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On a finch forum I saw a suggestion to line the inside of the aviary roof with villaboard (cement sheeting) would this be safe for budgies?

Yeah my neighbour is very helpful with my birds, he has bread birds for decades and used to win at every show he went too (got out of shows a few years back), currently has Rainbow Lorikeets, Gouldian Finches (giving them to my kids this week), Princess Parrots, King Parrots, Ringneck Parrots, a companion Galah and companion Cockatiel. We don't have any avian vets near by so he health checks my birds (no pathology of course). Local vet wants 3 times the price of a avian vet just to take the blood to do a Psittacosis test, so instead I bought some Avi C and am treating all my birds (my 16yr daughter has ME/CFS so is immune compromised, I wanted to get all the birds tested to ensure her health but at $312 per bird that is not a option).

Council is resurfacing the road, what a waste of my rates. We hare starting the first section of the garden the first week of July. Can't wait. Rolling out black plastic to kill off the grass in a week and a half (getting the lawn guy to cut it the shortest his mower can first). Hopefully it all will be done by summer. Have been thinking about my aviary plan and wondering about cleaning lol. There can't be any drainage as the flood water could come in through it, so thinking of putting coarse washed riversand in the bottom as a substrate and regularly replacing it. How often would it need to be replaced? My big wish, is to extend it to being 2 aviarys, the small one I currently have 1.5mx1.5m, add on a 2.3mx3m (minimum but hoping for bigger), so they are a L shape and then create a safe area with a timber frame and the roll of aviary mesh my Uncle bought to expand my aviary 6yrs ago before he got sick (passed away last year). He was my DIY helper. Going to sound out my neighbour for help as he has built all his aviaries.

We adopted a blind Cockatiel on Monday. I found finging info on cage set up and handling very difficult, so I have started a blog in the hope that others looking for info on caring for blind parrots can learn from our experience and that we can meet others in this situation and learn from their experiences. http://blindcockatiel.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/welcome-chewie.html I would like to hear from anyone on here that has cared for a blind bird and hopefully learn from their experience.

Thankyou for this great thread. Finding this helped me realise the cage Sweetheart was in was not suitable so I went out and bought him a new flight cage 76cm wide 45depp 45 high. He was very happy in his new cage until his death Thursday night (I guess 8yrs old was too old to be moved around). I am now on a mission as I keep seeing people refer to cages as being suitable for a budgie that aren't. There is a facebook page for my local area (has members from all over) that is a Bird page, a few days ago a girl (the page admin) was asking for a cage similar to the previous poster and I linked this thread to show her its unsuitability for budgies let alone any other parrot (she wants it for quakers) and Today one of the "experts" linked a cage for sale that would suit a budgie 30cm wide 25deep and 45 high, I linked this thread to try to help and said it would only be suitable for a quarantine cage or travel not a home for a bird. Then there was a flight cage for sale for $20 I missed it (the admin of the bird page got it, first person to post sold gets it), and I mentioned how perfect it was for budgies, canaries and finches (as they need the same size as budgies, small cages are bad for them too) and she said it was the same as the one she kept her rainbow lorri in. So new mission I found a great page with the Pittwater Animal Hospital that lists various birds, housing requirements, health, feed, training and colours and linked that and suggest it be used to create a minimum cage requirement doc for all in the group to read. The alarming thing is the 2 admins come across so knowledgeable and clearly on this matter they are not, but they have many asking them for advice. I wish there was a way to do a public awareness campaign of the importance of providing proper housing for birds so those that are told the wrong thing (as I was for some time) can learn.

While I realise it is probably a little late it may still be of help. Check out this thread it is for training up to 6 birds at once. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=31724

My boy passed away last night. He looked okay yesterday, and then when I went to tuck the animals in last night he was on the floor of his cage and didn't look good.. I ran over the road and got Wayne (local breeder of many various birds), he checked him over for me and found no sign of any diseases, parasites etc. So I guess it was just old age or stress from coming inside after living outdoors for all those years (former Aviary bird). My daughter then mentioned he hadn't been as chatty during the day. He passed shortly after Wayne checked him over as I was sending my younger kids to bed. Kiwi is still in Quarantine. So now to have a funeral before school. Mr 5 thought he was sleeping so we had to have the chat and after the chat he said he is going to buy me a new bird (such a loving little munchkin). Mr 6.5 was in tears, he loves animals especially birds so much.

