Rainbow

Oh no - that sounds awful! Having an extra bird in your breeding cage is probably what's causing your troubles. I wasn't aware you had an unpaired bird in there. Take him out. I would not 'put him down' at home - he needs to see a vet ASAP if his injuries are that severe. Find an emergency clinic and just show up. As far as the female, if her wing is broken, she needs to see the vet ASAP as well. In the future, do not leave an unpaired bird in a single breeding cage. You are probably lucky you did not have problems before now. Let us know what happens with them, please.

I'm sorry to hear that about the baby. The best thing to do would be to make sure he can easily move around to get to food and water. Since he will have trouble perching, some flat surfaces in the cage will be necessary. And a trip to the vet is in order, to see if there is anything that can be done to strengthen the foot he does have. I don't see why he cannot have a somewhat normal life if you are willing to take care of a 'special needs' budgie. As for the male, it's possible he wants to breed again and the female is not ready. Watch them, if she becomes injured from him, he will have to be moved to another cage. However, I have some questions, which will generate more questions later: How old is this baby budgie? Does it appear to be congenital, or was his foot bitten off?

Mine tend to stay in the same room with the cage too. But that's fine with me, at least I know they can't get into any trouble in there...except I had to take down all the pictures because they were eating the wooden frames... Do yours stay in the cage even with the door open, or do they sit on top?

If she is spending more time in the nest box, then yes, it is common. It just means she is not coming out to defacate as often. Once there are eggs, she will probably only come out to relieve herself maybe 5 times a day instead of every 15-20 minutes like usual.

I concur with hath.

That is so sweet. If it were me, I'd let her stay out. Crumple up a small piece of paper and let her push it around or something to keep her occupied. Or if you have those lattice balls with the bells in that are hooked together, take one of them off and let her play with it. Do you let Chiisai out with her yet? If not, once he comes back in the picture I'm sure she will pay more attention to him. Enjoy it while you can!

You know, the more I look at those cute pictures, I notice on my computer monitor that it looks like he has some yellow above the cere in the third picture and across the back in the second. Does anyone else see it?

It might help him if there was a platform of sorts in his cage that he could stand on flat-footed so he does not have to grip the perches. That way he could just rest on his stomach as well if his feet began to hurt too badly. It may help him to be able to flatten out his toes like that every now and then. If it makes him feel better, he will spend a lot of time there, if not, he won't and you haven't lost anything. But I would definitely take him to the vet as well for a checkup.

One of the males from my second clutch looked white while he was in the nest box, but once he reached about 5 weeks he was definitely a yellow bird. Now that he is going through his first moult, he is looking even more yellow than before. Maybe as that chick ages, he will look more yellow?

Do you have any new pictures of your birds?

Poppet - It sounds as if your 'single' birds were bonded to your family and thought of them as their flock. With so much interaction, I don't think they were unhappy.

They come out of the nest box somewhere around 4 or 5 weeks. They may not stay out right away - mine would come out, stay out for a few hours, then try to figure out how to get back in the box! They are very cute, as they have only stood flat-footed in the nest box. They have to learn how to hold on to the perches and keep their balance. They also have to learn how to climb the cage bars. If they try to move they are very wobbly. Once they are comfortable and stay out of the nest box and can move around the cage, you can let them out to fly. Their wing muscles are already strong enough to fly - all that flapping going on in the nest box is getting them conditioned to fly. The first several days they have to learn how to navigate though. They will probably fly straight up and beat their heads across the ceiling as they bounce along, then they will fall to the ground once they reach the other side of the room. At least that's what mine did. It doesn't take too long, though, before they seem to be able to outfly their parents.

