Randmness

To close off the topic, Lychee passed away on Saturday night, next to his two kids. Went out in the morning and put his cage next to the main cage so that he could socialise with the other two and when I got back that night he had moved on. In a way, it made me happy that he chose his time to go, rather than let me choose for him. Thanks again for the support throughout this mess, and I'm glad he's gone to a better place.

Update to the situation: His leg is definitely worse now, and short of an amputation which may or may not be successful long term I cannot bear to see him struggle much longer with the leg. I almost made the decision to put him down yesterday, but couldn't bear to do it when the senior vet came out for a discussion. I essentially bought him (and myself) one more week to prepare, and seeing the condition he is in now as opposed to last week has given me some confidence that he would rather it end sooner than later. He has given up stuggling to escape me when I feed him his meds, and instead is content to gnaw my fingers and use his good leg to perch on one of said fingers. That alone says to me he's starting to not cope with the pain and the inconvenience.

Thanks for the support guys, it is much appreciated. At the moment he is coping okay with a bandaged foot, though I see he is losing a bit more mobility in that leg. He chirps more now and is a pig when given food (always eating, and goes crazy over millet spray). I think I will have to compromise a bit and give him some more ground based food so it is easier for him to access as opposed to eating from his food bowl. Not that he doesn't eat from it, its just that he poops in it and he's stubborn that way.

It's been a while since my last post, but a repeat visit to the vet has just completely floored me with the magnitude of what is going to happen to one of my budgies. Basically a month or so ago I noticed Lychee sitting on the bottom of the cage, slightly fluffed up but otherwise okay. I also noticed he was limping slightly which started to set off some alarm bells. Took a trip to the local vet to get it checked out, which revealed a rather large growth on his leg. Vet suggested I visit Birdvet in Waterloo. Visited Birdvet (which by the way a huge shoutout to them for their professionalism and love of birds!) and gave me some bad news... the lump is possibly a cancer. Declined surgery as the lump had affected the joint and full recovery was not possible. Got some antibiotics to help the infection and bandaged the leg up to stop him picking at his foot. Second trip to replace the bandage gave me some hope as the lump had decreased in size (probably the scab had come off), so continued with the treatment. Going back the third time today the vet told me that while the infection was gone, the lump had grown, and is now restricting blood flow to the lower leg. She suggested euthanasia as there is not much else to do, apart from delaying the inevitable. Once the lower leg is gone, that will be that apparently and you need to take that option. They also advised against amputation, which would not improve the quality of life, as well as the uncertainty of whether the growth has spread I guess I'm just shocked and really saddened by the development. Lychee's a bundle of mischief, and to put him down while he is still happily chirping away and nibbling me while I medicate him really breaks my heart, especially given that it is just his leg giving him grief. Has anyone here been forced to make the decision in this situation? He's learnt to cope with a bandaged leg but as much as I want to say he's okay, he probably isn't as much as I expect him to be.

Hmmm, suspended aviary sounds like an idea! By the way, would this cage be suitable for all purpose outdoors use? http://i143.photobuc...ame/cage7-1.jpg (Cage C from the sticky) Just that it was pictured outdoors that piqued my interest. Cheers

Cheers for the fast replies people! I thought so, with the cages off ebay. I work in a metal fabrication company so manufacturing one a couple of hours after work isn't too bad. However, the material cost (Thinking 25x25 Aluminium frame with no idea for mesh) would be more expensive than buying one flat packed! I guess thats what you call "You get what you pay for". As for getting something larger/bigger/better, I'm pretty much limited to a 1mx1m width/depth space as that is the only space the boss would allow me to keep the birds... He's pretty much decked out every square inch of the garden that you can put an aviary/cage with comcrete, plants or random junk. As much as I would love a walk in aviary (was planning to build one myself) there simply isn't room for one until I get my own place (hopefully soon!). I live in Inner West Sydney, and my budget is around the $160 mark. If it isn't possible to find one suitable in this price range, I guess I'll make do with building my own, and rest assured I'll be posting pictures of it if I do Just another question, what kind of mesh/panels/design would you use for an outside cage and links to websites if any? I've been looking around and the only real designs I've found are avaiaries (which are too big for my pujny space) Thanks again for the comments!

