Rainbow

If you are very worried about him not knowing where the food is, try putting some in one of those containers that just hang onto the side of the cage. Put one next to where he normally sits, just a bit low, so if he is sitting on the perch he can see into the seed cup, and lean over slightly to eat from it. He will figure it out. Welcome to the forum!

Actually, getting them out isn't all that bad, because they don't have as much room to run. Since I have two "travel cages" I thought about taking both of them so as the birds are examined they can be put back into an empty cage so they aren't stressed as the other ones are caught. What do you think of that idea? Also, back to your original topic - I was just thinking about the wooden perches having those rods in them. You know how they also have the round metal things (mind block - I can't remember what they're called) with the wing nuts to attach them with? Do you think the metal things contain zinc or lead? The birds have access to those all the time, although I'm pretty sure they ignore them. What if they don't? Also, mine will sometimes hang on the outside of the cage and play with the wing nuts...

You all make me giggle. How insane is it to have 10 budgies to begin with?? Taking 10 birds to the vet is not as bad as you might think. I use Rainbow's old cage and add a few dowel perches. I put in some dry food, along with baby spinach leaves and carrots for them to use as a water source. Then I start with them all in their regular cages, and one by one catch them and move them to the travel cage. It makes them grumpy, but I bring millet to the vets too. It is a bit cramped (the cage is 14" x 22" at the base) but once they are all in and put in the car they are okay. They aren't in it all that long. I don't have much trouble at the vets, I guess because they are nervous about being in a new place so are very good. I am familiar, and I have millet. I will just need to be extra careful during the exams because they are flighted. My old vet's exam rooms were small with normal height ceilings and nowhere really to land but the cagetop, but I've visited the new one and the exam rooms are much larger, with certifications hung on the wall up high - perches for wayward birds I guess. I will let you all know how it goes.

All very good points. As most of you know, I have 10 budgies indoors. They are flighted, and have spent most of their lives that way. All the babies were clipped at about 4 months of age, within two months had molted and could fly again. Those two months made all the difference in the world. They were tame before, but hit that "age" where they thought it was funny to make me follow them all around the house when I wanted them to go in their cages...just because I could I guess... It was a conspiracy - LOL - they all flew off in different directions knowing I could only go one direction at a time. To coin a phrase - cheeky little budgies. A few months of step ups and I haven't had many problems in the year and a half since. They are almost two now. Mine were trimmed for control. Not to control them in the strictest sense, but between me and the birds I was the only one with a life and a job outside the house and unfortunately must operate sometimes within a specific timetable. I wasn't able to do that consistently, hence the trim. Lucky birds, not to have those constraints, you know? Anyway, I think the choice is not a matter of right or wrong, it is just a choice.

My birds are scheduled in a few weeks for their annual exam with a new vet. I will definitely ask about this and see what information I can get. I use them for two reasons - one a different perching texture and two because they like to nibble them and the calcium is good for them. If I were to stop using them, I wonder what to use in their place? I don't want to add anything to their water, and since they eat pellets that could cause an overdose. And it is not only the cement perches - I just looked and all the wooden/manzanita/cholla perches I attach use that type of rod inside. What about the perches?

Very eye-opening. I wonder if the heavy metals leach into the cement/calcium covering or if the problem occurs when the rod is exposed and then gets chewed on. I have both types of perches in my cages. But they are replaced before they are chewed down to the rod because you can only wash them so many times before they disintegrate. What do you think?

Have a look on her back and in the spot between her wings, the 'v' shape area, the feathers are blue like the body. On a normal bird this area would be white. The opaline gene changes the colouring of that area and the wings to the body color of the bird. Actually, the color of that "V" area would still be blue if she were a "normal", but she would have the barring covering the area instead. Only the shell feathers on the wing (not the flights) get changed to blue.

They are so pretty. It's neat to see a yellowface blue pied that is type 1 yellowface. All the colors are so distinct.

Lin, do ya' really want to know?????

