Elly

Do you have a picture of him? Are you in fact sure he is a he?

As long as he doesn't do twirls

is she actually eating the pellets or picking around them too? Make sure she has a good vitamin A diet that is huge in birds because it keeps their immune system up. I learned a lot about that when Pretty passed and if you do some goggles you will find excellent articles or you can PM me. The tail feathers are mostly affected because they are longer and get bumped around more then the wings.

I know baby is older so it could be due to a nutritional issue. Meaning I know you feed them well but could be due to her getting older her body is not absorbing all the nutrients it needs or she may need more of one thing or another. This is a theory - not saying this is the issue. Doing some reading I read that brittle and frazzled feathers with scaly skin is often a sign of poor nutrition. have you looked at her skin on her feet does it look normal? What does Baby's diet consist of throughout the week?

I say a week before he adjusted to the feel of them but if you see other signs of sickness then I could be concerned. I am always worried now since Pretty died about Merlin. They are starting to grow back and he just had them clipped 5 weeks ago (I think it is because we clipped right before his molt). Who would have thought.

both the bigger and longer cages are better so they can fly not the big and tall ones budgies don't fly up and down

Welcome to our forums :hap: Look forward to seeing pics of your flock.

It may be well worth the drive if she is not feeling well. The aggressiveness could be because she is molting and hormonal. Pretty went through a very bad moult and I thought he looked bad because of the moult here I found out he was actually sick during this time. I lost him 5 wks ago to not noticing the subtle symptoms such as weight loss and looking horrible during a molt. In the end it is your choice but I would personally make the drive or call the avian vet and ask if there is a vet that he can recommend that does have bird knowledge.

Update please :hap:

excellent advise pie that was completely over looked on my part - quaratine quaratine for sure.

I agree with feathers and I wouldn't take your bird back to the vet. Birds loose weight for a reason (if it was the beak) then she should have regained it. There could be an internal issue that can only be diagnosed by simple test such as a gram stain, fecal test, there could be a need for an x-ray or blood work but that is determined by your avian vet. If you need to find an avian vet here is information from our FAQ section: Click here to search for an avian vet in the area. Some avian vets are not always listed so if you find an avian vet by you but not close you can call them and ask if they know of anyone closer to your area. This link can be used for all countries. It is important that you find an avian vet before your bird (s) become sick. When birds become sick they go downhill very quickly and if you don't have an avian vet that you know of you will go into panic mode. Be prepared! It may save your birds life. USA/Canada: http://aav.org/vet-lookup/ http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm http://www.lafeber.com/FindALocal/Vet/default.aspx Australia: http://www.vetafarm.com.au/avian_vets.asp UK/Other: http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/avian-vets.shtml http://www.parrotpassionsuk.com/Advice/Uk_Avian_Vets.htm Last update: 2007-04-21 15:08 Author: Elly/feathers Here is a good article from our FAQ section about why birds need avian vets and signs of being sick. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...=134&artlang=en I hope this helps and keep us updated.

:hap: how sweet is that

Good to hear Kaz

Yes budgies are smart and males and even females will pick up whistles. Keep talking to him and you may be surprised to hear him talking very soon. Pretty did .

Welcome you got some excellent advice. I second that you need to remove put alike species with alike species and you will have to purchase other cages for the other species. Budgies can irriate the bigger birds and the bigger birds can do damage. Excellent advice on removing the nesting box. Doesn't sound like the budgies are healthy at this point and in top condition for breeding plus you will need individual cages we recommend closed breeding not colony as there are all sorts of issues with colony. You have done a great thing by giving these birds home, working on getting them what they need and if you have any questions please always feel free to check out our FAQ section on the top or ask . Welcome to our forum.

The cage is too tall you need one that is wider or if you get a tall one that the width is still longer. You can see my set up in the links I posted . I have a tall cage but wide on wheels costed me 100 US on e bay.

Wonderful news

I love the first one and yes Mammoth gets my vote as a boy.

Glad he is on his on the road to recovery and is doing well for you

the first picture of him says it all come here Elly and bring me home and I agree a boy .

There are many different ways to set-up your cage. Visit these two discussions to show you examples of what our members do. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=6635 AND http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=6635

Interesting personally I would still take a trip to the avian vet if it was my bird because I have heard more about it being hormonal or tumor related vs submissive behavior. Just my honest opinion . Great info!

Merlin did the same thing it probably feels different having them clipped and if he is doing it after he tried to fly it is normal. Just like when you cut your hair and it feels lighter or different.

Good, that is somewhat of a relief but I know not enough as they still have ways to go. Keep us updated.

Oh I hope she is okay and pulls through. hugs from Merlin and Elly