Hi all again I've finally come out into the workforce and earning a bit of $$$. One of my first priorities is to replace the god awful "aviary" (a phone booth with a terrible cleaning system) my dad has built for my 4 budgies. Because of space limitations I would like a cage large enough to house up to about 6-8 birds, be able to be put outside close to permanently in all weather and be able to move on castors. Oh, and must be easy to clean with tray I am thinking of putting a pair of quails in as well to mop up and just give the bottom of the cage some life. So far I'm after something like this:: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-Rain-Proof-Steel-Bird-Parrot-Pet-Aviary-Cage-Wheel-/300363718970?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item45ef12a13a or this http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Brand-New-1-6M-Weather-Proof-Bird-Cage-House-w-Wheels-/220481549519?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item3355b974cf What are your expert opinions on these cages? I can modify them to clad one/two/three sides in sheet metal to prevent the elements wreaking havoc. Finally, if anyone knows where I can find some cages similar to the above mentioned in Sydney for a decent price (sub $160) please feel free to direct me Thanks again!

Thanks nubbly for the insight. I proceeded with giving Lychee the Ivomec, he got two drops by accident (One on feathers, the other under the feathers). I was using a 1ml syringe which gives drops at 10uL.. Is this okay or is it too much? I would hate myself if he got overdosed and ended up like the poor budgie I read about elsewhere whose owner had overdosed it on Ivermectin.

Hi Randmness, I'm not an expert. Do you have the box or instruction sheet? Is it the cattle product? I have the cattle one which is pour on only (external only) , its blue like you described. I don't have any instructions or box because my friends forgot to tell me where he got it from (presumably the vet). I've done a bit of googling and found that the pour on is the same concentration, but would like some comfirmation. On that topic I managed to fish out Lychee from the larger cage and is currently sitting in a temporary cage. Should I keep him there for a while once the Ivomec has been applied?

So I managed to get some Ivomec (finally) from a friend who owns guinea pigs. Problem: I don't know whether it is safe to use it as I don't know whether it is oral or pour on. If it helps anyone, it's light blue transparent colour, and concentration 5mg/mL. I've been told it is either ingestible or drop on, but I'd like to get some expert advice first. If it is safe, one tiny drop should be enough yes? Thanks in advance

Older cheeky was as far as I know.. a female. One hypothesis is that she had a go with borat and layed an egg in the nest with lemon's eggs.

Ah, okay. Just three more questions: 1. Would you find Ivermectin in farm animal produce shops and for how much? (I have one near my place) 2. How much would it cost to have a vet administer it (ballpark so I don't get a rude shock come bill time) 3. Since there toenails are a bit deformed, would I need to clip them, and how long would it take for the treatment to kick in? Thanks for the help!

It was a blow.. Put me off my exam the next day (still passed). However, Cheeky 2.0 is a carbon copy of Cheeky (Feather for feather), hence the 2.0. Still don't get how a green and blue budgie produce a pied green that looks exactly like an unrelated budgie in the same cage... Hmm.....

Hi all, I have a budgie (lychee) that has lately developed scaly face and legs. Now Lychee isn't the most compliant of birds to being caught, so from reading over these posts would a vet do the spot on ivermectin on him? Or is this one of those Bugie enthusiast trade secrets?

Hi people, I'm Ray (Randmness). I've been owning budgies since I was little (They all flew away at some point unfortunately.. being young didn't help) but recently I have started owning some again. Here are a couple of older pictures of my current birds http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j116/ran...ss/PB230317.jpg Earliest photo. L/R goes Lychee, Lemon, Borat and Cheeky. Cheeky died a few months ago from what is presumed to be an infected cut (we took her to the vet the day it cut itself near the lower leg, but our efforts amounted to nothing) Lemon only flew away two weeks ago when we accidentally left the door open overnight (flew out form beneath the covers) http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j116/ran...ss/P5061148.jpg A picture of the three babies Lemon had a year ago. Cheeky 2.0, Pastel and Sky http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j116/ran...-05-09_1414.jpg http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j116/ran...5-09_141401.jpg http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j116/ran...-05-09_1413.jpg Some pictures of the (not so) babies back then. Lemon and Lychee were the parents.. so we don't know how Cheeky 2.0 got her colours from. I'll get some more photos of these guys when they become a little more cooperative! Hope to have a nice time here!