Ratzy

Sorry I haven't been on, little Baby passed away just as she was opening her eyes :'( I think it was a bacterial thing - when I found her she had rotten food in her crop, so maybe that only just caught up. She just lost feeding response, and then I knew something wasn't quite right and she passed at about 4 am, at 7 days old. I think I have been using that brand of formula, I can't remember because I threw out the packet and just stored it in a sealed container and typed up the intructions. RIP Baby :'( If I ever have a chick needing to be raised this young again, at least I know I'm pretty good with feeding and stuff. Going out to get new formula now.

Thanks I ask my wildlife rehabber if she knew anyone who had babies, and she's going to ask around for me. Can I add calcivet to the formula for extra calcium?

okay, I'll try and find a club. Everything's going alright, she's feeding well and everything. But I think she's starting to get splayed legs - can I fix that when she's so young ( with sponge? )? I swear she's grown a bit, too. And I THINK she has plum eyes ( I'm not certain though, but they aren't fully black ) and she lost the egg tooth. I have a system now for feeding her in the middle of the night - she cheeps when she get hungry, which wakes me up ( I'm a seriously light sleeper ). Pics from the first night.

I don't know anybody with new bubs She survived the night, anyway, had a couple of feeds. I'm going to see if my wildlife rehabber knows anyone with chicks in this area today.

So I got home and my hen was dead ( she crawled into a gap between the nesting box and the cage bars and got stuck and I wasn't there ), and I thought her chick and her eggs were dead. BUT, as I take down the nest box, I hear a little cheep. So now I have a two-day old chick that needs hand rearing because the dad won't sit on her. Yes, I have great luck with my birds. She's in a brooder under a heat lamp, and she's warm now. She has food in the crop from dad feeding her ( but he isn't going to sit on her, useless thing ) and it's school holidays so I can be THERE 24/7 ( luckily ). So, PLEASE help! She's TWO-DAYS old and I'm seriously panicking. Seriously. If this chick survives, I'm going to call her Miracle or something like that. I have everything for hand rearing.... except experience. Thank you!!!! I'll post pics of the brooder so you can advise.

It will be harder to gain her trust, but I wouldn't say impossible. I was looking after a 4 + year old hen, who bit hard and hadn't been out of the cage in years, and she was sitting on my hand ( and not freaking out ) the first night. Same thing with a cockatiel I looked after. Never been handled ( that I was aware of ), an five minutes later I was walking around the house with him on my shoulder. I don't think that would be the norm, though. I have a lot of untame budgies in the aviary, but then again, if they were inside, it would be a different story, I think. The only progress I made is that Zeus actually comes and sits on me now ( because he's bonded to a tame hen ), and the rest don't freak out whenever I go into the aviary, and they just ignore me. You could try wing clipping, millet spray ( they love it ), just sitting by the cage etc. Some people don't like clipping, but they grow back, and it's fine if you do know what you're doing. And it doesn't hurt them. Millet spray is awesome. They absolutely go crazy for it, and if you try just sticking your hand in with a piece of it, you may get some results. And just sitting by the cage and relaxing - a way to let her know you're not a threat. Once she gets used to you, hopefully you'll get some headway. Good luck!

Most times, you won't see them mate. Sometimes, you don't see it at all. I wouldn't worry, she probably won't nest on the floor while she knows the nesting box is there. Good luck!

Thanks guys! They've all made recoveries ( well, I hope Elly is recovering, she looks a heap better )! Fang and Betty are back in the aviary. Still haven't clipped Fang's beak, do I do that with nail scissors? I'm kinda scared of hurting him. Betty is completely fine now. Lol Fang's happy to be back with Dude, seriously, the second I put him in the aviary Dude is preening him! Pity they're both cocks! Meanwhile, Chubsy and Elly have bonded, and they are still in the hospital cage, and probably will still be in the hospital cage until the weekend, just to be sure. Chubba Chubs has bounced back, and Elly is looking a whole lot brighter. The reason I thought it was a rat was that I found a dead rat outside the aviary about a week ago. I don't have a cat, so it couldn't have been that. It's possible that he got attacked by another budgie, but the food station was tipped, and it would be too heavy for budgies to do that. There's a hole in the floor where the outside flight joins the inside bit, that would be where ( if it was a rat ) would get in. Hopefully Elly will be fine ( not all that worried about Chubsy now ) but she looks a heap better, so maybe she'll recover. Where would I get baycox? Would they have it at a dog/cat vet? Thanks!

