Jac

Thanks Cheeky, I will try your suggestions.

Thanks for replying Kaz. I have one of those patio size cages but it is inside, they have to fly between perches but it is only a couple of flaps. They come out every morning and have a fly around my living room while I am cleaning the cage and getting their food, but they are a bit lazy and prefer to sit on the furniture to survey their domain Sounds like I will have to give them a bit more encouragement to exercise. I just don't want the male to loose any weight. I have just got him back to a good weight after an illlness.

Hi I have a problem and am hoping you might be able to help me. I have two pet budgies, one male and one female. The male budgie is a good normal weight, but the female is very fat 54grams!On advice from the avian vet I have reduced their seed to two containers with 1 1/2 teaspoons of diet budgie seed in each and they get a mix of greens and fruit, and when I can get hold of some, grevillea flowers and the like. I also give them Soluvet in their water each day as advised by the vet. I have tried to separate them so I can control their food more closely, but they carry on like baby budgies trying to dig their way out to get to each other. Any and all suggestions will be very welcome.

Hi MB I refuse to put on our Air Conditioner. We bought our 3 bedroom unit off friends and were looking forward to using the airconditoner as it is ducted and can be used through the whole house. That was until our friends told us that they had used it constantly day and night for a few days over Christmas and their electricity bill shot up to $1100.00 for the quarter. Also my husband and I own a shop and needed to use the air con for a few weeks during summer and our shop electricity bill almost doubled. There are definitely days we will need to use it for our customers comfort (we have a hifi, home theatre business and have listening and viewing rooms) but if I can get by without it I will. Sorry for the long post.

Hi Kaz At Wintersun every year their is an old black hearse that has blue LCD strip lighting and dry ice spookily drifting out of the windows. It looks very effective. Sounds like you will be having some fun.

Hi Lisa Our local Avian vet is Peter Wilson. He is in the Currumbin Valley up pass the rock pools. His phone number is in the yellow pages. He and his assistants are very nice. I take my new birds there for an initial checkup and once over as well as quaranteening them.

Hi, I am grateful for all your concerns. Sunnie has finished moulting and is fitting fit. He is looking very handsome. I think I have suffered more from his ordeal than him Neat I too treat my pets with just the same concern as my daughter. I have always been of the opinion that when you take on a pet, you take them on for life. My daughter has been brought up that if the dog growled at her or the cat scratched her then she must have done something to provoke them, because they wouldn't do it for no reason. In my home the pets have equal standing with the humans. I thought I had found a good person to look after Sunnie and Lucy (my dog) but I have realised not everyone is as cautious as us. Fortunately, Sunnie had a narrow escape and is happy and healthy and has suffered no ill effects.

Thanks for your concern. I got home nearly a week after the 'event' and Sunnie was his usual self, apart from moulting. I checked him over when I found out what had happened and he appeared to come out of his ordeal unscathed. A very lucky escape. The way it was explained to me by our friend he was on the floor of the oven. The grill is at the top. Although the oven would have been warm, I think he was found in time. I agree totally that our friend shouldn't have put the grill on and left the room. For the foreseable future I think if I have to travel again my husband will have to stay at home. I live in Tweed Heads by the way AV.

Recently I had to travel to New Zealand to attend my Grandad's funeral. As I knew this was going to be a tough time I asked my husband to accompany me. This now posed us a problem. Who was going to look after the budgie and the dog? Last time I had to go away I left my birds ( I only have one now) with my Dad, and I found out when I went to pick them up that he was housing them in the garage - with the car . So I was not going to leave my little man with him this time. My little dog is 17 and a half and is going blind and deaf, so I no longer put her in the kennels. We had to think hard about who could come and stay and decided on a friend who is single and who has had a lot of experience looking after both dogs and budgies. Anyway, when I returned from NZ, Sunnie was going through a massive moult and I thought it might have been the stress of having a stranger looking after him. That night when I went to cook tea I even noticed feathers in the oven, can you see where I am going? After speaking to our friend it turns out he put some fish fingers in the oven to grill for breakfast and went off to have a shower. We had asked him to let Sunnie have his regular fly around in the morning not thinking he would leave him unattended. Which of course is what happened. Now Sunnie never usually goes into the kitchen but I guess he was left alone and went exploring (we also don't cook when he is loose either). Well he explored himself right into the oven and couldn't get out. Our friend returned from his shower and went to get his breakfast and found Sunnie sitting on the floor of the oven, he picked him up and put him back in his cage. I still feel sick when I think what could have happened . Oh, and our friend also gave our dog fleas. He must have got them off his dog!

Hi I take my guys to Peter Wilson in the Currumbin Valley. He is an avian specialist. He is 4km past the Currumbin Rock Pools. His phone number is in the Gold Coast Yellow pages in the location guide.

