Sailorwolf

Here is their cage. Is it big enough for a third budgie? :bluebudgie: :budgiedance: You can see Izzy and Saffron in the top right corner

I've had over 80 mice (I used to breed them) and not once did they eat each other, however they used to live in a converted shed and so did wild rats. No matter what I did to the cages, rats would always find a way in and I lost a few mice that way. I also lost baby bunnies that way as well. . But rats are natural hunters, so you can not hate them all for doing what comes natural and what they must do inorder to survive, you can only prevent it from happening.

It is the budgie form of Down's syndrome and unfortunately their rate of survival is a lot lower than that of normal birds.

Thanks Yeah I think he's getting a bit fat

What brand of budgie food is the best kind?. I want to convert my budgies to a healthy diet, any tips and recommendations would be great. Thanks. :hap:

I have a chinchilla that is 5 years old. Chinchillas live for about 10 to 15 years on average with the odd few going on to 20. They live pretty long for a small animal.

If you have read my last post I was wondering what type of budgie I should get next. But I don't know whether I should get one or not. I decided that if I get a new one it would be a little boy . But I was wondering if I got a new one and introduced it to the pair, would that upset the dynamics of the group? I have a few questions: Is three a bad number? Is 2 boys and 1 girl okay? Is my cage large enough for an extra budgie? Here is a picture of it, you can see Izzy and Saffron sitting in the top right corner: http://photobucket.com/albums/c203/Sailorw...009_450x337.jpg I have another cage that is smaller, which I can use for quarantine time, but my budgies will have to miss out on their outside time :ausb: Will adding a baby make th older budgie grumpier? Will my younger budgie be more inclined to play explore and exercise. ( I think he's fat :rip: ) Thanks for all of your help, any advice would be greatly appreciated. :bluebudgie: 22/12/05 Sadness

Yeah, budgies do use the little exercise wheels made for hamsters and mice. I've been into a few pet shops where they have little exercise wheels in their budgie cages and the budgies are all using them like the mice and hamsters do, they even ran along the top of the wheel. If you are going to buy one I would suggest a solid plastic one that is large, so that little budgie toes and tails don't get caught. :bluebudgie:

Here is my budgies' cage: http://photobucket.com/albums/c203/Sailorw...009_450x337.jpg On top of it is a little play gym. And here is my play gym I made for them out of and old cage: http://photobucket.com/albums/c203/Sailorw...011_450x337.jpg Pros: It is large, I'm not sure of its dimensions It has a flat top It has vertical wires Doors are good sizes It has 4 doors in total including the feeder tray doors I has a draw for easy cleaning Cons: It has white powder coating which makes it harder to see in. There are no horizontal bars so I can only put perches at two levels The doors only slide up and down, with no latch It has a wire bottom so I can't put floor toys in the cage

However do mention the panting to the vet when you go there, just in case, because it may be slightly different to my description etc. and it doesn't hurt to be safe and ask.

Budgie cages need to be horizontally long. I think also that a budgie cage should have a good mix of vertical and horizontal bars so you can connect a range of perches and toys at different heights. It is ideal to have the top of the cage as bars so that you can hang toys from the top. I also find that having darker coloured wires, like black, is better than lighter ones, such as white, as it is much easier to see your budgies through darker wires. Large doors are also handy( so you can get your budgie out easier, but not so large that you can't fit many perches into the cage. It is also good if they clip into position as well, saving you from having to tie your doors shut. Oh and when you arrange your perches, use mixes of natural branches (from fruit trees, like apple) and normal perches of varying sizes, so they can stretch their feet. Ummm... and it is best to arrange your perches so that when the budgies are sitting on them they are facing the length of the cage. So that the perches span the shortest width of the cage(from front to back), but not the entire length (not side to side). This allows them to be able to fly from perch to perch. There, finished! Sorry about my giant spiel. I just thought I should say it and I hope it helped. Sailorwolf :ausb: :dbb1:

Hello Vonn Welcome About the panting. When he pants, does he open his beak each time he pants or does he hold it open to whole time? Because I have a budgie that looks as if she is panting, when she does it she sort of opens and closes her beak for each pant, but she has been doing it for years. When you go to the vet, mention this, because it doesn't hurt to be cautious. But he probably pants just because he is just a little nervous. They all do it when they get a little excited. :dbb1:

I'm gonna leave it. I bought them a new play gym the other day and lots of new toys. They are a little scared of the bright colors but they are getting used to it.

I took the nest box away. I think that Saffron is just a little too old to be having babies

They've started to moult now, so I think it will be a while before they think of starting.

I'll leave it there, and let them decide. I've also read else where that over 5 is the age one shouldn't breed at. I guess it is down to experience and opinion.

The female is 3 years 9 mths and the male is 2 years old. They are definately male and female. The female has a rough brown cere and the male has a smooth purple and blue cere. They are in a large cage that is about 1m long, 60cm deep and 80cm high. they have a nest box of proportions 8" by 9" by 6". They are both very healthy.

How long does it take them to get used to the nest box if they have never seen it before. Will they breed if they have lived with each other in the same cage for their whole lives? They are best friends

I got some pictures, but I need to upload them. They're not very good because my budgies hate the camera.

Basically the girls have a purple cere and the boys have a pink cere

How old do the eggs have to be before you can tell if they are fertile?

I used to have a pair of lovely little ratties. My ratty had never bitten me in my life. But just to be on the safe side I did not let my budgies out when the ratties were out. However once my budgie Aqua landed on the ratty cage and as quick as lightening the rat had jumped up and got hold of Aqua's foot through the wire. I managed to free Aqua and his toe was okay, but he got a huge fright. His toe healed completely and from then on I always covered the ratty cage with a blanket when ever the budgies were out. Rats are natural predators of budgies, but I didn't think that she would get aqua through the wire. So if you have rats don't let them come into contact with your budgies.

Hello I just recently joined the forums. I have had budgies for about 10 years now and I currently have two. My hen is called Saffron and my boy is called Izzy. Saffron is a yellow lutino and Izzy is a standard sky blue. I also have a chinchilla whose nick name is "Choo". She is cute. I love all animals and am glad to have found this site. Yay!

Hello. I've owned budgies as pets for 10 years, but this year I have decided to breed them. I have never bred budgies before so I need a bit of help. So far what has happened: Well spring has just started here in New Zealand. I have two budgies a yellow hen :oliveb: and a blue cock . I've been reading some books lately and they say to put the nest box in the cage when the budgies are in breeding condition, when their ceres are certain colours. Both birds are old enough to breed. My hen has a brown cere that is all wrinkly, but my male has a purple cere which is blue at the top. I have never seen his cere change colour before and all the books and things say that the cere has to be bright blue when he is in breeding condition. They both play together and he feeds her. Any way, I made a nest box and lined it with tissue and a bit of shredded paper, then I hung it up in the cage. They have never seen a nest box before and seem to be scared of it. So now I have put their seed bell next to it so they'll go near it. Am I doing everything right? Could you give me some tips? Thank you