Nharvi

Oh you always know how to cheer me up Feathers, and I've followed your and Kaz advices in many other cases, and it's always turned out for the best, so I will do as you say this time as well. You make me a very happy girl with those words, and Konrad will be even more excited than I am I'm sure Yaay, we're getting a baby budgie! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Well, getting rid of Konrad is out of the question, I've always been a sucker for needing animals, and actually Konrad was my first real newborn baby animal ever. All the dogs, cats, horses, chickens and whatnot I've had through the years have all been animals I've taken in when they had nowhere else to go and unless they ended up at my place, they would go to heaven. Konrad isn't suffering, and I won't put down an animal and send it off to heaven just because they look a bit odd. If she was indeed sick and suffering, in pain or some other way, then it's a totally different thing. I think, when you get an animal, whatever the reason, you are responsible for both their happiness, and also to help them when they are ill and making sure they don't suffer. I can see how it's different if you have a lot of birds and are breeding them and you don't want an infection to spread, but I simply don't have the heart to make a decision like that, hence why I won't get more than one more bird tops. I didn't mean this in a harsh way by the way (By The Way), I just wanted to make sure that putting Konrad to sleep isn't an option for me, then I rather pass on another bird

I found this on a Swedish budgie site, but it's just so adorable, I had to share it with you guys. Keep that beak clean and shiny, will you? :ausb: http://wwwb.aftonbladet.se/klipptopp//init...rveyEntryId=345

Thank you Kaz, maybe I'll be able to get Konrad her little boyfriend then after all. I wasn't planning on letting the birds breed at all even before I knew about this, since I I both lack the space for more birds and the knowledge enough to breed budgies. If I would get more than two birds, it would have to be after we move to a house (which is a few years ahead int he future), so that there is room enough to have a huge cage. The current one is almost 120 cm long, 130 cm high and about 70 cm wide I think, so it should be good for two birds considering I have the cage door as long as I'm home and awake. I really hope that it's safe, even though I love my little runner to death, I don't want to be the cause for another budgie to catch FM simply because I lacked the knowledge.

Thank you both for great answers. I don't have the urge really to get another budgie, I'm happy enough with just one, but I feel a bit sorry for little Konrad being on her own all her life. Daz, So if FM isn't contagious between adults, does that mean it only transmits from mom/dad to egg? Since the baby we would be getting is around 6 weeks today, and would be moving in in 2-4 weeks, could he catch it since he is still young? I'm sorry about all the questions, I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing by either not getting another budgie, or getting another one if you see my point. Thank you all again Nharvi

I just got off the phone with the vet, and she basically said that if it is indeed French moult (which she thinks it is going through Konrads papers there) it has a tiny chance of being transmitted, but she couldn't tell me how it transmits, since they don't know for sure. She did advice me not to use Konrad for breeding, which I would never do, and if I avoid that, it hopefully won't be a problem. She did point out that it is indeed a virus though, and they aren't 100% sure how it transmits. She left it up to me to decide if it's worth a try. What do you guys think? I still think it's sad for Konrad ending up alone only because her feathers aren't in the best shape, but on the other hand, risking another budgie to turn into a runner doesn't feel good in my heart, when I know it would be my fault if the new baby did actually catch it as well. I feel so torn, has anyone of you guys put in a healthy budgie together with one that has french moult, and what was the outcome in that situation? Thanks, Nharvi

I usually cover the cage anytime from 10 pm to 1 am, and uncover anytime from 6.15 am - 9.30 am, but it's not a problem. If I uncover at 6.15, Konrad simply turns around, puts her head into her wing and ignores me til around 9 am or so, she isn't really a early morning bird so to speak And in Sweden, summertime, we only get about 1 hour of darkness during the night, so a cover for the cage is well needed hehe. I wouldn't worry too much, my bird takes a few naps during the day to make up for lost sleep as well

Hi all and thank you for all the good and informative answers. Well first off, Konrad has a good looking beak, I've never had to help her with it, and the skin on her feet looks all good. You can see her beak here: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1670 http://upload8.postimage.org/493561/photo_hosting.html So I think scaly face and PBFD is out of the equation, but I'm not 100% sure. Do all birds that get PBFD get miss-shaped beaks? Konrad does get a wingfeather now and then, as well as a tailfeather, but they fall off before they have had a chance to grow out fully. I'll find one of the long feathers about once every 8 weeks in her cage. but thats about it. She has never had a bald spot or dropped any other feathers thats made me worried. I didn't have Konrad straight from the nest, I got him from a local petstore here in Sweden, I couldn't find any breeders here in Sweden at the time, so I ended up buying him from there. She is believed to be born in June 2005, and I got her in August 2005. I have later found out that petstores here don't handle the birds very well, they are breed in Germany and then imported by a big truck to Sweden, a trip that takes at least 15 hours. I did end up taking the tiniest and most torn bird, since I'm a sucker for those big puppy eyes, but I do know Konrad wasn't in the best shape when she arrived to us. She has however managed to recover well and has a good life, apart from the feather problem. I just want to clear up, the reason we want to get another budgie is simply for Konrad, I enjoy the quiet little chatty bird I have, and with another it's going to be a bit louder, but I really don't mind. It's illegal to keep a single budgie in Sweden, but I don't care much for that part, since the vet advised me to keep Konrad separated from any other birds in the beginning when she lost all her long feathers, both because of infection as well as the risk of being bullied. Now the vet has said it should be okay to get another bird, but I will give the vet a call today and see what she thinks. Not that I don't love my little runner, but I don't want to risk another bird having to go through that, Konrad looks happy enough, but she is still a disabled bird, and I would prefer not having a second bird with the same condition. Thank you all for the great information, I have read through all the articles that you guys linked as well as the other ones around on the board about french moult, but I'm still not 100% sure, hence the post. Nharvi and Konrad