Gah had a massive response typed and now its gone. Long story short I am dreaming about all things birds lol So trying to plan out a way to include the aviary in the planned landscaping. We (if nothing else goes wrong) are going to put in a dry river bed to divert the water around the house and the kids play area. Each side of the riverbed will have sandy soil gardens full of native grasses to absorb water and filter it. The kids play area will be raised (I have left over smartblocks (bricks) and I am going to brick off a area 4.4metre by 3.6 metres for the kids install a swingset and sandpit and back fill the area with soft fall. Access will be via a little bridge to make it a adventure, the riverbed will act as pathways when not flooding. So I am thinking I can attach the aviary somehow off the play area, use some of the bricks around the bottom and backfill with cement. install sandy soil and native grasses around it also. The council says its major capital works so has to wait. My thought is the road is already causing truckies to complain as it shakes their load, so what if it collapses. I have tried to get all affected to complain with me but since none of them have young kids, and those whose whole yard goes under like mine don't have pets, they don't seem to care. I think that was everything lol. Any recommendations for native grasses to plant outside the aviary (keep my eye out at nursery clearance sales), I figure the birds may be able to nibble through the wire.

We do have those laws, first you have to put the request in writing to the owners and this property behind me is a rental and I can't find out who the owners are or the real estate (as tenants don't want to tell me as they don't want to flood lol). I don't like my chances with a Government school of getting them to fix what they have done, about the same as the local council fixing the broken drain (that will take the road collapsing), I have heard that people have been complaining for 20yrs to the council about this drain. We checked flood maps before buying the place and well since its 4kilometres from the river and 35metres above sea level it is not on those maps. Recently discovered the council has a second set of maps for storm water drain issues and yes its on that one as flooding for a 1 in 10yr rainfall but we flood with a 1 in 2 yr rainfall event. The young lady incharge of stormwater lives in a part of town that floods from the river so she keeps promising she is fighting for me as she understands my situation. Its a long road. I have heard that the owner of the house may work at the High School up the road so I am going to enquire this week at the school. Fingers crossed. Thanks for all your advice. Sorry for the way my messages are coming up, I seem to loose all my paragraphs ie enter seems to mean nothing lol. It is all set out nice and then I hit post and it goes to one giant paragraph.

Thanks guys, unfortunately my Hubby is not DIY, fantastic at demolition LOL but not making things. I have asked him to make a front for the aviary so I have double doors, but no luck with his skill set. Regarding raising the door hieght we actually lowered it 7yrs ago due to a escape prone budgie we used to have. I will work on getting him to give it a go and expand my aviary and raise it. I am a silly senditmal fool and don't want to part with this one as it was a present from my Hubby for my birthday just after we met along with 2 budgies at the time, expanded to 8 and down to 1 8yr old boy now, who has just moved inside to a flight cage in the sunroom (lol now named my animal room as it houses my budgie, my son's fish and the family do who is crate trained). Dog is finding this all facianting lol Sits next to me watching me watch Sweatheart (budgie).

Oh Thankyou for that. Just as well they were out of budgies. Had a hour and a half chat with her, she is a big advocate on quarantining. I have set up a quarantine cage, guess I will put it in the dining room or office. She will only sell handraised birds to people with young children as pets and sends them home while still on 4hourly feeds with all your feeding supplies so they can bond with you. She makes herself available to you for advice and support. Spent time asking me if I had the time to feed and we discussed the fact I am up before dawn and due to my dog having a anxiety disorder (abused before we got her at the ripe old age of 8weeks, some people are scum), I am never out of the house for more than 3hrs, so yeah I will be available for hand feeds. Wonderful lady and really underpricing herself. No budgies ready for 3weeks so a bit more of a wait for my boys companion.