Mine eat baby spinach leaves, broccoli, baby carrots, green and red peppers, apple, grapes, any dark green or red lettuces, and carrot tops. I also mix pellets in with their seed mixtures. Like Julie said, it may take awhile for your bird to try something new, but keep offering it. If he won't eat fresh food from a dish (some budgies won't) then you can try clipping the food to the side of the cage near a favorite perch. It will seem like you waste alot at first, but once your bird figures out it is food, then there's no problem. Just make sure you don't leave it in the cage too long, as you don't want your bird eating spoiled food. If you wouldn't touch it, neither should your bird. :bluebudgie:

I had regular bulbs in the bird's room when they had babies the first time and got 4 hens and 1 **** out of the first clutch, and 3 cocks and 1 hen out of the second. I have since changed one of the lamp bulbs to a full-spectrum bird bulb next to the cage (about two or three months ago). I'm curious now as to what the mix will be the next time?

You're welcome. One thing I will add is that if you are only feeding him seed, now would be a good time to introduce him to fresh fruits and vegetables. A seed-only diet will shorten his lifespan. :bluebudgie: What's your bird's name and what color is he?

I think some peeling might be normal, as I've seen lots of budgies in pet stores with peeling beaks, around the edge and toward the tip. A good diet may make it stop, and the act of rubbing the beak on a rough perch after they eat may keep it to a minimum. If it is cracking though, I would take him to an avian vet.

I don't think that the fact that she is tame has anything to do with her attitude. I think some hens are just more possessive or aggressive when in the breeding mode.

I know what you really meant oscarchik - I was just being silly. I agree hath, but I don't think I've ever seen a budgie for sale over here that was banded, except for a pair of exhibition budgies that was in one of the local pet stores. The regular 'pet budgies' aren't banded. I have a pretty fair idea of the ages of Rainbow and Skittles, but only because I know what to look for when purchasing one. But you are right-I don't really know their exact ages. There aren't any local breeders that I'm aware of, and the pet stores don't give out their exact source (I've asked) so we've no choice. I tried to get their hatch dates when I bought them, but was told that was impossible. Other birds however are regularly banded, which I never could figure out why. The size of the bird doesn't seem to matter, as lovebirds are banded and they are smaller. I think it's because people generally think of budgies as 'beginner birds' or 'throwaway birds' (YIKES!) and as being so common that they just don't band. Plus it is not required.

Au contraire, oscarchik - Just make a few trips to the vet...suddenly your unbanded budgie is VERY expensive!!

Bands would be easier - very few budgies are banded here anyway - so it's all in my head.

Some hens don't begin to sit tightly on the eggs until the second one is laid. But it is important not to distress her. I wouldn't worry yet. :bluebudgie:

Try checking the box when the hen is out. I also used to cut a small piece of millet and offer it to the hen if I needed to check it while she was still in it. She will be hungry. :bluebudgie:

Awww, they are so cute! If the feces are already changing consistency, you will have to clean out the box more often. Mine didn't change until the babies were older, but once they did I cleaned the box every day. I never took the babies out to clean it though. I think the change is due to the parents changing the consistency of the food they feed, but a breeder would be able to clarify that. If the feces cake on their feet you will need to wipe them off. As far as hand-rearing --- why? I don't think it establishes any better bonding between you and the budgie babies. If the parents are feeding well and not neglecting any, I would let them continue. They will be tame enough when they fledge that you shouldn't have any problems. Really. julie-broody is a very good word, isn't it?

You're welcome. You will find them to be very soft...

I started when they were fully feathered-about 3 weeks. Before I would clean out the box, I would just put my hand in and let them look at it. There's always one fearless bird who starts tasting your fingers right away, then there is always one who hides his face in the corner, thinking you will disappear. Other's start to scream. I would just touch them at first, then make a circle with my thumb and fingers around them. If they jumped out I left them alone, if they sat there I'd pick them up an inch or two off the box floor. I always talked to them even before I started to clean out the box, and when I checked on them twice a day I'd talk to them with the top open. They get used to your voice, and soon know who you are. When some of the birds were old enough to have left, the one's who were still in and looking out I would pick up and hold over the cage so they could see where everyone was. Then I'd put them back.