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I don' know where you would buy your wire, but I buy mine from a timber and steel place and just go in and buy 1/2 by 1/2 wire mesh and it is 1.2 gauge thick for small birds, which is very strong, dogs etc can't destroy it. Yes and I wash my wire down with a vinigar wash also. Good luck.

That is the worse case of scaley mite that I have ever seen, I agree with Macka, they have had that for a long time. Vasaline works better than baby oil. Good luck feathers, but I'm sure with your love and attention those little birds will be as happy healthy little birdies in no time. :bluebudgie:

Hi Angelica and welcome to the forum. My Aviary has sand floor which the birds love. In the winter there is no mud so it might be worth considering. I want cement floors but my parnter will not do it. May be one day I will be able to talk him into it. But I do have cement around the whole aviary to stop birds digging out, not that they do, but you never know and to stop any thing getting in. Picture of my aviary, nothing special but it does the job. :bluebudgie:

Hi, a couple of years ago my first 2 babies were mops. We didn't realise until about 5 weeks old. Greg thought their wing feathers looked a bit strange at 4 weeks they were all about the same length from memory,and quite untidy looking, she would never have been able to fly. the first one died at 4 weeks but the second one from the same nest was gorgeous, it looked big, lots of feather I was so excited because its mum and dad were big, but When i held it it felt so skinny, anyway buy 6 weeks the feather were getting longer and buy 8 weeks they were all curly. She died at 10 weeks couldn't get here to eat. It was so sad. I took pictures of her but I can't find them. But she was really truely a lovely bird, I believe she would of been a show bird if she was normal. Since then I have never put those 2 birds back together and so far I have not got another one. TOUCH WOOD. The mother throughs beautiful big show quality babies. If I find the photos i will post them By the way there use to be a pet shop in Cobram not far from me that a friend said he was selling mops as special oriental birds for $85.00 and unspecting customers were buying them, this friend wanted one and asked the shop keeper if she could order one. Changed her mind once I pointed out that they are PLEASE BAN ME!!, she still wants one but not for that price. Just found picture but I have deleted all my photos off the kodak programme but accident but the little thumb nails are still there so I took a photo of that it is pretty blurry but IO think you can still see what she looked like, by the way she couldn't walk that well either. I think she was about 5 weeks old here

I have been breeding for a couple of years now and I still freak out and loose my head over even little things sometimes, I think it is really good to pamper and want the best for our little birds. Cheers

I would just try to cover the damage some how, I wouldn't worry to much about moving them, seems you had no choice. Last year we had to move are breeding boxes while they were sitting and all went perfectly well, they didn't seem to mine. Greg decided to extend half way during breeding season, i didn't want him to but I wasn't saying no because I didn't have much room, so we had to take all the breeding boxes out which then there were 6 and then put them back re-arranging them in different places and know one seemed to care. I guess my birds are a bit used to some noise because the breeding room is on the side of the garage and tool shed and Greg is always banging around in there. But last year I bred 76 babies only lost a couple from hens sitting too tight. I think the budgies are much hardier than we give them credit. :ausb:

Is the breeding cage still safe enough so they can not get out and is the breeding box still intact, as I would leave them until she has finished raising the young. That is if the eggs are fertile and the noise of the tree didn't kill the unhatched eggs. I'm not sure if that can happen but I know a decent thunder storm can kill unhatched eggs. BUT don't panick it doesn't always happen. But it is something to do with the vibration coming up from the earth. So I am not sure about a tree smashing down but it would not be good. I hope your eggs hatch and you have some lovely little babies.

Welcome Rob, this is a great forum, so much advice and info, looking forward to see some photos of your birds.

Hi Daz, what are they, always interested in learning new things.

I would definatley not spit on anything that is going to be put down your birds throat! :hap: I didn't like that bit either, i used a bit of oil.

Hi Sandee, I agree with Nerwen and Kas and your babies are soooo cute.