Hi due to a broken storm water pipe under the road outside our house, nieghbours that filled in a drainage easment and the high school up the road filling in drainage easments that diverted water to create a ag block for their agricultural studies, my house floods. It can be from a couple inches to knee deep (once was above the knee), our yard slopes to the back. I am trying to think of a way to flood proof my aviary, so when my sons are older they can know the joy of having a aviary. Mid year we are replacing all the front lawn and the side lawn and a large chunk of the back with dry river beds (to divert the water as much as possible), sandy soiled garden beds (to filter the water), and building a small brick retaining wall around the kids play area with a little bridge over it for them it will be waterproofed (so they can finally have a sand pit). I am thinking if I place the aviary behind the retaining wall it may help, but on the bad days (ie Jan 2011) the yard doesn't drain it fills up like a brown stinky swimming pool, once the rain stops it drains away within 10mins. Also behind the wall is where it gets deep. So maybe I should put it between the wall and a sandy soil garden bed with the dry river bed diverting water around it and build up the base a little. So maybe I should build it up on bricks. Though stepping over while bobbing your head to get in could be tricky (I don't want any escapes). Opinions and ideas are appreciated. We are probably a year or 2 off using the aviary but I need to plan where to put it for when we start the storm water garden. or give it away if it can't be done. thankyou

Thankyou for that info. I just really wanted it confirmed that it was important for disease not just introduction. The rescue bird had lived in a tiny thilthy cage its whole life, the person I got him from is the cleanest person I know so to see her putting a living creature in such thilth shocked me, I dont think it had ever been cleaned or had the paper changed. It was one of those tiny ones you get for $9 at the cheap shops. Now to work out where to put the cage to quarantine the new bird when we pick it up. Hmmm From what I have read on here they need to be 5 feet apart at least and my animal room is 2.2 metres wide by 4.5metres but the front 2.4 metres is the entrance to the house and into the lounge from this room. If I place the new bird across from him it will be only 4 foot apart. I have turned our sunroom on the front into my animal room, Dog Crate is in there (my girl is crate trained), then I have a 4 foot long cupboard with my bird and my sons fish on it (he has guppies and tetras). LOL just did some measuring. If I move the dog crate next to the cupboard and swap the fish tank and my budgies cage around there will be 5.5feet between them. New bird will be infront of the window though and it can get hot there. thanks for your help, I am living on little sleep at the moment and am finding typing as I think helps me think and getting feedback really helps.

I am trying to make my ex aviary/ex tall house shaped cage budgies life as happy as possible. After reading about cages on here and discovering his cage was one of the bad ones I upgraded him to a flight cage measuring 76cm wide 45cm deep 45cm high. I want to get a young handraised budgie for a companion for 8yr boy but don't have a second cage to quarantine as I am never putting a budgie in a house cage again. Why do you need to Quarantine? Do you need to if you know the breeder's birds are disease free or is it for introduction purposes? My neighbours over the road breed handraised budgies and cockatiels and I quote from the local bird club members "the best in the district" I can get a handraised cockatiel for $30 from them and I believe the budgies are like $15 or $20 handraised (budgies are cheap here). thankyou

Hi. I just found this page and forum last week and love it. It has been a real help and education, so much has changed from how I was taught to care for budgies when I was a kid. We are teaching our kids the importance of doing the 100% best for the animals in your care and so we were researching Budgie care last week and found this site. To my horror I discovered the cage I bought 6yrs ago was one of the bad ones so today he got upgraded to a flight cage (pics to come, when I figure out how to get them from my phone to the computer). When I was a child my Uncle set me up my own aviary with budgies, zebra finches and king quails I loved it, it was so calming to sit in there. In 2004 my husband bought me a aviary and a few budgies for my birthday as his first ever birthday present to me as we had only been dating 6.5 months. All went well until I took in a rescue bird and it turned out to be diseased. My boy was the only survivour and I promptly removed him from the aviary and put him in a supposed budgie cage so we could clean and disinfect the aviary, then a move happend and the aviary got damaged and then we discovered our new house floods so can't use the aviary. His new cage is 76cm wide, 45cm deep and 45cm high, his old cage was a stupid tall house shaped thing. He hates fruit and veg and I saw the tip about baby food on here (I think) and have been adding a little each day to his seed and discarding after a hour or 2, he is eating some of it Yay. I ditched the perches the new cage came with and got him a rope one and calcium one, unfortunately the rope one is a little big but its the only size sold locally so ebay for a smaller one next week. Sorry for rambling, its past my bedtime lol. I look forward to chatting and learning more about what is best for my boy. Oh (I will post this separetly) I want to get a young handraised budgie for a companion for him but don't have a second cage to quarantine as I am never putting a budgie in a house cage again. Why do you need to Quarantine? Do you need to if you know the breeder's birds are disease free or is it for introduction purposes? thankyou