A woman who spontaneously bought an emu egg during a late night shopping spree is now raising the 6ft bird as one of her own.
Bird fanatic Rhi Evans, from Gloucestershire, had taken a sleeping pill when she purchased the fertilised egg on a whim from eBay three years ago.
She had always dreamed of owning an emu but never imagined it could happen – until she woke up to an email confirming her order.
Now she’s responsible for three-year-old EJ, who looms over Rhi at more than six feet tall and requires daily attention.
Rhi, a musician from Gloucester, said: ‘It’s been a crazy experience but one of the best things to happen in my life.
‘I definitely wouldn’t advocate for anyone to just buy an emu egg, because it is a proper responsibility.
‘But considering I’d already hatched and owned several birds and live rurally, it all worked out!’
Known online as musician Reebz, Rhi said her fascination with prehistoric birds, also known as ratites, started after watching Jurassic Park as a child.
Egg-static: Bird lover Rhi Evans bought an emu egg online three years ago during a late night shopping spree – and is now raising the bird as one of the family
Big bird: Now Rhi is responsible for three-year-old EJ, who looms over her at more than six feet tall and requires daily attention
A cracking start: Rhi was not sure the egg – which she kept in an incubator – would hatch until just days before. Pictured: EJ emerging from her shell
She revealed the £37 egg arrived after Rhi took a sleeping pill the night before and went online shopping in January 2022.
Rhi said of the box office hit movie: ‘I became completely enamoured.
‘I’m not sure why it hit me the way it did, but after that point owning an emu was a dream of mine.’
Before getting an emu, Rhi had raised several birds over the years – all hatched – including two geese, two turkeys, one parrot and a few finches, building a little family in the Gloucestershire countryside.
Rhi said: ‘All of these animals I raised from when they were still in their eggs, so they really do feel like family to me.’
Emus are far less common than her other birds, so how to care for one was largely a mystery.
Rhi looked on Facebook and found a community of fellow emu owners in the UK, which helped her prepare for the egg’s arrival.
Rhi said: ‘That group was such a lifeline.
Rhi named the bird EJ, which stands for Emu Jonathan, after assuming the emu was male – though the vet later corrected her
Claw almighty! Rhi’s hands are the same size as her emu’s toes and claws
‘They have helped me through every stage of this process.
‘Although I already had geese and turkeys, an emu is a whole other deal!’
The egg arrived and was incubated for two months, requiring daily attention and regular turning.
As emu eggshells are thicker and darker than those of most birds, it’s difficult to tell if a chick is developing inside until the final few days.
After months of silence, Rhi took the egg out of the incubator – only to hear chirping from within.
Rhi said: ‘It was quite an intense process.
‘I’d almost given up hope and took the egg out of its incubator, which is when I heard chirping.
‘Three days later the egg hatched and EJ was born.’
EJ, pictured as a youngster, shares her home with geese, turkeys and peacocks
Rhi named the bird EJ, which stands for Emu Jonathan, after assuming the emu was male – though the vet later corrected her.
She has raised EJ over the past three years, but with a life expectancy of up to 35 years, her job is far from over.
Rhi said: ‘I love having EJ in my life and luckily she gets on with the other birds.
‘She can be a lot of work and, to be fair, I do spoil her.
‘She gets the freshest fruits and veg and I also feed her specialised ratite pellets.
‘And she stays in the stables where we used to have horses, which made sense to me as she is basically a horse-sized chicken.
‘She also has a zoo-caliber heat lamp set up in her stable, so she’s definitely well looked after.’
