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I think the need to breed pets is a maternal/paternal thing that most of us humans have. I can see how the idea of bringing new life into the world, watching them grow (and feather up) is so appealing. I have often thought I would LOVE to breed budgies. My parents had a HUGE aviary when I was growing up and we bred budgies, canaries and finches, we kept them all and it was so wonderful watching these little naked bodies feather up and one day be sitting on the perches next to their mum and dad. Mum and Dad did it for the love of their birds (strictly taking breeding boxes away and always ensuring we didnt over breed!). I remember mum in the kitchen making bowls of "baby food" as they supplemented the sometimes underfed. They were raised on love. As was pointed out many times in this post.. most breeders on this site seem to be like my parents were, breeding sensibly and with such love. However in every case of animal breeding you have your "backyard" breeders who abuse the privilege and do it for the wrong reasons. I salute all the "loving" breeders on this site, who do it to improve the breeds and do it with love for each and every baby that enters their world. I agree that you shouldnt even contemplate it if you havent done your research into breeding, learning EVERYTHING there is to know, realising that if there are problems you must engage an avian vet, and knowing that you will need to pay for this service, asking yourself what your reasons are for breeding, it is a long term commitment. Dont enter into it if you're one of the "lets give it a try" group. I would dearly LOVE to bring baby budgies into this world too, and watch them grow but common sense tells me its a huge responsibility and I am not in a position to look after them or pay for their care if they get sick. So I stick with my two "pet" budgies and just love them dearly. I say again.. i'm sure most of the breeders on this site have the right reason and attitude when it comes to breeding. Good for you!!!

I checked him out on the trading post site. He's ADORABLE!! Cocker Spaniels are my second favourite breed (after Golden Retrievers as I always felt Cockers are like mini Goldens!). Hope we see some more photos of him soon. What an exciting day when you go to pick him up!!!!!

My Charley is a good talker so I spend a lot of time repeating the same phrase over and over again. I put my mouth and nose close to his beak and he flirts with me also, now and then giving a very soft twitter and staring at my mouth, as if he's memorising what I say. He doesnt usually talk to me at those times. Then when I put him back and leave him he usually starts repeating what I've been saying. I need a lot of patience and it gets boring saying the same thing over and over.. until I hear him saying it back.. then it was all worthwhile. I also say "bye bye Charley".. every time I leave the room, each time I go out the door and close it behind me. It took about two days before I heard him sitting there on his perch saying "bye bye Charley". It usually happens that I think "hey???? what did he just say???" as it seems to come out of the blue, suddenly. Once he's got it he doesnt stop! He recently learnt "scratch my tummy" and he now says the words constantly, also mixes it up with his other words.. e.g. "Charley is a tummy".. "Scratch my pretty budgie".. "bye bye tummy!".. "Charley is a bad ...bad... tummy!" (he LOVES the word "tummy"!! I find he gets "favourite words") I found once he was able to say his first phrase, he learnt more very very quickly. So I say persevere.. and one day, out of the blue, he'll say his first word.. and its so exciting!!! No less than your human baby's first word!!!! Good luck. he's a lovely budgie!!

I found this out too... the hard way, although luckily not TOO hard!! my first cage, admittedly it was an emergency cage till i could find something better, had bars too far apart and first day I left Charley on his own all day, came home from work and there he was, walking around the lounge room floor (he had no flight feathers at that stage so didnt do himself a great deal of harm thank goodness!) I put him back in, grabbed the car keys and "flew" straight out to buy a "proper" cage. The distance between bars had not even crossed my mind!! I felt sick thinking he could have just got his head stuck and hung himself!! OUCH!! lesson learnt!! (now he just knows how to open the doors so every opening is pegged!!)

I love the way she's snuggled into the chair!!!! So cute!!!!!

OH YES!!! My two budgies go CRAZY when I even turn the tap on and they hear the water in the sink!! I thought they just like the noise. Maxie is a very quiet girl and rarely chats other than softly.. but she goes absolutely crazy when I turn the tap on.. she stops instantly when i turn it off.. its at the stage where I have to fill the kettle in the evening for an early morning cuppa as the minute she hears the tap.. even if the cage is covered.. she starts.. and she is LOUD!! Its quite humerous at times. Its like turning a little feathered radio on and off!!

