Rebound bird

Every time I go through the breakup of a serious relationship, I end up engaging in some foolhardy rebound activity, and then regretting it. I am a firm believer that one should take at least 6 months to get over a relationship before starting a new one, and even when I've thought I was just having fun it has often ended painfully for me.

Now I find myself in new territory, wondering: How much time do I need to recover from the loss of a pet before getting a new one? A pet isn't like a boyfriend; I can't just get rid of it if I realize it was an impulsive acquisition. Almost from the moment I lost Haricot last weekend I started wondering whether I should get a new bird if he didn't turn up. At the same time, I was thinking, "I hope if I get a new bird it's a boy, just like Haricot. I don't want to have to deal with eggs! I hope he likes bananas like Haricot. It would be great if he's not too horny, like Haricot." (Some male birds are so eager to hump anything they can get their little claws on that they end up going bald in certain parts of their bodies. Haricot did like to engage in the occasional roll in the hay with a dirty tissue, but only in moderation.)

This is quite a contrast with my boyfriend rebounds, because usually I'm eager to find someone who is completely different from my most recent breakup. If he's slender, I find someone muscular. If he's funny and outgoing, I find someone shy. Then I get really excited about these new qualities.

The difference is that Haricot was pretty much the perfect bird and never caused me any sorrow or anger, so I really just want a replacement Haricot, rather than a new bird. I've even thought about what I would call the new bird, and wondered if it would be too much to call him Haricot. Green Bean's only negative qualities were that he pooped every 15 minutes and chewed holes in paper and sometimes cloth, but my chances of finding a lovebird who doesn't do those things are slim to nil.

It's probably best for me to wait to get a new bird until I am ready to appreciate his own personality and attributes, and won't resent any differences from my missing baby. Besides, I haven't given up hope on finding Haricot yet. Nonetheless, I checked Craigslist the other day, and found someone an hour outside Boston whose lovebirds had babies recently. They won't be ready for adoption until the end of July, and if I want one then, it's mine. So, is five weeks enough time to recover? Or will it be a rebound bird?