Okay, I have four budgies in the hospital cage, each with different ailments Fang was looking a bit 'off'', if you know what I mean, so I brought him inside. He's moulting, and has a sore foot, so I thought I'd better keep him in overnight and see how it is. Well, got him in, had a look at him and noticed that his beak is a bit malformed. It's more like a spade at the end than a normal beak. So I don't exactly know how to deal with that one, it's not hindering his ability to eat I don't think. Anyway, he's going back in the aviary today ( maybe, depends how he is later on ) so his mate can look after him, and I'll do a bit of research on that. Elly hasn't been quite right for a while now, she's been in the hospital cage for a few days now. She's showing all symptoms of egg peritonitis ( spelling?? ) which probably doesn't bode well as the closest avian veterinarian is two hours away. But she's improved a lot since being placed in my hospital cage, and she's even been taking food and electrolytes from a syringe without me having to force her, like my original flock do ( very useful when worming, that is ). She's very lively right now, for a budgie that was looking close to death a couple of days ago, but I don't know whether she could could pull through. Betty was just looking a bit off too. Probably just the weather and the fact that she's just finished moulting, but I brought her in anyway. No other symptoms, apart from being fluffed up, and she's been screeching every time I come into her line of vision. She won't even LOOK at my syringe, and I don't particularly want to force feed her ( she drew blood yesterday ) and she's not really bad enough ( health wise ) anyway. Chubba Chubs..... has been attacked by what I think was a rat. So I'm cementing the aviary floor today, immediately. I got a shock when I walked in and Chubsy was fluffed up, weak and unresponsive, with a fair bit of blood ( and that;s from a BUDGIE ) splattered on the wall, and his beautiful tail covered in blood and damaged at the base . So he was in shock, and I managed to pull him out of it. I think he's going to be fine now, as long as it doesn't get infected. Any info on treating egg peritonitis and deformed beaks? Thanks

Okay, maybe not ACTUAL aliens, but they sure look like it! Three cockatiel chicks that just hatched a few hours ago! Strange that they all hatched today ( other two eggs I think are infertile ). One was still wet when I found them and half in the egg.

What size crop needle is needed for budgies/cockatiels? I've been needing one for ages, and my parents haven't listened up til now ( wildlife rehabilitator told them I needed one, that's why ). Thanks!

Ugh, what's really sad, yesterday I was in the pet store and I start talking to a guy picking out bird toys. He said his bird wasn't talking, so I replied, some just don't talk, so he then said that his bird would take a holiday if it didn't talk ( which probably meant that he'd give it away ).

I say female. Looks really quite pale from where I'm sitting.

Okay, Fang's been inside for 3 weeks. No symptoms other than being really weak and fluffy. He only recently started eating, I've been force feeding hand rearing formula and electrolytes for 2 weeks so he's lost a fair bit of condition and weight. I'm not sure how he's still alive really. No abnormal feces ( well, now that he's started eating anyway ), bright eyes, clean cere, no dirty vent, no tail bobbing or anything. He's a lot stronger ( I have the broken skin to prove it lol ). But he still can't fly? Any ideas?

Okay, first time breeding cockatiels and I have three eggs so far being incubated by Buzza and Jasper They are first time parents, Jaz is 12-16 months and Buz is about 2 years old. The first egg was laid on top of the nesting box ( *facepalm* lol ) so I had that in a container of seed until the second egg was laid. They are great parents ( so far, anyway ) with the eggs, taking it in turns to incubate. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and I won't have to hand rear. That would really be a pain with school and everything. Pics! Buzza is the lutino and Jasper is the normal grey. Wish me luck lol!

We got little Lexie today! Just got her home

I've been worried a lot before by Marigold, thinking she had a tumour. That all turned out not to be tumours, but now I'm really REALLY worried If this isn't a tumour, then I don't know what it is. She's acting fine, I pulled her out of the aviary yesterday and she's in the hospital cage. She's eating fine, she hasn't lost any weight and had a full crop when I pulled her. She was driving me mad last night because she kept trying to get out. I syringe fed her Calcivet, but I don't know if that will do anything really. Vet isn't an option - no avian vets and my parents wouldn't let me go to a normal vet. I have my own money saved up but I have to have a guardian there to get it out of the bank. I don't trust normal vets anyway now, I took an injured goldfinch ( that had been improving while I had her ) in and she came back out all shakey ( they told me to release her ) and weak and she died two hours later because they didn't feed her or give her water all day. I can ring up a wildlife rehabber I know, she'd probably have a look and have some suggestions.

I still say cock.

The two albinos are the babies and they are both female.

Okay, so I have 6 new budgies. 3 are the offspring of the other 3 ( colony breeding, two males, one female ) and none of the adults are pieds. BUT.... One of the babies is a dominant pied. The other two are albino so I guess I have an split albino male. So how does that work? It's definitely dom pied, not rec. Two iris rings. I'll go up and get pics now. Mum is cobalt spangle and the males are both normals. Any thoughts?

Have to disagree here, I'm seeing two cocks and a hen ( bottom is hen ).

Well, I'm 13 and I started off with a cage and two budgies, and almost 2 years later I have an aviary and 16 budgies ( and two cockatiels ). A few members probably remember how clueless I was compared to now lol ( not that I'm not clueless now ). And it takes a lot of persistence! I'm too young to get a job apparently, so every dollar I save from pocket money goes towards my budgies. Advice? Show them you are responsible and do a lot of research, save up and work out feeding ( and other things ) routines. So basically what everybody else said. Good luck!

Fingers crossed! Maybe you could get a reptile heat lamp instead of the normal one? I have one and it is much more effective than the usual ones. Saved Marigold once.