NickNack

Excellent info everyone. Thank you ! Nope .. the weebil boy doesn't have a white spot on the back of his head so I guess he is a normal green cock. So he won't get the white eye rings ? Is that the rule ? It's great knowing now what I have. I had no idea there were so many different colours & types of budgies. They seem to get more & more beautiful as they are being cross bred with other colors & types. I am happy knowing about the eyes & changes & will look forward to seeing it happen with future birds. Thanks again for all the help & info.

SMART PEOPLE YOU ARE !!!!!! I looked in the members pics files & found 2 perfect duplicate pics of what my birds look like. In fact ! If I didn't know for sure ... I'd say ... I think someone was in my house & taking pictures of my birds behind my back ... these are dead ringers for my birds !I've had these 2 birds more then 8 months now. The previous owners who were strange bird collectors that had no idea how to take care of birds of any kind, they were BUSTED by the Humane Society. These people said they owned the hen for more then a year & the cock was almost 8 months old when he was taken from these people.So both birds are over & about 1 1/2 & 2 1/2 years old. They have none of the baby black bands on their noggins. These previous owners had seaguls & chickens, parrots & pigeons & black birds, crows & sparrows, wrens & every wild bird in Ontario in their small crowded 1 bedroom apartment. They were collectors of the worse kind. They took in sick & injured birds & they didn't cage any of them. The Board of Health had to condem their apartment due to the smell & bird droppings affecting other tenants in the building.Most of the birds were destroyed due to severe health problems. I was lucky & begged for the chance to save the 2 budgies. You would have died if you saw what I was given ... they sure didn't look like healthy like these pics below. They were the saddest depressed stressed out birds I ever saw.Now they are stunning & healthy ! this is what the cock looks like & the hen looks like this. Give me your best ideas !Thanks Again.

Well Zebra ... hubby & brother did a great job ! And your Juli bird is beautiful as well. I hope you are enjoying your birds & getting ready with your new soon to be arrival. Bring another Budgie Lover into the family ! Take care & good wishes to you. Nick

I would love to show you a picture of my boids ... but I am poor & have no camera. Sorry. But .... see the 1st lovely little yellow green budgie in this cute animation here ? Well that's exactly what both my birds look like. Green & yellow with solid black eyes. I am curious about the white & black eyes because its so different ! It looks amazing & makes some of your birds stand out so well. I wondered if it was something that happens with maturity. Or if it is only on some of the birds due to coloring & type. Like I said. I have no idea why some birds had the white & some didn't. I am getting an idea now by your reply's. Thanks.

Can someone tell me what they know about Budgie eyes ? My 2 birds have 2 solid black eye dots. I have seen some amazing members pictures of their budgies with black & white eyes too. What is the reason of this eye difference ? Is it the breed of the bird ? Is it only in cocks ? or can hens have the black & white eyes too ? Is it something that happens in age ? Any info would be great thanks !

Nice job there Zebra .... please come & fix my apartment wall ? My Brats have chewed open a hole in the den wall above the window & I have some " splainin " to do to my landlord about that ! I give em everything to chew on, but ..... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! They decide that paint & wall plaster is more fun to chew. I'm a stooopid human !

Keep us posted B & K ... I'd like to hear how it goes. Nick

I've noticed that the light is earlier in the morning here & it doesn't grow dark as fast as it was previous. The birds are up earlier & more active. Thank god that last molt seems to have passed. But they still want to sleep & be quiet as soon as its dark here. 5:30pm. But I suppose its okay ... they've been awake since 7:30am & playing & busy all day. Like I said ... they OWN me. I am their Budgie Master.

A screen door is a good idea ! What I did instead was hang a lacy type table cloth in the doorway instead. 2 thumb tacks up on the outside of the doorway holds it in place. I can see through it & see what they are up to. They can also see out. I noticed they chose not to come near the doorway now. They can do what ever they want in the room with me hearing & seeing if there is any trouble. It's worked perfect for the 8 months I've had my birds. You are going to love your birds having fun & flying in their room, B & K ! Enjoy !

