Elly

That is their safe haven and what you can do once you bird feels trusting of your hand when in the cage is to take the cage in a small room such a bathroom (with the toliet seat down) and have the bird step up on your fingers and bring him out. If you have not yet mastered the step-up command then really your bird shouldn't be out flying without some type of control. In the FAQ I have a training article on how I trained Pretty (who was a pet store budgie) and he was a challenage to train. I don't remember if his wings are clipped but if they are not it would be good to do this first. Only a suggestion since wing clipping is debatable but when you are talking about clipping for safety and the wings come back in with 6 months I don't see it as something to make a deal about (that is me though)

Welcome to the forums

he could have an air bubble in his crop, the one on this forum that I know would know what to do is Kaz and she should be waking up soon so you may want to give her a PM.

Very awesome...one day you see your house will be my vacation spot even if I have to leave everyone home because they won't understand that I would like to travel across the world to visit "Kaz's Aviaries"

Make birdie bread! Here's a recipe that I found: 2 6 oz jars baby food sweet potatoes 2 jars baby food tropical fruit 1-1 1/2 cups pellets or 4 tbss hand feeding formula 3 eggs and eggshells (crushed) I recycle pellets left in our birds' bowls (We use uncolored pellets). Mix eggs and baby food. Use a little in a small blender/processor to crush the egg shells (calcium source). Mix in remaining ingredients. Put in paper cupcakes or muffin tins- 4 tsps each. Microwave 1-2 mins until firm. Or bake in toaster oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes till firm. Makes 12 servings. Serve warm, but not too hot.[/i] Here is another one I found too

Which one is flying my way Kaz , I will take any or all whichever think the trip is not too long They are gorgeous...I just love the YF gene when it is a softer yellow.

We have Egg Biscuits here in the US Kaz. They are a very hard like bread and what I do is when I buy them I crumble them up since Merlin won't touch them whole. Here is what they look like http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyID=3970 My opinion though is if you make it fresh there is much more nutrients in it then the store bought.

Here is one that I got from Bea, I know it is not the actual biscuit. When i make mine i get a hard boiled egg, bread crumbs, bird seed, and my birds favourite veggies. You microwaves the egg shell for about 2 mins and smash that into a fine powder. You add that to mashed hard boiled egg. Sprinkle some bread crumbs over the top just enough to spread right through the mix. Add a tablespoon or two of the budgies seed mix and then mix some finely chopped veggies in as well and stir it all together. We also have a PINNED receipe post in the Food and Nutrition Section did you look through it? I am not sure if it is on there. Also a google for egg biscuits may yield even more information. Hope this helps .

The marking on the shoulders look almost recessive pied but then you have the double factor dominant pied look going too. I know Iris rings are not always reliable but in this case it would help since it is a hen and you can't go by the cere. I would wait and see if this bird gets an or both iris rings to see if it can help determine DF or SF. The beak is very orange too which is used as another indicator of a recessive pied too. Not sure if you can tell if the eyes are plum or if they are too dark and just look black at this point.

Glad to hear that everyone including Crackle is doing better. As for that question about double medicine that is a good thought but won't all the birds and their partners be doing the same thing? Feeding each other? Good questions for Kaz and those that have experience with aviaries and medicating.

I am talking to my girlfriend she wants to know how long have you had Weebil, how old is he and if you have ever looked into captive foraging? Also when does he do most of his screeching? When you leave the room? When you are in the room? When you are talking to him?

OH my goodness Kaz how wonderful you found him at least he passed away in a nice warm bed of feathers under another hen . ((hugs))

as everyone mentioned he is gorgeous, I look forward to the outcome and see how old he is

Yep I know how you meant it Liv. But on the other hand hehe Pretty hated to be misted so when he got on my curtains and I needed him off I would mist him the bottle in site got him off. . By the way, I have a girlfriend that knows a lot about budgies and I sent your issue to her I hope you don't mind. Anyways, she said she is writing up an article about different types of screeching and she is going to get back to me on it and then I will share with you and others.

look forward to those pictures Norm , sounds link things are going well glad to see you back

Liv, I think had a good suggestion there when he is screeching you can mist him and see if that quiets him down. If he doesn't like to be misted it will stop the behavior without hurting him and he will learn this is not approriate. Merlin doesn't screech like that either so it sounds very odd like maybe something is scaring him? Do you have a window in this room without a blind or are the blinds open where maybe he can see other birds flying by or threatening him?

