stace

I like this one the best. He looks like a weird 1970s toy.

She's from India, GB. That red colour is probably that red food dye powder that they use there all the time.

Hi there. I'm not a real expert, but that could be what is called Star Gazing caused by a lack of calcium. There's a product called Calcivet which you can purchase online. See here. http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/Health%20arts/Fits/fits.html

Just thought I'd share some photos of my little budgie. Some of you will remember I rescued him as a baby about 18 months ago. Well, now he is so incredibly tame he even comes over and taps me with his beak when he wants a scratch around his head. He's an absolute delight. Here he is yesterday, just after he'd had a bath. He's in a complete state of bliss.

Bobbie was beautiful. Your pictures of him are so lovely. I'm really sorry. Rest in peace, little guy.

Sorry for you and your little bird. It's very sad when they go, as they become such good little buddies. RIP.

It's unlikely to be feather plucking. That happens with other types of parrots but is not common with budgies. It is more likely to be normal preening. They rummage through their feathers, collecting oil from their preening gland just at the base of their tail on their lower back. They preen regularly through the day.

apart from what everyone else has said, I'd not only get two swings, but make sure they are both at exactly the same height. They'll both want to sleep on the highest roosting spot. So two identical sleeping perches or swings, and both at the same height.

They are really good, GB. Really. Just gorgeous.

Just looked at your photo gallery. They're lovely pictures. JD looks like he was a wonderful little bird.

Thank you for your sweet stories about your budgies, Charly. Lovely that you gave them all such a good home. As for little Danny, as Nerwen says all you can do is give him wider perches so he can get around and sit a bit easier.

Thanks all, I'll look into it. I've heard of that quick gel.

There's a product available in the UK, called 'Guardian Angel'. It's a kind of pick-me-up for birds who are not at their best or badly moulting, and both an emergency home treatment or stop-gap measure to sustain them before getting them to a vet. Barrie Shutt, the English exhibition breeder, had a rave about it. Has anyone hear heard of it, and is there anywhere to purchase it in Australia? I know Rob Marshall has something called ER, but that needs to fed via a crop needle. Not good for the inexperienced.

Wow. That's amazing. It's like a supersized adventure playground.

Hi there Flip trainer, A few points in favour of fast food (for debating purposes as fresh is always best). • Fresh food is already government subsidised compared with pre-prepared foods, as fresh food does not have GST added to it. In effect, as it has less tax it is subsided. • We live in a democratic society where people have the right to make their own choices, for themselves and their family. Outside of setting rules for the smooth running of society, Governments should not be able to dictate how we live our lives. This is what separates us from communist governments or dictatorships. When governments meddle in people's daily lives, they refer to it as a "nanny state". • If we limited people to eating or doing only the things that are good for them, things like cream, cakes and bacon would be banned. There would be no lamingtons, or bacon and egg pies. This is un-Australian. Take this idea further and adventure and extreme sports would be banned. Footy causes serious head and spinal injuries, for example. Do we, therefore, ban footy? There would be no Moto GP, no skydiving. • Fast food provides significant employment, particularly for young people, all around Australia. It also provides income for many Australian farmers. • Statistics show that wealthier families are the ones who mostly buy fresh food. Is it fair that Government subsidies (our taxpayer money) goes to give extra benefits to the rich? After all, cigarettes are expensive and poorer people still buy them in greater percentages than higher income people.