Hi Well the inevitable happened and I received a phone call from the Vet telling me Baby was now having seizures, and he asked if he could euthanise. Of course I said yes. I miss her dreadfully but she wasn't getting any better and it was inhumane to keep her going. I wish the little buggers would let you know they are sick before they get really bad, but I understand why they don't. On a brighter note Sunny has finished his course of medication and appears to be fine. I am going to pick him up soon. Fingers crossed he will stays well! Thanks to everyone for their well wishes. Jay

Hi Spoke to the Vet last night. Still having problems with Baby. She is now experiencing weakness in her legs. The Vet is wondering if the Trich has become systemic and is affecting her kidneys. She is trying to eat seed and appears a bit brighter, but she is having trouble perching and is spending her time on the bottom of the cage. Sunny is fine except he is getting a bit distressed with trying to feed Baby and gee her along. If Baby doesn't make a dramatic improvement in the next couple of days, I think I will be getting the quality of life talk from the Vet! :yellowhead:

Hi All, Just thought I should pass on the importance of getting quick vet care for our little friends that aren't feeling well. I went to let my budgies Baby and Sunny out for their morning fly around and noticed that Baby was not looking well - pooy bum, fluffed out and lethargic. I phoned the avian vet straight away and took her in, it turns out she has trichomoniasis and it took them a couple of days to work out what was wrong with her because she wasn't vomiting. I have had her for about 12 months and did the quarantine thing and vet check when I got her ( just as well because she had Mega!), but the vet reckons she has probably had the trich since I got her as well and for some reason it has decided to rear it's ugly head now. So she and Sunny are still at the vets a week later, Sunny appears fine, but Baby is still battling. She had good days and bad. It is still a wait and see game Jay

Hi Tiabear I live in Tweed Heads and take my babies to an Avian Vet in the Currumbin Valley. His name is Peter Wilson. I know it is still along way from Ballina, but he is passionate about birds and wildlife. It would probably take you an hour and a half to drive to him, not far by Aussie standards!!

I'm confused, when I bought my baby recently I took her to my avian vet for the initial check up. He found megabacteria straight away and put her on a course of Megabac. When she went back for a check up she was clear. Why is it taking your vet so long to come up with a definite diagnosis?

Hi, my avian vet told me to grow a Lemon-scented Tea Tree for my birds. He even gave me some to take home. He said they the leaves were the right size for budgies. My two ate all the leaves and are still with me!

I have seen him eating, but he does dig a lot out of his seed bowl. I have spread some on the floor of his cage so he can forage if he likes. Tonight when I was holding him I did feel his keel bone, that is what has got me concerned. The vet said he was a good weight on Thursday. I will call him Monday morning. The vet didn't seem to be concerned about the Megabacteria he said to treat it for ten days at home and if after a further seven days it is still evident they will take baby (still can't decide on a name) in and crop dose him. He has been extremely active over the last few days. Very hyper, in fact a lot more than my other two budgies where when I brought them home. Actually I would like to thank the forum, because of reading posts from the members I put my new baby into quarantine when I brought him home, just as well as it has turned out. Oops almost forgot, since starting the medication he doesn't have a messy vent anymore.

Hi All On Tuesday last week I bought myself a new baby. I took him to our local avian vet on Thursday for a check up which was just as well because we caught him in the early stages Avian Fungal infection (?) (Megabacteria). Anyway I am now treating him with the Mega S the vet gave me for him. The question I have is that he is a very active baby ( thinks if he digs through his food he will find the magic portal to get him out of his cage!) and I have noticed in the last couple of days he has lost weight. The vet has me giving him just dry food to make him thirsty so that he will drink his medicated water. What can I do to keep his weight up? Thanks.

Hi Sailorwolf Being a Kiwi I know what you mean about the fly screen straps they use in dairies, but when you talk about dairies the rest of the world think cows, not corner stores!!

Thanks everyone for your feedback. My Mum tells me her budgie loves the seeds from Capsicum. She just takes out the core with the seeds attached and then hangs that in the cage. I think I will give it a try.

Hi I have been growing Capsicums (Bell Peppers) and have been told that budgies like to eat the flesh and seed. Is this correct? I don't want to try it unless I am certain. Thanks

Hi, thank you for replying to my query. I had heard about budgies getting fatty tumours, but never thought about them getting them orally. It was not a pretty sight. I had been out for a couple of hours and returned home to find him, my other budgie, the cage and the wall covered in blood. Apparently he must have bit the tumour and it wouldn't stop bleeding. I managed to find a vet that would look at him (it was a Sunday evening), but he died that night at the surgery. Sunny, my remaining budgie seems to be doing well. I now have to decide if I will get a companion for him, and if I do will it be hand raised.

Hi, my budgie Buddy died last week. It all happened very suddenly. I didn't even know he was sick. The vet thinks he had a tumour of the soft palate. Is this common?