Nayu's Craft Time #203 Goodbyes and Hellos

My much loved crested bengalese finch Tanuki and normal bengalese finch Ushio (right)

So Monday I did get some craft done while I visited a friend, but it's not quite neat enough to show you yet (ends need sewing in), so I'll do that another day. This is a quick post detailing what happened when I got home. Please skip the next paragraph if you don't want details of some sad news. 

I got home to some odd chirping from my birds. Found Tanuki (funky hair bengalese finch) dead in the nest, with Ushio beside it (still no idea who is male/female). Poor Ushio died a few minutes later in my hand. I'm not sure why they died, but they did. It was totally horrid having no birds in the cage when I went to sleep and when I woke up. Even when they sleep I get the occasional chirp and shuffling about. It was a bit of a long night. 

Fast forward to mid-morning the next day and I have 2 new feather babies! The silvery traditional looking one is Tomoya, and the paler one is Hibiki. They are male zebra finches (females are extremely rare). It's a joy to have zebra finches again, their sound is distinctive and I'd missed it a lot. 

You can't see the fawn parts on Hibiki, but hope to take more pictures soon.

I'm super sad that I didn't get longer with Tanuki and Ushio, who while not zebra finches were fun in their own way. I was still getting to know them, and I love them very much and miss their little selves ducking in the nest when I peek in on them. 

It won't surprise long term blog readers to hear that the names were chosen from anime characters (I'm enjoying having Japanese names). I had to think quite a while for names not because there were so many to choose from like girls' names, but I wanted to pick nice guy names (and I pay far less attention to the guys in anime shows). Tomoya is from the classic and one of the best anime ever, Clannad + Clannad After Story.

From left to right Tomoya, Ushio (Sound familiar?!) & sweet Nagisa

Tomoya in the anime/manga is a lone ranger but it's a sweet romance (nothing imappropriate, he and Nagisa (who I adore) barely hold hands, watching the two grow through their teens and start a family. A lot of tissues are needed for that anime! Tomoya the bird worried me a little because as he was being caught in the pet shop he seemed to be going for the other birds. When I first got them home he did go for Hibiki. Males can be terrortorial, but he seems to have calmed down. 

Hibiki is from the skating anime Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream. He is a singer in a boy band, and eventually becomes engaged to Rhythm, one of the main characters (they also feature in Pretty Rhythm Dear my Future). I realise Rhythm's name may sound odd, I'm so used to it that it seems perfectly normal to me. She's impulsive, works super hard on her skating, and has a big heart. Hibiki the bird is holding his own against Tomoya and  sometimes sings along with the latter. 

Hibiki with one of the main characters, Rhythm

Last night I spied them huddled together on top of the nest at  my bedtime. If they don't figure out they can go in the nest by  the weekend I'll buy them an open style nest (the current one they have to duck into.) I want them to be able to snuggle down somewhere at night - sleeping on the perch/on top of the nest can't be that comfy for them. Maybe they will have a brainwave and realise what the nest is for, if not I'll make things a little easier for them. 

Anyway, that's all for today. Having a quiet day tomorrow which will be nice after a mixed start to the week. 

Pets are precious.