chirpy

oh adam! arnt they gorgeous! id love to stand in the aviary and hear them all and smell their feathers anf feel them flying past me! it must be wonderful to have so many :bluebudgie:

i'll check with the book stores over here, see if they can order one for me. it seems to be so hard finding a good book dedicated to budgies

thats very interesting spacey, ive been looking for a good budgie book! where did you get it from please?

make sure there is no discharge around the nostrils, and that his/her eyes are bright, and that the budgies are not all fluffed up and 'miserable' looking. The breeder should ideally have the birds for sale seperated in 2 aviaries, one for the cocks and one for the hens. if you want them to become tame, a good age is about 6 weeks old. much older than this and they can be more difficult to tame. A good breeder will never rush you, and will have the time to discuss your requirements etc. If the breeder seems to want to hurry you up, he's possibly not commited to the budgies in the way that you would want, so id then look for another breeder. good luck, and happy new budgies when you get them

mites came to my mind. also, when Teapot was a baby (thats my budgie) he had a paprasite in his face. now, whenever he's havin a moult, his neck gets a bit sore, and the vet said this is probably because of slight damage done to the feather follicles when he had his parasite, so the new feathers may innitially sprout at an awkward angle, causing irritation. this dosent account for staring at the foot, but it may have some bearing on your bird plucking? Teapot cant pluck his own neck feathers, but he does rub himself on his perch a lot when moulting.

i knew what budgieteen meant x and its fine i find if teapot does seem to have got out of the wrong side of his nest, if i pop him down on the floor for a minute, he is the most loving budgie again when i lift him back up

thats good to know budgieteen, i like it cos its a method of discipline that wont hurt the little fellow. Teapot very rarely bites, just now and again if he's got a grump on him he'll have a little badtempered jab, but it is rare. heheh, i tell him he'll get a smacked bottom

i dont know about the cherry tree budgieteen, sorry!

i havent heard of that method budgieteen! how does it work please? is it just a gentle blow full on in the face?

*agrees with rainbow* you are right to thoroughly wash the branches first budgieteen, there could be anything on them. even if they are from a tree in your wn garden that you 'know' is safe, a sickly wild bird could have poo-ed or rested on them, theres all sorts of things that could cause problems for your pet. (i hope im not begining to sound like a 'know-all, cos im far from it, just a learner, i just like to pass on tips if theyve come from a good source)

if you have a bird that is a bit of a 'biter', the last thing yu should do is yell when it bites! Apparently, the bird will think yu are enjoying this 'game', because in the wild when they are playing and socialising, the squawks are often a sign of fun and enjoyment! So the louder you yell, the more your bird will think you are loving it! Also, letting your bird sit on your shoulder makes him feel very high in the pecking order, because again, in the wild, the higher up the tree the bird is, the more dominant he is. You must keep control of that dominance, by making him sit on your forarm, or your lap if you are sat down. he will see YOU as the boss then. (however, i do still let my budgie sit on my shoulder cos he's still below mouth level, but i refuse to let him sit on my head) And, again with biting, if yur bird has a tendancy to do this when youre holding him, quietly but immediately place him low down. repeat this if he climbs back up! show him who's top bird. But never ever shout at him, punish him physically or give up and him and neglect him thinking he'll learn his lesson. he wont. he'll simply fade into a shadow of himself and have a very sad little heart.

spaceroo, thats so kind! thankyou so much! i will do that soon as i log off. youre a star!

i dont know how to make my pics smaller adam, but if i can get one of my friends to shrink them down a bit, i'll put Teapots picture up, cos im dead proud of him! yes budgieteen, he's a gorgeous parrot!

yes budgieteen, his vet said they are fine, and pear tree branches. just be sure they havent been sprayed with any pesticides or anything

I thought i was doing my budgie a favour when i got rid of all his plastic perches (i hate them) and put real tree branches in his cage. However, he started getting an itchy face, and when i took him to his vet for a check up, the vet told me that birds can be allergic to the sap in certain tree branches, and advised me to get the specially treated ones from the petshop. I went and bought him 3 lovely new branches straight away, and within a couple of days the itchiness stopped. The branches were quite expensuve, 28 pounds (sterling) for the three, but its well worth it not to see Teapot constantly rubbing his face in irritation. I was also advised that if i am going to use natural brances, the best ones are branches off an apple or pear tree. I thought I'd post this, because it shows how easy it is to actually be doing harm to your bird by believing you are doing the right thing.

i just adore my little yellow budgie. he's called teapot, and he can talk and sing a song. sometimes he can be a grump, but not often. usually he nibbles at my face, lips, nose so gently, and i can even feel his tiny sweet breaths on my face. i always let him out of his cage when im in he room, tho he often just goes and sits on top of it, but the freedom to fly is there if he wants it. i just love hime to bits x

hello, im new here, and havent got a clue how to use the site i decided to join because i hope it will help me be a better owner to my beloved little budgei, ''TEAPOT'' when i find out how, i'll put his picture up. im not overly knowledgeable on birds, but i constantly search to learn, as i want my pet to have the best possible care i can give him. i love him to bits, heheh! ps. ive just seen how to put his picture up, hoorah!!! :(Laughing out loud): pps. it wouldnt accept the picture, sorry