Five-year-old Pearl has lived with Kelvin and Joan her whole life. A snow-white budgie with a shock of electric blue feathers near her tail, she is as beautiful and iridescent as the gem she is named after.
Pearl has grown significantly since she was brought home, with Kevin and Joan observing a gradual darkening around the nostrils on her beak.
“They were light pink when she was a little baby, but now they’re more brown,” Joan tells FMT.
“She also had a streak of colour on her forehead but it all turned white as time went by.”
The colourful bird has a bright personality and loves meeting new people – as long as they don’t touch her head and back. For some reason, she dislikes it, Kelvin says.
And on the subject of pet peeves, Pearl cannot stand any toys that make a sound. “You can always count on her to throw balls that produce a noise as far away from her as possible!” Joan shares.
That Pearl is not a fan of noise is ironic considering Kelvin’s line of work – he owns a music school in Kelana Jaya, Selangor, though she lives with the couple at their own home.
While most birds sing sweet melodies and chirp pleasantly, Pearl appears to be an exception.
“I would say she likes music, but the sounds she makes are not nice to listen to. You can barely consider it singing,” Kelvin laughs.
Pearl’s passions clearly lie elsewhere. She loves exploring, which sometimes leads her into sticky situations.
“One day she somehow managed to get a couple of rubber bands stuck around her neck and head,” Kelvin recalls.
“Thank goodness I was around to help her get out of it, or she would have hurt herself trying to get free.
“Joan and I had a laugh at her expense afterwards. We were relieved but also confused by how she got herself into such a predicament.”
Pearl’s cage and its vicinity are now a rubber band-free zone.
While one would expect Pearl to be wary of foreign objects following that fiasco, her humans assert the opposite is true.
“Pearl doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything. She would gladly stand inside a lion’s mouth if she had the chance!”
According to Kelvin and Joan, budgies are great companions. “They are odourless and low-maintenance. With a good diet, they can live from five to eight years,” Joan explains.
Indeed, Pearl doesn’t require much attention – her cage is left open day and night, allowing her to come and go freely.
“She’s been trained to go back to her cage by herself. Other than that she’s free to go on as many adventures as she wants,” Joan adds.
What the little bird looks for when she flies around is a mystery, but the couple suspect she’s on the lookout for her favourite treats – millet, mint and guava. Yum!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.