Do you not cage your birds at night? If not they need to be caged for their own safety and a place for refuge. If they are caged how do they get out at 8AM? I wouldn't let them out that early to scream I would keep them covered at that time if that is when you are getting the complaints. Please elaborate more...

I stick with the lutino being a male a better shot of the sky blue one's cere would be wonderful

The best way to get a budgie from not screeching is to cover them up with a dark sheet and make sure you use a dark sheet to cover him at night and dark enough not to let the morning light in until you are ready to uncover him. Budgies usually sing and call first thing in the morning then they settle down in the mid-afternoon and will start up again late afternoon. Using the sheet to calm him down can work during these time but don't leave him covered all the time as that is not good for him but it can calm him down. Spring is around the corner and yes I know it doesn't feel like it quite yet where you live but the days are starting to get longer and the birds are waking up earlier so using the dark sheet to filter out the early morning light will be the solution to your problem until he settles down. What he is doing is natural so don't punish him by shaking the cage, clapping your hands, hitting or anything like that (not that you would just putting it out there) because it won't stop him it will make him fearful of you. He is just calling for his lady friend when she leaves just like what we do unforunately he doesn't conform to human manners so to speak so he doesn't understand it is annoying to us. Keeping his cage dark until you and the rest of the world are ready to wake up is your key. .

Cool, I hear you not much here in Ohio either , but spring is coming soon.

Welcome to our forums. I had the very thing happen almost a year ago with Pretty. He was okay in the morning and by afternoon he had runny poos, was very quiet and he passed away in my hands that evening. I did what you did and I took him to the first vet I could find it wasn't an avian vet but I am not sure if it would have mattered anyways. The conclusion is that he probably had a respiratory infection that could have been from maybe the coldness in the house, not enough Vitamin A, bad genetics, or an underlying virus he already had...a lot of possibilities. Budgies are considered hardy but when I see them I don't consider them as hardy as a dog or cat. Some budgies can carry virus or bacteria in their bodies an not be affected but when stress is triggered such a s molt or a move etc...then the illness can show it's ugly face. That is why it is important if you do get a new bird that you always quarantine for at least 30 days (avian vets recommend 90 days) to ensure your new budgie is not sick. What was very painful is that I felt I did everything correct in the sense of taking care of him, he had veggies, fruits, seed, (not pellets), and other nutritional foods along with taken care of well he had out time, mommy time, Merlin time (Laughing out loud). He was just a sweet stinky bird (Laughing out loud). Knowing all that made the whole situation very painful and hurtful. Since then I have not gotten another friend for Merlin. He has been flying sole with me for almost a year and we are very happy. He is such a sweet bird, loves to hang out with me at the computer, eats all his good stuff, talks now and more. One thing I make sure is that since we live in a cold climate is that I got a heater for my computer room where he is kept and it is always around 70-75F here, before my house was colder around 65F and I think that contributed to Pretty getting sick along with the molt he had just finished. I hope my experience helps you a bit. Only you know if you should get another bird. You know my grandmother's budgie lived to be 15 y on only seed, water and some lettuce (Laughing out loud) (horrible diet). I do believe there has been much inbreeding in our budgies that you can't determine how long 1 will live.

If you don't find improvement please check and consult an avian vet. A fluffed up bird sitting in a corner is not always heartbroken but usually pretty sick. Check his dropping and see if they are normal. I would personally move him into a hospital cage or an individual cage so you can keep an eye on his dropping and his behavior.

, your birds are beautiful I forgot to say that I am sorry (Laughing out loud). I did the links and I forgot to leave a post. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Oh and yes leave the leg rings on. I remember that was a question there is no need to take them off unless it is bothering the leg or they are too loose and you feel a toe could get stuck in there. If you decide to have them removed and you are uncertain how to do it you can have someone who is a breeder or a vet experience in doing this type of procedure do it.

Wow you have such a sexy tail I can't believe it is a "fake" UNREAL... Is this "silcone" :