Right now Sir Chirpsalot, a chubby English budgie, and Lady Claudette, a petite American  parakeet, are sitting quietly on the rail of my orchid stand. (It is a wire baker's rack on which I keep about a dozen phalaenopsis and dendrobia) but this morning was quite busy.

Lady Claudette is a very active flyer. She has been here about a week now, and she is finally comfortable enough to explore the apartment. Sir Chirps is a pudgy perch-potato, content to let her fly back to him with periodic reports of what she finds.

I spent breakfast with my coffee cup in one hand and a dry mop in the other so that I could wave her away from the ceiling fan, which is on the slowest setting. She seems to have finally figured out not to fly into the fan's space, but I still have to be cautious.  

When they are not resting among the orchids, they are on a long perch along the peak of their house-shaped cage, and lady Claudette likes to keep squeezing up against Sir Chirpsalot until he falls off the end.

They've only had that perch set up that way since yesterday. Sir Chirps is developing a new maneuver to get back on after Lady Claudette knocks him off, then she stretches herself up to his height and they kiss, oh, so sweet!  

Budgies are just parakeets that are little more domesticate, bred to a larger size and gentler temprament, otherwise they are the same. If I get them a nest box they could raise young (but I won't   )

Lady Claudette is pretty smart. She already figured out that the fan is off-limits, with just a couple of passes while I used the mophead to slow her down, so I don't think I have to do anything more, but the ribbons are a good idea. I might do that in the summer when I have to have it on.  Now I just have to make sure Sir Chirps learns. He's not as good a flyer as she is, and doesn't seem to watch where he's going. Lady Claudette is like a ballerina when she flies, and Sir Chirps is a bit of a clutz.

Fabulous!

Then I got caught up in the related videos.  Darling little creatures.

Alex, they can talk.  I watched the Youtube of Charlie, and he has an English accent, LOL!  Their droppings are innocuous compared to most pets, but I think they tend to sort of go in one place where they roost.  But their feathers and dander, you don't want that in your coffee!  Kak!

Their mess is not gross to clean up, thank goodness.  They are probably smart enough to train where to relieve themselves, who knows?  Ours likes to sit on my boy's shoulder, and we have had no mishaps.