Rainbow

How old are they? Is it possible your male is being annoying to your hen with unwanted "attentions" and she is merely trying to get away? Normally the hen will hack away at the male to get him to stop, but some males just don't get it... If he has been after her for 2 hours before you come into the room, what you are seeing may not be what is really happening. Just something to think about. What is the dimensions of their cage? Do you have a spare cage in case you need to seperate them for a bit?

I guess for certain male by the even-ness of color in the cere. The eyes look black to me. If they were plum they would reflect red to the camera. Add some running water somewhere, that always worked to put my birds in chronic breeding mode!

Then there is nothing else she can be! Don't you think they are marked similarly? I guess this is a good example of the difficulty telling apart recessive pieds and DF dominant ones. I love this forum.

The cere doesn't have to change to any other color than brown. I have hens that have had crusty brown ceres for years without ever going out of condition. That would not be my worry. As was pointed out, if space was initially an issue, just because your budgies are of breeding age and in good health doesn't constitute a reason to breed them. You will be adding more budgies to a space that already has been shown to not be big enough. Until that changes, I would enjoy their singing and watching them groom and otherwise interact. If you want tame birds, why not work on taming the ones you have even more? In the process, you may find you lose the desire to breed them, or on the other hand you may find your circumstances change so that you can devote more room to your birds, and it may make sense to breed at that point. I don't understand wanting to bring more birds into a space that will not tolerate them. okay, I understand wanting to, but realistically it is not practical is it? Are you seriously considering breeding them, knowing you will have cramped conditions at the outset?

I think Higgins loves Pete because of his age. Pete is very young, and the male budgie takes over the feeding duties from the hen at about the three week mark. Pete may have stirred up Higgins paternal instincts. :sad: I have some more cere pictures if it will help. Female: Male: L to R - female, female, male:

OI! I was going to quote multiple posts, but when I looked at it to sort through all my responses I thought my head would explode... I have an oddity to throw into the mix...regarding yellow coloring in a blue series pied ** the goldenface factor creating a greenish look on a blue bird ** the possibility of a yellowface type 2 bleeding throughout the body - but without creating the greenish look... as was discussed here already. Daz, did you forget about Sunny? It is possible to have a goldenface recessive pied. But i think the yellow would be more buttercup that what I see in the photo I know we were initially discussing recessive pieds, but broadly put a pied is pied. In the basic sense pied is a patterning and not color-related. So with respect to characteristics of color only, I submit that you can have a goldenface or yellowface type 2 cobalt that retains the cobalt color without the bleedthrough that normally turns the blue feathers green. The bird on exhibition is a cobalt DF dominant pied...that is yellow and cobalt. His face is a darker yellow than anywhere else on his body, you can see this very well in the first two shots before the molt...does this make him goldenface or YF2 as there is no white on this bird other than the flights and tailfeathers (which probably are white not because he is a blue bird but because of the clearflight pied gene...otherwise the tail would be blue?)? Before the first molt: During first molt - around the 18-20 week mark (I know the timeline because the flights are growing out, and the only clip they ever had was at 16 weeks :sad:) With adult plumage: There is no green in there....... Cheeta - I think Blondie is marked a lot like Sunny - are you sure she is recessive and not DF dominant? I wonder that this effect is seemingly so hard to achieve? It seems that many have not seen a type 2 YF blue that is blue and not green. Could this be due to some other gene that we are not taking into consideration?

But you want to keep them all............... Wow, I would be hard pressed to be able to decide which other bird to keep too. They are all so cute! And you have given them such cute names too, so it would be hard to pick that way. Good luck. (I'll bet next time you don't say anything about any eggs, LOL... )

What do you mean by the age of the female is N/A? You can't really tell a budgie's age just by looking at it after the first molt or two has passed. The male is a little young emotionally, but he could still breed without a doubt. He may not have quite figured out yet what it takes to bring a hen into condition.

Very nice! It is so hard to get good flying pictures. I like the slightly blurred effect of the wings you got. It implies motion, and it is hard to get the rest of the picture in focus if you get the blur. You have managed to do that very well!!

I think it would be safer to drill small holes in the wood and use sisal rope or tightly twined cotton rope to hold them together.

I noticed you have quite a few birds from your profile... Do you know if you have a DF dominant pied? They will look like a recessive pied, only with fewer markings. Normally they are almost a solid color, with their base color showing on the rump. They will have few wing markings and few bars across the head and neck. Males will have either a pink or blue cere, pink feet, but will have an iris ring. These two are DF dom. pied males.

How long have you had them together? Rainbow and Skittles were together over a year before she showed any interest in breeding. And it was not for Rainbow's lack of trying, LOL. You also need to look at their surroundings from a bird's perspective. In my case, a larger cage and a new location was all it took, and they didn't feel the need for a nest box after that! I could not prevent the matings, bar seperating the birds. (Which I tried by the way, and finally gave up after 3 days as I could not take the constant screaming.) Some things to think about: 1. How old are they? 2. How long have they been together? 3. What are the cage dimensions? 4. What about the location? (ie, near a window vs. being in a corner location with walls on two sides of the cage?) 5. What is their diet and activity level like? 6. What is the temperature? 7. How many daylight hours are they getting? 8. How much sleep do they get? 9. Where is the nest box located? Is there a nest box? 10. Are there other animals in the house that may make the budgies nervous? 11. Are they constantly surrounded by activity, or do they have a lot of "alone" time? These are some things to consider for now, before you think about trading your female for another. It's quite possible there is nothing wrong with her, she just is not comfortable with the current setup. And it IS the female budgie that will determine whether any matings take place at all. If she is not satisfied, and is not encouraging the male's attentions, I would start with the answers to the questions I've listed above, as it is quite possible a new female may feel the same way if the problem in environmental.