Hi Barry. Like Robyn says, it can take a little while to tame them, but it is all about persistence and patience. The following is advice I kept from when I was learning how to tame my budgie. People do have different ways of doing it, and you kind of have to "feel" what is the best method for you - and your budgie. I'd recommend having several training sessions a day - short sessions but regular. Talk to your budgie softly a lot and, as much as you feel you are getting frustrated, don't let that affect the way you interact with your budgie. Budgies don't respond to punishment, but encouragement. Also, play some music or the radio, or telly. Budgies like to have background noise in the daytime. When the world goes silent, to a budgie's mind that means a predator is around. They even like noise like vacuum cleaners or coffee grinders. It often makes them sing to compete with the noise. ........... Budgie taming. A lot of people have recently been asking me how I tamed my budgies so here we go. I'm not saying these methods are necesarily the best way to tame a bird, there are many good methods out there and this is only my way which I find works well. When you first bring home your lil spudgie, spend some time sitting and winking/closing your eyes at it. It probably sounds a little strange, but this is actually the first sign to them that you are infact not trying to eat them, as a predator would stare unblinkingly at its prey in the wild. Hopefuly after a few minutes your budgie will start blinking back to you, your first little bond - he/she trusts you not to eat him/her while they have their eyes closed! Go and try it. The hand taming - I find the longer you leave your budgie afraid of you, the more he will set into a routine of ''fear''. It is easier to tame them the day you bring them home than to leave them unsure of you for a long time. Many people are recomended to hand tame their budgies by leaving their hand in the cage near the budgie for a while each day... I don't believe this is the easiest way or even the least stressful way for the bird to becoming used to you. Each time you are taking your hand back out you are training the bird that its okay - the hand always just go's away after a while. Start each training session with a goal; don't take your hand out of the cage until you have achieved it. Follow your bird slowly around the cage with your hand making no sudden movements until he gives in and stays in one place (don't be scared of hurting or scaring him, it is more scary for them to live in constant fear than to get it over with!). Once he has calmed down take your hand out and let him think about it for a few minutes. Now he has learnt that the hand doesn't go away until he calms down and sit still. The next time you put your hand in he is going to sit on your finger; don't take your hand out until he has. Gently push your finger under his belly until he has to step on, once he has, put him back on the perch and close the door. Again leave him to think about this - ''hey, the hand doesn't hurt me... I can just sit on it''. If give up you will be teaching him the opposite; if they know you will give up they will wait for you to give up the next time. You may have to repeat this excercise quite a few times before your budgie more willingly steps up. Budgies are inteligent little birds, once you get past this initial step they will be more ready to take an interest in you; their mind is moving forwards rather than being stuck in the ''omg!'' stage. And the quicker you do this the easier it is for them to adjust, new home - new rules. Once your bird is fully finger tame, i'd suggest creating a perch or area for him to land on in the room and close the curtains until he knows the area he can land; then take him slowly out of the cage and place him in that area. They do unfortunatley have some accidents the first time they are free of the cage; my Codi ended up behind my bed the first time he flew around my room but this is just how they learn.

Beak trimming isn't something you should do, unless you are an expert. If you get it wrong, your bird could bleed to death. You might also damage his tongue, or do something that means he can't eat. Also, it is very rare that a budgie would need a beak trim anyway. Not saying yours doesn't have a problem. But are you sure? You'd really need to see an avian vet to assess and do it.

Hi Pete, and sorry about your first budgie. Not a nice thing to happen. Not an expert of budgie sudden death, but could be a stroke, heart attack, or he may have been unwell but you didn't know what the signs were to see it. I was a first time owner just over a year ago, and learnt heaps from the Budgie FAQs up on the top far left of the board. Have a good read through that. You want to know what to feed – quality seed, get them eating fresh daily veges early so they get in the habit and get the taste for it, plus daily clean fresh water. The most likely thing to make a budgie sick or die is contaminated food or water. Get that right and you're doing well for your budgie. If you're a pet owner, Trill is easily available in local supermarkets and a good quality seed. Don't get talked into pellets - even by experts like Avian vets. Trill has lots of added vitamins and minerals, so you don't have to worry too much about fancy supplements. They need calcium and iodine too - a piece of cuttlebone and iodine block attached to their cage will do that - however Trill has that added as well. Good to have them on hand, in case your bird feels it needs extra. They'll take it if and when they need it. Check up on good cage set ups. And get ready to be patient and persistent with your taming. It can be quick or slow, depending on the tamer and the bird. Makes a world of difference to both your enjoyment though. It means you can have them out free flying without any hassle. Have a good read, and then come back with any questions.

i love Neville's photo, too. The floral backgrounds are gorgeous.

I Stace AS KNOWN ON THIS FORUM FROM Sydney, NSW OF Australia AGREE TO ALLOW ANY OF MY PHOTOS OF MY BIRDS FROM ANY OF MY POSTS THREADS ON THIS FORUM TO BE COPYED AND TRANSFORMED INTO PAINTINGS/DRAWINGS BY THE FORUM MEMBER KNOWN AS GENERICBLUE AND FOR THESE PICTURES/PAINTINGS TO BE DISPLAYED AS SHE SO CHOOSES DATED 24 October OF 2011.

I've got some "different" kinds of photos - some close ups of detail and others staged photos. You're welcome to play with any of these, if they suit.

I think that's a champion idea, GB.

That's good news. I have the same problem in Sydney with finding reliable birdsitters I trust, too.

The time of day doesn't really matter, however, if he's not finger tame yet, best let him out just before breakfast or dinner. That way he'll want to go back to the cage to eat. Budgies usually eat in the morning and late afternoon/evening. Their rest time in nature is in the heat of the day. If you keep up the finger taming training regularly - several times a day for about 5/10mins - you should be able to hand tame him reasonably quickly.

Charlie sounds like a real champion. Glad he's still happy.