brunof

I must say over and over again that it’s great to get everyone's opinions on nutrition here. I'm in the process of researching nutrition and considering switching my bird from Harrison's to include more seeds and veggies. I am also planning on getting a new bird in the near future, so I would like to start him/her off right as well. I have been reading that some of you guys feed native plants, such as gum tree and eucalyptus to your budgies. I think it would be great to offer my birds this as well, but my problem is I don't have the luxury of walking outside to "harvest" such plants. However, I know that there are some eucalyptus varieties that are available here in the US however I am unsure if they are the same kind as what you have in Australia. I have found once specialty garden center that claims to carry eucalyptus or Gum Tree...is this the same genus? I know it is a pretty diverse group of plants/shrubs. I have seen the eucalyptus that is used in dried floral arrangements, but I assume that the budgie would not eat this. Which kind will my bird enjoy? Any info would be great! http://linders.com/plants-products/annuals...eucalyptus-ssp/

Here is a website of one of the local breeders. What do you guys think? http://towaslovebirds.com/price_and_availabilities

Thanks for the advice. I'm in South Dakota, so I am a bit more limited I would say. But I am trying to make some contacts. I'll keep you guys updated. I hope I can find a good breeder...I'm finding a few breeders that claim their birds are "handfed" so I am wondering what that all means...I want to avoid these birds, correct?

Thanks for the info guys. So I kind of went bird shopping today -- limited pet stores here unfortunately. I did go into one today that I had never been to. A ma and pa joint. Can't say I was particularly impressed. They actually had quite a few birds, including some "handfed" parakeets for 15 USD. I was kind of excited to see that they had some, but on further inspection and questioning, I don't think I would dare do business there. He said that he handfed them, meaning "He took them from their parents before they even had feathers and fed them himself." Some of them appeared to have some french moult or something, as their tail feathers were a real mess. The biggest issue I saw was one male who was short of breath -- perhaps some respiratory infection. I kind of wanted to take a lysol bath afterwards! I'm kind of sad there are so few options here...maybe I will have to go to a different state to find a good breeder.

If I decide to go with a pet store bird, I would probably bring my other bird back home, and keep the new one with me, for quarantine purposes...so I guess this would give us time to bond. But I guess I would prefer to go through a breeder. Oh, I was referring to that FAQ article.Oh geez, nevermind...I found it!

Thanks for the information. I can't seem to access the website, but I hope to soon, when it is back up to read that article. Unfortunately, I am a bit limited in my breeder options. I have contacted a breeder about 5 hours away, which claims he is preparing his birds for breeding, so I will try contacting him in the future. So a good breeder will know when his birds are fully weaned? Did you find that the handraised bird influenced the other bird to trust you? I'm afraid that if I purchase a bird, my current bird will influence him/her to not trust me, since she doesn't.

So, as some of you may know last summer my faithful one got loose outside, and so now I have a widowed female. Despite my efforts we still do not get along. She is "step-up" trained, but she bites if I try to take her out of her cage. I realize that she must be lonely, so I'm thinking it's time for me to get a partner for her. I have been looking for local breeders online, and I have come across some which claim their budgies are handraised. Is this a good option? I think I read somewhere that it wasn't. Has anyone gone this route? I would really like to have more of a relationship with my new budgie, so any opinions would be great! Thanks!

First off, thank you all so much for the support. I just feel so guilty and irresponsible...but I haven't given up hope yet I guess. I just hope she doesn't suffer if she isn't found. I'm actually in the US, the midwest, so it gets to be rather cool at night (15 degrees), so I'm worried. Unfortunately it was also very windy yesterday, so the calls from Sheldon were probably muffled. I think if it were a calmer day, she would have come back to her. But for now, I have been putting Sheldon outside, in the cage (Yes, I clipped her wings!) and she spends a lot of time calling, but obviously to no avail. I also called the local shelter, and the local radio stations, and they have been airing my announcemnt. So, I know I have to face the facts, I guess because I know the odds are slim to none that she will return, but you never know. dmcminn - I hope Ozzy returns too! :ausb:

:offtopic: So the story goes... I was doing my normal weekly cleaning of the bird cage, and in the process my lovely Buttons (the yellow one) escaped from her cage, when the bottom fell out. I didn't have her wings properly clipped, so now she is gone... So now what do I do? If any of you remember my posts from last summer, she was pretty dependent on Buttons, and was never very fond of me. And because I am the last thing she wants to spend any time with, I realize I probably should get a new bird, which I really don't want to do. I guess I don't know any breeders near my home town, and I don't want to buy another pet store bird. Would you get another bird? http://www.geocities.com/martinamullercrab/july4.jpg

Thanks the website! Looks great! It's interesting to read everyone's replies...just goes to show you how each budgie has his/her own personality.

