Hi, I'm Brax

[brax 0]

Hello all! I'm Sarah (call me Sarah or Brax).

 

I currently live in Leeton, NSW. Throughout my life we've always had a budgie (named Joey, only deterred from that tradition when I named one Leif). I haven't had a budgie for several years though, but my friend recently got one and we love to hang out with him. I'm sad to say I never hand trained my birds, and experiencing the love and fun of a trained bird has me really wanting to get another budgie!

 

I've been researching like crazy, figuring out the best place to have my cage and trying to find local breeders. In all my research (I've spent hours the past few days reading threads on this forum haha), I've decided that I'd very much like to breed budgies one day. For now I'm going to stick with one pet budgie, and possibly wait to breed until I'm in a more permanent residence (might look into buying a house in the next couple of years), that way I can have a full aviary set up.

 

Anywho! A little about me - I'm 22, work for Telstra and have a passion for web design (likely wont make it a full time career, more a sideline business : D ). I also adore yarnwork (loom knitting, crocheting and cross stitching) and I'm one handed. I also have a strong desire to move to Tasmania even though I've never been there haha.

 

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to chatting with you all! I'll be spending the time between now and when I start breeding learning as much as I can in theory so any pointers in the right direction are much appreciated!

 

(and if anyone knows any good breeders around Leeton and possibly Narrandera I'd love to know, thanks!)

[maz7 0]

Hi Brax welcome and enjoy your budgie as a pet. YOU are far too young and seems you like travelling ; to breed. LET ME WARN YOU NOW: It is a fricking lot of work, time and dedication and babies and mommys die. There is constant cleaning and hygiene to take place-daily or they get fungal disease or your aviary attracts mice and there are other diseases. 3 of my budgies died from damp seeds and got a fungal infection! One got Crop Canker and thanks to this website s people and their assistance i mannaged to just sae him with Ronidazole. I have bred for 2 years and hand reared most of the runts! I AM EXHAUSTED and i don't even have a job! At home 6 days a week!!!!!!

So re-think the breeding part carfully! Young Budgies train easy. I taught my budgie Peanut to step up and down from my finger in one day and to Twirl upside down in another day, she is now 1 year 6 months and she still twirls for me and steps up or down! Enjoy Budgies as pets, you certainly won't when you breed and the work starts!!!!and the problems: Egg-binding, young being trampled, disease

[Nadene 0]

Hi Brax,

 

Welcome to the forum. Wow you sound like one busy person

 

I hope you find a feathered friend really soon. I think the worst part about breeding is the addiction, you start off with one or two pairs and before you know it you're wishing you had a bigger aviary and as far as I know there is no rehab centre for budgie addiction (thank goodness) and I know because I started off with 2

Edited March 28, 2014 by Nadene

[Finnie 0]

Hi Brax, welcome!

 

Your idea to learn about how to breed before you start doing it is very smart. There are good articles on our FAQs page, as well as pinned threads in each section of the forum where you can learn a ton of things that will help you have a good start.

 

Poor maz7! It sounds like she had an awful intro to birdkeeping. Well, it's not for everybody. You have to know your limitations, and like Nadene said, be wary of the addictiveness of it! Staying below the number of birds you can house and care for comfortably (for them as well as for yourself) can make the difference between enjoying it and hating it.

 

Also, being prepared for all the possible pitfalls ahead of time will give you the ability to navigate through them more successfully.

 

It's not all sick birds and dead chicks. One of the parts I enjoy the most is meeting the people coming to pick up their new pets, full of anticipation and happiness. And the fact that those are the few people who actually like to talk about birds with me, instead of being bored by it.

 

Good luck with all of your endeavors, I wish you much success!

[brax 0]

I likely won't start breeding for a couple of years, as I'd like to be able to build a proper aviary for it which will likely wait until I've hopefully bought a house. For now I'll stick with 1 budgie, and maybe get a couple more later on

 

And they certainly do train quickly! My friends budgie has only been with them about 2-3 weeks. He was finger trained in a week, and now likes to use people as perches! He has been acting a little out of the ordinary though - he'll be perched on you, then he might randomly fly around and make a lot of noise, then he'll come back to you for a little bit then the same thing again. On a bright side, he's started to reply to me when I whistle at him haha.

