melbournebudgies

I can't wait to move to the country, city life ain't for me...

I actually heard from a friend that owns a pet shop near me, not sure where she finds out. I have searched for that sort of info online before with some success so you could try google or yahoo.

Also Steve I have found everything I need on the 'Budgie genetics, mutations...' forum pinned at the top. There are a couple of good sites on there that will basically tell you everything you need to know.

Fair enough Sailorwolf, but personally I can't afford to get every bird that arrives tested just incase and then if I don't treat them and they end up in the aviary with 40 others birds the results could be horrendous.

Well I don't have a photo of him with me and it's dark at the moment but I can take a photo tomorrow for you. He isn't the standard red rump he is a pied so he's a little different. Found this website, he is a pied but is more mottled than the one shown here. http://www.avianweb.com/redrumpedparrots.html

Hmmm... well he's never bothered the budgies on his own but a female might change the dynamic a little too much. Maybe not a good idea.

Is there such thnig as a yellow fallow? :hap: If the colour is only on the rump and nowhere else it could be a fallow...

Colour I am struggling with but he is a spangle (wing markings).

Not necessarily birds but I personally have an immune condition that has resulted in me having a weak immune function. I am very prone to colds and flus. The best thing I have found for me is to eat well and I also take a number of vitamin and mineral supplements. Since starting this 'health regime' I have had fewer illnesses. I guess my best advice would be to make sure he is eating well and give him a good multivitamin supplement. By doing this you reduce stress to the body in other areas and this gives your immune system a fighting chance.

The main problem with antibiotics is when people don't follow through with a full course. There is a nasty tendency to stop taking them once you are starting to feel better and that is when bugs get resistant. After a full course there should be no bugs left to become resistant.

The only advantage for me of Avicycline is that I can buy it over the counter whereas Doxy is vet only. I would need to have every new bird tested to be able to use doxy like that.

I know the feeling! My socks will be full

I have a towel hanging over my door so that it drapes around me as I go in. There is still a chance one may squeeze past but it is much lower than an unprotected door.

Personally, I put all of my new birds on a course of Avicycline when they arrive. I know it says on the bottle that it doesn't treat psitticosis but it does, it just takes longer than the treatments of choice now. It may seem like overkill but I like to know that every bird that enters my flock is in pristine health. There may be the odd one that I don't bother doing this with (such as if I know the history of the bird and feel the chances are pretty slim) but especiallly if it is coming from an unknown breeder or a pet shop I take this precaution.

Union hall at La Trobe Bundoora, I believe it starts at 10am

As well as budgies in my aviary I also have tiels, a budgie savvy galah(he thinks they are his little children ) and one male red rump. There is a bird sale on this weekend and I have been contemplating getting him a mate but was wondering if anyone has red rumps in with their other birds and has had any problems? He has never bothered the other birds before and gets along quite well with them but girls can change the dynamics a little

Is anyone else going to the bird sale on at Latrobe Uni on Sunday? I will be there from 10-2.

Our talking lorikeet tends to drive guests insane. If you put her outside in the cage she will meow like a cat and those that don't know go to the door to let the cat in and there's NO CAT! She also does the telephone which is particularly annoying if it results in me falling on my face climbing out of the aviary to run for the phone. AND she wolf whistles but ONLY at workmen :hap: She does a few others too but those are the most amusing

Steve it doesn't really matter how the aviary is designed as long as there is a sheltered area and nothing that looks like a nest hole to a budgie. I have seen aviaries built in all shapes and sizes! It can be a good idea to have the entire roof covered as it helps prevent wild birds pooping in there which reduces your chances of diseases. The best way to keep cool is to hose them on hot days. I have seen aviaries with permanently installed sprinklers which can be set to a timer on a hot day but you need to bury the hose so that it doesn't get hot in the sun. As an example ere is a home made one on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Bird-Cage-Aviary-Ex...1QQcmdZViewItem Forgot to mention hanging feeders are better for discouraging mice...

Picked it up a little while ago. I got: 2 budgies(hens) a lutino and a normal sky blue,the bloke payed $35 each for these four months ago. the cage, absolutely amazing, much bigger than it looks in the photo and not a mark on it, could sell it as new and no-one would know, I reckon $100+ originally. Play stand, very cute will be useful for training baby budgies Toys: two little clear plastic things(like mishappen rings) for them to chuck around, rope/wood swing, rope tassell/wood block chew thingy, 1 small and 1 medium wood ladder, olympic rings - most of these are new Health stuff: mineral perch thingy(chewed-they must like it), calcium bell, 2 part bottles of mite spray, 1 basically full wormer,1 mostly full vitamin liquid, grit block other stuff: cage cleaning spray 3/4 full, coarse shell grit (I don't really use this but I'll do something with it!), about 1kg of bird seed, perch grits(another thing I don't really use but no matter) These birds were pretty well looked after, they have been on their own at the guys house for over 4 months and have been wormed, de-mited and anything else he could do to them so I'm thinking I don't really need to worry about quarantine, there is almost no chance they would be carrying anything nasty at this point...

You need to get a close up on the ceres(around nostrils) as that is the only way to tell. If I can see white rings around the nostrils then probably a girl... Girls cn talk really well though, my nanna has two budgies Snowy(girl) and Dickie(boy) Snowy screams at the top of her lungs "Dickies a bloody whoose!"

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...bayphotohosting The cage is 4 months old, plus there is cage cleaner, vitamins, calcium, wormer, etc close to full, a training stand, bowls, toys, etc. I asked the guy if the budgies are included and he said that while he officially couldn't include them because of ebay policy they can be included as well for free, so I have two extra 8 month old females now too! Al for $45. Given I payed $20 today just for a bottle of wormer I think that's pretty cheap

I also spend heaps of time in there, the problem is that nearly half my flock are goldenface just like that little guy so it's hard to know if you've looked at them all. Easier to just catch the lot and put them all in a small flight cage and then take them out one by one, check breastbone, beak, etc. and that way any that are struggling for any reason can be isolated easily.

He is still in plaster, the lastest of those photos was taken yesterday... It was very difficult for him initially but he is now walking on the cast so it's getting little easier now. He gets it off Thursday week.

A few times a year I pull every bird out of the aviary for a check up. This time round I found this little guy. Whizzing around with all his mates I never would have spotted this, it was only when he was in my hand that I realised and was able to give his beak a little trim.