Elly

What is most important is that they can have a good solid 10-12 hours of darkness because they need their sleep plus they can get hormonal with too much light. Saying that mine go to sleep at 7:30pm and that is because it was getting dark sooner because of the winter and they were ready they jump on the perch and would start telling me off and I uncover them just around 7-8AM depends if the kids are up or not. I didn't want them to wake them up.

sounds like he is coming around very nicely Have fun on your night out.

look at all that green isn't is just beautiful Kaz I know you had to add more green. They are all looking wonderful and looking forward to see how big Mammoth gets.

that is wonderful Kaz you can't even get that for a dog unless you pay for it with their papers at least here in the US it was like that when we bought Niketa.

the store to sign up for yoga and buy his snuggler. What a surprise when __________________

Ken Ken that is 2 escapes there tsk tsk I am flying free now

how are these 2 doing?

she will always be remember she is gorgeous Kaz just looking through old posts, Neat got me going

awe in memory of my 1st and very special cyber budgie Bubbles - flying with Pretty now

Kaz how is Lovey doing?

okay I am back according to Wikipedia Brass has a yellow color, somewhat similar to gold. It is relatively resistant to tarnishing, and is often used as decoration and for coins. Copper is extensive use as an electrical conductor, thermal conductor, as a building material, and as a component of various alloys. Copper is an essential nutrient to all higher plants and animals. In animals, it is found primarily in the bloodstream, as a cofactor in various enzymes, and in copper-based pigments. In sufficient amounts, copper can be poisonous and even fatal to organisms. Upon more research most bird toys are made of steel which does rust unless is coated with something. The least expensive coating is zinc. (Zinc is used to coat metal trash cans.) Other coatings for steel (more expensive) are nickel or chrome plating. Stainless steel does not rust. Toys are also made with aluminum (may be too soft for larger birds). To test your toy you can: Use a kitchen magnet. Aluminum and stainless steel will not stick to the magnet. Aluminum is much lighter and softer than stainless steel. You can also call the manufacter to see what they coat their toys with if they don't tell you they may just be using zinc and don't want to get sued if your bird gets sick. Stainless steel is MUCH more expensive than zinc and more expensive than nickel or chrome plating. If a toy maker has used stainless steel (or nickel or chrome plated steel) they will tell you! It cost them more, they're going to charge you more for the toy than if they used zinc. When manufacturers use zinc it's because the bird toy industry is competitive and many customers select toys based primarily on price. What is even more interesting upon reading the article I found is that there is some Zinc that is plant based and that is NOT harmful to your bird. This zinc is used to make thisngs from wood, like paper and cardboard. Anyways by doing some research it is interesting what you will find. I do remember we had a conversation about calcium perches and the metal inside of them on this forum. I will try and find it and do a search. okay I found it I always bumped it up http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....7723&hl=perches

bring this back to life

I thought that was brass (Laughing out loud) I will look it up and see myself and will be back with info. I know that reading stainless steel is the best you can use but of course is the most expensive.

interesting post I even forgot about, I think the judgementalness (if there is such a word (Laughing out loud)) comes from people that also care a lot about the welfare of the budgies and the babies. It is clear to see that a lot of birds end up in homes and then in turn in rescues aka pounds such as dogs. I know of a site that if you mention breeding or adopt from a pet store you are literally shot down because you decided not to adopt a rescue. There is a lot of good information, you have to read through it and use what works for you and remember we only see what we read we really don't know the person on the other end. What I found is a lot of people that tend to be say "anti" breeding are those who have been affected greatly or worked in a rescue situation and have seen some horrible sights with birds or animals in general. Anyways I know that got off topic - hats off to you Neat

Do you have a favorite picture or pose of your budgie (s) this is for everyone with just one bird to a whole aviary of birds I have so many here are is just one of Merlin and my late Pretty. Share yours...

thank you tommorrow will be 3 wks feels like yesterday he was a gorgeous boy as your female is beautiful. I really love the pied gene

yes I can see the green coming in simply gorgeous you must keep us updated .

oh yes I totally agree female for comparison I post of Pretty and you can see the cere he is over a year here you can see the difference in the male recessive pied WOW what a close up me looks FAT (Laughing out loud) but he wasn't

naughty mom I wonder what gets into the hens when they do that? I am glad the baby is on the mend and will be in my thoughts, I hope it makes it what a little sweetie.

Yes budgies always talk when we do it is actually very natural. Think about a flock of budgies if 1 is quiet they are all quiet because that to them means danger if there is noise then everything is safe. That is why they say if you have 1 budgie to leave a radio on for them when you leave. Noise they love and mine always get noise when the kids were yelling, or yes we were on the phone .

he may be carrying the violet gene too who knows because I see the tinge up by his neck. My Merlin is actually a violet . Simply gorgeous they are and again welcome.

the 2 that you purchased together could be sibling and I would personally assume they are if it was me. Different mutations, colors can all be in the same clutch just as a family can have a child with blue eyes and blond hair and then one with brown hair and brown eyes. So personally if they don't have leg rings and the store doesn't know assume they are siblings .

if you go in the food and nutrition area of the site you will find many different ways members have come up to get their birds to eat various foods. That being said you can try and chop up the veggies and add different colors I didn't do that and mine got used to green (Laughing out loud) anyways then sprinkle seed or millet over the veggies. They will have to pick through the veggies to get the seed in time they will start to eat the veggies. I can take up to 6 months so but offer it daily if not offered there is no opportunity to try it out . It is best to feed the veggies in the AM and then they can be thrown out by afternoon as they will start to get yucky and harbor bacteria as Robin said.

Budgies have their quirks he may be too busy in his mind courting your fingers (I am serious). They go through stages just as we do. Think about it sometimes we don't feel like talking and other times we gab and gab. He probably is going through a stage, he may be getting hormonal or may even be starting a molt. I tend to find that when they are younger they tolerate more touching as they get older they don't let it happen as much. Continue with your routine and you may find he will let you stratch his head once again

lick my fur and hack up hairballs said the cat to the hamster. The hamster was totally _________________