Hi guys, As a few of you guys know, I have a runner-budgie called Konrad, a little girl that will turn 2 years old in June. Konrad has had miss-shaped and almost non-existing tailfeathers since we got her, but we didn't worry so much about it back then. She had some trouble keeping her wingfeathers nice looking, and was often missing a few, but she could still fly really well. The problem is, last August (2006) she lost all her long wingfeathers as well as the tail ones, and haven't regrown them. The Vet said it's probably french moult and I thought that was the case as well, but now I've read only babies catch french moult, so now I'm not so sure anymore. Anyway; We are getting a little boyfriend for Konrad now, a boy budgie with long and beautiful feathers, and who is able to fly wonderfully (he is 6 weeks old atm). I'm wondering, is there any chance that he will catch the french moult (if that is really what Konrad has)? I've read up about it, and from what I understand it's a virus, but it usually transmits from parent bird to egg. Having said that, I come across sites that say that just being around a bird with this condition will make the other one catch it, and others claim it's totally safe. I also read that most birds show the first signs of this condition when they are around 8 weeks, where's Konrad was 14 months old when it happened, even though her tailfeathers have always been a bit miss-shaped. Having gone through almost every site on the web with info about this, I've yet to find a proper answer to my question below, and I hope maybe you guys can help me out; Considering I only have 1 bird right now (about to have 2), and we aren't planning to let them breed at all, what are the odds that the new bird will catch it? I have really mixed feelings, on one hand I don't want Konrad to be alone her whole life, but on the other hand I don't want to risk the new baby catching the virus and also ending up disabled when it could be avoided. Many thanks Nharvi and Konrad edit: If you want to see pictures of the feathers, you can look here: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1662 More pics are found in this topic: http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=14869

They are gorgeous Feathers :redalbino:

Thank you guys =) And yes of course, I'll keep em seperated for quite some time.

Some new and fresh pictures from the wing- and tailfeather missing budgie from Sweden, Konrad! We think we found Konrads secret twin, look for yourself and compare: http://drumbent.com/photos/misc/random/duckling.jpg - Unknown twin flapping her wings just like Konrad does http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1662 - Konrad, not flapping her wings Great news By The Way, Konrad(line) is getting a little boyfriend in a couple of weeks, his name is Figaro and he is currently 6 weeks old, you can see his picture here, he is the one in the back to the left: http://www.dropshots.com/photos/246482/20070517/155619.jpg Handsome little one, isn't he? Well, at least we think it's a he, I guess time will tell. Here it's full spring outside, and Konrad is enjoying seeing the sun again (we haven't really seen it since September). Here are some spring pictures of the little one: Camera now again? :hap: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1669 Fine then, I'll pose :hap: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1670 Tired :24: :hap: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1668 Hello! :angel1: http://upload8.postimage.org/493561/photo_hosting.html Making sure none steals my bilberry sprigs :hap: http://upload8.postimage.org/495307/photo_hosting.html Not the most flattering picture http://upload8.postimage.org/431090/photo_hosting.html I took a series of photos while she was making herself pretty, and you can view the result under here. I didn't use flash though, since I didn't want to disturb her, so the pictures aren't top quality. I hope they will do anyway: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1672 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1673 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1674 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1675 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1676 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1677 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1678 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1679 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1680 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1681 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1682 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1683 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1684

I have to say, the "angry dolphin sound" is my favourite. Konrad does it when I put in fresh bilberry sprigs, she also sneezes when I carry her cage out on the balcony and she gets excited. Only once or twice, but it never fails. I'm not sure why she does it, but I guess all budgies has their special sound they make :hap: Someone had an audiofile posted here of the angry dolphin sound, it might be an idea to listen to a couple of audio files of budgies or watch a couple of the videos on youtube to compare with? I mean, to see if any of the sounds from there are the ones your little boy are making. Sorry, I'm pretty tired, so I'm not sure if I'm making any sense at all, but I hope I do I have yet to find another budgie that sneezes on purpose though.

Hi guys, I was wondering, is Ficus Benjamina / india-rubber tree dangerous for the budgy? This type specifically http://www.odla.nu/artiklar/images/bilder/...benjamina_2.jpg Just today, Konrad decided she loves that tree, and I'm not sure if I should let her play and bite on it anymore Thanks Nharvi

Thank you Kaz, I appriciate the info. I'll hold on the Bourkes then, I don't want any of the birds to get stressed, and Konrad is such a quiet little bird already, she goes to sleep at 7 pm in the evening, and sleeps til I get up in the mornings hehe. I don't want that to change if I can help it =P Only exception for her to stay up longer than 7 pm is if it's sport on TV, I don't know what it is with sports, but she LOVES it! She sits and comments the game the whole time, it's so cute =P Thanks again for all the great feedback

Wow! Very nicely done, I'm totally jealous!