WOW ! Sounds like a great magazine to check out Elly. Since this will be the 1st Spring I have had these 2 birds ... it will be interesting to see them perk up with the light change. I'm sure they will be up later on when its light, as they were this summer when I first got them. It seems sad that they get so quiet & almost moody with Winter even though they are house birds & there is artificial light to stimulate them. It's interesting to see that they ignore the fake light & play by natures rules. Nature always rules.

It's always good to "BIRD PROOF" the room you will let them have free time in. Remember to shut off ceiling fans & check that window screens are in tight or windows are closed. Make sure there is nothing they can fly into & knock over & cause injury to themselves. Lamps or lights like halogens should be off. So they don't burn themselves trying to land on a lamp that has been on. They will fly up to picture frames to be UP HIGH, make sure the picture won't fall. Loud noise can intimidate them. So loud stereos or tvs, crying children can cause some stress & will deter them from coming out or will scare them out & they will not feel comfortable as they flutter around looking for higher safer ground. Let the birds come out gradually. Let them get use to the time & place so they may investigate slowly on their terms. It's a good idea to place their cage in the same spot for them to fly back to each time. Let them see where their cafe is every time. These birds know their cage is their safe haven. They will go back to it if they have nothing in their way. Just give them time & make the transition for free time to be slow & easy. Try to give them free time, every day. Be prepared to rescue a bird that has fallen behind a shelf or cupboard. I always had a long perch handy to allow them to crawl upon if they slid down behind something & were tired or stressed. They will USUALLY climb up on the perch & you can slowly carry the perch to their cage to let them go to safety. My birds are out from the time they wake till the sun goes down. I have never had the pleasure of hands on with these birds. I noticed that the moment any noise or anyone new coming into the house will send the birds back to their cage. I let them do their thing & interact with them by giving them treats. ( I love watching them & hearing them screech with joy when they fly ! When they leave the cage or fly from the play center on top of the cage around the room .... they make so much noise ... as if they are screaming ... LOOK AT ME ! I'M FLYING ! WHEEEEEE !!!!!! " ) Good Luck ... I'm sure you will love watching your birds fly & hang around, as much as they will love their free time also.

This gets more interesting with all the replys. As I see it ... I am OWNED by my 2 birds. They make the rules here. I have to do what they want ... or there is no peace in the household. Maybe I am a budgie push over. Hmmm ..... I feel such a fool.

Thanks for the responses. I understand the sun up bird up & sun down bird down rule. Makes more sense if your birds are in an outside aviary. But inside ... ? I really am surprised that your birds will stay up late Bea. 10 pm would never work in this house. I start getting told off much earlier then that. My birds have me trained the way they like.

A Diamond in the rough ! Sweet Picture !

My rescue birds ate nothing but seeds. The people that owned them before me didn't know anything about the varietys of foods these poor birds should have had. I found it hard to get these birds to eat anything but seeds. Until I stood in front of them & ate a little of what ever I was hoping to introduce. If they saw me eating it ... they were interested. I would stand there & chew on raw broccolli, carrots, cauliflower, corn on the cob & apple or tangerine slices. Kiwi fruit & strawberrys & pea pods all fresh & crisp. If I just put it in front of them ... they stared at it in horror & hid on the far side of the play center away from the food. But once they saw me eating it & talking to them & assuring that it was pretty good for me to chew ... they changed their views. They were a little hesitant to run right up & gobble. But they did come & check it out in a short time & now they eat everything I offer. I placed the food on a tray on top of their play center for them to inspect & seek out in their own time & terms. They took to this well. I can contain the mess & food debris on the tray & not in the cage & all over the bars. I suppose their little BOID BRAINS figure ... " hey, if he can eat it ... I guess we can. " They also like to toss the food all over the place as they eat it. Have you ever been sitting & reading your morning paper while drinking your morning tea & get smacked with a branch of broccolli ? They laugh at me when I look at them with anger at their games ! Good luck with your birds.

