Everything posted by SL26
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My First Go At Captive Foraging
It's lovely to watch them forage isn't it! I use some square pot plant saucers as my trays and they work really well. They are very shallow and have a curved out edge which is comfortable for them to sit on. Everyday my flock gets one tray which has a variety of greens all jumbled up together and another with seed. Every few days I sprinkle some budgie treat mix or a few hulled oats over the seed for variety and they love it. Mind you they love to make a mess and sometimes throw their greens all over the place before eating them!!
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My Nappy Cage
Looks very professional, well done!!! I find it feels good when you've made something that suits your needs perfectly. It can be so difficult to find something to fit an existing space or you do find something but it's way overpriced and you know you can make it for next to nothing (and it can be better than what's in the shops!).
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Dying Budgies!
I suggest taking any who don't look well or you are concerned about, along with one or two who are healthy. As others have mentioned, quarantine is mandatory if you want to prevent introducing new illnesses to your flock. I got 4 new additions which were quarantined and during their quarantine period (6 weeks) two got sick. The vet put this down to 'new bird syndrome' where they were probably a bit stressed with their move to a new home which made them more susceptible to getting ill. All 4 were treated and they are now all better. I'd hate to think what would have happened if I didn't quarantine them. Also, your vet should be able to advise on what extra nutritional needs they should get once they've had a look at them. There appears to be quite a range on the market, so it'd be best to get expert advice first.
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Changing Colour During 1st Moult
Thanks! I don't mind what colour he changes to, just hadn't seen it before.
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How Often Should You Clean Your Bird Cage?
Seed catchers are a good idea and I've used them in the past on small cages, but I've found it useless with my lot. They have a wonderful habit of flapping about over their seed containers that the husks get airborne and land everywhere. I invested in a cordless hand vac which is used daily!! At least it doesn't take long to clean up.
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Budgie Poop
If they're making bird diapers, I assume there must be a market for it? :grouphug:
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Clipping Wings
There is a picture of the primary wings on another topic which may help you ID the correct feathers to clip: http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=23703
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Changing Colour During 1st Moult
My 2 older budgies are currently undergoing their 1st moult and one of them, Sandy, appears to be changing colour?! :grouphug: He's a yellow-face mauve greywing, however his face/wing colour is getting brighter and his mauve chest colouring is turning yellow-green: Sandy as a baby: Sandy now: I'm just curious to know if anyone else has encountered this type of colour change before?
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My Budgie , Bullet
Very cute budgies!! Bullet reminds me of my Alfie when he was a bub.
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Clipping Wings
I'm not a fan of clipped wings, but sometimes its necessary during the taming process. I had to clip my new 4 additions on the weekend because they decided that the curtain rail was more interesting than me. It took ages to get them back into the cage and it was stressful for them with me running around the room trying to catch them. Also one of them had a trip to my avian vet last week and he escaped a couple of times and we just couldn't catch him for ages. They only started this behavour when the moved into a very large cage and realised that they had all this freedom. They were already tame but since they had a choice on where to go, they decided they didn't want to be with me. As soon as I clipped them, they immediately had a personality adjustment. They calmed down and are quite happy sitting on me and stepping up when required. This as certainly helped in taming them. My vet advised me that you clip half of the primary feathers on both wings. The primary feathers are the long ones which are at the end of the wings. You need to be careful when clipping because if you cut too close to the top of the feathers they can bleed, also you need to make sure that they are held very still and sharp scissors are used. I suggest getting one person to hold and another to cut. My 4 can still get airborne but they just don't get any lift so they can't get up high. If you need to clip their wings then I suggest that you only do it once when you're taming them. Once you've established a bond with them, they will still come to you and be around you even with full wing feathers. It's much nicer to have a budgie which can fly freely around the house and still want to come to you. Also you're less likely to have a weight problem because they are able to exercise properly.
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How Often Should You Clean Your Bird Cage?
I've previously had cages with just a tray in the bottom and I put used A4 sheets of paper from the printer (instead of recycling them) on the bottom. I cleaned out the cage every 2 days - change the paper, wash the whole cage and let it dry in the sun (no budgie inside of course!!). The paper certainly made it easier to keep the cage clean. Now I've got cages which have a wire bottom that can be pulled out and there is a tray underneath that, so all the mess and droppings falls through the wire and into the tray. I've found this design to be even better than what I had before as the mess is concentrated in the tray which is easy to clean because I line it with newspaper. It also means that I don't have to clean out the whole cage every couple of days. I also put one or two sheets of sand paper in the bottom as they like to forage on any greens which have fallen to the bottom. I know the sheets aren't really that good for their feet but they aren't on them all the time and they allow some of the greens to stop falling through the wire. I also place the sheets so that they aren't over their favourite perching points so they don't get soiled quickly.
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Picture Update!
Great pics Ratzy, your flock is very cute!!!
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Help Please? :(
For extra calcium my vet suggested using egg shells. Just wash them, put them in the microwave for about 30 sec to kill any bugs and then smash them up into small pieces. I mixed the pieces in with some grit and they've readily eaten it. I've also got a calcuim perch which they also chew on. Mine don't really use the cuttlebone in their cage, but the perch and egg shells are well used.
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A Question About You And Your Budgerigars
I was always surrounded by animals when I was growing up. My parents used to put seed out for the wild birds and we'd have dozens of galahs and cockatoos turn up. Also as a result we'd encounter sick and weak baby galahs from time to time so we'd also rescue them and take them to the wildlife centre for rehab and release, though many didn't make it. This sparked my interest in parrots and how to care for them properly. I got my first budgie when I was about 10. He was a normal green called Peach. My dad gave me a budgie book so that I could learn about how to care for budgies and I still have the book to this day!! The book sparked my interest in budgies and I seriously thought about breeding them. I talked about it at length with my parents, and they were supportive, but in the end I think I thought it was too hard at my age and gave up. I lost Peach to a tumor and got Esmerelda (Ezzy) who was a cinnamon olive green hen. Both budgies provided so much entertainment and loved to be with me, it was fantastic. I later lost Ezzy to a breathing problem and decided not to get any more birds. Quite a few years later, when my husband and I built our house, my thoughts immediately turned to having pets once again, but there was one problem - hubby's allergies to cats and dogs. I thought long and hard to think of a suitable pet and budgies came to mind!! I got Alfie and Sandy earlier this year and they have been a huge success, so we decided to expand the flock to 4. Well 2 turned into 6 instead!! I knew a fair bit about budgies before finding this forum, but my knowledge has increased signifcantly and I've even invested in other books including The Budgerigar and the colour and mutations one that people refer to here. I'm not sure if I will progress to breeding, but it's certainly something I'm considering and even if I don't, all the knowledge I'm acquiring is still interesting and makes me appreciate budgie even more.
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Fussy Eaters
With my first 2 budiges, I found it difficult to get them to eat anything but seed, however I just kept putting out different types of greens and presenting them differently (eg. cut thin/thick, finely grated, hung on the side of the cage, placed on a plate) and they eventually started to eat them. This took a couple of months to achieve and they still don't like new greens. My latest 4 additions however just went straight for their greens the first time I gave it to them. I think it just depends on the birds. The most successful greens I found were snow peas and beetroot leaves, however they also like baby corn cobs, bok choy, rocket, spinach and a salad mix from the supermarket which contains alfalfa sprouts, sprouted beans and snow pea sprouts. They're not keen on carrot or beetroot but will nibble on them sometimes. I suggest just trying different types of greens and presenting them in various ways until something works. It might take some time and be a bit frustrating at times, but it'll be worth it in the end.
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Congratulations To June Budgie Of The Month Winner!
Fantastic photo rachelm, you've really captured the moment perfectly!!!!
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June 2010 Budgie Of The Month
Here is my entry for June Budgie of the Month.
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New Additions
Thanks, I've got quite a few photos of my babies as I have a passion for photography, but never thought about entering any of the pics into BOM. I think I will.
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Who Said Sheep Were Dumb?
