This is Jack, and his best friend Amber (obviously those of you I tagged know this already). Jack, if you've followed his thread in 'health', is a little society who's been troubled from birth with digestive troubles and a general failure to thrive. For the longest time, his outcome seemed bleak - though his parents were feeding him, his siblings had all but abandoned him, leaving him alone and deserted as he fell further and further behind in development... but just when I thought he was going to fail, this little hen from another clutch began to keep him company. Born with twisted feet, she too fell behind her siblings, who paid her little mind. In each other, however, the two 'misfits' found someone who they could relate to and who would not desert them. Now, the pair are completely inseparable, and Jack is suddenly improving by leaps and bounds and finally reaching milestones I was before sure he would never reach. I think this is at least partially due to his befriending Amber.
On another note, I've also noticed a much more unusual set of friendships budding in the bird room as of late! Each of my Java finches is 'sleeping buddies' with their own parakeet. I'm not sure why or how it started happening this way, but rather than the mated finches or the budgies - best friends - sleeping alongside their own kind, they instead always sit within sight of their same-species friend but cuddled next to the different bird to sleep. I suppose the budgies are fluffier and more comfortable (and warmer) cuddle buddies to the finches - but what benefit do the budgies find? Maybe the finches initiate it and they're just too nice to move away. Either way, it's really, really cute.
