Not just a parakeet...

[reyes97206]

This is my story of the loss of my baby girl.
Munchie aka Munch, Munchers, Munch-Munch
August 2005- March 6,2009

In August of 2005 I lost my first parakeet (Frost), I loved him and his loss hurt.

My Mom wanted to get me another parakeet and she did find two, but she decided that they weren't for me, they just didn't have much personality.

One of my Mom's friends keets had laid some eggs around the time Frost died and my Mom decided to take one and hand raise her.
When my Mom went to pick out the "right one" she looked into the nest box at this little cluster of babies and out popped this one little bright eyed bird that came wobbling to the front to exam my Mom and she knew THAT was going to be the one.

I honestly wasn't interested in another bird, but I didn't know how to tell my Mom I didn't want this bird and my Mom already has enough birds and couldn't possibly take on another.
Since my Mom lives in another state it was a few months before I got to meet this new little girl.

My Mom named her Munchers because when she would feed this baby she was so impatient she'd gently bite the skin between my Mom's fingers in a feeding response until my Mom began to feed her.

Munchers was all or nothing, she played hard and especially loved to play,then she'd crawl into my Mom's shirt pocket and take a nap so she could play some more.

I flew home for Christmas and that's when I met Munchers. At first she didn't seem that different from any other parakeet, of course she was cute and kind of quirky. So I brought her home on the plane and the entire time she stared at me thru the bars of the travel cage on my lap. She even let me preen her thru the bars and I talked to her and she would chirp at me.

Over the next few months I got to know my new bird and learned very quickly that this was NOT a normal parakeet. She had this twinkle in her eyes unlike anything I've ever seen. My little girl was like a large bird, like a cockatoo with 10 times the energy!!

Over time Munchers learned to wolf whistle and a few other tunes, she learned some words; whatchya doing, crazy bird, Munch Munch, Sui-Sue(my cockatiel) and she even learned to cough.
But my favorite was when she learned how to immitate my laugh. Now I know they say how parakeets are great Mimics, but trust me when I say this girl was not just a Mimic, she knew when to use the words/sounds and why.

Muchers loved games, one of her favorite games was pee-a-boo when I would come home from work. Her cage was higher up and I would duck down and play peek-a-boo, she eventually learned to duck her head too and when she got excited she would attack and chase her cat balls that were in the cage flapping her wings, then she would do my laugh.
She did my laugh because anytime she chased her balls I would laugh (you would too if you were lucky enough to witness it), she must have enjoyed making me laugh because she would do this often and when she wanted my attention I could hear her attacking and chasing her cat balls, followed by my laugh.

Over time I realized that I was her one and only, she would pick on the cockatiel and would tolerate other people. Eventually she started a mating response to me and then the egg laying began.

At first I didn't think much of it, but when she kept laying it began to occur to me she was a chronic egg layer.
I kept a cuddlebone and a mineral block in her cage, I also made sure to feed hard boiled eggs and fresh veggies because I knew the risk of her laying so many eggs. I even tried to change her cage around, but the inevitable was about to happen.

On Friday March 6th, I walked thru the door and Muchers did not greet me.
My heart skipped a painful beat and I immediately knew something was very wrong and when I looked into the cage my stomach wrenched and I started to cry with what I saw, my baby girl was struggling and I could see the evidence that this had been going on for quite some time.
I could see the egg, I tried to warm her and comfort her, but she was already in shock. We tried to get her to the vet, but it was too late. Somehow I knew I'd lost her the minute I saw her like that, but when the vet said she had passed it still felt like a freight train had hit me.

We buried my little girl that night with all of her favorite toys.

I've had pets of ALL sizes my entire life, I love all of my animals and have lost my fair share throughout the years, but I never thought that losing such a small creature like a parakeet could hurt so bad, just as I never realized that an animal so small was capable of SO much love.

Life without her lately has been dull. It's been hard and I'm struggling with it still. I miss her greeting when I come home at night and wake up in the morning. I know it will take time to heal.

Munchers, I love ya baby girl!

[reyes97206]

[becca623]

Your story brought tears to my eyes. Munchers was obviously a beloved pet and companion. I'm very sorry for your loss and the pain you are experiencing. I don't think size has anything to do with the amount of love an animal has to give and the amount of love we return. Large or small, they all find a way into our hearts. Please accept my condolences for you and Sui-Sue.

[flyingfluff]

That was so beautifully written. I just lost my first bird, a blue budgie last week. And it does hurt so bad. I hope you will eventually able to treasure the memories you had with her and the time you had with her. It's amazing how much love these little birds can have and how attached when can grow to them.