Thx for the info, oh yea, I will still look for that special someone for Konrad, I thought the other one would be a nice addition to the family as well =P I'll change the link so you can view it, not sure whats wrong with it.

Hahaha thank you, she is a sweetheart

Haha sneaky sneaky! (it's totally okay though =P) Thank you, I shall begin the search for Sweden's Next Top Model Budgy Boy and I'll keep you guys updated in case we find a prospect. A bit offtopic, I've been looking at a Bourkes parakeet, the Rosey mutation, and they are adorable! They look just like a little neonpink budgy. I wonder if they would like eachother? /ponder http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1665

Oooo good idea, I might try that! Edit: Oh, and I thought I'd add another picture from before she lost her feathers: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1614 Not a very clear one, but you can still see a big difference =P

Hi again Feathers, and thank you for your quick replies =) Yea, she is quite the runner, and exactly like you say, she sits and holds on to her perch and flaps like mad while calling out to the world how strong she is... I see it as the warcry "Sparta!!!" in budgietalk :hap: Hmm.. didn't know that moulding was connected to the colour of her fringe (or vice versa rather), interesting! Thank you for once again taking your time to answer my questions, and I think I'll add in with another one if thats okay. Considering Konrad haven't been able to fly since August 2006, and I accept she is a runner budgie, how do I go about getting her a male? The vet told me to wait with that until she was able to fly again, since othervice she would be bullied and picked on most likely, and it wouldn't be very fair on Konrad, but if that isn't going to happen.. well... She is quite the happy little thing, but I don't want her to live alone at all times, everyone should be able to have a friend I think. Any ideas for me? Oh, and I thought I edited out myself from all the pics, in the movies I let my hubby be the star, but thank you =P

Hi again, I just remembered, I've been wanting to ask. Konrad, my 1,5 year old female has a few odd things with her. For start, she has had this dark area over her cere/beak since we got her, you can see it here: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1663 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1660 Also, she has somewhat of a "punk hairdo", as in, her feathers grows out a little right over the cere. You can see it in these two pics http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1658 http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1659 I've just found it odd, since I haven't seen it on any other budgies. Her tail-feathers has also been deformed since we got her (she was about 8 weeks old then) and they have never recovered. It doesn't seem to bother her though, but she lacks a beautiful tail like most budgies has. And yea, she is missing the longer wing feathers (I forget the name for them in English, the ones on her hand) since she molded in august 2006, whenever she grows one out, she loses it again. The vet said she should be okay, she should be a happy climber. Problem is, Konrad loves to fly, and she tries just about every day with a pretty bad crash as a result. I just don't know what else to do to help her out. She gets all the food needed, extra minerals, vitamins, fresh veggies and god knows what, and nothing helps her. I would be fine with a climber, but I can see how badly she wants to fly again, and it breaks my heart every time she crashes. :hap: You can see what I mean in a movie under this thread http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=14869 Thanks guys Nharvi

Hi guys, I just finished taking some pictures of Konrad, so I thought I'd post them here, girlie wants to show off the good stuff I chose to link the pics from another site, I hope that's okay: Showing off big time http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1653 Looking pretty :hap: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1654 Are you still watching me? http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1655 This is my sleeping area http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1656 okay so, I jump off here, and I'll try to land on the sofa, kk? :hap: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1657 Check out my fringe today, I'm pretending we're back in the 80's http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1658 I wasn't pulling threads from the toy, honestly! :angel1: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1659 okay, you can take one more picture http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1660 What do you mean "missing wing-feathers"? :hap: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1661 Sleeping beauty :hap: http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1662 Hello! http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1663 Last picture http://www.hateguild.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1664 Movies: Konrad needs a little more curage before she jumps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P10JNoRMxl8 She wants so much, but it doesn't go so well when you're missing all the feathers needed to fly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=093Ydqq-TZw Playing "Catch me" on the curtain rod http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WED903SniJI...related&search= Cheers

Hello again! Well, now it's been about 40 hours since she was sick, and she is as happy as ever. Seems like we both were very lucky, and it was something that stopped quick. She has been eating a LOT more than usual tho, so I guess she is regaining her strength, and I've checked the ground under her to make sure she isn't just biting off seeds to fool predators, she is actually eating them all =) If Konrad keeps this up, I'll be back posting in 2 weeks with a weigh problem in the topic =P Thank you all for your replies and help, you really eased my mind. Nharvi & Konrad

Hi again, Well, Konrad started off like he was regurgitation, but it ended with vomiting, and those were very violent, as described above. He haven't been doing it since 11 pm last night, and currently it's 2 pm here the day after. Thank you for the info tho, I've been reading every topic I can find about ill budgies since last night. One gets worried when my little angel is sick