Elly

cute I like how you put their names above their heads

ahhh gotcha

Yep Kaz is right Thank you Marlony, I agree his blue is beautiful like the midnight sky

thank you both and that last picture was an accident I just snapped and there he was that is why it is blurry but it cracked me up too

can I ask why you bought her if she seemed sickly? Just curious As for what we can do we can only guess but it MAY be a feather disorder or a nutritional deficiency. Flea markets are the worse place to purchase any type of animal because they are not taken care of properly from the start. If it was me I would keep her in quarantine like you are and book an avian vet appointment since you most likely can not return her. on a side note, the pictures I can't see very well but she looks like a pretty one

Here are some pics of Merlin being cheeky today... First singing flirty songs to anyone who will listen Grabby Merlin...give me my ball Silly Merlin...whatcha doing mom with that thing is it edible? Merlin Video

not bad looks looks like a good parrot really better then I could do

after the video I played more and he jumped on my hand a few inches to get his ball and then bit my fingers (Laughing out loud) good thing he doesn't bite hard. Now he is singing me pretty songs and blowing is front feathers up as I talk to him. I think I have a hormonal male up and rising :

Marlony I don't know why? Kaz, are right, he really has it around his eyes and the poof on the head. I am so glad I waited and didn't get another budgie right away. I believe his exhibition blood gives him the calmness vs Pretty who was so flighty. I can tell you Pretty played with his ball but never interacted like that with me he was so flightly. I am sure it had to do with him being in a pet store for a while too.

I see Kaz on I will let her answer I would say the answer is yes

I was just telling Robin and Kaz that I was so pleased that Merlin flew on my head and poo'd they he started to blow his front feathers up and down when I was talking to him. I never noticed that with Pretty because he is of the pet variety but Merlin being of the show you can see it (Laughing out loud). I said oh my I think he is flirting. For those who don't know he was Pretty's shadow and Pretty did all the flirting, kissy with me and talking. Since Pretty died it has been Merlin and I and we have been taking it slow. He was parent raised but human handled so he was never afraid of me just preferred Pretty (I don't blame him) Check out this fun video I was shocked.... I kept seeing the ball on the cage floor but couldn't figure out why. So I put it on his cage and he started to play and then he played him me. He will even hop on my finger and preferred to be there I didn't get that because that happened after this video but I will do another one in a few days. Check out Merlin http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d51/elly...nt=100_3961.flv

From Kaz's article in the BBC FAQ section 11. Chicks at Point of Fledging Often a chick may fledge ( leave the nest ) before its fully feathered. I often pop these unfeathered ones back into the nest as it is most often a chick leaning out of the nesting box hole to be fed that makes this happen too soon. Only when a chick is fully feathered do I leave it outside the nest. My chicks mostly fledge at around 4-5 weeks of age. The chick should be safe on the floor area of the breeder cage where Dad budgie will feed it. I also have a tray of seed down there for it to try, and some egg and biscuit mix ( wet or dry ). Daily, the parents have a tray of fine sliced greens and grated carrot sprinkled with seed and the babies watch Mum and Dad eat from that and usually try it themselves as well. A small water container is accessible for the chicks, but not the type they can drown in as chicks often drown in fairly shallow water dishes or containers they can't get out of. Keep a close eye on fledged chicks. Make sure they are eating and or being fed by either parent. You may need to put a shelter down for them to hide in. I find a little plastic hutch designed for mice or hamsters to be ideal ( looks like a little plastic igloo ). But, try and check the chicks in the hidey places as they can hide away and forget to eat. I usually remove the igloo for the daytime and return it for the night. Unless the chick needs the shelter due to a parents aggressiveness towards them. If your chicks are fledging into a colony aviary you will need to watch them very closely for any signs of aggression towards them from other budgies or other birds. Their life is a little more precarious in these situations. I have both colony bred and breeder cage bred chicks in the past. The chicks born into an aviary with many other birds have a lot to be wary of. Other males can dominate and attack chicks. Other hens can kill chicks. Even chicks that fledge into a breeder cage can face attack from its own parents. A chick that appears too "needy" or urgently seeking food or attention noisily and or returning to the nest where parents are trying for another round.....these chicks have been knoiwn to be killed on some occasions by an exasperated parent. Not often thank goodness but be aware of the possibility. If you have a mouse problem in the aviary the chicks can get seriously ill or die from salmonella poisoning from contaminated seed or food dishes on the aviary floor. Chicks have been known to be attacked and eaten by rats and terrorised by mice. Other birds such as quails can sometimes attack a newly fledged chick. Care of Babies in the Nest BBC FAQ by Kaz

Hi Tory...I sent you a quick PM about getting your post separate from this post so you can have the expose as an individual member and others can welcome you. I do believe your baby and he is a baby boy is a double factor dominant yellowface 2 pied and he is too cute for words. As for not eating blow lightly on the seeds and if some empty shells fly off you know he is nibbing and he will be okay. Budgies do not drink a lot of water and when they are brand new enviroment it is unlikely you will see him drink. I don't see Merlin drink very often. As long as your budgie is healthy and you can click here for signs of a healthy budgie http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...d=33&artlang=en then he is perfectly okay. If you see signs of him being sick click here http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...=105&artlang=en then of course you would want to take him back to the pet store if you want to return him or an avian vet if you want to keep him. Honestly he sounds very normal and everything is going fine. Here is an article about taming your budgies and what to expect in the beginning when you first bring them home http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...=155&artlang=en

very nice Daz I am going to add this link to the nesting box faq for pics

sorry to hear this Norm, that sounds like what happened to Pretty rip little one

looks male do you have pictures further away from the back and the front? Looks like a yellow face recessive or dominant pied not sure quite yet.

you would have to put 2 yellowfaces together with a 25% chance of a df yellowface (visually white) or a yellow face with a known double factor yellow.

I am going to do some looking because I did find a good article about why canary food is not the best choice for budgies it was quite interesting. I still believe foraging is an excellent idea along with doing an over haul in what they chose to eat. You see you can offer them fruits and veggies all day but if they eat the seed instead it defeats the purpose. Budgies and Obesity here is a good article, I will look for the other one too.

Wonderful news Shawna...know things can get back to being somewhat consistent and normal

Hey you know what Cheeky you should add a picture to July Budgie of the Month some of these pictures are super cute of Oscar :budgiedance:

good to hear

sorry for the loss :budgiedance: rip little one

you can actually limit the amount they eat but it may not be healthy as they tend to forage naturally throughout the day. if I am correct I was told 2 tablespoons of seed a day for 1 budgie plus their veggies/fruits/pellet If the food dishes are in constant overflow that is not good :budgiedance:. Homing in on their foraging instincts is best and I watched a PBS show recently about different types of animals in the zoo and how they used to feed them 3x a day until they learned this is not natural for them. By getting them to forage it drives their natural instinct and helps them stay in shape and provides a more natural enviroment. Here is a post that was started right here on BBC on foraging http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....topic=12705&hl=

what has happened recently do you feel he could have lost that trust? Was he scared some how? I would go through the taming article I posted up top more and use some of those techinques.

I really like the coloration of these babies very nice