It was just an innocent, routine trip to the feed store to gather duck food for Lili. I went straight for the food, grabbed a few pounds worth of feed and paid. It was while walking out, I saw the cage of juvenile Coturnix quail. I had some in the past, and I had always wanted another one. The circumstances weren’t allowing it, and the route I was on, wasn’t allowing for one soon. Things have changed, and here was a cage filled with young quail, that were surprisingly calm. For simplicities sake… careful selection, cash, paper bag with a hole punch treatment, and a paranoid ride home on the motorcycle with Abu in my jacket.

Abu isn’t even the size of a tennis ball, but the audacity of his attitude stunned everyone.

I place the dogs in their crates so Abu can have some time to wander in peace, Abu just marches himself back and forth between the bars of Fender’s crate, right under a very confused dog’s nose, just to see if there was anything of interest in there.

Minding her own business, and suddenly Lili finds a tiny invader in her space, acting like any duck would welcome a strange quail exploring under her bill.

After a day we get busy building Abu his new apartment. Let’s knock and see if he will give us a quick tour.

“Hello Abu. Are you having tasty snack? Do you mind if we step in?”

Abu is very happy with his new house. He seems to like sleeping in the plant in the corner. It is funny, a site mentioned they aren’t perching birds, but it didn’t mentioned they needed a mattress.

After a few days of cleaning a floor of yummies, Abu decided it was time to start forging that new set of family ties. He figured he would start with a social game.

Hmm, but what game to start with?

Abu decides to start with a rousing game of “Not Touching You”.

And then he touches, but only just a little bit.

And then Abu scoots just a little up, for preening.

He checks out her reaction,

just a bit more preens,

a stretch,

as Lili watches incredulously as he stretches his way against her.

After all that, Lili sees she is stuck with a new little brother. At least he is tiny and cute, so shouldn’t be pushy or get in her way of her daddy.

Welcome Abu, I suspect you are going to be having a lot of fun with us.

Duckin’ Kev