thk

scruff.... or no scruff... Merlin is still gorgeous!!!!!

yes i had that problem initially.. family would say to me that it was just budgie chatter. I used to say "but LISTEN!!! he's saying "hello sweetie"!!!!" they'd roll their eyes and say "yes mum!! of course he is <snigger snigger>" and of course he never talks when theyre visiting!!! It took him AGES to get used to seeing the camera.. I started holding it in front of me when i talk to him and he's finally accepted it. He used to stop INSTANTLY when i clicked it on!! Frustrating little man!!! :devil: :devil:

Charley is still at it. :yellowhead: Here's the latest clip of my little man having a conversation with his "friend". I think he's doing well and improving his pronunciation dont you? He's finally getting used to the camera too, its the first time I havent had to sneak around to record him. Take a look please!!...

WOW what a hunk!! he's a handsome bird! and she's beautiful!!.. cant wait to see their babies!!!! Congratulations Kaz!

Thanks for more photos!! he's GORGEOUS.. and looks so friendly... lovable.. and cuddly!!!!!!

He's got the CUTEST face!!!!! Its so easy to get so attached to them isnt it? they are such great little characters.. and they are so good at returning the love!!!

Thats SO CUTE!! Can we see more photos?? is he like that all over???

Great little "picture story book" there!! very very cute!!! :hap: :hap: :hap:

I am amazed at the sounds birds can make considering they dont have lips!!! Charley's words for example....like Bad Boy, Pretty Budgie, Bye Bye.. (you try saying them without moving your lips!!) and other sounds like "Scratch" where he emphasises the "SCRRRRRRRRRRRRRatch" .. it took him a little longer to master "woopsadaisy!!" but he's got that now too. He can definitely speak better than I can whistle!!!!!!!!

hello Twit????? :sad: :hap: :hap:

Its funny how they drop certain words.. and seem to keep their favourite ones! Charley often drops his "scratch my" and has retained the "tummy, tummy, tummy!!" which he says over and over again. Also often drops his "bad bad" and says only "charley is a boy! boy! boy!" Its almost as if he can think and indeed is thinking "i really love that word TUMMY!!!... TUMMY TUMMY TUMMY!! " .....and "what a great word is BOY ... BOY BOY!!" Other times its as if he's doing some kind of vocab homework.. he'll sit there, shoulders hunched (concentrating!) and goes .. "boy... scratch.... tummy.... hello.... charley... bad bad... bye bye.. pretty.. clever.. budgie..." He's a very entertaining little man!! :sad:

Charley talks really well but to catch him on camera or tape is very rare!! I've tried all sorts of things, lying on the floor and holding my camera up, or standing with my back to him pretending to not be interested in him, with camera poised.. but he "senses!!!" that I'm trying to "trap" him! Its so frustrating isnt it when you can hear these clever words and phrases, yet they stop instantly when you want to capture it. I wish I knew how some of the clever talking and dancing birds on You Tube are filmed strutting their stuff!!! :bluebudgie:

That is SOOO CUTE!! I love the way he waddles!! Budgies never cease to amaze me in the clever way they can play!!! They have so much fun!! What a cute "Birdie" toy!! The little balls with bells inside are also great fun. Charley ADORES his and throws and kicks it around every single day, he throws it up in the air, picks it up and puts it in his water dish and flirts with it. I know i should sometimes rotate his toys but I would not wish to take his favourite toy off him. I think he would suffer from depression. Well thats how I think.. maybe I SHOULD take it off him now and then. Is it recommended to take much loved toys off them now and then.. or is that only when they become a problem (as in possessiveness)?? can someone advise me on that??