LOVE the birthday party photos!! They're obviously having a great time and doesnt Blinkie look proud!!!! He's adorable!!!! Congratulations Blinkie!!!!

I love the photos .. especially the first one where they are all sitting so NEATLY in rows!! Like a little budgie school! Beautiful flock, and all look so happy!

Sorry.. should be okay now. I find Photobucket often does that and I have to go back in and do it again! Should be fine now!

I really would like you to take a look at these (they're not long!!) ... Charley took about THREE days to learn his new phrase .."scratch my tummy"... I dont know how he does it .. without lips!!! He LOVES the word "tummy" and sometimes I wake to him practicing "tummy.. tummy .. tummy... Charley is a tummy!" (okay he gets a little mixed up!!) .. I hope you will take a look and can indeed understand him!! http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x112/tm...ent=scratch.flv http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x112/tm...nt=CIMG0032.flv

I LOVE the way the three of them seem to be having a "conversation"! THey are really cute photos!!! They're being so sociable and all look very content. Congratulations on a beautiful flock.. and excellent photos!!!!

Nothing cuter than baby budgies, love them when theyre half feather and half "down"! very cute. I think I love Chingy best although they're all beautiful. Congrats on a very handsome flock!!

Wondering what the problem was with Charley as he kept hovering around his water dish tonight. .. then I could see the problem. How was he going to get the ball out of the water after his successful shot at "goal" during his favourite game (soccer). He stood back and let me take these couple of photos. They're not the best due to the flash and his light colouring but I think they're okay. http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x112/tm...i/football1.jpg http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x112/tm...i/football2.jpg http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x112/tm...i/football3.jpg

what an exciting time for you!! and a special Christmas day baby!!!! how nicely timed!! Congratulations.. cant wait to see more pics as they grow!!

Thats so funny and thanks for giving me some ideas of more words to teach him. He learns them so quickly but I run out of ideas of what to teach him!!!... Since he's now learning "charley's a bad bad bad boy".. I've started teaching him "Mummy's a GOOD girl!!" I couldnt think of anything else but I like the "aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi" because he seems to be good with the "s" sound (as in when he says "hello sssssweeeeetie!" and he really emphasises the "s" in "give us a kiSSSSSSSSS". If you can think of any other phrases.. please let me know!! He also makes me laugh (embarrassed???) when I get out of the shower (buck naked!!) and I hear... a wolf whistle followed by "hello sweetie!! give us a kisssss!!! pretty pretty pretty.... BAD BAD BOOOY!!!" I have to keep recording him (which is why I keep posting the videos) because he wont talk to my kids or grandkids when they come over and at one stage they said "mum, you're imagining things!! he doesnt talk!!!" soon as they leave.. he starts!!! (the little so and so!!) so I have to show them on video!! In hindsight I wish I had taught him "Merry Chrisssssssmasssss" he could have handled that!! but I didnt think of it!!!

I find it especially cute when he forms sentences but gets all his words mixed up! Sometimes I forget that he doesnt really understand WHAT he is saying and its kind of nice when I come home and he says "hello sweetie... give us a kiss!!"

Just wanted to share these two videos of Charley's Chats. In the first one he seems to be practicing words. i.e. "bad bad boy" "boy" "boy" "boy"!!! (got to get it right!!!).. then he goes through all the words he knows.... Pretty pretty bad pretty budgie boy bad sweetie hello....give us a kiss (his favourite!!!). He is also currently learning to say Charley but not quite getting it right yet.(as in "Charley's a bad bad boy"... comes from the odd times he's tried to bite me!! ), sounds bit like "choi" or "toy"...at the moment but its his first attempt at such a difficult word! and... He obviously LOVES the word "BOY"!!! I think its cute that he tries so hard!! He goes on like this most of the day sometimes if I'm studying I have to put my ear plugs in!! Just thought I'd post them for anyone who might like to to take a look (listen). :yellowhead: http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x112/tm...INGPRACTICE.flv http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x112/tm...arleysmovie.flv (hope this works.. sometimes it does ...sometimes it doesnt!!)