Beautiful babies!! I don't think the green one is green. I think it is a type 2 yellowface blue. There looks to be blue near the legs in the first picture, and blue on the chest too. What color are the feathers underneath the wing, at the bend? The two type 2 yellowface blue chicks I got were that "greeny" color right away when they first feathered out, they didn't have to molt into it (see picture below - babies were about 6 weeks old). It just got more prominent after the first few molts. I think yours are both dilutes, and the visual blue one is a hen.

LOL. An opaline pied. I posted mine Bea, now where are yours?????

EEK! My cages are bad cages??? :hap:

Sunny before his first molt... and after the first molt. What a color difference! Blueberry just out of the nest box at 30 days of age... and after a few molts... This is a neat thread. :hap:

Hi and welcome. :hap: Pieds, I know. Pied is a mutation which can be identified by the markings on the bird. I have three types right now. One form of Dominant Pied resemble this in some fashion. The body color is broken up by the head color, whereas in a "normal" colored bird it is not. There is a "head patch" on the back of the bird's head that is devoid of the normal barring. Another form of dominant pied looks like a normally colored bird, except for the "head patch". There may also be a few oddly colored flight feathers but otherwise looks like a normal. A third form is the doublefactor dominant pied. This bird has all the markings of a recessive pied (which I do not have any of, sorry :hap: ) but has a visible iris ring like most all budgies do. You can't see it in this picture, but he has a greyish-white iris ring. A recessive pied is a bit more spotchy in the markings sometimes, compared to the picture above, but with the same pink feet, a pink beak, and in males - a pink cere, but no visible iris ring. The eye will remain baby-black or even plum-colored. Your male is too young to breed. I would wait at least 6 - 9 months before pairing him up. As a general rule, if both parents are dominant pied you will get mostly pied babies with a small percentage being normals (that is, no pied genes inherited). With one green and one blue bird, unless the green bird carries a hidden gene for blue all the babies will be green, with the babies being able to produce some blue chicks if paired with another blue bird. If one of your birds is a recessive pied things get a little more complicated, but you can still expect pieds.

By stick things do you mean they look like this??? If so, that is normal. The feathers come out encased in a keratin sheath that gradually falls away when the feather is ready to unfurl. The same thing would have happened in your other birds, but you may not have noticed it.

our pet budgies are exactly the same as american ones They are the small ones? I meant the small ones. I was trying to distinguish size since even in exhibition sized budgies there are "pet quality" and "show quality". Sometimes I may not express myself exactly how it is in my head... :hap: :hap:

I remember that post too. Ideally the cage should be wider than tall, but in reality I see very few cages that are like that. If it is larger than your old cage I'm sure your budgie loves it. They seem to utilize any extra room well, even if they rarely go down to the bottom. The improvement is in their temperament or attitude. It's like they know there is more space if they want it. :hap:

Congrats on the egg! How exciting! They are so small, aren't they? Usually, the vent will look swollen beginning about 24 hours before she lays. She probably looks slimmed down around the vent now, but by tomorrow evening she will begin to look swollen again, and Friday you should have egg number 2. Welcome to the forum, by the way, from me and my 10!

I think that is interesting. You are just a fount of knowledge, nerwen! And thanks.

Really? I didn't know that. I don't notice a difference on mine. I will watch for that. Thanks.

He is marked like a recessive, but has the visible iris ring. He also has a blue cere and darker beak, which you do not have with a recessive pied.

??? What do you mean? Bea, that baby budgie is too cute!

I go with dominant pied too. He has to carry some form of the dilute gene as well, otherwise the bars and shell markings would be black instead of light grey. He is pretty. Welcome to the site.

I was thinking along the same lines as eterri...a fantasy budgie sounds like a hyped-up name to make you think you are getting something rare. I wonder if they are pieds...or maybe rainbows? I hope you do get a reply, standbyme. Hopefully they are not charging any more for them or the harlequins than for normals...

When I read about the featherdusters after this post came out, I did research and found the same thing said. So maybe at 1 time it was true and then now it is not . Jennifer, glad he is okay, I do look forward to seeing this little guy. I think the problem is only found in the larger "English" budgies, whether pet quality or show quality. I've never heard of it in the smaller "American" (pet) budgies. Yes, I know they are all just budgies, but that is the best way to explain it I know of.