renee

Appearances are deceiving Of course as the babies grow up they take up more space .... :doh: I refuse to even contemplate a cull when so many are looking very promising! You can always build another aviary Ahem! I have already thought that one over but alas there really isn't appropriate space for another.

Appearances are deceiving Of course as the babies grow up they take up more space .... :doh: I refuse to even contemplate a cull when so many are looking very promising!

I have not posted photos for ages so here are some 'happy snaps' of my little darlings Have been promised Kaz's old camera so expect some much better photos in the coming year :doh: A couple of days ago ... Baby aviary with little ones perching on branches New eucalyptus branches today and they can't get enough of them! Breeder budgies

okay, I got Triple C from City Farmers. It is one of those generic antibiotics that actually work that you can get 'over the counter' without going to the vet. It's active ingredient is Chlorotetracycline Hydrochloride and treats E.coli, (Enteritis), Mycloplasma spp. (Chronic respiratory disease) and Chlamydia psitici (Psittacosis). :doh:

Poopy bums is definitely a sign of illness. What happens is the poop blocks up its cloaca and new droppings can't get through so the bird dies from internal poisoning. If I see any sign of poopy bums I give Triple C in the water for 3-5 days.

I'm so sorry about your loss - it has to have been a terrible shock and disappointment. I'm afraid sometimes unexplainable deaths do happen, though usually not this late in the chick's development. It must have been carrying an underling infection of some kind and succumbed to it. Monitor its siblings closely, check their body weight by holding them and feeling for their keel bones, if its protruding you know they are underweight .... in that case try crop feeding once a day and take them to the vet for a full check up. If you are proactive you may prevent further deaths and if they have caught an infection either from the parents or the nest you can intervene early.

It's a tricky one. The hen needs to be introduced to the nest box so that she sees it as the ideal place to lay and incubate her eggs. I did let a hen lay at the bottom of the breeding cabinet this year and she did incubate them but none hatched.

It sounds like she wants to be mated and go down again- tail bobbing in hens is a sign they want to lay an egg plus some hens do get aggressive with their chicks because they seem them as being in the way of them starting a new clutch.

Looks like a Dark Green to me, I understand that Olive green is more yellowey. Young bird - no iris ring yet.

Yes all birds are getting the full treatment. My problem was that I couldn't get a proper diagnosis for it as I had asked around and nobody seemed to have experienced it and even when I took a couple of birds to the vet I got a misdiagnosis. The birds I sold via the BBC never came into contact with the 2 originally affected. It is only in the last 3 weeks (since the first vet visit) that they were released into the big aviary and last week I noticed a further 2 hens affected. So then I knew whatever it was it had to be infectious, hence the second visit to another vet a couple of days ago. Come to think of it the birds I sold at the MBC Auction have not been in contact with these birds either as I have had them in a holding cage from a week before the SWBC Christmas wind up. Phew! What a relief! The last thing you want to worry about is that you have sold a bird that potentially could be ill.

okay, Here are two pics, I can upload more if need be.Sorry I forgot to add, you can see in the first photo a bit of skin near his cheek, another possible bald patch? Also I did worm them 3 days ago, if that can have any effect? I've seen that before. Sometimes it can be an indicator of Chlamydia Psitticsosis (doxy is the best treatment for that) and sometimes it can be a one eye sore cold (baytril does the trick for that). On another post Liv recommended a cream of Ionic Silver (from your local health store) which did the trick and cleared up the eye .... Because it could be an indicator of a number of things I'd say you're best taking your budgie to the vet for a proper diagnosis.

No, I'm afraid not. But he will be making a home visit in the new year to see my aviaries and breeding set up so I will ask him then.

None of the birds I have sold were affected - you can't miss it. If it does pop up I hope I will be contacted for advice. Yes, turbosole is the treatment - active ingredient: Ronidasole 12%. 4grams per 2 litres for 3-10 days. So turbosole is like Ronivet ? Don't know. :rofl: Turbasole is what I get from Rob Marshall for Canker treatment and it specifically says it treats Trichomonas, Hexamita, Cochlosoma and Giaardia Infections in birds. :laughter:

None of the birds I have sold were affected - you can't miss it. If it does pop up I hope I will be contacted for advice. I should add that while it is obviously infectious it has not been that infectious in this case - I started off with 2 birds affected (both bought, both sisters) in May, did treatments, got it under control ... then when released into the aviary it flaired up again .... more quarantine in holding cage .... released again into the aviary ... then about a month ago I noticed a young greygreen hen affected .... and now a further 2 birds (all hens) affected .... So of my flock of 80 breeder birds maybe a total of 5 hens have been infected. And the sample munder the microscope only showed 2 bugs. Yes, turbosole is the treatment - active ingredient: Ronidasole 12%. 4grams per 2 litres for 3-10 days.

