Chrysocome

Wonderful photos and stories as always, Bea. I love it :ausb:

Hello, welcome to the forums!

Aww, lookit them bathing in the veggies Merry Christmas Nerwen

Something that might contribute to the overheating and rapid panting after being caught, besides stress, is that birds have no diaphragm like us - they rely entirely on the expansion of their chests to breathe (and hence also cool down). So remember if you do try the catch and hold method, always leave their chests free to move. I think that contributes to the incredible dislike some birds may have to being held, because they aren't being held properly. (Not you in particular, just people in general ) As Rainbow said, that taming method doesn't work with all birds. I have some that will tolerate being held, one that found comfort in it, and the rest (including gentle mild-mannered Milly ) scream obscenities at me for going anywhere near their backs.

I don't mind either, it's small, easy to clean and not at all smelly. Plus it dries fast so you don't get mushy wet yuckiness if you get it on you :ausb: Sco-tie, I've read that before in a book. How does it work? Birds don't have a mechanism of "keeping it in" as far as I know. Wouldn't it be mostly watery urine if they force their bodies to do it?

I agree, your budgie is very sick and needs a vet straight away. An avian vet is best (someone here can help you if you can't find one). Keep him warm, let us know how it goes.

Look mum! See! I have throat spots now! *warbles* Eh? What do you mean I'm short? Don't make fun of me! *sniff* My tail feathers will grow back any day now, and they'll be longer than ever!

Thanks guys. Milly does indeed love head scritchy, always has, since she was very little. She's happiest sitting on my shoulder, with me tending to her cheek feathers.

Oh my gosh, look at those big red eyes! Just lovely!

It's amazing how instincts work. We have ravens and magpies hanging out in our backyard and the budgies just know from hearing the sound of wingbeats to freeze. Whereas they try to get the attention of sparrows and other parrots that visit. Adelaidegirl - I'm glad the hawk hasn't been back! How awful.

Oh no! I hope eveything is okay. What kind of stone is it? If it's big enough it will just sit in the gizzard and break down slowly over time. If it's small it might pass through. Wild birds swallow small hard bits of things all the time. It sits in their gizzard to help them break down food, acting like teeth. It could perform the same function in your budgie. Most people say that grit is not needed (with the diet our birds are on I would agree) but they evolved to be able to use stones, I don't think it would hurt budgies. Surely they might have eaten things with edges on them in the wild? I'd call the vet anyway just to be sure. What you've said seems sensible, keep an eye on her and let us know how it goes. Hope everything is okay!

Please? Pleeeease? Phew, all this work, so hot! DarkMilly: Muahahaha! Mine is an evil laugh!

! I have heard Milly do that too and wondered what it is. She does it when she's sitting on my shoulder. Makes me think of something like a gentle sigh of contenment?

Welcome to the forums! Can't wait to see pics

Beautiful birds! Welcome

I also agree, an avian vet is best. Bea sounds right, if it appears red now and then, it's because he has been scratching at it and it gets swollen. Birds have sinuses right near their eyes and if that gets infected it can get very itchy and eventually painful. Good luck, let us know how it goes.

I had a go at this the other day, nothing special. Both Milly and Squee absolutely love shredding toilet paper up so I wrapped it around some millet spray, tied off the end and then clipped it with a peg to the top of the cage. It didn't take either of them very long to realise that their favourite game of shred-the-paper had become much more rewarding I'm going to have to try lots of other things. Squee has a ferris wheel type thing that spins and has those balls around it with the smaller round bells inside. I figure I can thread some sprouts through it so she has to spin it around, and work with her feet and beak to get at it. This is a wonderful thread. Keep those ideas coming

It's alright, I believe my minion Squee got her revenge. How's that finger Flake? :hap:

Wow, great find. Cute pics too :hap: I hope to see them some time, hopefully soon. My parents are planning a trip to the outback sometime next year. I always hear stories about them moving in huge, noisy clouds. We get little lorikeets that do that (they descend on our gum out the front, a thousand or so of them, strip it bare and disappear for another year). It would be quite a sight, I'd imagine.

Sounds exciting! What an honour it would be. Milly and I are too busy for this, unfortunately. It would be amazing though. Good luck Bobby & Chucky :hap:

Thanks She's a real busy one. Though that makes her hard to train. Always looking for something to chew on :hap: Did anyone notice how short she is? She moulted off her primary tail feathers and it looks so funny. Have to get a picture of that.

They're gorgeous :hap: I love their colouring.

It's been a while, and Squee has gotten big since you last saw her. She's going through a moult so looking a bit scruffy and lost her bars. I'm hoping she's a recessive so she can have big black baby eyes forever. I love recessive pieds :ausb: Squee loves photo time Squee's hard to take pictures of because she very rarely sits still. Managed to get this one though. Sorry about the blur and graininess of some of these. Tasty chain Tasty ball Tasty peg Tasty hand Milly says: Excuse me, no photos please. Squee says: Eh? :bluebudgie:

Okay, can do :bluebudgie: Have to wait though (Laughing out loud), for me to write it up. Also have to look at some legal things (copyright/referencing, responsibilities etc). Glad you like the idea

I was just summarising the stuff I've learnt this year at uni about avian anatomy and physiology, and I thought it would be quite easy to modify it a little so that everyone can understand it. It's mostly introductory stuff, I could do it in little sections as separate posts, eg the names of the body parts, how a bird's digestive system works, how birds breathe etc. By knowing what should be going on, maybe owners will understand the consequences when something does go wrong. It is no substitute for a good avian vet but for those who are just interested or may be in an emergency it could be helpful. I have also read some false information on the internet that worried me and wanted to set some things straight. Anyone interested? I don't really want to make the effort if it isn't beneficial to anyone. Besides me, that is :grbud: :ygbudgie: