Thursday, April 7, 2011

Whipper the Budgie

There are thousands of possible colour mutations amongst budgies. It's impossible to count all of them. Still, this budgie is a bit different from the others. Meet Whipper the budgie!

Whipper the Budgie. Image © The Budgie Cage
He looks cute, but also kind of sad, doesn't he? From the moment of his birth, Whipper was rejected by his mother. He was thrown out of the cage twice, but luckily he was rescued by his owner Julie Hayward, who has been taking personal care of him ever since. His unusual appearance, long curly plumage, and vocalisations, which were caused by a genetic mutation made him famous in its home country New Zealand.

Whipper's vet declared him a mutant. Instead of the usual straight feathers on a budgie, Whipper has long, soft, curly plumage as you can see clearly on the picture above.
A young girl who used to take care of Whipper claims that "it's so cute how he's got really fluffy, curly bits…". Not only does Whippers plumage set him apart from other budgies, but his owner also states that "he doesn't make the same sound as a budgie." But it's really sweet, you can check it out in the video below.



Whipper is actually classed as a “Feather duster” variety of budgie (a mutation which causes unrestricted feather growth), and is actually the 4th ever of his kind. He is slightly different to other feather dusters in the sense that the other 3 feather dusters have been known to merely sit and stare at the floor of their cage. Whipper, however, seems to be quite normal; he eats well, sings, is very social and does normal Budgie things; however he is unable to fly and it is also believed that he is blind.
Whipper and his owner © the Whipper Fan Page
 Information and pictures are © The Budgie Cage & Whipper's Official Fan Page

18 comments:

  1. o_O

    Actually, he reminds me more of a guinea pig than a budgie. Really cute! But I wonder if he doesn't get tired of being so incredibly fluffy... I know I don't like being scruffy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Replies
    1. Yeah shaving is not an option as he would bleed to death. Blood runs through some of the feathers known as blood feathers.

      Delete
  3. I looked on the internet, apparently no one has thought of it yet. But I think it's a dangerous job, especially if you try to get the feathers away in the area of the eyes and such :s

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think he's adorable. I'm wondering, though, if he might be able to see if the feathers around his eyes were trimmed back a bit?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yeah it's a sweet budgie :) Maybe they don't dare to trim the feathers back in that area, because if he moves too much, they might hurt him...

    ReplyDelete
  6. well if you gave him a hair cut maybe he wouldn't be blind! It's not cute for him to be like this, it's cruel!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would love him and hold him just as much my other budgies : ) I this he is extraordinary, not weird.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, he's adorable! I hope they're taking good care of him and that he isn't feeling lonely or unhappy.

      Delete
  8. they may not be cutting his feathers because they may be blood feathers. some feathers are called blood feathers, there's a blood vain through the center and if you cut them the bird will bleed to death. when one is injured you have to pull it out quickly to stop the bleeding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you cant cut their feathers as it encourages new feathers to grow ....and since they struggle to maintain the feathers they have that puts more strain on its system

      Delete
  9. He is not the 4th ever of his kind....there has been thousands just like him...I myself have had three

    ReplyDelete
  10. People calling the owners "cruel" or "misunderstanding" have clearly never owned a bird, or shouldn't. Firstly, "mutation" isn't a derogatory term. It means the genetic structure has been altered (be it naturally or not). As for the cutting of his feathers, parakeets aren't always the most cooperative companions. One wrong move and you could wound or even kill your feathered friend. Also, they don't have much blood pumping through them, so even cutting ONE blood feather could do some serious damage. Learn to do your research before coming on and shooting your mouth off at responsible pet parents. Clearly the fact that they are taking care of this little guy means they're going above and beyond typical bird owners, so don't give them a hard time, you ignorant morons.

    P.S. Whipper is adorable. I think his appearance just makes him that much more special. Keep up the great work, guys! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ditto. He's gorgeous and well done to the owner for caring 💕

      Delete
  11. cute little bird i have two budgies one is a baby that is scared and one is old who had the same story kind of the owner didn't like him so he kicked out my budgie and he got lost but then my older cousin found him on the ground in her backyard and got him and gave him food and put a towel around him then gave it to me i was so happy because i always wanted a pet budgie and my cousin couldn't keep it because she has a cat but not i look after them well and i hope that little bird gets lots of love from his new owners and i wish that bird luck :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. i love him he is so cute i wish i could have a budgie i really want one but i wish him luck

    ReplyDelete