christine

Of course my camera battery is low. I will get a picture asap, but in the mean time, what should I look for in scaly face?

Help please!! George the beautiful grey cinammon has some brown on his beak. I am about to catch him to have a closer look, but I am not sure what to look for. The brown is at the top of his beak and has only appeared today or possibley yesterday, but I always look at him (cause he is beautiful) and I only just noticed. The brown is covering half his cere but not his nostrils. Any advice on what to look for? If need be I have a great avian vet so I can make an appointment for the morning.

How long would that take? If you started with one pair who bred at 1 year and they had 18 babies in the first year. Half of them would be too young to breed in the second year, so that makes about 11 birds who can breed for the next year. That gives you an average of about 100 in the second year. In the third year you would have the first two, the second 18 and half the 100 to give you 70 birds of breeding age. That year you would expect about 600 babies of which 300 would be old enough to breed - and there you are at more than 1700 in the fourth year - hmmmm. Yep, I think i could fake sanity for about four years.

Just when I thought it was safe to go down to bunnings.............. :hap: . HMMMMMMM what about geotextile fabric? I looked up some on the search engine and it is made from polypropylene. There isn't even a chemical safety card on it. It has to be safe cause it is the same material that is used to make ski gear and thermal underwear, but this is material that is used to line wetlands and similar. That would have to be safe - surely - maybe -perhaps.......

Thanks, The aviary will be about 2.4m x 0.9 x 1.8 metres, so that makes the idea of casters an issue cause you'd want to be able to walk inside. I think your idea of the pavers might be the winner. That way I can use several lino mats that can be withdrawn and hosed down from time to time. I think otherwise there will be occasional dramas with the build up of debris!! Anyway thanks for the advice. By The Way, Melbourne Budgies, your two guys are going brilliantly. I confess they are all in together now and your two boys look so much more sleek and healthy than my other two - congrats on great birds.

I understand that the tree preferred by koalas are manna gums, and you can tell that it is a manna gum because it will have drooping branches a little bit like a willow and will have lots of woody messy bark at the bottom then the trunk will be smooth from about a metre or two from the bottom.

That's the cutest thing I've ever seen!! :budgiedance:

Just continuing in my decision making (now that my husband has agreed to the aviary!!!) I need to get a bit more advice. There are two places that I can put an aviary in my house. The first is out in the backyard - but it will be quite remote from the house and I am worried that the budgies will become "out of sight out of mind". The alternative is setting up an aviary on the decking which would be visible from the kitchen, so they would be enjoyed enormously. The challenge is the flooring. The decking is wood with small spacings that I would presume would let mice in. My lab is a good ratter so I have seen the evidence of their presence. I could either put something like lino down on the floor to protect the wood or get something else built - steel or other. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much for that advice. It will enable me to make wise choices that will enable me to go forward. I have only two boys at the moment and I think I will keep it that way for a while while I take the opportunity to learn more. Like each of you, I have learned the hard way that bad decisions with budgies will cost them their lives. Thanks again for all the info. Chrisg

This is the beginning of a plan, so the size hasn't been determined. I would imagine about a floor plan in the vicinity of 4m2, but it might be smaller. I want to understand the key issues first, then buy. I have been looking on the web and starting to prime my husband. We have a guinea pig - could he run around the bottom or is he enough of a rodent to be of concern? In relation to nesting boxes, I am picking up from this site that it isn't a good idea even for single species aviaries, so I thought not. I thought I could use a breeding box on my back decking or inside the house for breeding when I want to go in that direction.

Kaz, You are right to be concerned about secondary poisoning from rat poisoning. I did a quick search and there appears to be evidence of residual toxins in organs for up to six months (obviously in a surviving animal!!). So you would imagine that in a corpse the anti-coagulant would be present. That means that if you use poisoning, you'll need to dispose of the corpses securely. Chris

I am working towards an aviary in the backyard and am wanting to think everything through first. I have read that having love birds, cockatiels and indian ring necks are not good for combining with budgies, but have seen references to finches and budgies living happily with bunnies. So, could you more experienced aviarists provide advice. What is an okay combination?

You poor thing. I don't have to worry about my neighbors as the budgies are well out of reach to them, but when my son was five he thought that the budgies would like a fly around the back yard. My husband, who likes budgies but can't catch them rang me at work and I had to fly home to catch them!!!! I remember my boss looking a little shocked as I cried out on my way out the door - "loose budgies!!!!!! no time to explain" Fortunately both were returned safe and well.

Hi Petbreeder, I just noticed that you are quite young yourself. It must be tricky trying to work out how to do the best for the budgies you love. Budgies are so lovely to look at and play with, but they are also very fragile little things too aren't they? You must be feeling quite distressed about the situation you and yours birds are in. I know that the people in this forum may seem like they are being bossy, but they are worried about your budgies, just as much as you are. Are you a member of a club? I'm thinking of joining the Box Hill one, just to learn all the little bits and pieces that aren't in the books. What do you think? Chrisg

cossack (who had blue and yelllow flags)

fox

go fish - too healthy When did you have a sandwich for lunch?

WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Clair BOY NAME: Charles 4 LETTER WORD : Cake GIRL NAME: Cher OCCUPATION: Carpenter A COLOR: Coffee SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Cardigan BEVERAGE: Coke FOOD: Coconut SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Conditioner A PLACE : Congo REASON FOR BEING LATE: Cancelled bus SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Cooooooeee

Hi Maesie, The garden is looking great. Another option for the mulch is sugar cane mulch - it comes in bales just like the pea straw but lasts much loner and doesn't sprout little plants all the time. Good luck with the plants. I admit my budgies always get some natives and love fresh growth on eucalyptus branches and acacia. Chrisg

Go fish Do you like riding motor bikes?

Dummy

Two months ago - Journey to the Centre of the Earth with my two boys. When was the last time you ate cake?

7

Please excuse my ignorance, but in relation to fostering, did the other nests already have chicks in the nests, eggs, or were the foster hens just preparing the nest. Sorry if this is a dumb question. Chris

I recently bought a bird from a large pet shop here out east, and they explicitly offer a money back guarantee on health. It certainly seems to indicate that they have a certain degree of confidence that they won't be seeing you again. Although then again if they pick them up for just $5 or so, perhaps it doesn't mean anything - I would liek to think it means something, though.