You're right Ratzy, sheep can be quite smart. It amazes me that there are some people who think that any animal which is not a common pet (eg. dog or cat) must be dumb and only suitable for the table. I believe all animals have personalities and probably a lot more intellect than we often give them credit for. It's nice to see like minded animal lovers here!!! When I was growing up, my family had a small surburban backyard but a range of animals over the years: over 2 dozen chooks (not all at once!) 8 cats 1 dog 2 ducks 3 cockatoos 1 galah (couldn't fly so he sat on a vine on the side of the house during the day and wolf whistle at people walking past! :fingerscrossed: ) 2 budgies 7 canaries 1 rabbit many mice many goldfish And lots of wild birds who'd visit I would've liked to have added more dogs, a pony and a donkey to the list, but mum and dad would say no more pets!!! Well I've started with budgies, who knows what's next :rofl: .
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Hello!
Welcome Kassidy, I'm sure you'll find the forum really useful and all the friendly people here will be happy to answer any questions you have. They are a fountain of knowledge!! My Alfie also has some violet colouring near his neck but he's a normal cobalt blue like Kasper. I guess given blue and violet are related colours, it's possible to get some violet appearing in a blue bird. However I'm sure others far more knowledgeable than me can give a better answer.
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Hello From England
Welcome!! Bruce is goregous, he looks quite cheeky!! It's lovely to hear budgies talk, they are so entertaining. My first budgie was a real talker too!! I'd love to have a budgie which talks again, but with 6 budgies it's unlikely!! Howver it's still lovely to hear them babble away to each other, it's very soothing.
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New Additions
Yep they are babies, I had to give them a box for the first few days so they could snuggle up together, but they're now perching comfortably at night so the box has gone. I got them from a pet shop in Sydney. I prefer to get my birds from a breeder (got Alfie and Sandy from Lib) but it wasn't to be this time. I spent a lot of time with them before deciding if they were okay. As a precaution they've had a health check by my avian vet and they are all fine. All the birds are inside. When we're home Alfie and Sandy have chosen the sun room as their playroom and fly about quite happily and play with their toys. When we're away they have a big cage with their toys to keep them occupied. The gang are currently in my study so I can tame them and get them used to flying around safely. Hopefully they will all get along when they meet - it will certainly be interesting. Sandy's actually a yellow-face mauve greywing, but in the picture he looks a bit grey (he's moulting at the moment).
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New Additions
Well the gang is settling in well and have started to come out of their cage to eat their greens. It doesn't seem to matter what I give them, they just eat them . Perhaps they can teach Alfie and Sandy to be more adventurous!! Taming them been interesting, I've never had to tame multiple birds before (Alfie and Sandy were already tame). Even though they're used to being handled they prefer each other to me, but I'm sure with time and plenty of treats they'll be fine!!
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New Additions
I've certainly be bitten by the budgie bug!!! After getting Alfie and Sandy 3 months ago, I've expanded our flock to 6!!! The plan was to get anther 2 cocks, however when Bessie looked at me and asked for a head rub, I just had to have her and, well, you can't really have an odd number of birds, so I just had to get Rosie as well. Here is Alfie (left) & Sandy (right) having fun on their eucalypt branch: And here is the new gang: This is Piper. He's a yellow-faced grey and he's got a yellow patch on the back of his head: This is Sunny. He's a lutino (red eyes): This is Bessie. She's a normal grey: This is Rosie. She's a normal green: The gang is currently in quarantine for about 6 wks (vet's advice). I'm not sure of their exact ages because I got them from a pet shop, however they appear to have just been weaned because they still want to play 'stacks on' in the corner of the cage. I've put a box into the cage for them so they have a 'nest', but will gradually wean them from it over the next week or so. They are eating well and even attempting to eat some greens which is great because Alfie and Sandy ran away at the sight of greens when I first got them and it took them ages to start eating them.
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Housing Hens & Cocks Together
No worries, it's always good to remind people because they might not know or think that if the birds all look healthy, there is no need to quarantine. By reading from peoples experiences on this forum - ignoring this or not knowing can lead to problems. Some people might be reluctant to pay for another cage and accessories when it'll only be used temporarily, but the costs are well worth it compared to the emotional distress and vet bills that might occur otherwise.