 

As for giving the budgies to their new home... I actually really look forward to that : D

 

@maz

While I do like the idea of travelling, it probably won't happen until I've settled down with someone and we can afford to travel. And I'd likely not breed for say that year I planned to travel.

 

 

All in all, I'm not going to breed until I know I can provide the birds with the very best in home and care, and I have a thorough understanding of everything I can learn through theory (genetics etc)

Edited March 28, 2014 by brax

[maz7 0]

Hi Brax

I wasn't trying to put you off but I am in Cape Town South Africa and we have miserable winters cold and damp! Not a great recipe for Budgies+Finches. My lovebirds seem to handle all conditions well! Its true what Finnie says, not all bad BUT very rewarding. I'm not just a breeder I get attached to my birds. Everyone has a name+a careful Logbook is kept with info+data. Its just hard to tell when a bird is sick as they hide it well until they r soooh ill,else they will be attacked by the pack. I've lost some beloved favorites to fungal or flu/chill. But I've learnt a lot about birds in the past 3 years.Ask advice anytime! I am hand rearing baby finches who were abandoned when we extended Aviary! Now that's a big challenge. I feed them with a filed round toothpick.works like a bomb. 3 died of 9 BUt 6 survived, so its not too bad but I cry each time,even when I sell my surplus I'm always sad! Each bird has such a personality! I have 10 babies split by 4 hens plus 1 hen still on eggs due in5 to 7 days, apart from finches who also have 8 babies and eggs in most nests. I just learnt its busy,time consuming and requires a lot of dedication.its NOT something to be taken on if u have a full time job!. I am semi-retired but do the once a week bookkeeping 4 a client. You can't travel when you hav an aviary+breeding birds.But have your pet enjoy them or 1 and teach them tricks! That's such a joy! But don't put them with another bird-they lose the tricks+all the tunes+instinct kicks in. I have 3 pet budgies and a canary and 2 Indian ring necks. They talk+do tricks+ whistle tunes+wolf whistle+talk baby talk but the others are just unresponsive to that. They know my voice but they r more interested in birds around them. Good luck+ask for advice anytime. When building Aviary take care to have shade,sun+ventilation. Did you know birds need unfiltered sun daily for VitA+D? Much like humans do? Did you know Avo+Apple sees r poisonous 2 birds? Also all kinds of Lillies! Happy reading+learning xxx

[L__J 0]

hey welcome to the board I am in Tasmania great place for breeding birds, we breed them tough down here.

Haven't heard of any breeders around here having any disease problems, you get scaly mite and mites thats about it.

[maz7 0]

Hi Brax; hi L_J - wish I could resolve the Cape Town weather! Wind, heat,cold, rain varies from mild to severe+ can all happen in one day! I am trying to get my system up to a stage where people can come and buy budgies from me! I am so intent on hygiene but I cannot clean my Aviary everyday. I do it every 2nd day but sweep husks out daily. Disinfect every time I wash floor which happens every 3rd day. With such extreme weather changes my budgies get sick BUT note we don't have breeders here I can buy from. We have2rely on Pet shops+some look dirtier than what it should b 4 a bird.I hav 2 birds with a cold or crop canker- I bought a new Lutino younster+she eats like a ***. I noticed her puffing up and sleeping a lot, then the poo in which seeds seems to have passed thru without digesting. Is it crop canker or Diarrhea or worms, I've got her on Baytril+probiotics. Hope its going 2sort her out! Our vets r non-Avian+i've lost 3 birds@their hands but saved2 by myself with this forum's help

 

Just typed+saved but its gone! My whole message! Jus be glad u r not trying to have Budgies in Cape Town! Severe weather swings! No Avian vets! No breeders! Purchase from pet shops+are normally afflicted with 1 or other ailment!

[Birdlove 0]

Welcome to the forum Brax! Lots of great info here, enjoy

[Finnie 0]

maz7, I'm sorry you have a sick budgie. It sounds like you might need to start a separate thread about that.

[maz7 0]

Hi Finnie thanks for advice. She looks a bit better, and is eating more,playing etc. Meds r working-not sure how or where to post these articles. Any advice how to start a new topic or thread or whatever?

[Finnie 0]

Hi Finnie thanks for advice. She looks a bit better, and is eating more,playing etc. Meds r working-not sure how or where to post these articles. Any advice how to start a new topic or thread or whatever?

I see from your new thread that you have worked it out how to start a topic of your own!

[maz7 0]

Yep! Trial+error!