Rainbow

I am very sorry for your loss...it is always so difficult when they go.

I understand, it is a difficult decision. I have a hen that also had a growth on her wing which I did have surgically removed because it was growing quickly and she began to pick at it and make it bleed. She is much younger than your bird, but she has liver/kidney problems and internal cysts (inoperable) as well so there was a good chance she might not have made it through either. Thankfully she did, and so far the tumor has not reappeared. I did not have it biopsied, so do not know if it was cancerous or benign. My thoughts are with you and Marble.

Since my birds are indoors and I am in a climate that is not always hospitable to taking birds out of doors, they do not have regular access to natural sunlight. (I do not have a yard.) Lack of D3 is the main reason my birds get a small amount of Harrison's pellets, they have D3 in them which makes up for the many months when it is too cold and snowy to sit with the birds outside for real sun, if there were any sun to be had then, that is.....

The blue looks normal on my monitor, Jodie.

Is the purple tone concentrated more towards the top of the cere and is bluer towards the beak?

Are you sure 'he' is not a 'she'? In a normal green, the cere should be very blue by almost a year of age, I think when much younger you would be able to tell. What color(s) are the cere in this bird?

When my budgies eat the soaked rice, they "hull" the outer coating and eat the inside as if it were a seed. They take little bites of it at a time. They do not like it cooked, maybe because there is really nothing to hull that way?

It does not have to be cooked, but if you are not cooking it should be soaked for 8-12 hours before giving to your birds. Give long grain, brown, or wild rice instead of white rice. My budgies do not like cooked rice, but they love it after it has been soaked.

Liv, I'm sorry about the feather dusters...but they are very lovely birds. You mentioned there are other siblings that seem to have issues also, do you think this pair could be related in any way or just a bad combination of genes in the nest? Just wondering with all the different issues that have occurred, you don't normally see all that in the same clutch.

KAZ they are beautiful. It will be interesting to see how they finally feather out!

Awwww, love the last sleepy picture!

Space is a big consideration. If there is enough, and enough feeding stations around the aviary you may be fine. The concern is that even though your budgies are smaller than the 'tiels, the 'tiels are gentler birds. Budgerigars are more aggressive, and have been known to harass 'tiels. They don't care that they are smaller than the bird they are bullying, but if the 'tiel has had enough the size difference gives them a slight upper hand. Just watch for any aggression, and have a ready space for the 'tiels should you need to move them out of the budgie aviary.

She's got spunk? Good for her! Or maybe taking lessons from Nasty? That last picture is pretty funny.

Love this one, KAZ.

They are all lovely birds, it was a treat to follow this thread tonight. :rofl: I can't wait to see all the babies once they are fully feathered out.

Beautiful pics GB, thanks for sharing them. I think I am partial to the mauve hen in the first set. :rofl:

She sounds to be in distress to me. If she has been doing this for days I would call the local vet, describe what is happening and ask whether they would see her or whether they think she needs an avian vet and see what they say. If they recommend an avian vet, ask them who they recommend. The local vets even though they may not treat birds will know who would as I'm sure would refer their clients that also have birds to the best place for their treatment if necessary. Let us know what happens.

I am assuming she is indoors. Have there been any environmental changes in the room she is in, or has her cage been moved? Think back to what was happening in her immediate environment when the noise first began. Does she ever get picked on by the other birds? If you haven't already, check her over for any injuries. Since she is in a flock, she will try to mask any illness or injury as best she can so you will need to be very observant. If there is nothing you can recall, then a ring to the vet is in order.

I currently give my budgies Volkman Science seed, I have ordered it from here online here. Shipping is expensive for me but that is probably because I am on the other side of the country. Being closer, you may not have that issue. I have bought quality seeds from other places also, but I'm not on my computer now (with all the good links on it!) so don't have the links handy.

Do you know who makes the cage you already have? You should be able to go to their website, and even if they do not sell directly to the public should have some links of local and online stores that you could order from in the color that you want. Ordering online is usually less expensive than going to the retail store, sometimes you can even get free shipping. With quakers I would definitely house them in seperate cages, they can be very territorial about them.

Grey's are definitely very intelligent birds. Mine is too smart for his own good sometimes, and I know he understands in some fashion my language just from some of the replies I get when I talk to him. It is definitely a shame Alex is no longer here, such a tragic loss for everyone. I am glad Dr. Pepperberg is still able to carry on her studies with the other greys she has. Parrot intelligence has long been underestimated in my opinion, and I find the work Dr. Pepperberg has done to be very interesting. Thanks for the link Kaz.

The cere looks brown on my monitor, the third picture confirms it. I am saying HEN. How old is this bird?

Your bird is at the perfect age to become accustomed to healthy eating! Pellets can be a part of a healthy diet, they will 'fill the gaps' nutritionally. Most pellet manufacturers will recommend that pellets be fed as around 80% of the diet. In my humble opinion, that is too much. My birds eat maybe 20% pellets, 20% dry seeds, the rest are either cooked foods, fresh foods, or sprouted seed. Budgies being desert birds are designed to thrive on a higher percentage of seeds, so dry seed is not a bad thing. The bad thing is when they eat seed to the exclusion of other foods - as you have first-hand experience with what was probably cancer - you understand what I mean. Some cancers are genetic and your bird will get them no matter what the diet - I have some birds with liver issues that have eaten a varied diet since they were weaned - but you will feel better about it if you can get your bird on a healthy, varied diet right off the bat. The Zupreem fruity you are feeding has artificial colors, which might be fine in the short term, but if you can get an organic pellet instead to supplement with (I recommend Harrison's Mash - my budgies love it and it is the only 'pellet' they will eat. It is a little finer consistency than prepared eggfood - it is truly finely ground.) Artificial colors have been linked to cancers of the liver and kidney, and also to allergic reactions in some birds. Not all birds will have them, but it is a chance you take by feeding artificial colors. Stay away from any food containing ethoxyquin, BHA, or BHT. If you are interested, do a google search for those chemicals, coupled with liver and kidney. That's not to say you should freak out because your baby has eaten artificial colors, we all eat them in our foods as well. It just may not be the best choice, but better than an all-seed diet. :doh: If you can sprout your seeds, live foods are much better nutritionally and are usually very well accepted by birds. My birds love their sprouts. You can sprout your regular seed mix, provided there are not colored seeds in the mix. If your seed mix does not sprout within 48 hours, the seeds are not fresh enough for you to be feeding anyway and should be thrown out. If your bird will be an indoor bird, feeding a diet that includes pellets is a good thing, as most pelleted diets contain D3,which your bird needs. (Here is a link to those that are interested in how the uropygial gland functions when your birds preen.) Basically, the secretion from the uropygial gland also contains vitamin D precursors that are also spread over the feathers by preening. When exposed to sunlight, these precursors are converted to vitamin D3 and then ingested with subsequent preening. If your birds are kept indoors, most pellets will provide the necessary D3 your birds do not receive from sunlight if they are kept indoors. Window glass filters out ultraviolet light, so if your bird is indoors in direct sunlight, they are not receiving the necessary ultraviolet light necessary for the D3 conversion. If you are not able to provide outdoor time, then full-spectrum lamps are also a good investment.

Very cute! Congratulations!

Where can we send it to??????