Hey all. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on where to buy budgie toys online. I've looked at a few of the larget pet suppliers, like Drs. Foster and Smith and really don't see anything particularly unique or inspiring. My girls don't take a great liking to toys, as they aren't babies anymore and their interest has kind of dwindled, but the items in their cage don't seem to thrill them anymore at all. Do your babies like the more natural toy (like rafia, straw, string) or the bright plastic toys?

Just a quick update I suppose. So, I came back home for Christmas in part to reunite with my beloved babies. I've decided to opt out of an interim course to take a course in my home town so this means I can spend more time with my pets. I actually have Sheldon and Buttons with me as I type this. Things are going pretty well with them. They actually have taken a liking to going in the shower with me. (No soap for me until they get back out of course, :dbb1:) Sheldon is her usual annoying self. I thought I had made a bit more peace with her, until she just bit me in my face this morning! I was up close to Buttons as I like to do, and she was kind of playing with my nose and eyebrows, until Sheldon came up and decided it would be more fun to scream at me and then attack my lip. A nice bloody lip. I kicked her off my shoulder and she flew away but then came back. In my heart I guess I feel good she came back to my shoulder to join Buttons, or rather, to chew her out and climb on top of her. :yelling: Anyway, things are peachy here for the most part, thanks again guys for your help!

Well guys, I'm about to go to bed, but I thought I would update you all. Tomorrow I will be waking up early and heading back home, and sadly Sheldon and Buttons will be coming back home with me. I had them out tonight and I know I will miss their company here at school, but I know that they will be taken care of at home. They probably won't be taken out much, and I probably will once again lose my influence over them as times goes by but I'd rather have them safe at home than living here in the dorms "illegally" with me. I'd hate to have to make a hasty decision if I were to get in trouble. Hopefully someday soon I'll be able to get out of this cubicle that I call home and find a place that will allow me to keep them. Thanks again for all the support and advice! I'll keep checking in! B :ausb:

Thank you both for the reply. I think I will be forced to bring them back home with me when I go back for Thanksgiving Break. Unfortunately, I'm nearly four hours away so I don't get home much at all to see any of my other pets either! They will be taken care of at home, my mom and dad do their best to juggle everything else in their lives, and do a good job with them, despite the fact that they never get out. 90 percent of the time they are great, and the noise level is just beeping and quiet chirping, but in the morning it's usually a full out scream-fest so that's the problem. Stupid thing is, their noise isn't half as bad or as frequent as some of the very bad, loud music played around here. I've thought about adopting them out, but I honestly don't know if I could at this point. Lovely, Don't worry about being rude...you're not rude at all, I totally appreciate your input. P.S. - I don't want to give off the impression that I keep them slammed up in the closet in the dark all day either. I think I will keep them in the closet, but keep the door open for better ventilation from now on. I'll keep you guys updated. :ausb:

Hey guys. I'm back for opinions. At the moment I'm attending college and living it up in the dorms. At times I really don't like my cement cubicle I call my home, so I brought my birds to live with me. They're doing quite well, and I feel happy that they are here with me. I don't have a ton of time to spend with them, but I know they never get out at home if I'm not there. I've been keeping them in one of my two big closets. The closet itself has two doors, and it's split in half. On one half there are drawers and a place to set things on top of them, and the other side is designated to hang clothes. Right now the birds are on top of the drawers. It's been nice because when it's time for bed I just cover them up and close the doors, and then open it back up in the morning. I've managed to keep them a secret until lately, as they have become much more vocal, and my dorm advisor has taken notice. He doesn't care if I have them as long as I "shut them up." ( I guess they woke him at noon last Saturday because I forgot to feed them) If I shut the door to the closet it really mutes the sound, and even if they are making a scene it's not nearly as audible. My question is whether or not you all think it would be poor husbandary on my part if I kept the door closed for most of the day, provided I put together some sort of lighting fixture in the closet so they aren't sitting in the dark. I'm thinking when I'm in my room in the afternoon they aren't going to make such a fuss, and I can monitor them more closely while the door is open. What do you all think? I'll probably end up having to take them back home, but I'd like to keep them here as long as possible with no problems. Thanks!

