Sandy and Kiwi(Jan 2014)
Ever since I was a child I was
fascinated by birds, especially parrots...it was a common sight some
20 yrs back to see a man on a cycle selling Indian ring necks on the
roads, and everytime my heart would skip a beat and I would want one,
Initially I was indulged in by my parents, but now in retrospect I think was I really
equipped to keep them, care for them and provide them at that
time?Sure the fascination with the bright plumage, dazzling colours,
the beauty as well as the comic playfullness all pulled me towards
these feathered beauties, but I was a small child and little did I
know that all this would have such a huge impact on me.
Almost 20 yrs down the line and I have
traumatic memories of my early birdkeeping years, Indian ring necks
sold by the dozen as cheap as Rs20-30/- everywhere in the bazars in
football size cages were amongst my first purchases, needless to say
on a diet of bajra (millet), the cramped space and the odd chilli they were dead in less
than a month, leaving me incapable,helpless, guilty and weeping.
The internet was unheard of, the bird
seller was dishing out smooth sales talk and mostly passing off sick
birds to unsuspecting buyers like myself and all if this took a toll
on me and the birds.
After a couple of months of recovery,
this pattern was repeated till finally my parents, totally fed up,
firmly put a stop to my birdkeeping hobby, instead I started
diversifying and keeping other pets like rabbits, dogs, cats etc.
Almost after 2 decades the spark
ignites again, and this time around I start with a pair of budgies,
now I am on the verge of having my second generation of offsprings
from this pair...
Here I want to share with you all the
trials and the tribulations, delights and frustrations of my journey
as well as whatever little knowledge I have gathered in the hope that
birdkeeping as a hobby in India thrives and even if I am able to help
even a single person, my job here is done.
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