My first ever pet was a budgie called Mickey which unfortunately went insane in later life.

Mickey used to stay in our front room and kept himself either to his cage or the curtain rail. When I was 5 or 6, I was playing with my Action Force figures in the front room when suddenly I saw something yellow/green out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to the right. Sat on my shoulder was what can only be described as a face of pure evil... a demonic hellbird intent on causing intense pain and suffering.

Naturally my 5-year-old self panicked and ran screaming into the dining room. My 9-year-old brother was in the dining room and saw me come pelting into the room shrieking whilst being chased by a deranged budgie. We then, both now screaming, ran into the kitchen with Mad Mickey in hot pursuit. Our Mum was in there lovingly preparing a casserole for our dinner. Taking the 'every brother for himself approach' we ran straight past her into the bathroom and barricaded ourselves in. We spent the next ten minutes listening to the muffled screams of our own mother as she fended off attacks from the maniacal feathery fiend.

He unfortunately passed away a few weeks later... so ends the tale of Mickey the Mother Mauling Budgerigar.