robyn

Bottle brush is okay, as is Bamboo according to plant list. If you go to f.a.q. and type in safe plants you will find a list of toxic and non-toxic plants. BUT the old addage if in doubt leave it out is a good one as you may not find the one you want listed.

Hi, If you have them both in aviary, they will mate "whenever they are in the mood". You can't stop mother nature If you don't want them to breed the only thing you can do is not give her any thing she can regard as a nest, e.g. your seed dish. She may still lay off the perch, hen's will do that sometimes even without a cock bird present. # 1 Maybe if you could find feeders (tubuler like in small pet cages) that only have the small spout on them. # 2 Let her lay in the seed dishes and remove eggs each time she lays. # 3 OR like the rest of us give her a nest box and let her become a Mum !! and you'll be hooked on budgies. l.o.l. P.s sorry Aus just read you keep 12 budgies. Scrap no 3 if you have them all in aviary, in that case you would be colony breeding and have a lot more problems.

Hi and welcome, don't think any question you ask is silly/stupid etc.( should have seen some of mine). This is a great spot to find out anything you want to know about Budgies. Usually rapid answers to any query as well. Good luck with your new bub when you get him.

They are lovely Nadene, love the cinnamon and Mauve/Blue?

Thanks Clearwing, the hen with new chick, laid 1 soft then went on to lay normal eggs. First hen laid a few soft and then nothing, she is back in aviary now will try her again later. I have kept adding the calcium to all breeding cages so far all going well. Also in aviary water for a while to make sure. If you have one drop down sliding door.....simple solution is to cut in in half or one third two thirds, so the smaller section stays down all the time and you only lift the top half Thanks Kaz. my nest box's are on outside end of cages so they have a loose ply lid on top of box that I remove to check eggs etc. then I can open front to clean out old bedding etc. I will have to hinge lid to box so it lifts up but doesn't fall into box by accident or stupidity. This is picture of first set of cages. To show how they are set up. New ones similar but have proper wire fronts and nest box is turned along side of cage etc. don't have picture of those.

Further to this saga, I now have 1 new chick from nest with egg eater Dad. I managed to drop lid on 2 eggs, both fertile #### damn, b... etc. I'll have hinged lids very soon I can tell you. Hen laid 6 eggs I broke 2, 1 clear, other 3 looked fertile 1st hatched yesterday. Dad really seems to be doing all the right things. Fingers crossed for next 2 as he was a cock I bought for "new blood" and he ate eggs last season. On advice from G.B and Splat gave him a second chance. Really glad he came good. Have 4 nests down so far 2 chicks 17 eggs.

Good to see you have a new friend, you can't replace Purdie but a new buddy is great. Don't know the genetics but he's very pretty.

Chicks looking great Nadene, Mum is lovely as well.

Glad your still around Khani. So sorry you lost your bird he was beautiful. Hopefully someone found him and gave him a good home.

I think this looks like a boy. I've been thinking this as well Finnie but I'm not up with genetics. Sounds like male mating behaviour as well. What's a little poop in the hair? It flicks right out if you let it dry first! And if you don't want to go through 9 shirts a day, just have one that gets poopy when you play with him, and one clean one that you switch back and forth, depending on whether you have him out or not. I think it's great that you are teaching him to play games. That will give him something to do other than climb on your head. He sounds like a fun bird.

not to confuse the issue, do the cheek patch's look a bit spangle as well?

You would take her out of cage, holding her in one hand cupped so she's secure, let her head pop up between your thumb and finger. Then talk to her and gently smooth her head feathers or maybe a little scratch. Once she gets used to this she will not be so scared of you. Don't let her go until your hand is back in cage then open your hand. I'd try that for a while to see if she can be tamed. BUT like Kaz said DO NOT TAKE HER FOOD AWAY. Being a hen you can nearly guarantee you will get bitten. l.o.l

Well firstly I would take out the mirror. If you catch her (only indoors with windows etc covered and closed she may fly into clear glass and injure herself) hold her gently so she can't fly and talk quietly to her as often as you can, until she quietens down, enough to see if you can then get her to sit on your finger without flying off in a panic. Are her wings clipped or not? This won't happen overnight you'll have to try for some time. If you can't teach her to do that much I think you will just have to accept her as a caged pet. Hope this helps a bit good luck.

Hi Maddy, It's lovely hearing that little cheep in the egg. I think I read it can take 24hrs for chick to hatch after they cheep/ or they cheep 24hrs or so before starting to hatch, something like that. I'd just leave egg with Mum and keep watch. Are the other eggs due or overdue? if she's laid a fresh egg is that the finish of 1st round or is she starting to lay AGAIN before first chicks are hatched? P.s just to add DON'T try to help chick out of shell because they absorb the last of egg sac up until they hatch and they can bleed to death if this hasn't happened before hatching themselves. unless like b.j. said once it's out you can removed any shell still caught on chick.

Hi Jacko, have you checked him over to see if he has any mites e.g. that may be annoying him?

Hi Tinkerbell, do you mean she has JUST LAID AN EGG or was this when you first bought her? If you have had her for some time and she is an older bird it might be hard to tame her now, that is, so she will come out of her cage and sit on your hand etc. can you tell us a bit more?

I also agree with Finnie, top bunch lovely, bottom lot wouldn't have them myself. A budgerigar should still look like a budgerigar, granted a bit larger than natives are lovely but not over- mutated, if that's the word.

It's sad they are such short lived little birds, they certainly have something about them, that tugs the old heart strings don't they. Hope you have him for some time yet.

Hi Louise, sounds like a great little buddy already. Also sounds like you have found a good vet that knows their business. Always a great back-up.

You say gets vulgar with your shirt /pants? Meaning? are you totally sure you have a female? I can't tell from pics I've seen but with pieds sometimes it's hard to tell. Do you have clear close up pics of cere.

Lovely chicks Nadene, at that stage they still need to be in nest box. Add a bit of normal seed as well as your oats for them to try. Looking at picture I really don't think there is a big problem they look about normal for their age to me. Parents may be feeding them little and often, they don't have "stuffed crops" like when they are just hatched. If they aren't constantly calling for food I'd say they are okay. See what others think, the pics help a lot with an idea of how things are going.

So sorry about your Leonard Kaitlyn, not wishing to sound harsh but if you are trying to breed, why would you need toys in cage? I think that would be a distraction to the pair. I would have the nest box food, water and breeding pair, then let nature do the rest. Good luck with it and let us know how things go. Just remember for every negative thing that happens, there is a lesson in there somewhere.

Are the chicks fully feathered Nadene? If so maybe you could put them in a container on floor of cage with seed in it, to see if they are starting to feed themselves. Also may encourage parents to feed more. Mum may be thinking of laying again as well. If not ready to leave nest, try Kaz's trick of taking all nest material out and replace it with seed that will encourage them to pick around at seed as well.

Great news Louise, now you know exactly what your dealing with it should be all up from here, fingers crossed. I thought on the video it was more like the sound when they get seed husk caught, rather than respiratory. That sound comes every breath and you can hear it like a wheeze, or squeaky door.

Great news Rashu, sounds like he's picked up a bit, once he's eating normally he should put the weight back on. If the discharge from nostrils has stopped it sounds like you may have got him in time. Keep up the meds though and keep him isolated from others as he still could pass it on to your other birds. Good luck and keep us posted as to how he goes.