That's right Daz, last year I bought s really good pair and the breeder told us not to expect any thing from them that year and I got 2 nest of 6 chicks from them, But they wouldn't breed for him. The cock was 3yrs old and hen was 2. They're are down again and have 8 eggs, most seem fertile so far. I also bought a really nice skyblue opaline cock, about 4yrs old looked out of condition a bit , the breeder said he wasn't much good for breeding anymore as he hadn't got anything out of him for 2 years, well I put down this year and he is up to his 2nd nest already what lovely birds he was throwing. They are going to the uncapped show coming up soon. Can't wait.

I guess Kas all hens are different, there is only 2 hens I have at the moment with creamy tan ceres, one has been down for 3 weeks and is going back in the flight, and the other just raised a nest on her own and but she is finished for this year or at least a couple of months to give her a break. But the hen in the picture her cere came up a lot darker in the photo than it actually is and her cere isn't really crusty, I would say quite smooth like but not shiny.

Hi Guys, nearly all the hens I have put down, i think they were ready even though their cere is chocolate brown as they have been digging, scratching around and chewing, a well know breeder told me if you see them digging chewing etc they are ready to go down and that is what I look for , not so much the cere. But my hens are very active you would think they were cock birds at how active they are. You see I have the hens seperated from the cocks so I know that they are not fertile to the wrong bird and when I pair them up the hens are all flirty with the cocks I chose all most straight away. Most times I have eggs within 2weeks sometimes earlier.

Hi Kas, now that I have the confidence to use one I will be medicating like that from now on. or when needed. It is a really good thing to learn but up till now I have never needed to and was to afraid to do it but I discovered it is really quite easy once you put your mind to it and decide that " you can do this" because I decided a couple of years ago that no way would I be able to use one. I would prefer some else to do it for me. But since I have been a member of this club I am doing lots of new things by myself. I think the info you guys give members is so great. Oh well it has helped me heaps any way. Cheers Julie:ausb:

The green must be split for blue and Albino is a blue, because the father is Albino you could get Albino hens too, actually all hens will be Albino and all cocks will be split for Albinos.

I would worry to much as we have only used standard gal bolts washers and nuts and pop rivets on my Flights and the birds don't worry about them and I haven't lost any birds because of them. If you are too worried do what Kas said.

I totally agree with Kas. Budgies don't like change if you move it they more than likely will abandon the young

Daz I don't get that, as all my hens that I have put down including the one pictured in this post have the dark chocolate cere have settled, mated and have had all fertile eggs some have already hatched young, none are attacking their mates, some are first time hens and first time cocks also. There is one hen that I have put down with a lighter tan which has been 3 weeks and still nothing, I was thinking she wasn't ready because her cere was light in colour. NOW I am confused. :excl:

It was a bit scary the first Daz, but now I am a master at it. Certainly saves lives when you have no foster parents spare.

Hey Daz, Once you have designed and made it, you will have to post it so we can see how it turns out, you might want to share your plans with us. I would be very interested. especially using a heating cable.

Yes I know it has been relisted still watching it. But it would be a great buy for someone around Melbourne, Maybe some one on here might see topic and buy it.

Hi Kaz, I ahve been watching that one on Ebay for over a month now, it started off at buy it now I think $250.00 and bid now 220.00, then it went down bit by bit last time it was $99.00 as for this time. but they worked down from $200 then $150. So you can see it must be a good cage, they must of paid a fair bit for it. I haven't bid because I can't get to Melbourne.

That was my understanding also. A couple months ago I had a bird little fluffed up, so I put him in a show cage with a light attached to the outside, it was only 25watt, but it was blinding to him. So I had to put a piece of board over 1/2 of the front so he could get away from a bit of the light. Greg said the poor little thing was been blinded from too much light. Personally I don't like to have too much light but it is up to the individual what they like and want.

Yes.. I forgot to mention that we usually give the oats a quick blitz in the blender to make them a little smaller Yep theyr'e are starting to eat it, I put the process bran and oats in the blender too, to make it a bit smaller, I add silverbeet leaves etc also. Thanks for posting I think it is a great easy cheap recipe.