I can see myself doing this if I bred budgies... and that's why I never wanted to become a veterinarian even though I love animals. I just don't think I could stand the heartbreak. Speaking from an uneducated consumer standpoint, I really think budgies are worth more than they sell for, at least in the U.S. Compared to the cost of food, cage, toys, etc., the price of the bird is negligible compared to everything else. That's why I didn't blink at paying US$25 for a tame, hand-fed budgie. Especially since it took me several months to find a local breeder with budgies in stock, thanks to the U.S. economy, which is understandably scaring off the people who breed budgies as a hobby. Well it is a life style choice for us. We love our pets and our spending priorities reflect that. :rofl:

Some of you may have read elsewhere that I have had an ongoing problem with some of my birds - usually my breeding HENS - of having enlarged, squidgy crops. :rofl: It is most noticeable when they have an empty crop, it just seems to balloon up so they look like the are carrying an inflatable tire under their ears. When you catch them up it is soft and squidgy to touch. :rofl: Other than that they are in excellent condition, no poopy bums, no respiratory issues, carrying good weight - in fact some of them are quite fat. :laughter: About a month ago I took a couple to my former vet and he diagnosed Yeast Infection, ie. Megabacteria. That was a load of ****, I had just treated my flock with Fungilin for Mega, but to give him the benefit of the doubt I did follow his instructions and crop fed them 3 times a day. However, the problem persisted and then I noticed some more birds affected so I knew for sure that whatever it was, it is infectious. So I have just come back from visiting my NEW vet: Heinrich from the Hilton Vet Clinic - Shop 8/115 Lefroy Rd Tel No 9337-6997. And I have to say I am very happy with the consult. Firstly he did a poop analysis and there was indication of blood , so then he did a Faecal Float to check for worm eggs - I was pretty certain that my birds are free of worms and, thankfully, it came back clear. Then he did a Crop smear test - and here's the best part - when he found something he called me over to look at the microscope so I could see the problem : Trichomonas. They are like oval little bugs with tentacles, sorta like centipedes - NASTY! :laughter: Any way, translation: Low Level Canker. So my flock gets treated with Turbosole, starting tomorrow morning. I have removed their water so they sup up. I am Sooooooo Happy and relieved

Yipeedeeday!

I am not overly optimistic ... but with any luck I will fluke one - so it is official: I am in the market for an OLIVE or 2 I had three good olives that did well on the show bench, and some of which flew the coop the day my aviary door came open. I dont think I have any left I will make it worth your while if you have another look and find one! Looked and they are all gone...maybe RIP got one in her last batch of budgies she got from me SUCH IS LIVE!

well i been showering after birds routine in morn and then after birds routine at night so im very cautious I think (hope) he is pulling your leg!

I am not overly optimistic ... but with any luck I will fluke one - so it is official: I am in the market for an OLIVE or 2 I had three good olives that did well on the show bench, and some of which flew the coop the day my aviary door came open. I dont think I have any left I will make it worth your while if you have another look and find one!

From the Pet Shop? You've gotta be kidding!

l also wounder how many gets returned to the petstore or gets rehomed. After the novelty of having one has worn off. A lot of my chickies go to the Pet Shop. It is hard to let them go and most times I will take more to the Pet Store than I actually leave there .... you just have to say good bye and good luck.

It is a Rob Marshall product, basically it is citric acid. I am only presuming here but I think it does the same job as adding a couple of drops of apple cider vinegar to water - ie, raising the Ph and combating Megabacteria/yeast infections at the same time. As Mega is a secondary infection my understanding is that doxy treats psittacosis (the primary infection) and as the treatment takes affect its immune system may take a temporary dive and the Megamix stops Megabacteria proliferating.

I am not overly optimistic ... but with any luck I will fluke one - so it is official: I am in the market for an OLIVE or 2

Thank for having a go sweets don't have any Olives .... and only a few Dark Greens - so next year I'll be doing a few Cobalt x Dark Green pairings and with any luck one of those Dark Greens will be a DF1 and an Olive will pop out!!!!