Nature

Pet budgie that hid in drain during storm rescued

Pet budgie that hid in drain during storm rescuedAlex Pope - NorthamptonshireThu, November 5, 2026 at 6:37 AM UTC

Luna was spotted when her tail was seen sticking out from a pipe in a drain

A pet budgie who ruffled a few feathers after she escaped from her home during a storm has been rescued after taking refuge in a drain a mile (1.6km) away.

Luna's unexpected journey started when a window of the Northampton flat where she lives blew open during last month's Storm Boelo.

She was fortuitously spotted by a passing motorist who called the RSPCA after seeing Luna jump down a drain.

Richard Durant, an RSPCA inspector, found the 11-month-old in her "hidey hole" on 26 October and with colleague Rosie Cowie managed to free her.

Durant said: "Luna hadn't gone far when we believe she must have been frightened by something and she hopped down into a drain to hide.

"Luckily, in a bizarre turn of events, a passing driver happened to spot her jump down into the drain and called us for help.

"Luna saw it as a hidey hole, but if she hadn't been seen then no-one would have known she was down there."

RSPCA officers came to the rescue and managed to get hold of the budgie

Cowie, a trainee animal rescue officer, said: "We peered down the drain and there was Luna's little beak peeking out from a pipe.

"I gently grabbed her and popped her in a pet carrier; my first rescue, and one I certainly won't be forgetting."

Luna is now back home in her flat in Northampton

Luna's owner, Cimberley Frost, said: "Luna had been watching us eat in the living room when all of a sudden we realised it had gone quiet.

"We went to look for her in the kitchen and noticed the window was open. We left it open hoping she might come back and went out to try to find her."

Frost said she played budgie noises to see if Luna would find her way home.

She then posted that Luna was missing on social media and someone got in touch to say that they had heard the RSPCA had picked her up.

Luna's owner shares her adventures, with her dog, Ziggy, on social media

Frost said: "The house was so quiet without her; she's always squeaking and talking.

"We really missed her; now she's back to being lady of the house.

"It's her first adventure, and hopefully her last."

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Source: Nature

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