Silver

Can beetroot really be given?

Oh those budgies are like precious stones!

Isn't brocolli some kind of cabbage? That is absolutely right! Byt they can be washed and dried thoroughly and that will prevent them from rotting so fast.

I've tried lightly boiled and graded carrots - yellow and orange. Also dandylion leaves, unfortunately almost gone due to the weather now. But their favourites are apples - a day that keep the doctors away. They also like persimmon. Banana was also nibbled, but I am afraid to offer them, since I've heard they spray them when transport. The poll has convinced me to offer more veggies.

Thank you for the good advice! Egg shells should be a good calcium supply for the birds. My mother-in-law gives some to chicken together with seashells we gather for her in summer. Maybe budgies will try seashells too. :offtopic: What are your birds' favourite veggies?

Thank you, Lovey! I gave them some honey just following my intuition. I didn't know about the first aid! I got some flower pollen once. They told me it should be eaten a teaspoonful a day for immune system. I couldn't swallow even smaller amount - the stuff is too strong. I still have it in a small jar (small granulas). They say it is very wholesome. Do you think budgies will appreciate it? Love, Silver. :offtopic: I do envy you: your birds are so tame that they steal your food! I heard that tiny amount of sugar can be used just for taming or training the little guys.

Thank you for the information! I haven't seen such calcium perches in our pet stores yet. I have taken those dowel ones out and introduced pine branches. The cage itself looks more comfortable and interesting because of the shapes. The birds like them a lot, I can tell that. The blue - Pirate - chirps and cooes from morning till night, and the lutino - Princess seem to be very content with her new set of furniture! :offtopic:

Oh yes, lilac flowers are not poisonous and can be eaten (eating an even-petal one brings good luck ). However, I heard people say that lilac branches are of no use as fodder for animals, well, it is not important! There's still a long way to go before we can get fresh lilac branches with leaves and flowers! Thank you for the info about the sassafrass. If it grows in the north of the US it might be common in Europe as well. The name is just the same. Can it be so that budgies themselves choose what to gnaw on if we offer them different twigs? Do you think they might instinctively ignore those which are toxic to them? Love, Kathie

Hello to the budgie-friend! Is Baby happy with her new company? How do your budgies co-exist with the snakes? :offtopic:

I have heard or read somewhere that a little bit of honey is good for budgies. I have tried that already but still have doubts about it. Also, craneberries in sugar - sounds good and wholesome, but maybe not a good idea? Sugar should be poisonous for them... But how can they survive without sweet stuff (considering they are not allowed to eat chocolate!) Well, seriously, what about honey?

[ I never heard it to be toxic, but if you don't feel comfortable with it don't use it. Lilac should not be altogether toxic, but it doesn't sound like safe stuff. We have it here in abundance. I thought it contains some bitter oils... I am ignorant indeed but what is that sassafrass, and where does it grow? As to the pine, yes, I found some old dried and clean pine twigs which i intend to use in the cage. Sap is bad, and could be probably poisonous. Thank you for the cone idea! I haven't thought about it! I collect cones and have some huge from the Botanical garden, from Hungary and Russia. I am not sure if all of them can be safely used though...I have some strange Hungarian pine cones, Siberian cedar, different fur-tree cones. Our pine cones are quite small and can be found everywhere. How do you wash them? If you do... aren't the birds afraid of them? My budgies ignore even fresh twigs and grass. maybe they chew on them when I am away though... Thank you so much for the advice and the reference! A rope perch is a good idea. But what is a calcium perch? Maybe it is a piece of chalk? Dowel also sounds mysterious... They shouldn't spray our forests, so I think threre are no pesticides. I will also just set some branches in the cage!

[ If it ends up that you have two boys , thats okay they will get along just fine , they might even act like a couple and that's normal . l have boys and girls together and lately two of my males have taken a liking to one another and are acting like a couple :(Laughing out loud): Birdluv, thank you for your advice. You are describing a funny situation indeed! However, won't it be better for the birds health to have boys and girls? I am also afraid that the girls might not be accepted by these two later. Let's wait and see what happens... I quite agree with Shellball, we cannot trust dogs with birds. My dog always watches the birds when they fly around instantly. Once she even caught the lutino Princess in her mouth, but it was a very gentle catch, the bird was not hurt at all. The fact is that she really wants to play with them, She cannot control her curiosity. But she can't always fully control all her movements either. Our dogs trainer told us that a german shepherd once just accidentally shut his mouth when a budgie was sitting in it. Don't know what exactly it was doing there. Dogs cannot fly and that helps. She is very obedient, and I hope to train her, when the birds get tamer, to be gentle and cautious.

Hello! I come from Latvia. I've read that natural perches are better for budgies' feet. We don't have any choice of them in stores so I am thinking of getting some twigs from a very clean forest. Although, I realise no forest is truely clean nowadays... Ours is virtually virgin, but there live birds, of course. The branches need some desinfection, I believe. Also the type of the wood is important. We have mainly pine forests. There is some fur and juniper as well as birch, oak (which is poisonous for budgies), ash , linden, maple, willow, and some other trees. Pine is the best for me: found everywhere, easy to recognise, soft to shape. I've heard apple tree is safe, although some people say it's not. I am quite confused. Has anyone any experience? I'll be grateful for any piece of advice.

