Finnie

The only one I think there is any doubt about is the second to last one, the one that looks violet. Because of the bright light on one side, and shadow on the other side, it's hard to tell for sure. Maybe a different picture with more even lighting would show it up better. If you're hoping it's a hen, you need to decide if the cere has any whitness on it. Since these look like very young birds, you have plenty of time to buy hens for them while you wait for them to grow up. (And you will have to wait for the hens to grow up, too, unless you can find a breeder to sell you some adults. ) PS I just noticed that the 3rd one looks like he has scaly face!

I hope everything goes well at the vet tomorrow, and that Koko recovers well!

Oh, Nubbly, that must have been awful! Poor bird and poor you, too. I don't know how long my Ava was stuck there struggling, but I'm glad I got there in time. Here she is looking none the worse for wear now: Her ring leg looks fine, it's not swollen or anything. I have a picture of her healing wound under her wing, but it is kind of gruesome, and it looks worse in the picture than it does in real life, so I won't post it. I'll just keep an eye on it for signs of infection until it is all healed up. RIP, that makes sense, having the branches point downwards. Then if they get caught on one, they could fall down and get free. One time one of my kids had a freak accident. (She was fine.) And the pediatrician said that even though they are always giving warnings about seat belts, bike helmets, choking hazards, water saftey, etc... There is always going to be something unexpected happen that no one could have thought to warn you about. I guess it's the same with budgies. All we can do is try to be careful, try to be ready for an emergency, and try not to be too paranoid about stuff we can't control.

I agree with the others about not needing vitamins when you have a proper diet for them. BUT, since my birds have to live in the basement, where I know they lack proper sunlight, I give them vitamin drops that contain vitamin D in their water year round. (But not everyone is going to have to make due with my type of situtation )

I agree, all male

Sometimes dangers lurk where we don't expect them, and even when we try to make sure that the toys and environment we provide for our budgies are safe, the unexpected still occurs. My budgies love to chew on wicker, so whenever I come across something that looks safe and fun, I'll pick it up for them. Usually I check to make sure it's not painted or finished, or in any way resembling a nesting spot. But it never occured to me that the actual wicker could be the real trouble. Here is a picture of the culprit: I've had this fixed to the wire of their cage for a couple of months now, and as you can see, they have really gone to town on it! Occasionally I pick up long pieces of the wicker that they have chewed off, but I never realized, until last night, that those long pieces they expose were a potential hazard. Well, last night when I went down to do my evening budgie chores, I found one of my hens stuck, wedged between the wire and another toy. She looked in really bad shape, and I guessed that she had been stuck for quite some time. I immediately reached in to remove the toy, and discovered that the toy was not the problem, but she was good and stuck to something else. Her foot was jammed between the bars, somehow. Turns out, her leg ring had slipped over one of the long pieces of wicker, and she had slid down to the bottom of the piece and could not get free. I don't know how long she was like that, but it must have been some time. She has a largish bloody wound inside one of her wings, which I suppose came from her struggling to free herself, or else maybe another bird was trying to pull at her? I thought she was a goner. She was weak and limp. (Although she was still biting really hard, still had some fight left in her.) Her wing and leg joints all looked out of place, and her feathers were all ruffled and bent, worse than I've ever seen before. Her caught foot looked broken and useless. I felt she needed a vet, but it was Saturday night, and I didn't expect she would survive until Monday. So I popped her into a small hospital cage and put a 60 watt lamp over her, and some seed on the newspaper floor, right in front of her, and moved a drinker down to her level as well. And also put a perch a couple inches above the floor. She was stumbling around a little, so I put her on the perch to see if she could hold on, and she did, with the good foot. The bad foot even tried to grip the perch, and she used it for balance, so I had some hope that the foot would be okay. Then she either jumped or fell off the perch, and went to sleep huddled on the floor. I figured her ordeal made her very tired, and probably hungry. I wished then that I knew how to crop feed, because even though she pecked at some of the seed, she looked too tired to eat. I began debating on whether to mix up some hand rearing formula and see if I could get her to eat out of a syringe. Since she's not tame, I was worried I would stress her out and kill her from shock if I tried. I also thought I could put her mate in with her and see if he would feed her, but she just looked like she needed rest, and that her mate would irritate her too much, just yet. As I was debating all this, she woke up and began eating seed. The way she went at it gave me some hope that she could eat enough on her own. Since there wasn't anything else I could do for her, I decided to leave her for the night and check on her in the morning. All night I kept expecting her to be dead. But she is looking much better, this morning! She is up on a higher perch, holding on with both feet! This tells me that her foot is usable, and that she has perked up enough to shun the floor. She has also preened her feathers back into some semblance of order. She looks fine, other than a few feathers that I imagine will remain ratty looking until her next moult. I can't see the wound under her wing, and as of yet, I don't want to stress her out by catching her up to look at it. I will keep an eye on her as the day progresses, and once I think she's doing fine, then I will catch her and look at the wing. Whether or not I take her to the vet tomorrow will depend on how she goes today, and how she looks on Monday morning. I won't put her back in the flight cage until I'm sure she's 100%, but after she's had a rest, I might decide to put her mate in the hospital cage with her, if I think it will make her happier. Well, the main reason for this post is to warn people that long strands of wicker can be dangerous. But in truth, anything that can catch onto their leg rings could cause this, and we can't forsee every possibility. I guess the best we can do is to be vigilant about things we notice they can get stuck on, and when a problem like this occurs, it's just another thing to add to the list. What will I do different now? Well, I'll still give them wicker, but I'll add to my safety check whether or not the shape and size of the item will be hazardous after they have been able to chew it down and reshape it. They do have some small things with finer and softer wicker, and I don't want to deprive them of their chewing fun. And if anyone else has any comments on their experience with wicker, it would be good to share. Hopefully you all can learn from my mistake, and our birds will all be the safer for it!

