Chichi is a silver male buttonquail which I had 2 years ago. That time, I was only in primary 5 & I was only 11. My science teacher was telling us about how an incubator works & how to made one. I was really amazed & was keen to try making a incubator myself. We went to the farm, hoping to get some chicken eggs, but to our disappointment, we need an appointment to get into the farm!
So, that day, without much hope, after the whole afternoon of wild goose chase, we went to the pet shop. In Pet safari,(that’s the petshop) I headed to the Bird’s department straight away. I was looking around at the many variety of birds when I found a display of bird eggs in a plastic box. In the box were peacock eggs,chicken’s, duck’s… I asked them if the eggs were for sell, to my disappointment, it was just for display! But, thinking back now, even if I purchased the eggs, they might not hatch too! It’s been too long & too cold, the baby in the egg might have died!
Next to this display of eggs was a tank & inside it were the loveliest, cutest chicks I have ever seen! Buttonquails chicks! A whole lot of them!!!! I was planing to get a female buttonquail & another male one, when they grow up & mate, I could have eggs! So we bought 2.
Soon, my 2 baby buttonquail grew up & again to my dissapointment, I then found out that both of them were male!!! But to that time, I had already long given up the idea of making a incubator.
Watching my two buttonquail grow up give me & my family endless hours of joy. Sometimes we would sit near the quail’s tank & watch & observe them without realising that we have spent entirly 1 hour just watching them! I had two males, 1 was silver & the other was pied, the silver one was Chichi & the pied one was given the name, Pipi. I don’t really like bird sooo much that time, I love rabbits.
We watched them from a baby to an adult button, they were sooo fun & cuddley! Chichi was really cute & entertaining, you should have seen him play! We let him out to my room to explore a bit & he would always peck at the dust he found (My room was really messy, heh heh :P)
Once, there was this really creepy spider in my room & when I realize that Chichi was edging near it, I panic & tried to scare Chichi out of that corner. I failed & Chichi continued to moved even nearer to the spider..EeeK! To my amazement, as that spider started to move & jump, Chichi stepped on it & trumpered it to –( I don’t know how to discribe that spider) I was so happy, Chichi, my Hero! Hahahaa! So, chichi have been a very funny & cute little buttonquail these 2 years until one dreadful day…
It was afternoon & there’s no reason that Chichi should be sleeping, as he always were being a very active & cheeky button (He would poop & kicked his pooh & made it stick to the wall of his tank, eeh!) I found him sleeping & was begining to get suspicious. He looks really tired! How can that be? As this happened once too when he was young (that time he didn’t sleep well at night so that’s why)
I left him like day until the next morning. I woke up hoping that he would be fine, but he was still so sleepy & tired. My mother & I realizing something was not wrong & immediately we dialed the number for the animal clinic. Actually I was in school & the person who sent Chichi to the clinic was my mum. So, I returned from school & found Chichi missing, I asked my mother about it… Chichi was sent to the ” hospital” A person came & fetched Chichi to the “hospital”, He told my mum that the result will be 50:50-he might get well & he might not, if the result should be positive, they will inform us in a few days time, but if the result should be negative, they will put Chichi out of his misery & pain-to put him to sleep. To this day, I have not even heard of Chichi, it’s already weeks & weeks past…. So the result should be on the negative side. I would have guessed it, Chichi was really sick, & really old…
This story was written in memory of my Chichi,
he will always be sadly missed.
To visit chichi’s personal page:
http://www.geocities.com/buttonquail_chichi
Someday I’ll join him on the rainbow bridge and together we will cross the bridge, never to be separate again.
Forever Love,
Elaine Tham
| Chichi |
| Elaine |