I also think Charley's problem is that he's not fully "budgie" but part human. He's in the bedroom with me and has no real contact with other birds. He can hear Maxie in the other room but they have no contact.. I'm too worried he will lose his tameness and talking talent if they "meet", he seems happy this way, with just my company. He talks to everything, even the cage wire.. and especially the pegs. It still makes me laugh when he snuggles up to a peg saying "hello sweetie!! give us kiss!!" I love the way he scrambles his words up sometimes.. he'll say "Scrrrrrrratch my tummyy" (really emphasising the rrrrrrrr!!!) very clearly most times but then he'll come out with a "scrrrrrrrrrummmy!! Charley is a scrrrrrrumy tummy!!!" he's hilarious!! Maxie is a lovely girl but is purely a budgie, very nervous of human contact and only ever chirps away to herself. I used to feel sorry for her so she has a mirror buddy now and seems happy with that.

wow, that sounds odd The thought has often crossed my mind that maybe my (indoor) budgies dont sleep "tucked" in because perhaps they're feeling its too hot to do so?? .. do your budgies still tuck their heads in when the weather is hot??? I think with Charley though its a fear that he might MISS seeing something!!! he's very nosey!!!! He knows if he tucks his head away, in the time it takes to take his head "out" and turn it, something may very well have passed him by!!!

Yep.. totally serious. Mine have never done it. I'm quite disappointed as I think it looks sooo cute!! I've tried to sneak a look when they're sleeping, covered or uncovered but nope!! heads just in a normal position!! Sad isnt it!!!???

I've never seen an "old budgie" before.. how CUTE!! she's lovely!! Like a little old lady!! Obviously still has a personality too, that's great to see!! I love her!!

Charley was a "runner" when I got him, at a few weeks of age, couldnt fly at all and was very VERY tame. Then he started to bite more and more, not painfully but still, it was begining to worry me. I think he was about 3 or 4 months old then. However, he only did it for a few weeks and now doesnt ever even try to bite me. He is now 6 months old and sometimes just sort of "nibbles" which seems to be more of a loving bite (love bite?? (Laughing out loud)) but completely got over the "nasty" type of biting. What he does now is almost a "caress" I dont know how common that is but it does confirm what "Ikon" suggested, that its a fairly normal adolescent thing. I'll be interested to read what others have experienced with biting.

I LOVE Tango's little "beard"!!!! it's so fluffy.. what a CUTIE!!!!

Excellent photos!! I love the sight of a budgie "tucked up" under his wings. Why wont my two ever sleep that way?? Is it common that some budgies just dont tuck their little beaks away? perhaps their mum's never showed them how to? They are in separate cages in separate rooms so its not like they've learnt (not learnt?) from each other! They both just close their eyes and sleep.. i'd love them to "tuck up"!! Looks ever so cute!!!

Very difficult to cope with for everyone involved, including the day care workers who no doubt feel a great sense of guilt. You are right, babies and children should outlive their parents and its very very devastating when they dont. I hope you can all recover from this, though I dont know how. You have my sympathy, we're all thinking of you. May little Archer

I love the sight of budgies sleeping with their little heads tucked under their wing!! I've never seen either of mine sleep that way.. I wonder why some do and some dont! I guess its like humans, some sleep on their backs, others on their tummies!!! :hap:

only 5 more days???? but who's counting!! ALL OF US!! we are ALL waiting with you!! :budgiedance: :yellowhead:

How CUTE!!!!!! :yellowhead: They are so pretty!! and what great photos!! obviously the blue one (is that Franklin?) did a little too much concentrating (I notice he's taking a great interest in the letter "A" in the first photo) and just couldnt stay "A" wake!! I am a little worried when Charley wanders onto my laptop. I once spilt only a COUPLE OF DROPS of water on my keyboard, it immediately died and I had to have the keyboard replaced. It was an expensive bit of carelessnes! :budgiedance: I love the way your two darlings are interacting, in the second photo. Gorgeous!!!

speaking of running water and budgies.... as i've spoken about many times on this forum, Charley picks up new words after only a few days... well he's now picked up the sound of (wait for it!!!!)... "tinkling!!" he has this really (rather cute!) sound that can not be described in any other way than "tinkling"! He lives in my bedroom and i have an ensuite where I tend to "go to" many times during the day (and night!)... recently i heard his new sound and thought "what the HECK has he picked up now???" I couldnt work out what his new sound was (a very quick, high pitched "water" sound).. then I realised when I was in the ensuite and myself "making" this sound...I could hear it "echo-ing" from his cage!!! THIS is the sound he is imitating!! how embarrassing!! Now when I'm in my ensuite and he's in his cage, its almost as if he's mocking me by repeating the sound!! Its quite off putting!! ... but rather funny (and so cute!!) :sad: Needless to say, I'm now VERY careful about the "noises" I make around the place :sad: