CaspersRose

Charlie is very sweet! I agree with the mirror comments... My Smokey has his mirror attached to his play gym instead of in his cage, that way he gets a limited period of time each day to play with it... to be honest, he's not really that interested in it! I personally think he has more unhealthy relationships with a couple of his other toys than with his mirror! :hap: :hap:

I managed to pick up Smokey's scaley face pretty early... these pics show fairly early stage scaley face, if you are interested in what to look for early on: Like you, I looked for images of scaley face and only came across the really set-in stuff... As you can see, Smokey had virtually no crustiness on his cere. You can see the burrows on his top beak, and the second picture also shows some damage in the corner area of his lower beak too. The burrows were almost impossible to see just from looking at him in is cage. I needed to get him out and look at him really close up - in the end I decided to take some close up pics so I could get an even better look (and these pics are very close up!). The only reason this rang alarm bells for me was that I had had a budgie with scaley face before... if I hadn't, I don't think I would have noticed this until it was much more set in. Treating with oil got control of it within a week or two and prevented it spreading around his face or to his legs and feet, but I still took him down to get proper treatment once I got the chance.

What else is nature going to throw at VIctorians this year?!

Congratulation... I voted for that little one too! So cute! He'd make a good caption competition subject!

Oh, Deb... sorry to hear about Henry. He was obviously a well-loved and cared for friend

When I got Smokey, my husband took me out to Kellyville Pets to choose him. They were pretty good and were able to tell me a bit about the breeder he had come from before I took him home. At that time they also had a cage of bush budgies... perhaps you could contact them and see if they can provide you with some contacts? http://www.kellyvillepets.com.au

I have very vague recollections of my dad sprinkling lime (the kind of stuff you get from a nursery to turn into your soil) around the perimeter of his shed then hosing it so it soaks down... but that wouldn't neccesarily fix the problem if they are digging and coming up between pavers.

there was someone breeding them, wasn't there... I am sure someone on here has a breeding journal for their bush budgies... can't think who right now though, sorry!

why do budgies attentively watch you pick their toys up off their cage floors and hang them back up before promptly going and ripping them all down again!? (I have solved this problem by using those wire-free garden ties to attach things to the cage bars so they canstill fall off, but still dangle from the roof!)

hehe cammo, i have just noticed that your info next to your posts says you have 30.6 budgies... I am curious to see a picture of your 0.6 of a budgie!

Smokey once had a moult where the first feathers to go were the little ones between his cere and his eyes. He ended up with little bald patches next to his eyes on both sides and I thought it was scaley face gone out of control. Keep an eye on it...

that's just brilliant!

Good to know Kaz. The vet I go to told me what they use for diluting the Ivomec, but I can't remember what it was now... definitely wasn't water so it's good to know he was diluting it right! Besides, with only one indoor budgie who has been treated already, the likelihood of needing it again is slim, and even if I do, a trip to the vet is cheaper and easier in the long run for just one bird!!

Last time i took my guy to the vet to get treated fro scaley face, the vet had a giggle cos he had to make up the solution from the livestock stuff... he said he had to mix it up to a solution of something like 1ml ivermectin to a litre of whatever it is they mix it in... then put 1ml of all of that onto the bird! So the poor guy had to make up a whole litre for my one budgie! Anyway, he sent me home with the second dose of 1ml for me to apply to Smokey myself a week later.

here's my entry!

that's a great picture! Well done!!!

oh yay! lovely!

that may be the case, but heaps of people here have other birds as well! i know there are a lot of people with bigger parrots as well as teils etc too... you've already had one tiel site recommended, I am sure others will be able to provide other links/forums to help you make your decision! If you go with budgies, there's heaps of stuff here to help you out... check out the FAQ section here before you decide... it might help in the decision making process!

I love the birdy choir shot!

done!

I live here! but the last time i went into town was for our wedding anniversary in January. When was the last time you were on a boat?

definitely GO FISH to that one! have you ever fallen over in a really public place? (how embarassing!)

that's fantastic news GB... hopefully things continue to improve down your way so people can start to do whatever they need to do to get on with their lives as best they can.

Just heard it is now 173... this is so terrible. My nan, who now lives in Sydney with my Mum, lived sixty years in Alexandra and I spent every summer of my childhood down there. I have vivid recollections of the bushfire alarm going off multiple times over summer with grassfires cropping up out of nowhere. It is so difficult to comprehend an entire area like that virtually wiped out... On a more positive note, the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal has received more than $12 million in donations.

Interesting... only very recently scientists have found out that the same vitamin is highly important in preventing Multiple Sclerosis in humans! In these days where we're all SO conscious of over exposing ourselves to the sun, we're actually depriving ouselves of it's important qualities!