She looks like she is in good shape for ten. :wine Her beak is smoothe and the correct length, her nails aren't too long, and she doesn't appear overweight at all. Her feathers lay smoothly, and her feet are smoothe and look healthy. Her eye still has a "spark" to it. Plus you say she is active (and interactive! ), that is just great! 10 is pretty old for a budgie, I'd say most of them don't live nearly that long. She is a pretty hen. These birds are truly special, aren't they?

Very good information Terri. Thank you for taking the time to write that up and post it. It's obvious quite a lot of thought went into that. And it is information we all need to be aware of. Thanks Daz for the pin.

I hope you have plenty of room....the first clutch usually stays, especially if they have names.... :wine

I'll bet you can't wait for that new camera...I know we are all waiting for pictures! :wine Until then, when you look at "Pete's" cere, is it an even pink all the way through, including around the nostrils? Is it a darker pinkish/blue nearest the beak and lighter as it goes up to the nostrils? Is the area around the nostrils lighter in color than anywhere else on the cere? Maybe we can guess for now and then clarify things a bit when you can take pictures. I'll move the topic to get a little more exposure.

Her cere looks normal to me. Is the blocked nostril truly blocked, or do you see the piece move up and down as she breathes? More than likely she will remove the offending part with her toenail eventually, or sneeze it off. If the nostril is truly blocked and she can't breathe out of that side then that is different. Otherwise it is just cosmetic.

A picture would help clarify things a little bit, if you could post one. If not, we will just have to guess. The brown crusty cere in a hen budgie is caused by the hormone estrogen. It is normal for layers of the cere to flake off as estrogen levels drop, such as when she is going out of breeding condition. In birds with liver issues, sometimes the cere will build up too many layers (hypertrophy of the cere) and it will look like it is growing out and up from the bottom, with more layers than is usual for a hen in good health. Sometimes as the layers of the upper cere (near the nostrils) peel off the feathers directly above the cere will get dirty looking. I think this is from the bird wiping the beak and as the layers come off they stain the feathers there. But that is just an observation on my part - I don't know that for certain. The cere will change as estrogen levels fluctuate in the bird. What you are describing could be the result of the normal fluctuations in her body, or could indicate a possible health issue. How is her behavior otherwise? **edit** I apologize - welcome to the forums!!!!! I should have stated that first.

The violet factor can make a bird look very purple, or if the bird is a skyblue, will make them look cobalt.

No, they are not any good if they smell. Actually they should smell like the sprouts you would buy in the store for you to eat yourself. Very fresh, with hardly any odor. Usually they will go "off" if you don't get enough of the water out after you rinse. Sometimes it takes a little time, but the more water you can remove after each rinse the better.

Set it free???? OMG, that is the last thing you need to hear when you are struggling with this decision. I work in a veterinary clinic, and so see the last days and minutes of beloved pets more frequently than I care to. I tear up every time, whether I know them or not. As far as when do you know? You just do. I can't explain it in any rational way. But some things to ponder would be - is she still eating well? -does she still show interest in her surroundings? -does she still crave the company of either you or other birds? -how is her mobility? Sometimes tumors cause lameness. I have very personal experience with kidney tumors in a beloved budgie, and as the tumors grew in size, he lost the use of one of his legs. With cage modifications, a higher comfort level can be given to a bird with this difficulty. -does she still fly? -does she seem to be in any discomfort? -since she is content to sleep a lot, is it in the normal fashion with one leg drawn up and/or the head tucked into the back? -is there still a spark in her eye? -does she still seem happy? No one here can make a decision for you one way or the other, as it is an intensely personal one. Only you know really know this bird. But whatever you decide, please know that we are behind you. It was so very unselfish of you to take the pair several years ago and give them a home together. :angel1:

My opinion is that Milo is not opaline. The stripes are formed in the normal direction from the head all the way down the back. I don't notice any places devoid of stripes anywhere. They look dark to me, and appear to be of the same intensity all over. I don't see any of the fading that others see. He is an unusual color, and I think pretty. Any chance of more Milo pictures? Maybe if you can get some without the cage bars in the way, and from different angles it will be easier to tell.

I would think so. I'd offer just a little bit either in a cup by itself or mixed in with the seed.

Melanie, there are a lot of things that people do, and don't realize they are not the best thing. Please stop letting your budgie kiss your tongue. It's not that saliva is toxic, it is just that there are so many germs that normally live in your mouth that are normal for people, but if ingested by your bird could make them very sick because they are not normal for budgies. Actually, it would not be your daughter that gets sick in this case. But there is no reason to scold her now, she did not know any better and neither did you. I know there was no malicious intent on anyone's part. Do not feel guilty. The hypochondriac part I get, :ausb: . Also, don't let your bird eat after you. I will eat after my birds, but won't let them eat after me. They usually get their own plate if it is something I want to share. I would watch for fluffed up posture, inappetance, loose stools, change in color or consistency of the stool, stool that 'sticks' to the vent feathers instead of falling to the bottom of the cage, lack of "spark" in the eye. I don't think it bad that you want to kiss your bird. I kiss my birds (not that that makes it right or anything). I would just make sure your lips are dry, and only kiss on the top of the head. I doubt your bird will become ill, but if you notice unusual symptoms, just call your avian vet. A phone call never hurts anything, and many times an office visit isn't necessary if your vet has already seen your bird before.

Mine had it every day for awhile, and only seemed to eat it occassionally. I don't feed it so regularly anymore, as they are not breeding. Actually, they are not around males at all, LOL. It is a very good protein source, and too much protein is not a good thing if there are not environmental reasons (ie breeding, flying long distances, etc.) for it. Too much protein is hard on the kidneys.