Angelic Vampyre

I will be there come and give me a shout!

I wish there was a way I could give them the rain and not worry about other birds pooping on them or the ground getting to wet.

okay advice needed. The aviary that I have designed is based off this http://cgi.ebay.com.au/double-dog-run-cage...%3A1%7C294%3A30 Enclose the roof, add safty cage at the back with mess pannels and doors to access the flights. No access on the front and a kicker around the side and front. I am also going to ask for double wire in the middle so the Budgies can't ge to the love birds. Anyone have and suggestions or thoughts? Am I doing something wrong? Also how should I get the slab laid? What try of drainage do I need to get? Are these flights big enough for 10 love birds on one side coloney breeding? How many Budgies would I be able to keep in the other side (non breeding). I am starting to freak out as my tax refund cheque came today and I am now cashed up and ready to go but after the club committee meeting last night I am scared that I will get it wrong again!

I have had the flu so been knocked out for 2 weeks. I also had to sick back and really think about my future with birds after my losses. I then decided if I am going to do this then I am going to do it 100% no more half way measures. So I sold my aviary go what I paid for it so that was good. Lady coming to pick it up tomorrow and I started breaking up the temp base that I had on the bottom of it. I have a concrete man coming on Thursday to give me a quote on putting a slab down and also have to get the final quote for my new double flight aviary that I am going to put up. I will have non breeding Budgies on one side and Love birds on the other. I think I will get them to double wire the middle section so no bitten toes through the wire. I am a little excited as I think my new aviary will look great. Will will have a saftey walkway in the back with access to the flights and look pretty from the front. Will post pictures along the way

I have been really sick since wednesday and finally after 3 dr vists and a number of test they discovered that I have a chest infection, I was home quarantined thanks to my Dr but I called my vet and he said to stear clear of the birds as you can pass a cold onto them, so poor Elmo has had three days inside his cage, I have to be masked around him and he is scared of me! I have been lucky Phil has come and done the birds for me but still I feel like ****!

So glad this has worked out for you, I was really worried when I say the first pictures of this little boy. Very cute you are going to have a friend for life in this one

My vet sas it does but if your birds have access to a dirt floor then they will just reinfest themselves so she always suggests that we use both, ivermetcin as they come into the property and then worm out gel or wormer during the year. If They get moved from the avairy to the breeding cages then I re ivermetcin.

I would go with no or if you are going to feed them then make sure they are human grade Aspergillosis is a very difficult-to-treat disease that can affect parrots and other birds. Aspergillus species are a type of fungus found in the environment. Generally, birds with other underlying health problems are most susceptible to infection. However, certain foods or elements in the environment can increase the risk to even healthy birds. Unshelled peanuts: If you want to give your parrot unshelled peanuts, it is best to buy human-grade quality. The unshelled peanuts in avian seed mixes are often damaged and do not necessarily meet the standards required for human consumption. Poor quality unshelled peanuts are a known carrier of Aspergillus species. How Does Aspergillus Affect Birds? Sometimes the signs are subtle, but it often affects the respiratory system. If your amazon normally has a nice, clear voice, and it now seems raspy or not quite right, this can be a sign of respiratory problems. Decrease in speech and vocalizations should also be a warning sign. Difficulty breathing while simply sitting on the perch is a very serious sign and any bird exhibiting tail bobbing or wheezing should be seen by an avian veterinarian immediately. If you see any changes in vitality, behavior, voice, or sleeping/eating behavior, immediately take your bird to an avian vet for examination. Although Aspergillus cannot be spread from bird-to-bird, if one bird is infected it means your environment could be the culprit and other birds could become sick. Treatment My avian vet gets a very sad look on her face when you bring up Aspergillus. She can tell you that it is a very intractable disease to treat, and has high treatment failures. Lesions develop that can cause permanent, life-threatening damage. Because of this, prevention is the best medicine. Any bird with an underlying illness should be vigorously protected from conditions that could allow for the fungus to be present. Birds with immune deficiencies should not be fed unshelled peanuts or dried corn because they have a history of containing these toxins when stored improperly by the manufacturer or buyer. Source - http://www.parrotparrot.com/articles/aa080701.htm

Well I decided to start her on it and then I finally got in to see a vet and I can't tell you what she has (can't remember how to pronouce let alone spell) but the vet said to keep her on the Bactrim for 7 days and then come back for a re assessment. Had a chat to the vet she said that if I have a bird that is fading fast to do the hospital cage and give mo more then 3 does of Bactrim before getting the bird to her as this will at least give them a fighting chance but she said really not to give it unless I don't think that the bird will make it through the night or the day untill I get them to the vet. Thanks for the info guys

I found this worked with one hen, we lined the boxes with seed. Yes you have to change the seed on a daily base but as soon as we did this the Hen stopped plucking. Another idea was we got stop pick from the local pet shop and rubbed a little on their backs and this also stopped the mother. But if you can foster them out then that would be the best option I think

Some of my birds where on Bactrim when they where ill just wanted more info on the drug if anyone knows about it. I have a love bird that is showing the same signs as Harley did when he was sick, have not been able to get to the vet and have put her in a hospital cage and wondering that untill I get to the vet would it be worth giving her some Bactrim? I spoke to one vet today and she said that it would not hurt as long as I tell the vet that I had done this. I know this is not technically about Budgies but would be helpful to know that if a Budgie shows the same signs that I could give them a treatment or two to hold them over till I can get them to a vet without hurting them. Would have to give them the drug and then find out that it killed them or something like that Cheers

Check out some other groups rather then ebay. Like this one on deals direct, my friend got this for her birds but did not put the platforms in and loves it http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/multi-level-cage-castors/ at $149 it's a steal! or this one http://www.crazysales.com.au/index.php?productID=1255 just check the bar spacing

Our club it is common practise to breed father to daughter mother to son. I do not do it but the amoun of breeders at our club that tl us about how they do it is high.

thanks for that, it is the larger birds I sometimes struggle with but at the moment have been lucky and have a home waiting for them before I get them so I am just a one night stop to get all the details. The new owners alot of the time would rather the old owners not know where they live so I sort of act as the third party middleman

How do you find out about these birds or how do people find you? I have alot of people who call me and say they have a bird to surender but only if I give them $$$ which I refuse to do. (could not afford to if I wanted) I have been lucky (or unlucky depending on how you think about it) to be able to educate people to keep their birds, There was a great Ekkie called Big Mac who I was lucky enough to keep with the family.

Munchine it's great that you do that. I also try and rescue birds whenever a I can, really need to get some more avairys up. So far I have been lucky being able to rehome them. If you have any issues with the Ringneck let me know there is a lady in Seymour who takes the ringnecks from my shelter/resuce and is great with them just built this massive avairy for her ever growing population!

Very pretty guys, just remember to quarantine the new one... can't wait to see more pictures

She loves to interact with kids which I am glad about because she is going to a home that has young children. Times like this does make me want to keep her and then I went home and spent time with Elmo and know that for him the best thing to do is to place Charlie in another home. I am going to stay in contact with the lady and hopefully she will keep up the training. We still have a small screaming issue but not as bad as it was

Any chance you can post a picture of the bird? Some pet shops will say a bird is younger then they are. Are you having to feed the bird using a spoon or does he eat by himself?

So proud of my little Quaker Charlie. She did a demo at a kinder today so we have been practicing things like her recall and playing dead and kissing noises and step up and step down and giving me her rubbish. I figured it would go one of two ways, she would freak out and it would be a disaster or she would freak out and it would be okay but she would not do any tricks. We arrived and I told everyone about her and said they had to stay seated and quiet. I got her to step up and come out of the cage and she sat on my hand. The whole class said “Hello Charlie” and she said hello back! WOW I did not even know she could say Hello! She then flew off and around the room a few times and recalled back to me like a champ! I was so proud, she was not stressed or freaking out or anything. Oliver the little boy I look after was allowed to come up and I told him to give her the play dead command, this means you say play dead and then I flip her in my hands and she lies on her back and shuts her eyes and is really still. She does this sometimes other times she gets cranky being on her back, well she did it so well and all the kids where laughing and Oliver got a scratch her stomach and she didn’t do anything! All the kids told her to wake up and a slight flick of my hand and she flew around the room again and this time Oliver recalled her and she did! We then feed her some Sunflower seeds and she gave me her rubbish which is dropping her seed husk in my hand, this is only something I have started training her on in the past few days and she did it every time! She even did it for Oliver. She had another fly and landed on a few kids heads and it was great. We then did step up and step down which she was like, but mum this is easy. We did kisses, which she did the noise so well and gave me a kiss and also gave Oliver one and then fly onto the shoulder of another little girl and started giving her kisses. Each time recalling when I asked! I tell you so so so so so so so proud! She sat on my hand as each child approached her and said hello and then patted her and she did not freak out for fly off it was great. We put her in her cage and set her up with food and water and the kids where talking to her and she kept saying “Hi Guys” again something I did not know she could say! I am just over the moon about how great she is with kids as the lady who is taking her on a one week trail has young kids. I went home to get changed and got Elmo out and once he worked out that Charlie was not there he come down to my bed room with me and sat on my bed chatting away and then I gave him a quick shower and put him back in his cage. He is a totally different bird when Charlie is not around which just make me realize that placing Charlie in another home is the best thing. Anyway just needed to brag about my little girl for a bit…. Now back to your regular programming!

Oh how great. You so have to tell us when you start working so I can bring all my guys into you for check ups so you can get some more experience with lots of birds! :sad: I will even bring in Elmo for you as Colin Walker had never had a companion King parrot in he had only had avairy and wild ones it! Oh and my Puppies and my fish... okay maybe not the fish!

All birds where quarntained even when the guy told us not to bother. I guess I don't like dishonest people and even more so it annoys me when I lose birds that I am VERY attached to because i tired to do everything right and someone does something like this

Guys thanks for the advice on buying birds, I not 100% sure about MB but I do know that i do everything to ensure that I do not purchase sick or ill birds. The issue that we both had is that we went to a breeder and outside of a few that had things like splayed leggs or being really old they looked healthy, they where flying around in a clean and well kept avairy. After getting them home we thought that maybe a few might be getting scaly mites but treated them as a standard and quarantined like normal. You don't expect someone to sell you sick birds who has been as involved in the club as this person is... heck he was suppose to be my mentor! Any other breeder I would have treated the bird the same but it was just more of a shock to think that this could be the source and since I had had it, MB has had it and I belive that BL13 has also had it and we all got birds from this breeder on the same day and he even told me there was no need for quarantine it just hurts a little bit more

Hey, know how you feel. I think we have stopped it here but still have a few we are worried about. Vet had a talk to me about carriers that no matter how good our quarantine would have been then this still would have happened.

Agree with Deb the other ones that I have are not the screw in type and look like a normal old fashion light bulb but are just painted blue. Also some vets sell heat lamps for Budgies and small birds and you can get them in both fittings and they fit into my normal light fitting