This is Ben's cockatiel, Honey.
Five-year-old Honey can whistle to the tune of The
Andy Griffith Show. He also does "opera" (though one can't really tell
what exactly it is he's singing). He can figure out which tune you want
to hear based on what you do. For example, if you start bobbing your head,
then he will do the Andy Griffith theme. On the other hand, if you
start gesturing by opening up your arms in a grand manner (ala the tenors
on stage) then he will sing his opera. He picked up on the Andy Griffith
tune by watching a lot of television. He used to be able to perfectly whistle
the theme for it until one time someone decided to teach him Beethoven's
Fur
Elise. Now, whenever he starts to whistle the Andy Griffith
theme, portions of other tunes also get mixed in with it, and so he has
to be reminded to keep his tunes separate.
And this is Honey saying hi to Cindy's kitty, Baby Huey.
Honey also likes to tease the other pets. For example,
while he was staying with Cindy's cats he used to go "Hereee, kitty, kitty,
kitty, kitty!" and he follows it up by whistling (kind of like what you
do when you call your dogs), but the kitties got wise to the fact that
something's not quite right and so they never do come to the room when
he calls them. Honey also received a mirror as a present, and he now spends
a lot of his time staring at his own reflection.
And this is Jolly Rancher, Ben's blue fish
Jolly Rancher is a Siamese fighting fish, or betta, as
they are more popularly called in the United States. Native to Thailand,
bettas are an agressive breed that will attack another male (and even females
most of the time) if placed in the same fish tank, and so they are usually
housed by themselves in most homes.
Jolly Rancher with his bubble nest
Male bettas will build a nest of bubbles, and in the right
conditions with a suitable female, this is where the fertilized eggs will
be stored - carefully and diligently maintained and protected by the male
by making sure none of the eggs fall off the nest and repairing any damage
that may happen to the nest itself - until they hatch. Of course,
once the tiny little fishies become "self sufficient" and start swimming
around, they all need to be separated from their parent as the male betta
will more likely then start to gobble them up as part of his next meal!
Jolly Rancher's palacial home
And this is where Jolly Rancher lives. According
to Wikipedia,
there is a common misconception that bettas are happy living in cramped
conditions, hence the little teeny, tiny cups in which a lot of them are
placed while in the pet store. Thinking that that's how they are
supposed to be housed, the new pet owners then either keep them in the
same container after purchasing one of them, or transfer them into a similarly
inhumane ("in-fish?") living conditions. Here is Jolly Rancher's
huge stomping grounds, with plenty of fish tank accessories to keep him
occupied and busy exploring the various nook and crannies of his territory.
WHAT NOW?
