maesie

What size cage are they in and how many birds are in it?

If you think that's expensive, I suggest you not get into Show Budgies... $40 is nothing compared to what others have paid for good quality birds! Back on topic, you're doing an awesome job Anne... well done and they're lucky to have found you.

She's cute, and I'm sure she'll get used to her new attire in no time.

I can't tell from that photo. It's too dark.

It mustn't have been done corrected then. A wing clipped bird cannot fly to any substantial hight. They can glide lower but cannot fly up high. It does make taming eaiser as they can't get away to much.

It's a very personal choice, and only you know if it will suit your situation or not. I used to have inside budgies, and I clipped their wings. It made hand taming and having them out free range much eaiser as they couldn't fly away or get into trouble. Just remember, it's not a life long thing. Their wings grow back so if after one clipping you decide you want him to fly again, just don't re-clip.

You'll need better photos. I can tell anything from them. We need nice close up CLEAR photos. Do them tomorrow in natual light and post again. IF it is a mite of some sort, and the skin appears dry, olive oil can help, but until we see better photos, I wouldn't put anything on her.

You need to join up to photobucket or alike... we can't help you without some photos.

Exciting times ahead. One suggestion... if it were me, I'd ditch the safety door and gain access to both flight internally. (as you mention access will be availble anyway) This way you use the internal building as a safety area and your budgie flight will be bigger.

We need those photos... More questions... is he behaving normal, is he hunched over, is he fluffed up, what are his poo's like, is he eating/drinking normally, is his bottom dirty, has he lost weight????? If he appears unwell at all, get him inside with a warm lamp over him. If we can't offer solution once seeing pictures, he will need to see a vet. Being a responsible pet owner you owe him that.

Sounds good but dith the lettuce! It's full of water an provide no nutrition.

Could it be some sort of stroke?

Excellent progress!!! If he's willing to try one thing, I'd be betting he'll try other things to. Try cutting things up differently or grating them and keep sprinkling them with seed.

I bought one of these... it was soo cool and fitted in the cage perfectly... for my RATS!!! lol I would never use it for birds, but the rats had a lovely time chewing extra entrance and exit hole in it

Thanks again GB and Dean. It's really helpful to get different sides of the discussion. I've spoken to her today and she's really greatful for any info. Medication wise, she's tried almost everything, as well as no meds. Her Psych, Dr and Therapist are all in agreement that if the latest combination of drugs doesn't work, that ECT would be worth trying. Her family have also been supportive although they don't know much about it. I really hope she finds some relief soon. Thanks again guys xoxo

Thanks all very much. I'll be sure to forward all this info on. I'll have a chat to her about it and get back to you all. Thanks again

I've got a friend who has severe depression and medication hasn't worked for her. Her Dr's have suggested ECT and we're after any info/advice anyone can give. She's researched about it, so she knows what it involves, we're more interested in personal experieces. It has changed a lot since the 50's and apparently it's not only effective in many people, it's used quite often. Also known as shock treatment... she's quite unsure about the process as a whole, and frankly I don't blame her. If you're not comfortable posting a reply, feel free to Pm me and I'll pass the info on. Thanks muchly

Aww :laughter: Give them a shot... you can't deny LOVE !!! :laughter:

I'm a firm believer that budgies will breed if conditions are right. Therefor, your conditions must not be. From what you have written I don't think your cage is big enough to colony breed 3 pairs. You don't have enough breeding boxes to begin with, your males and females may not be in breeding condition and winter is probably not the best time of year to breed, especially in an avairy open to the eliments. I know you want them to breed, but my advice would be to stick around here and read up on all of our breeding topics, learn what you need to know (it's not always as simple as puting two birds together), get your setup organised, buy some breeding cages/cabnets (Cabnet breeding is so much better, for many reason than colony, especially for a beginer), and then look at breeding your birds if you still want to and if they are ready. In the mean time, I agree with the others... post some photos of your males and females, your avairy and nest boxes and we can guide you on your best options. :laughter:

Celery doesn't have much goodness either, like lettuce too much water. Bok Choy looks a little like cos lettuce... it's small and thin looking. It's dark green and you get it from the fresh food section of the supermarket. Corn on the cob goes down well in my cage/avairy too. I have a fruit skewer which you shove through the cob and hang. To encourage my birds to try new things, I shred them or cut them up and palce them in a dish/bowl and sprinkle them with seed. It often helps to put them in the same size and colour dish as what you already serve their seed in. This way they won't be scared of the new dish, and may try the new food whilst eating their seed.

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT I used to have my avairy on pavers, with sand inbetween them. Cleaning was a pain in the bum because all the seed and poo would get stuck in the gaps, and when i hosed it out with water it would wash everything in the gaps and not out. I also had issues with ants and mice... A few years ago I concreted the floor of my avairy/bird room and havn't looked back. Cleaning is a breeze... a sweep out and hose does the trick in 5 minutes, and my pest problem: we have occasional ants but not like before, and we havn't had mice since!!! I highly recommend it. I did mine myself, so it's not massively flat, but still works a treat. Here's my topic about it with photos: Concreting my avairy

I want to see a garden/plant related photo.

Lets get this topic going again... I want to see a photo of someone happy

With all the new members of late, I thought this topic could do with a 'BUMP'

Anyone got a favorite mug/cup they'd like to share??