I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem... I purchased a younger female (Sheldon, thought she was a he) a few years ago for my widowed older female. (Buttons) For the most part they get along, especially since summer has passed they are less hormonal and moody I think. But, one behavior has remained constant between them -- Sheldon often reverts back to being a "chick" and demands certain things from Buttons. I've been working on having my hand in the bird cage, since they are both scared and panic when I open the cage door and for the most part things are going alright. Today I had a sprig of millet to offer them. Although Buttons freaked out initially she calmed down and began eating her treat. Sheldon, on the other hand stayed stuck up in a corner, and she slowly made her way over to my hand, but never actually had the guts to go and eat. When I removed my hand, she made her way over to Buttons and started her "baby" behavior of getting really close to Buttons (In her face, I guess you could say) and making this soft "beeping" sound, as if demanding something. Buttons gets a bit annoyed from this behavior, and will get away when she needs to, but for the most part she puts up with it. Other times, Buttons actually regurgateds her food for Sheldon and will feed her. Is this a sign of affection? They get along, and sometimes Sheldon actually preens Buttons, but their bond is indeed strange. (Probably different from what I imagine a female-male bond would be) I'm kind of annoyed with this one way relationship of take and no give because I feel it makes Buttons less trusting of me. Any suggestions on what I should do with my problematic "baby?"

Picture Here's a picture of them from a few weeks ago. Button's (the yellow one) cere has since turned a lighter tan color. Haha. I wish my girls were more fond of me. I need some affection. Just Kidding... I don't understand their behavior or relationship. You'll see them grooming each other a minute after fighting over the food dish.

Okay, so I've had the great privilage of living right next to my girls for the past month or so, since I took them to school with me and I spend a lot of time next to the cage watching and talking to them. Well, I noticed right away this morning that they were a bit on the hyper side. (running up and down their perch, flapping their wings) Well, just a moment ago, Buttons started to arch her back and make all sorts of squeaking noises, as Sheldon mounted her. This has happened a few times now, however they have settled down. I'm almost 99 percent positive I have two females, so I was a bit intrigued by this behavior. Has anyone else experienced this?

Anyone else having luck with this? I've also found the yams to be a good "masker." I've been able to mash up fresh squash and banana in with it, and they haven't noticed or don't seem to mind. I also get a kick out of the fact that my girls have finally made some peace. Instead of bickering over the food, they are taking turns at the food dish!

I think some bird species (including parrots) kill their babies (the runt) in order for the rest to survive. Maybe that has something to do with it. Keep us uupdated.

Hey all! I just wanted to report to you that today I went out to buy some organic baby food. I decided to go with the sweet potato/yam and mixed it in well with my Harrison's pellets. (I decided to hold off their food for a good portion of the day so they would be hungry) It's worked and they are both eating it rather welll. It's quite encouraging because they aren't too impressed with new things (from toys to food) and now I am so happy because it gives them some "fresh" food to eat. I think I will maybe try and puree my own things, instead of buying baby food because it's not like I'm going to eat it. Let's just hope they continue with this and don't decide to make such things toss around items again. (as they have done with carrots)

Bea, Do you have 27 birdies right now? By The Way, that's a lovely looking betta you have. Is it a crowntail?

I recently read on Budgietalk.com that he/she feeds the budgies baby food. "Baby Food: My budgies' all-time favorite food as of late is seed mixed with baby food. It is best to use an organic type of baby food and a variety high in vitamin A. (Sweet potato seems to be a favorite.) Mix a generous amount of baby food into about two teaspoons of seed but be mindful that the seeds should be easily visible among the baby food. This may be the only way your budgie/seed junkie will touch it. This is a great way to get healthy veggies into a budgie that will not yet touch whole/chopped veggies. I've made a regular part of my birds' diets simply because it's the only healthy food that they are so enthusiastic about! (Be sure to discard any uneaten portions within two hours of offering.)" Has anyone tried this? I'm having trouble getting my girls to eat more fresh food. I've tried spinach, oranges, apples, carrots (they use to eat them, but now its more fun to throw them or compete for them, so they are tossed on the ground) oranges, etc with little luck. They are definately becoming more brave however, as it's become somewhat of a game to see what I'll try putting in their dish. They will often try tasting it, and then it ends up on the floor. :fear Comments?

I have been feeding my bird's Harrison's for a few years now, and they have done quite well on it. My older girl, in particular use to be a seed junkie. Conversion wasn't that difficult -- I just feed them the adult lifetime fine, and crushed it up, so it resembled seeds, and she took right to it.

Granted, I've been working with Sheldon and Buttons for only a few weeks (kind of starting over after not having them around) but now Sheldon is now threatening to bite me. Tonight I was playing with Buttons, and she likes to touch my face with her beak a lot, and Sheldon, sitting next to her, decided to take a lunge at my nose/face trying to bite me. I am quite sick of this behavior. When Sheldon gets flustered Buttons ends up the same, and will try to avoid me, until she settles down again. Eventually I put them both back into the cage, and they (mostly Sheldon) started squawking and making a fuss. Should I be worried, or can this behavior be modified too?