I also felt Maxie was not happy, since she was always so quiet and not at all interested in being tamed ( cant even get my hand close enough to her to know if she would bite!!) So I gave up on the taming aspect and keeping mirrors out of the cage.. and bought two little mirrors.. now she seems happier as she snuggles up to them now and then.. she probably wasnt "unhappy" in the first place, just my justification as to her quietness. She is still always very quiet.. I always say she "whispers" whereas Charley "yells"!!

Thats cute.. multi cultural budgies!! how clever that they can speak "chinese"!!!!

I'm kind of pleased to read that.. my Maxie (girl) is very very quiet and "sedate", rarely plays and just chirps very softly to her mirror, has a very soft "voice". Not at all interested in getting tamed. Charley (boy) is totally opposite. (they're in separate cages in separate rooms). He is noisy, talks well... and loud, plays almost ALL day, totally tame and also much much bigger and fluffier than Maxie, who to me looks tiny. I thought she was "weird" as I compared her to him, but now I am beginning to discover they are just totally different personalities. They are both happy in their own way. Perhaps Blinky has a similar quiet disposition as Maxie and Patty do.

I see! that could be the explanation. Charley has virtually grown up hearing my voice and has become so atuned to it, that the bird noises he may hear are now not quite as predominant as my voice is. He does make some bird noises but mostly uses "words". I guess like humans, budgies can have different talents. Charley seems to have inherited the "speaking" gene!! At the same time however, he also seems to have inherited a "clumsy" gene, when performing his acrobatics he often hangs precariously from one claw, not able to work out what to do next, so after hanging there for some length of time... he clumsily falls head first to the floor of his cage (doesnt seem to hurt his head, just his pride!). So I guess what they lack in one area, they make up in another! I know this is alll very "psychological" thinking but I find budgie behaviour so incredibly interesting!! They are such intelligent little bundles of feather!!! I can just sit and watch them for hours, not just mine but can spend hours in a petshop at the "budgie" cages, watching them socialise. I live in a flat and really envy you guys with aviaries!!!

I often wonder why my Charley (as an example!) picks up human language yet doesnt mimic other birds. There is a wonderful Butcher Bird who sings his pretty song without fail every morning, not far from the window. Magpies also warble their lovely song throughout the day. I thought for sure Charley would pick that up. But no. He makes no attempt. Yet I walk up to his cage a few times and say "Its time for bed" and ... lo and behold... a few days later.. the little guy sits on his perch saying very clearly "its time for bed!!! bad..... bad..... boy!! hello sweetie!! Give us a kiss!" I find it bizarre that he mimics my voice almost perfectly, yet he doesnt pick up the song of other birds, especially those who are such regular "visitors". The baby magpies currently "cry" for food all through the day, yet Charley does not "cry' along with them. Instead he sits here and speaks his human/budgie language. I wonder if it is a natural thing that they dont, otherwise wouldnt all the budgies (and parrots) in the wild have the same "song" as all the birds around them and not their own "budgie speak"? I wonder if it is the human sounds that are easier for him to pick up than bird sounds. Has anyone else noticed similar "budgie behaviour"????

Yes unfortunately here in Australia the airlines insist that pets must be placed in Cargo. Luckily my transfer was put on hold so we are staying put.. however I have at least been able to find out what to do when the necessity arises again! I think I would be holding my breath at the other end though to see if Charley "made it". Would be a nervous trip .. for both of us I predict! Thanks guys for your advice.

Oh gosh.. they're so CUTE!!!! All babies are cute but there's something about baby budgies, with their tiny beaks and fluffy bodies. I love them! Youve got beautiful colours there!! Well done!! Congratulations!

Beautiful bird...what gorgeous colours!!!! Beautiful picture!!!!! Congratulations!!!! SOrry to hear she's no longer around but I'm sure she's happy in the big aviary in the sky with all the others who have flown there!!