maesie

Awww... how cute! It's amazing how much they pick up. (great signature picture too!)

THANKS for the heads up. Great for those up Brisbane way.

Do agree with Kaz about cleaning them though... very hard to get properly clean.

Nope, don't need to be banned but need to watched closely for wear and tear. The toys that have the lengths that hang down (tassel type bits) should always be cut off short, to reduce the risk of getting caught/tangled up. I've never had any problems with any rope products.

Eggs are great for them. As well as adding a whole egg, you can hard boil them and then crush/mash the whole thing up (all egg and shell) and add grated veggies too... Makes a nice mix, especially for breeding hens when they have chicks to feed. This mix will last a few days in the fridge and give some each day. (If you have a food processor it works well in that)

It seems the good old use of shortcuts are creeping back into the forum... If everybody could please read the following. Thanks! We have been having some issues with many members using shortcuts in their posts. Most of them are not permitted, and it takes time for the moderators to fix them all up. Our time is better spent working on other areas of the forum. Could everyone read the information below. Please make yourself familiar with them. I know now days many people use short cuts while in chat rooms and mobiles, but it is not hard to get used to using proper English. Internet Text Shortcuts (or slang). (What is meant by this: Enuf, luv, thanks, woz, plz, phun and so on.) There are many, many people of all ages and languages that frequently visit this forum. English is hard enough for some people when it is their native language. There are people that post here that English is a second or even third language. Not everyone knows what shortcuts mean. It is like slang - if you're not from that area you don't understand what is being said. We want this forum to be as friendly, fun, and informative for everyone as we can make it, and one way we do that is to not allow text shortcuts in posts. It is not difficult to type your responses using proper English. However, we do allow a select few of the very commonly known internet shortcuts which are listed right here: LOL (Laughing Out Loud), brb (be right back) and OMG (Oh My God). Members may only use these selected internet text shortcuts when it is appropriate. If you are found using text shortcuts in your posts and messages you will be contacted and asked to stop. If you fail to comply with our requests on this rule we will then take appropriate administrative action against your account.

Awww... he is a cutie

There are a number of topics with such information, Daz has a one of them. Use the search function and find them. One of many... http://forums.budgie...showtopic=11936

Awesome news. You must be so pleased! Onwards and upwards from here hopefully. Also... You haven't doubled posted, it's fine. A double post is when you post straight after the other, i.e. within minutes etc... It can be done by member when they try to keep their posts/topic at the top so they are read and responded to. It doesn't happen a lot now days, but used to. Updating as you have done is no problem at all. You also only have a limited amount of time to edit a post (I believe it's 15 minutes), which is why you couldn't edit your post from the other day.

To candle the eggs... You hold the small torch above the eggs to see if they are fertile or not. You can't fertile straight away, but when you do you can see veins and then features of the chick as it grows.

Follow my link in my signature to add a photo, you need to upload them to photobucket or something similar. As to your budgie/cockatiel... it sounds lovely. I wouldn't be worried at all. It's great they have each other and such a special bond. Maybe they know the other is also 'special' and are therefor bonded somehow??? (((Sorry Robyn... was trying to do 2 things at once, which clearly I can not lol)

BIG thumbs up for saving her and on the quarantine! As to your questions, without a nest box they usually don't breed. They may still mate but that doesn't mean you'll get eggs and chicks. Some hens will lay random eggs off the perch but they can do this without the presence of a male anyway. Just make sure not to give them anything that looks nest like, like hollows etc... and change things up. Budgie will only breed when they are happy and comfortable in their surroundings... so when you clean the cage move things around... this will also keep them interested and not bored too. As to the talking, keep talking to him and using the words he knows. He shouldn't stop and he may actually do it more as he might talk to his 'girl'. I have an aviary and one of my cockatiels has some whistles we taught him. None of the other birds do them, but after a few years, he still does.

From the FAQ's... http://forums.budgie...=242&artlang=en http://forums.budgie...=173&artlang=en There are more here: http://forums.budgie...tion=show&cat=8 If you still can't find what you need ask specifics... Asking us to list everything you need is a MASSIVE task...

Read through our breeding topics and the breeding FAQ's. ALL the information is there.

Great work Maddy! As a tool lover myself, I'm loving your pictures and journey!

When I bred, I used to use wood shavings. They used to throw most of them out, but as I cleaned as needed, I'd replace them. As Maddy said, once the chicks arrive they usually keep most of them in. Also... chicks poo A LOT!!!!! Once chicks arrive I usually put newspaper on the bottom of the nest box (I cut a whole lot of pieces to fit), so put a piece on the bottom and then add wood shavings. I found it much easier to clean then trying to scrape poo off the bottom. The other thing is though... some hens like it some don't, so maybe try and see how you go. Having some nesting material when the chicks hatch can also help avoid splayed legs too, which is a big positive!

It's great they are fertile... now relax and let them do their thing.

You do realise though, that just because you saw them mating DOES NOT automatically mean you'll get eggs. Just like humans, budgie do have sex/mate for fun and just like humans... it does not always result in babies/eggs.

Separate cage away from your other budgies I hope.

awwww... cute! Thanks for posting.

Please READ the article Kaz posted... or if you have, read it AGAIN and take notes on the things you want to know. It's all in there.

Poor guy, but good work on the speedy vet visit. I'm sure he'll feel better in no time. Your vet sounds good too.

I've had a little blood too. I agree with the others... watch her but don't be too worried.

Glad all is well.... and Congratulations!!! I remember how exciting it was when you have your first little chicks! Can't wait for the photos.

From the information you've posted, I'd say he is just moody because he's moulting.