmed every few months. One day when he was about 5 years old I had the bird store where I got him do the trim and he died in the guys hand. I completely fell apart. Screaming You killed my bird! The store emptied out quickly. They offered me another budgie but I refused and I left with his empty cage and a heavy heart. It took me three years to go back and select another Buddy. New Buddy wasn't the same but he was a delightful budgie in his own was and lived to a ripe old age of 13 before succumbing to kidney failure.
A new budgie did not replace Buddy but I loved having a budgie too much to live without one. A new budgie won't replace Gus, but you enjoyed Gus, and you would enjoy a new budgie. My life wouldn't be the same without budgies. It would be so quiet and boring. We cry every time one of our budgies passes away, but we will always have budgies. They're so worth the mess and inconvenience.

Thanks for telling me about Buddy and the good therapy that followed. I agree about budgies and we're rethinking getting another bird thanks to you!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I didn't realize that Gus died 20 years ago. That's a looong time to live without a bird in your life, and at this point I can see that it's unlikely that you will get another one. Maybe you believe Gus is too hard an act to follow and any new budgie would be a disappointment. Maybe that's true for you, but even though no budgie I've had after Buddy died decades ago was quite as amazing as he was, they are are wonderful in their own ways, and I wouldnt want a life without at least one budgie.

 

[FrontierBarbie]

I didn't realize that Gus died 20 years ago. That's a looong time to live without a bird in your life, and at this point I can see that it's unlikely that you will get another one. Maybe you believe Gus is too hard an act to follow and any new budgie would be a disappointment. Maybe that's true for you, but even though no budgie I've had after Buddy died decades ago was quite as amazing as he was, they are are wonderful in their own ways, and I wouldnt want a life without at least one budgie.

I really appreciate your concern. My husband David, who wrote GUS with some help from me, takes the reader on his journey from not wanting Gus (whom I insisted on adopting) to desperately missing him. He came to terms with Gus's death ages ago, and I don't want to push another bird on him. BTW we'll be on maine public radio live for "Maine Calling" with Jennifer Rooks on April 4 from 11 am to 12 noon. Thanks for sharing your experience with Buddy and others budgies. Maybe you'll call in!

 

[Amsterdam]

Welcome to you!