Today's Captain Jack Sparrow would be the name of my new pet, a little baby sparrow! The reason behind its name will be unravelled when you carry on reading!
If you guys had added me on facebook you should know a little about this pet sparrow that I've been keeping for about say, a week? I posted updates about Captain occasionally and it seems that my friends on fb were rather interested in its growing process. So I'm here to narrate the entire story about little Captain ever since the day I found it.
Note: I used the word 'found'.
Yes, I didn't buy the bird, I found it at my block's carpark lobby (9 Feb 2012). I saw something struggling and wriggling on the ground when I was walking past the carpark. Upon taking a closer look, I realised that it was a baby, feather-less bird that was struggling to get out of the main passageway leading into the carpark. It most probably fell down from its nest from the top of the sheltered linkway leading to the carpark. Beside it was a horrible sight - its brother/sister bird had been stepped to death. It was smashed up and flattened, and ants (yes, ants!) were already surrounding it. I don't know how to explain this. The whole scene was just so gruesome and heartwrenching. I called my mom to bring a piece of cloth down so that I could carry the surviving one up home, and I buried the dead one. Sometimes I wonder, each time when I think of that horrible scene, "Which asshole could be so heartless and inhumane - he/she didn't even bothered to shift the dead carcass out of the way!"
So, I'm guessing that the person most probably stepped on the poor birdie, shouted/squealed OMG!, reviled at the fact that they realised that they dirited their shoe, took out tissue to wipe of the blood of the bird, threw the tissue away and carried on with whatever shit that they were going to do, because the poor thing was simply left there as a meal for ants. Hello? This situation concerns a freaking life - even though not a human life, but still a living being's life! What, you mean that after stepping on the bird you don't feel guilty at all? Doesn't it bug your conscience? At least have the heart (You most probably don't have one, in this context) to shift it out of the way! So now staining your shoe/carrying on with whatever that's more important after mudering a living being (in YOUR opinion) carries more weight than saving a life? You sir/madam, deserve to burn in hell and have your guts twisted and dug out when you're down there. Literally.
I had to get all off those rants out, for I believe that if one has a heart, the most logical thing to do would be to help a struggling living being. I mean, won't you people commiserate with it? The little bird saw its sibling die in its very own eyes, and I think that kind of trauma is the most difficult to get over. Animals have feelings too, and they most definitely need love and care as well.
So anyway, here's how Captain looked like when I first brought it back.
It was rather bald and raw - like a small piece of living flesh. There were no feathers on its body at all, and it was cold and shivering and panting pretty badly. I took this picture 'cos I wanted to upload onto facebook to ask for suggestions on what was the immediate action that needs to be taken to keep it alive. Someone suggested giving it milk and bread, but I searched online and they said that non oil-based biscuits with water could work fine too for baby birds. So I did that and it ate only a fraction of what I prepared.
Snuggling under the covers
This was taken when Captain finally adapted to its new home; I used my old guppy tank. I had to give it lots of cotton wool as blankets to keep it warm, for it felt cold to touch and online pet care websites stated that baby birds should feel warm.
Thankfully the next day Captain turned out fine and it could chirp! I went to look at it in the morning before heading for school and it woke up and chirped at me! It ate two full plastic dishes of mashed biscuits that day and it seem that he had more energy than when I first brought him back. Made my entire day :)
Captain's first bath :)
During the weekends I took time off to let Captain have its first bath. I put it in a tub filled with a little water and just let it have fun playing in it. I guess it pretty much enjoyed it for it kept splashing about and poking its head into the water. Something new huh.
This guy's gotta good life - eat, shower, sleep and the cycle repeats.
Guess it played too long and when I 'fished' it out, it was all cold and shivery hahha. Had to warm it up in my hand and he fell asleep in it after that. Too cute!!
My mom thinks that Captain could recognise voices - it could recognise mine. She says that each time I'm not at home, Captain would chirp and chirp and irritate the hell outta her but once I reach home from school and talked to it while playing with it, it would shut up and go to sleep just like a good child. Hehehe guess I'm like it's mommy now :)
WHERE'S MY NOMNOM
Here's how Captain begs me for food: He starts chirping really loudly and continously for me to go over to attend to him, and when he sees me he opens his beak wide like that for me to feed it. I use a straw that's being cut into half along its length as a mini spoon to feed it food. There was once where he woke me up at 9am on a Sunday by chirping so freaking loudly for me to feed it. Once it's done eating, it goes back to sleep. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
I try to change Captain's diet every few days, like for three days he'll eat bread with water, next two days have mashed porridge, and next two days will be peeled grapes/mashed papaya or banana. So far its favourites are bread and peeled grapes.
And if you're wondering why I named my pet bird Captain Jack Sparrow, it'll be because the little bird's breed a sparrow! I had actually went online to search for birdie names to name it, and here's some of the search results:
So... There are people who name their pet birds Chelsea LOL
Spot the name Captain Jack Sparrow? I was still wondering why the hell would anyone name their pet bird that then I realised that OH MAYBE MY BABY BIRD MIGHT BE A SPARROW TOO! So I googled images of baby sparrows and lo and behold, it fits the description perfectly. Hallelujah I just got my baby sparrow the coolest name. Ever.
The rest are all shots of Captain and I when I was playing with him :)
When playing with Captain.
Captain likes to snuggle up in my hands and run from left hand to right hand, then right to left. I don't know why. It just gives him great pleasure to do so huh hahahaah.
AND HE LEARNT A NEW SKILL!
MY BABY IS ABLE TO PERCH ON A CHOPSTICK NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So happy. Can't wait till he grows into a puffball. Till then he'll be able to perch on my finger and most probably fly already. Hehehehe love watching it grow up :)
I'll be occasionally posting updates on Captain onto facebook and CoC, so if you're interested in he's growing process/new skills learnt, feel free to add me on fb or follow up with CoC! YAY! ^-^v