Hello from Riga! Thank you very much for your replies! The commentaries were so explanatory and I enjoyed reading them. I will definitely look for eterry website on bonding. I realise that it will hardly be possible to reach the 'childhood' sort of bonding that I had had with my first lutino bird. It has just occurred to me that my childhood Chapa might have been a boy and that's why we never had any chicks. When her green companion passed away we bought Chapa several other friends but they all mysteriously died. Only now I realise that Chapa might have treated the young newcomers badly. Back then I was very young and my parents didn't have a clue and we had nowhere to get any info about budgies. I do not expect parakeets to be as tame and as obedient as dalmatians. Birds are freedom loving creatures, they are bound to be afraid of larger animals like us. I didn't want to have just one parakeet and teach him speak. I think they are much happier living together, that's why we got another one. I would love to see them much calmer and trusting around humans and dogs. Maybe, just one dog. We also have three cats in the country house. We were visiting there last week and had to take a lot of precautions to protect the birds against the youngest cat who was just hunting them. The birds stayed in the cage for the three days of our visit. We will think how to separate them hard because we live in the country for the whole summer. The birds have been with us for a month and a half now. I can tell that they are a bit more relaxed, especially the blue one (he was not clipped and is a great flyer). But there is still a lot to do on the way to our mutual understanding. The reason I cannot post any pictures now is that I can't really take a good picture of them until I get them sit more or less relaxed when somebody is approaching. Maybe you could advise us what to do if our lutino turns out to be a boy? Is it a good idea for two boys to live together or should we eventually 'enrich' their little world by adding two females? Thank you for your help! I loved the story about the liver spot dalmatian. We had a dog show in Riga and a liver spot boy won last week. Mine is a black spot girl. Yes, they are like kids, lovely beings who always live in our hearts. She tries to play with the birds when they are out flying. I know she doesn't mean any harm, but being a kid, she may be quite clumsy. It scares me. Has anyone had any experience of having dogs and birds? Is trust ever possible? I am sorry for this unreasonably long and hectic letter.

Thank you, Rainbow! :hap: The list really helps. We have lots of plants at home. Now I am thinking of what to do with such things as diffenbahia and amaryllis. I do not let the birds out of the cage unmonitored. What about pine? It is the most common tree here in Latvia and I was thinking of making some natural perches of pine twigs.

Thank you, Phoebe. I think you are quite right in this one. Also I can't say my birds enjoyed the shower much. I'd rather watch other people give their birds a bath first. Besides, it is winter, and although it is rather warm now the Sun is just not there... :hap:

Thank you, Rainbow, for your kind advice! I am only learning it and I was out of town for a week so it will take me some time. I do hope my lutino is a girl. The cere is pink or pinkish blue. The bird behaves like a little capricious princess (Princess Citruss is her name) to the blue Pirate - boy.

Thank you, Nerwen, for your advice! I will learn eventually. Your description is so precise, that I am almost certain that my lutino is a girl! Pictures are coming soon.

I have given them a bath (a shower rather) today. They surely didn't like it at first, but then took it with stoicism. They look clean and happy now chirping in the cage under the lamp I put up to keep them warm. I plan to give them a bath once in a fortnight.

Is it necessary to cover for the night? Should the cover be of a dark fabric? My budgies get scared whenever I cover them... :mellow:

I purchased my two birds from different places. The lutino girl? was clipped, the boy was not. When they got to fly around in the room, the boy was very sure of himself, looked happy and proud. The girl nearly killed herself, hitting the furniture and falling onto plants and stuff. She looked miserable!

Don't get a tall cage. Width is much more important. Bea, your cage is super! I like the perches too. Yours are very lucky budgies!

Hi! :sad: Is it possible to tell the sex of a lutino bird? It has a pinkish cere but in some other lighting it may seem blueish. The bird is gentle and shy. Doesn't chirp as much as its partner. Doesn't bite if handled. I come from Latvia, and I am really enjoying your site!

Hi! It is great to know that there are such people in the world as Nodders. I love animals, but I can afford a dalmatian dog, two fish tanks, and two budgies so far. We also have two more dogs, three cats, and a cow in the country. I need some help: I would love to make sure whether my lutino bird is a girl. Also: is it safe to transport budgies to the countryside in a car (it is +8C in Latvia)? I wish I knew how to insert pictures! :sad: It is a great forum! We don't have anything like it in Latvia.

Hello! I am enjoying your site. I come from Latvia. I really need some advice on budgies. I've bought a couple of them: a blue cock and a lutino hen(?). Is it possible to determine the sex of a lutino? The yellow one is more gentle, doesn't bite ad n doesn't sing as much. Could somebody help? :rip: