Angelic Vampyre

First can I just say how great it is to have the board back and major issues and they board was down and had to find another one... but that's besides the point. okay, once a month I take the bottom of my small cages off and wash them down with warm water and dettol. In my big cage I would try and clean as much of the bottom as possible. I also soak both feed and water dishes in the mix (a new mix as the first lot goes on the cage bottoms). Everything then gets a wash down with warm clean water and dried before being replaced. So I was doing that today and a friend came over, she told me that dettol was really harmful in birds that it causes tumors and that was most likely where Queenie got her's from. She gave me a lecture about how I was slowly posioning my babies! So I am a little freaked. I did a quick search and came up with that people use it to clean perches and treat Scaly Face. When I pointed this out she said that using a teaspoon if that is fine but I am using about two capfulls in my water mix. Is this okay? or should I switch to something else? On a funny side, as Harley's cage is one that has a stand that it hangs from I can take the bottom off and leave the top hanging with him in sitting on his perches (less stressful for him). Over the last few months he has taken to climbing down and hanging off the bottom edge of the cage using only his beak! normally I would put the base under him and lift him up then click the base back on. Tonight for some reason I just put my hand under him, he sat on my hand!!!!!!!!! Then I lifted him back to his perch and he lent down and rubbed his head against my hand! Yes I cried! Then he bit me! *shrug* old habbits die hard

Harley will not drink form one of those so I have to use a dish. Also the other brand that I normally use (they where out which is why i got this brand) states on the bottle that it is safe for the bird to wash in the water however not recommended.

okay for years I have used wormer that you add to the water for Harley. So I did not think anything about it when I added to Blues water. Few hours later I hear him sounding really distressed and rubbing his face against the bars of his cage. I go over the check and I can see pink all over his head and around his eyes. So I catch him and go wash his head (something he really did not like) well about an hour later and one very stressed out bird I finally return him to his cage and try and work out what it was. The only thing I can figure is that it was the wormer. I read the bottle and it says nothing about being bad for them. I rang the company and they said "Well we would not recommend that a bird put their head in the water while the wormer is in there, it may cause burning and stinging of the eyes." So another frantic dash to the vets to have his eyes washed out and a check up. 3 days later the skin around his eyes is still a little read and he is not happy. He freaks out if I put my hand in or around the cage so now I am just going to go slow with his training. So yeah watch it.

I don't get this. I mean you would take a new puppy for a check up why not a bird? I guess if I had gotten him from a breeder that I knew and trusted (like queenie) I may have not done all the tests, however then again if I had done them I might have known that Queenie had a limitied life span. Oh well you live and learn. At the moment I have re worked the kitchen and the living room so that they are in seperate rooms but either side of the glass sliding doors (we don't use these doors cause they don't open correctly and we worry about breaking them) so they can see each other but still are not in the same room. I am hoping this is going to fix the issues, oh yes and I found Harley's lock door so hopefully he will not be escaping again. As for Blue i am going toy shopping today. I hope that lots of toys on a rotation base will help him.

I was really freaking out the first time I saw him do it. Yes Harley seems so much better back to his bitting self! Thanks I think he will be the death of me! Yeah I am going to take a vid of him doing once I can get him doing it at the same time as I get the camera working. :sad: Yes I got a blood test. :budgiedance: If I had got him from a breeder then I might not have bothered but as I got him from a pet store I decided that it could rule alot of things out. I felt it was worth it. A full check (for me) includes things like the blood test, tissue smears, screening tests & Appraisal of Droppings. Not to mention, weight, general condition, claws and break trimmed (if needed) also he will clip the wings if requested. There is also a free follow up visit at the 3 and six week mark. You have to understand that my parents where VERY strict breeders

okay pictures of my cages. Now in my defence, I had an outdoor one but Harley spent one night in it and I thought he looked sick so I got rid of it. Also I ordered a bigger cage for Queenie and Harley but then we moved so this is the smaller one and I use to let them out whenever they felt like it. So this is Harleys at the moment. Most of his toys are in storage however yes he has 3 mirrors in there! and yes one HUGE honey stick! (my sister just gave them both one) Also I swear these cages are bigger then they look. Blue is in this cage yes it is very small but he gets at a min 2 hours out a day as this is set aside for training and just free flight. After the quarra this will be used for transport or if one of the birds are sick. Also found this in my travels and I want one! http://cgi.ebay.com.au/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...bayphotohosting Since I just bought a new house and I get a Study (which the bords will get half off) I will post picture's of the setup and their new cage.

I am still in two minds about it. The vet said not to bother but to still keep them in differnt cages (They are at differnt sides of the room) as the blood tests and all the other tests came back clear. I think that I might and see about heating the kitchen or my bedroom up. okay glad to know he is not going to pull his leg off or something!

Oh they are so pretty. Oh I would love to take them home!

Hi, Some of you might know Blue my new baby. Well everything is going well sort of. My Quarra didn't work as well as I planned as Harley escaped his cage and spent the night sitting next to Blues. *head desk* They are still in seperate cages so that I can handle Blue without stressing Harley out, even though they are now in the same room. (this is sort of good as it is the warmest room in the house) Blue is doing great, does step up like there is no tomorrow, not biting hard just nibbling but that does not hurt. However I think he has ADHD! I am serious, he NEVER stops! Alway flying around is cage, climbing and really making a huge mess! I let him out today to fly around cause his cage is a little on the small side (it's a Quarra and handling cage not is full time home) however he has this habit of climbing up to the corner of his cage then putting his head between his legs and flipping himself upside down without moving the position of his feet! He then hangs there (upside down) for a while then drops to the ground and does it all over again! He did this for about an hour at a time. It freaks me out cause none of my other birds have ever done it and I am worried that he is going to hurt himself. I blocked off the corners of his cage today to stop him from doing this, now he just does this using the perch and the side of the cage. I put more toys in his cage in case it was a boredom thing but he just ignores them in favour of flipping himself. Is this normal?

Huh I was in there about a year ago and it was really good. maybe it has gone down hill since then. I know the vets use to vet the animals there but maybe they stopped or something. The vet however is still really good. I went there today and have nothing but praise for them.

Yes! it's fuuny cause My sister goes up to the cage and said "Blue" and he squarked at her. She said Jensen and he did the ruffle all his feathers and name no noise so Blue it is!

Thanks, I really think that they are going to be great friends. Thanks. I was just struck by the new ones colors only ever seen that in books. Oh and also he just got named! We are calling him Blue. (cause he came home in my sisters blue jumper which she claims is ruined cause she used it as a private toliet the whole way home! )

Oh wow how cool! never thought of that! it was wet and raining and the pet store was out of boxes so my sister wrapped him up in her jumper under her coat it was Blue. Just spoke to my sister about that and she walked over to his cage and siad "Goodmorning Blue" and he screaming his head off at her! I think we have found it!

I would love to do that but the kitchen and the living room are the only places in this house that have heating and they would be to cold in any other room. Also I bunked them down for the night so they both have gone to sleep. oh the blested quiet!

Do ring around and see what you can find out. I found my vet by chance. One of my boys got sick and I rang the Vet that is well known in our area as THE bird vet and got told that he does not sound that bad how about you bring him in on Monday. This was on a Friday afternoon. I rang the 24 hour clinic in Melbourne and they suggested a few, one of the closes (about a 1/2 hour drive from me) is Springvale Vet Clinic on Springvale Rd. Now they are not a Bird clinic but as there is a large Bird and reptile shop next door to them all the yougn vets get trained by looking after the animals for free. Pet store loves them, vets get training with birds and all the animals are so much better off for it! I rang and they said to bring him down. It turned out that he ate to much celery and was bloated! But still they where really good. When Queenie got sick they knew what they where talking about and treated him and me really well. I have found that some vets do not see birds as real pets and when you lose one they are all like, Oh well next. So sometimes the local vet may not look like a bird vet but they could be one in hiding! :glare: Huh just found out my vet is one vet farm Dr Matthew Gosbell Springvale Animal Hospital 570 Springvale Road Springvale South 3172 Phone: 03 9546 5022 Fax: 03 9546 5789 Email: info@svc.com.au Web: www.svc.com.au okay so maybe there are recognised as an Avian vet!

Well if the screaming at each other is anything to go with them they are going to get along. At the moment they are driving my sister wild with Harley screaming then the new one screaming then harley then the new one.... They seem happy. Also Harley got out of his cage (I forgot to lock it) and wondered into the kitchen. Really strange as normally Queenie would have to physically force him out of the cage. Hey don't worry, I am at the stage with Budgies that I pretty much say "Ohhhh pretty birdie" it's all mind boggling!

okay for those of you who have not seen this is my new little boy Anyway I have been trying to find him a name. This is the list I have so far. Harry Jensen Archon Malek Book Ba'al Max Alec But I can't decide. :glare: Any help would be great!

fathering chicks would be a dead give away! A lady I work with got two boys from a pet store, when I went around to her house I told her to get a bigger cage cause the one they sold her was to small. Also told her that I thought one was a girl. She laughed at me and said that the guy at the pet store was a breeder and he would know. Anyway about a year later she rang to get the number of my vet cause one of her boys was sitting in the corner of their cage and would not come out. She races to the vet to discover that he is in fact a she and is sitting on two eggs! Well she was mad and went back to the shop asking them to explain. They asked her if she was sure that the bird was sitting on eggs? :nest: She said that she had taken it to a vet etc.. and they said that most vets are not Bird trained and most likely there where are wrong about this Anyway once the babies hatched she took them back to the pet shop and asked them to tell her what was wrong with the picture. The still claim that both adults are male! Now Mummy and Daddy have two cages side by side because even without a nesting box they go at it like rabbits. I think it was the third or fourth clutch that she decided they needed a few bars between them! :glare:

1. How old was your budgie (s) when you purchased him/her Harley was 8 Weeks; My new one is said to be 8 weeks and Queenie was 8 weeks. 2. If you tamed your budgie right out of the nest, when did you start taming and handling the chick? Harley (about a week old) and Queenie (about 3 weeks old) where, my new one I believe has not been handled much 3. Was your budgie tame a little or not at all? Harley was a bit agressive but I think that was due to the fact that he had handling but not alot. Queenie had more one on one as he was only from a small clutch and the only clutch the Breeder had at the time. 4. When you tamed your budgie was he the only budgie, or did you buy them in pairs, or was he an addition? Did your first budgie stay tame, and how did the taming go for the additional budgie (s) Harley was an only child. Queenie was an addition. Harley did not stay tame but that was due to being abused by a visitor, Queenie stayed tame and helped Harley settle after he refused to be handled. 5. What is your best tip you can give (don't say everyone else gave good tips (Laughing out loud)) what did YOU find worked well for you and WHY? Music. My mum told me to pick a piece of music that was relaxing and not to high pitched. You play this through once before you approach the cage. The have it on repeat. She said that the birds get to know this and can prepare themselves for the fact that they are going to be handled. I know with Both of them if I did not play this and stuck my hand in the cage then the would sometimes get a little freaked. However the tamer they got the less I had to do this. To the extent that with Queenie you went to the cage and He expected you to take him out. Hope that helps

Thanks. It's one of those things that the pet store can say, "Yes it is a boy, yes we are sure about that" but at the end of the day I would not believe them! From what I know and what my mum told me we are 99% sure but then again we said that about Queenie! Oh well either way he is cute and has managed to cheer Harley up even from the other room so all is well in my house once again...

(Laughing out loud) I just thought he was cute! Yes I am going to start handling him in about two days time, really want him to settle a bit. I think Harley will be better of his mate can be handled and makes it less stress full for vet visits etc.. My only real fear is that he is going to end up being a girl. See Queenie was supose to be a girl and ended up being a boy so always about these things.

(Laughing out loud) Cobalt Recessive Pied! What a big name for a little man! Outside of pictures I have never seen one like this, Mum and Dad always had Blue ones. Jensen... hmm I live that. The other name that someone said was Harry but I can't call him that cause then you have Harry and Harley and that's just weird! Now you see why i could not leave him there!

okay so here is Harley my 7 year old boy who has hand a hard life. Here is my new Boy who I am yet to name and has only come home today. I did a bad bad thing in that I went into the pet shop to buy a quarra cage as I was planning on getting a new one and this little one was the only baby left and they where cleaning out the cage and where going to throw him in with the adults and I just loved his colours so yeah i ended up getting him. This is the first time I have ever purchased from a pet store and it would not even been my choice of a pet store! Also anyone know what he is? All my others have always come from breeders but I have no clue where this one came from.