Smudgie

The first ever budgie I had came from a breeder and she was wonderful. She explained so much about what we needed to know and also was willing for us to call her any time with questions. She taught us a great deal about budgies. We had a few more budgies over the years, another from her and a couple given to us from people who didn't want them anymore. We even had a psychobudgie who attacked everything it saw - given to us by its owners who couldn't take it anymore! Then as an adult I missed my budgies and got another one. My husband was going on a business trip and bought me a budgie to keep me company bit he got it from a petshop and they told him it was a baby when it was actually an adult. He had NO CLUE how to tell the age of a budgie so he believed them even though the cere was dark blue and well aged. Oh well... Poor budgie only lived about 6 months - I think it was an old fart before some gullible person came along to buy it. I have visited many pet shops - most of the time they try to sell you an old budgie and tell you it is a baby. I have occasionally bought a baby budgie from a pet shop but I would definitely prefer a breeder. I just wish I had known about this site before my son bought himself a budgie last year because I would have preferred to get a baby from a breeder and I could at least have asked around. He did get a sweet little pet and he loves his budgie very much (he has 2 now thanks to unforseen circumstances and Caren's generousity) but I have tried buying both from breeders and pet shops and I have to say - the skill and experience of a professional and good breeder is streets ahead of the "customer service" you get in a pet shop staffed by partially trained teenagers.

I have found a great way of reducing my vet bills. I only have the rare bill as I have one cat and 2 budgies so it's mainly vaccination and the budgies have never needed a vet visit yet (touch wood) My son volunteers at the vet. He does one day a fortnight work experience helping to clean out the cages. In return the vet gives free worming with the vaccinations and if we ever need anything major done we get 33% discount and a payment plan interest free. I hope we never need it but it is nice to know that the vet is so willing to work with us! It is always worth asking your vet about payment plans because they hate to see an animal suffer through lack of money for treatment.

My son just got his pet budgie back yesterday. He flew the coop way back in early December and we had given up all hopes of ever seeing him again but thankfully some of the places he had posted "lost" posters he had put up in the neighbourhood had never taken them down and after three months my son and his budgie were reunited! The trouble with birds is that they can fly :rip: So they cover distances differently from a lost cat or dog and they can end up a couple of suburbs away very quickly because they don't need to use roads or pathways. Do they can end up far from home with no way of identifying them. Is it possible to microchip them or is it just too hard and they are too small? You can tell I know nothing about micrichips so please don't get annoyed if this is a completely stupid question.

That reminds me of my mother's aunt. She had a budgie called "Little Boy Blue" He used to say over and over again... "Little Boy Blue, 38 Hathaway Street Box Hill" (address slightly changed to protect the current occupants) We always told her she could never move or if she did she'd have to leave Little Boy Blue with the new owners!