Hi Babygumnut! Welcome to the forum! I think it's great that you are researching before you get your budgie! You will learn a ton of information here. You have a little bit of a dilemma, because cages that are large enough for budgies are basically too large to hang. One idea might be to hang a sturdy shelf on the wall at a height that is safe from your toddler, and the cage could sit on the shelf. You could also hook or bolt the back of the cage to the wall for security. I'm not sure what other people with babies and toddlers have done, but maybe someone will come on and tell you their solution. Keeping budgies is pretty easy, but one thing that doesn't get a lot of mention is: Their poos stick to the walls!!!! LOL. Some types of walls are easier to clean than others, so you might take that into consideration. I had one friend who hung a poster behing the cage. After a while, the poster was ruined, but it saved the wall! (Also, some of their veggies might stick to the walls, too.) Well, enjoy looking around and learning from the forum. I can't wait to see pictures of your little one, once you get it! -Finnie

Banana sounds great, and I will try it too, but if it sits there a while and goes brown, do you think it will hurt them? I would also guess that the extra ripe ones might be too sugary? Would it affect their poos?

what is whey protein kaz just asking looking for good protein for my budgies The one I use is this one http://www.horsesuppliesdirect.com.au/prod2776.htm Its a whey protein isolate and contains around 76% protein. Whey protein isolate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein Its a product for racehorses but I use it for my budgies. It makes a big difference when I use it both in the soft food and as a powder form in finger drawers for parents in breeder cages. Slightly off topic, but where do you get your finger drawers? I'm guessing they are more readily available in Australia than the US, because I can't find them anywhere, and I even googled it!

Yeah Alright! Now we just have to be patient until he moults!

I think I do get it. Directional feather means going in all directions? Before, I thought it meant going out in a sideways direction, like my attempt at line drawing: So, in other words, this baby's got it, right?

I know I'm not a show breeder, but to me, this guy really stands out! It's almost like he has a huge fur coat draped over him. Would that be considered "good feather"? I don't see what you guys call "directional feathers" above his cere, and I'm not sure how you would describe his mask and spotting, but over all, wouldn't this be one of those ones that you get excited over, and look forward to seeing how he moults out? Maybe someone could do a critique of his fine points, for those of us interested in learning?

