Dave_McMinn

let me too extend the hand of friendship

best way to learn is to ask more exprienced people questions. When it comes to pets, trial and error really does suck.

they grow up so fast.....

My birds are always yawning. Well, they are when I am out that practising my jokes. Pretty hurtful now I think of it........

Kaz has offered you some excellent advice. Just because they can have young does not mean they should. Think of it with teenagers. A 13 year old's reproductive organs are fully operational. Does that mean they are okay to have kids? No one is out to put you down or have a go at you Brittany. We all struggle when we are starting out, however perhaps you can learn from this advice from this point onwards.

You keep asking if it is okay to put 2 males in one cage with a hen in the hope that one will breed with her. One will, and then they may well kill the other one. Not a very good strategy to go for if you love and care about your pets.

Well done AV, well done!!!!

When I first saw this picture, I thought he was a runner, with no tail feathers. Then I scrolled down and got the rest of the story. Good for you for providing a home for him.

Hoping for some type of commission

The snap on this rat one is so strong I am not sure anthing could survive. I did not actually snap it closed on spoon in the picture as i tried and it sprung off the bench and went flying across the room. This one is leaving nothing alive

I went back to Bunnings and bought some of the new traps, so I have all the info you need. This is the brand They come in 2 sizes, one for mice and one for rats. I figured that the rat one would also catch mice and i was right, so don't wase money, get the larger one. This is it in the pack Out of the pack You put the bait in the bottom, a small section usncrews and you put the bait in there, then screw the small section back in. You do all this before you even set the trap. No messy accidents with hitting your own finger. You then place the trap where you want it to go, and step on the back of it. You can set it and push it under a cabinet or something if you want. Look at these jaws!! Once the rodent steps on the very sensitive toungue to get the food, snap. I tested it with a spoon, and the pressuve of the snap is incredible. That would break a neck straight away. Neat, there is no chance of the rat running off with that. When the trap goes crack, so does the rat or mouse. okay, so how much are you all asking? $10.98 What can you use as bait? bread, cheese, peanut butter is good as it has a strong aroma and attracts rats and mice. Is it easy to dispose of the dead rats and mice? Yes, I took mine over to a bin, opened it above the bin and the dead mouse just fell in straight away. There was no blood, just one dead mouse and a trap that I could reset. In fact, the mouse did not even get a chance to eat any of the bait. It must have been sniffing, put a food on the pad - that surrounds the entire bait - and snap, he was gone. I thoroughly recommend these traps, far better than the old mouse trap!!!!

Its a seed bell. It is as much for eating as it is for playing with. They also get regular seed, but the seed bells are a great source of entertainment for them, so they stay. Well, I have been busy doing some pruning. The grevilleas and callistemons along my back fence were looking too scraggy, so I decided I would prune them, from the bottom up this time. That means I will be able to see the garden bed, as well as planting some ribbon grass in there for decorative effect. The advantage for the birds is that all the pruned branches went into the aviary. So here are some pics of the pruned area, followed by some shots of the avairy from a distance, then closer, then followed by some bird pics of them enjoying the new branches. Trees Below is the view the budgies have. You can just see the aviary frame on the left. In the middle of the cleanup (the small bin was not large enough, I filled one of the large Otto bins) Finally done - a view of the trees and the aviary form a distance Aviary up close with branches Birds enjoying their new food/play equipment Forgive the wire. I did not want to go in and spoil their enjoyment. Just on a positive note, my lutino hen Sunshine who refused to even show any interest in any males has now started to allow a male to feed her in the aviary. I am so pleased as it means that next breeding round, she is a good chance of producing young.

Good work Kaz. And thanks for the pics - LOL!!!!

Good point. Cats I am not worried about but the birds, very good point. Might leave them hidden where they are.

That is possibly the cutest picture I have ever seen

You should try it! I'm so comfortable I have been known to fall ................................................................................ ................... ................................................................................ .................................... LOL!!! I am picturing you in a satin smoking jacket, with a pipe. You do not have an office chair but a large, cushioned leather soafa style chair

LOL - yous sound so studious. I do none of that!!!!

Sorry about the double post but it has been almost 24 hours and no one else has written anything. I am wondering about those pics?

These are Mac and Tess. Mac is the larger one on the left. They are Cairn Terriers, a Scottish terrier made famous by Toto in the Wizard of Oz Mac on guard Tess on guard Dorothy and Toto

Green rings are 2007

I am always concerned about Rats and Mice in the aviary. Just when you think you have got all of them, more come. Anyway, i am not overly keen on the ratsak as my dogs, especially Tess, will eat anything. Also, rats and mice eat the ratsak and you never know if they have died or not. Can they become immune as well? I am always on the lookout for new products. I was at Bunnings the other day and they had this Rat Trap (also had it in a mouse size but I wanted the larger size for rats as well) and it was like a large clip. It has a section you screw out and put the bait in, and then you set it (easiest way to set it is to put it on the ground and press the back with your foot). Anyway, i went out to a friends place and I came home and put the dogs to bed. I thought I should check on the trap, and I was a bit annoyed to see it on its side. Only then did I notice (using torch light here remember and trying not to wake the birds) that there was a dead mouse hanging out the front. The spring is so powerful when it crashed down, the trap, which was sitting flat on the ground, bounced up and ended up on its side. The mouse is dead (the trap is strong enough to crush the head of a rat) and so tomorrow I will simply get the trap, open it over a bin and the dead mouse will fall out, reset the trap with more bait if needed, and place it again. I am so impressed I will go buy a couple more of these. I can set these on the top of fences (tying off one end so when the trap goes off I do not lose the trap over the fence). They cannot be used in the aviary, but if they get the rodents before they enter, then that is even better. I will get a picture of the trap, the packaging and inform people of the price as soon as a I can. It is just good to see that someone has finally updated the mousetrap, and the new one is better!!!!

Is it tomorrow yet? Are we meant to have pics now? Damn it, too early!!!!!

I'm going to break out in stress marks if I keep breeding these different budgies!! A new one that has come through with a very black head and wings! When I picked throwback for a name I wasn't kidding!! Whilst I liked your other one, this one I am really interested in. This one has the potential to help in the development of the black budgie in my utterly useless and uneducated-in-these-matters opinion.

The albino gene has to come from Dad. Dad must be split to albino. The 'Ino gene is a sex-linked gene, so if Mum had it, then she would be an albino, she cannot hide the 'Ino gene. All your albino's will be female.

That is a good idea about the laserlite Deb. I plan on putting some on my roof to let in more light when i make future modifications. Are those chickens in that last shot? Have you always had them? How come I did not notice them before.. WHEN I WAS THERE?!?!?!?!?!?!