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The Finster Log
Finster Land
Posted on: 11/26/07, 16:50:43
The other day, after Szechwan (Pepper) died, Mam Adar wrote, "I hope there can be more Finsters for you soon." But I'm afraid that won't happen.
There are two issues related to quarantine. The first I've mentioned: the need for separate air spaces. I don't have that here, and although we're thinking about moving, that isn't likely to happen soon, and separate air spaces aren't easy to find. Another option would be finding a friend who doesn't have birds, who would be willing to take care of new additions to Finster Land for a month or two for me. Any takers?
The other issue has to do with the size of a bird, and how big they have to be to easily get blood work done. Finsters aren't big enough to get blood work done — which means that you never really know what's wrong with them. Peanut was only barely big enough to get a small amount of blood taken, for a specific test rather than a full work up — and even that small amount was very hard on him. Some people feel that if you can't ever really know the health of your "littles," it isn't a good idea to keep them in the same space as "bigs."
Obviously, everybody has different levels of comfort with a risk like this. Harley is my first "big." But having shared my kitchen with Finsters for ten years or so (or more?), I know that not knowing what's wrong can be a frustrating problem. And I wonder if it would be fair to Harley to bring new "littles" into his home, when they represent an unknown.
The first issue is probably the most crucial, and I haven't solved it. And I haven't decided what I think about the second issue. I've lived with "littles" for years, and so has Harley, but just at the moment I'm not interested in risk.
On the other hand, I really don't want to think about Life Without Finsters.
On a related note, it seems that Szechwan (Pepper) really was the one, ornery bird that kicked Oolong out of the communal nest box at night. So now she gets to sleep with Ginger and Cinnamon, which is really nice. During the day, the three of them spend a lot of time sitting together on a perch, or in the configuration depicted in the photograph.
(You've noticed, I'm sure, that this photo isn't very good. Welcome to grey, winter weather in Michigan. And next weekend, we'll wrap the Finsterium in clear plastic, which will make it even harder to take good pictures of the Finsters. Oh well. You have also noticed, I'm sure, that Oolong doesn't think the plastic nest box is Evil at all!)
There are two issues related to quarantine. The first I've mentioned: the need for separate air spaces. I don't have that here, and although we're thinking about moving, that isn't likely to happen soon, and separate air spaces aren't easy to find. Another option would be finding a friend who doesn't have birds, who would be willing to take care of new additions to Finster Land for a month or two for me. Any takers?
The other issue has to do with the size of a bird, and how big they have to be to easily get blood work done. Finsters aren't big enough to get blood work done — which means that you never really know what's wrong with them. Peanut was only barely big enough to get a small amount of blood taken, for a specific test rather than a full work up — and even that small amount was very hard on him. Some people feel that if you can't ever really know the health of your "littles," it isn't a good idea to keep them in the same space as "bigs."
Obviously, everybody has different levels of comfort with a risk like this. Harley is my first "big." But having shared my kitchen with Finsters for ten years or so (or more?), I know that not knowing what's wrong can be a frustrating problem. And I wonder if it would be fair to Harley to bring new "littles" into his home, when they represent an unknown.
The first issue is probably the most crucial, and I haven't solved it. And I haven't decided what I think about the second issue. I've lived with "littles" for years, and so has Harley, but just at the moment I'm not interested in risk.
On the other hand, I really don't want to think about Life Without Finsters.
On a related note, it seems that Szechwan (Pepper) really was the one, ornery bird that kicked Oolong out of the communal nest box at night. So now she gets to sleep with Ginger and Cinnamon, which is really nice. During the day, the three of them spend a lot of time sitting together on a perch, or in the configuration depicted in the photograph.
(You've noticed, I'm sure, that this photo isn't very good. Welcome to grey, winter weather in Michigan. And next weekend, we'll wrap the Finsterium in clear plastic, which will make it even harder to take good pictures of the Finsters. Oh well. You have also noticed, I'm sure, that Oolong doesn't think the plastic nest box is Evil at all!)
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