I don't know show birds, either, but he is my favorite of the three! I think he's gorgeous!

Very nice mug, Dave. One of my favorite verses, along with the ones that come right before it. And I like your legend story, too. I'm sure those kids will remember you forever!

Does anyone remember when Neville won Budgie of the Month with this one? This is my fave mutation, now, and I am going to try to breed one for myself! (I think he said it was a yf2 sky blue recessive pied spangle.)

I have one budgie whose first moult lasted two months and six days. The rest have all been shorter, though.

Just catching up on some posts I haven't read in a long time. That plucked baby has turned out awesome, hasn't she! All three of the chicks look so good, I was planning to ask you if you were going to let the parents go for a second round, but then I got to the post where the hen had attacked the cock. Not gonna happen. Like you said, he deserves better! I'll be interested to see what his future chicks with his next partner will look like. As to the blue feathers growing in on the top of the plucked baby's head, do you suppose that could be due to damaged "melanin production"? What I mean is, those feather follicles were supposed to code for grey bar coloring, but it got damaged, and now they only make blue? (Probably a question for one of our genetics experts.) Anyway, can you still show the bird that way? If it turns out to be only a few feathers, could you just pluck those, and show it? What beautiful chicks! Even the foster is gorgeous.

GB and Nubbly, I just wanted to pop in and say that this thread is awesome! Between the pictures and your back and forth dialogue, even I am able to learn what it is you are both looking for, and what kind of strategy a show budgie breeder needs to use to gradually improve their stud. It almost makes me wish I could do more than just a handful of pet breedings. But I will never be able to own so many birds, so I will just have to live vicariously through you guys, and be an "armchair" show breeder. Who ever thought that budgie breeding would be a spectator sport?!

Not only that, but each parent can have no more than one dark factor, since the chick has zero dark factor. The father is split for opaline.

It is sad to lose them when they have been a part of our life so long. I'm sure you still miss him. We had to have our 13 1/2 year old dog put down this past winter, so I know what you went through. But thankfully there are a lifetime of good memories!

Why would you say greywing at this stage ? The chick is definitely an opaline for a start......too soon to be saying greywing. Please post pictures of the parents. Oh, Okay. That's how my greywing babies looked, but maybe it's just a coincidence. I do still have a lot to learn. Well you could be right anyway....as the Dad does look like a greywing now that we have seen this photo He's pretty, isn't he? And I can see the mom is opaline, so Dad must be split for it, huh?

Why would you say greywing at this stage ? The chick is definitely an opaline for a start......too soon to be saying greywing. Please post pictures of the parents. Oh, Okay. That's how my greywing babies looked, but maybe it's just a coincidence. I do still have a lot to learn.

Hi Linnux! I think your baby looks like it's a greywing. -Finnie

Hi Just wondering - it is better for the birds to see each other with the wire cages? Some advice I've had suggests not to do this - but after reading your journal I wonder. Also, where can I find 'Daz's nesting box design'? I really enjoyed reading through your journal. Thanks for that. Cheers, Joanne Link to Daz' breeding cabinet and nest box design

It went pretty well, actually. There were only the four babies, so I was able to handle them a lot more, and get them used to me. Once they were out of the nest, though, I couldn't pick them up anymore- they would fly away. So I would hold millet in the cage, and they were pretty good about standing on my arm and hand to eat it. Two of them were braver than the others, and they would come close to the wire to see me, and even climb along my arm towards my shoulder. The lady who bought one of those was very pleased, she told me that he was friendly and would come to the side of the cage to be near her. So at least they had a bit of a head start in their taming. But that is why I need GB to tell me her secrets for hand-taming, so I can make better progress once they leave the nest and are no longer grabbable. (The first round of 17 babies didn't get nearly as much attention, and I felt bad selling them to people and telling them "No, they're not tame, you will have to work on it.") I even had a lady call me when I had an ad in the paper and give me a lecture on how I can't compete with the pet stores if my babies are wild, but if I hand tamed them, then I would be able to sell them very quickly, and for more money! :star: She even wanted to come over every day and play with her baby so it would know her when it went home. I had to quickly put an end to that idea!