It's Winter here in Toronto Canada. It gets dark early in the evening about 4:30 to 5 pm. My birds climb up high on their swings & chat/complain LOUDLY, rocking back & forth while staring at me. THEY WANT TO GO TO SLEEP ! They want a blanket over their cage & want to sleep. If I don't do this for them ... they really complain & make a fuss. They have taught me & trained me to notice them well. I suppose it helps them to rest more, as they were molting during the last few months. I hear that sleep & darkness helped them get better faster. So ... I let them have this quiet time. I also notice that they didn't want to get up until 8 am or later the next morning. They waited until the light was just right. Even though I put lights on in their room for them. They have their own rules & likes & dislikes with the weather & light. How do your birds fare with the time change & light change of the seasons where you are ? Do you notice the difference when Spring comes & its lighter earlier & stays light longer ? I'm curious to see how others notice what their birds want & how they show you ? Please let me know if you notice any changes during the seasons like I have. I have talked to people who tell me they don't cover their birds till 10 pm at night as they are still active & playing & talking. I think that's great & yet strange, noticing the way my birds live. Thanks.

That is the most amazing cage set up I've ever seen. I love it. So much room & all the perches & toys. I bet your birds are loving it. Now I need a bigger home & bigger cages & more birds. Sigh ... envy sigh !

I feel sorry for the Weebil too ... if he isn't being thrown from her swing ... he's being boinked in the head from the swing when she's pitching it around ! Do Budgies have PMS ?

My hen is a tyrant with her toys. She loves to play with them ... more like beat them up. She especially enjoys standing on a perch near her swing & grabbing the corner of her swing in her beak & rocking & shaking the beejeezus out of it. The swing flys up & over its axis & ends up in various positions making it impossible to use until I fix it back into place. Today ... the Weebil Boy wanted to sit on the Saucy Face's Swing, ( BIG MISTAKE ) !!!!She didn't seem to mind ... for about 15 seconds. She decided there would be a new game with her swing. So she would grab the swing in her mouth & shake the beejeezus outta it with the poor little weebil boy still sitting on it ! She shook & shook & rocked that swing for all its worth. The Weebil hung on like he was riding a Mechanical Bull in a Country Western Bar. It was too funny to watch ! I didn't think she would be able to budge him. But it seems my Saucy Face is a Super Budgie.

Wow ! Whooda thunkit ? Thanks Kaz !

Someone please tell me or show me .... What is a WEERO ? thanks !

I have never seen live eucalyptus trees/branches in any flower or plant shops in Toronto Canada. I have looked as I've heard its an excellent plant to give your birds. I have seen dried eucalyptus branches everywhere as its used to decorate with flower bouquets. My birds love to chew on apple tree branches & sugar cane. So I wonder if I could give them dried eucalyptus branches ?

I wondered about that. I wondered if she is an English budgie. I was under the impression that the cocks would be much bigger then the hens. Learning all the time !

Great names everyone ! I've chose strange names for my boids. The larger female ( not sure if she's a female ) I named Saucy Face. And she/it, is a Saucy Face Monster ! Her buddy ... I call Weebil or Baby Boy. He is so small & scared of the world. He hides & jumps away from everything & anything ... he is missing toes on both feet. I thought of calling him Tripod because of the missing toes. A girlfriend suggested I call him Stumpy ! I didn't like that idea much. He responds to me talking to him & calling him Baby Boy or Weebil. Soft talk is making him come to the cage bars & seek me out. Only time can tell for the Baby Boy.

So ... I have 2 rescue birds. I know for sure the smaller bird is a male by the blue cere. I am really not sure about the larger bird with the brownish purple cere. I was told she/it, is a female. But lately I have been witnessing her/it, trying to get on the little male & make " budgie boogie " with him. Of course he refuses & fights her off ! Maybe cause she is HUGE ! So ... my question is. Could she/it, be a male ? Also ... She/it, is HUGE ! I am talking mamoth budgie here. She's like an amazon ! She/it, is large & noisy & aggressive with toys & loves to dive bomb me & generally creates havock in the household. I thought female budgies were more quiet & not so busy ? This bird is really smart & has no fear ... any new toys or any new food I show her & she will come & investigate immediately. Unlike her little boy buddy. Anyone have any ideas ? No, sorry ... I don't have a picture of her.