Hezz

Hello to Buttons and Bows. Why don't you just get another seed dish? I don't think I have seen a cage set-up with more than one bird with only one food source. To my mind it's a bit like asking a dog to share its bone - like that's going to happen!!! Certainly not for starters. Maybe when the birds settled in and are confortable with both their mate and surrounding, they may be willing to share. I think it would be an easy solution to something which could easily get out of hand (the fighting, I mean). If you have natural perches you shouldn't have to worry about their claws. Undue claw growth is usually only associated with certain health problems and the natural perches not only keep their claws short but also give them something else to chew on - a very necessary budgie activity. There is probably lots more, I can't think of for now.

Hi magic lady, wow what a name! I sure hope he lives up to it!! :o But Pippin is a great name and goes with the second photo. How long did it take to come up with that? I've had my new bird over two weeks now and we are divided between Sparky and Comet. He is a bit of both.

As far as I can gather all lilly pillys are native.

Very well put, Finnie!! :D

I found this while doing some web-surfing, doesn't quite answer your question, but maybe you could contact them and see if they have the answers. http://currumbinvetservices.com.au/inland_australian_parrots.htm

Hey, Jabberwocky, just to come back to the cage for a moment, when you remove the seed dishes you aren't using, don't forget to still tape down the lids (to the cage)as they can still be pushed up. It's not so much the young birds trying to nest but rather trying to replicate their previous enviroment where they felt safe and secure. So not to worry about trying to nest in the way we would normally talk of nesting as in laying eggs. Does that make sense? Get as may branches (eucalypts) as you can fit into the car!!! (Just kidding)! But seriously, the more the better because then you can rotate them week to week or whenever you clean the cage so it is not always the same setup. I have a number of different shaped, sized, thicknesses etc and also different varieties, so that while one set (from the previous week) is soaking/being cleaned the next set is in the cage. Also leave on some smaller branches and Dalek will in short time whittle them down to whatever he can't manage anymore. Also the rough bark of things like bottlebrush are great too, for their feet and their beak. Some parts of my bottlebrush perches are now as smooth as though I had sanded them, just from the budgies constantly chewing the bark off. Here's to some good weather for you - it's Easter, we always have some showers at Easter. How about you? School holidays?

Hi Jabberwocky. Just a word of warning regarding your feed dishes. Sometimes birds can escape through these by pushing the lids up. I know they sort of clip down but if the bird is inventive and/or determined they will push through. A way around this (I had found) is to tape them down from the outside (I used packing tape, the wide stuff, as it is esy to peal up and will seal down again a number of times. when changing their seed before needing to be replaced, rather than say sticky tape). The other thing is, if you get yourself a young bird to put in with Dalek, sometimes a yound bird will try to nestle down in the seed container - in fact they wil almost fold themselves in to fit!!! Not all try of course, but some do, and speaking from experience, it is quite scary looking for your bird in the cage and not being able to find it!! Then to see it scrunched up in the seed dish. I doubt that Dalek would try to, it seems to be young birds trying to replicate a nest. Hope that helps and am sure Dalek will enjoy more room to play!!

A long weekend, kochy, hope the weather holds too. With a bit of luck you might get it finished.

Welcome to budgie madness, Anne. Unfortunately your photos haven't posted but we will wait with bated breath to see your new member.

Sorry, Cheeky, couldn't get it to work.

Good luck then, Ratzy

Good on you, Maddie!!!! Wish all were as responsible.

Dunno what they are except CUTE!!!!! :D

They surely are!! You really don't see the whole of their colours until they are in full flight. Hey we are (hopefully :unsure: ) going to be in the Canterbury region Sept/Oct but a lot of work to do before then!!!! (Trying to get the kids on a skiing trip before they leave school.) PS I'm hopeless with a camera!!!

Seems we would be looking to you for tips and tricks, Taz.. :D You say family - is the whole family involved with the budgie mania?? I think its great when families get involved with a hobby (or more) all together. Congrats on the Nat. Show win. I'm sure that must be big!!! :o

okay, we will forget the "a" . I can understand your obsession with our native parrots. They are truely some of the most beautiful I think. Prudence has limited me to budgies but in my perfect world I have a plethora of our natives.... Ah, just dreaming.....

Hi Joey, and welcome. Good luck with your budgies and great you have some help/support in your Dad. Cheers,

Try sprinkling some over their seed. Some birds will eat it dry, others moistened into a paste. Your bird will let you know how he likes it!

Hi Meagan, welcome and wonderful to meet a new member. Budgies hold a special place in a lot of people's hearts, they are such beautiful little things. Be great to hear about your other birds too! Stay tuned. Cheers, Hezz

Hope it helps, Jabberwocky. My point with the not liking to be touched was that there are times where we have to whether they like it or not. I have found that a small amount of handling, with little stress has helped my birds with the few times they have seriously had to be handled, like illness or injury. Also the very worst thing you can do if he bites you (or anyone else) is to REACT. Don't make a noise, don't flinch, don't throw him off. That also is the dominence thing - you react, he has won!! Listen to a flock of parrots for a while - they are deafening!!! they are all trying to out do each other, they don't have a dominant leader so they all have to try to make their mark, not be ignored. So after the bite, the finger, the AH,AH until you are in control and then see where you go. Maybe back into the cage, or if it seems the lesson has been learnt, stay out and keep on trying. Maybe I have been lucky with mine, but if you can stiffle the initial impulse to react negatively to the bite, go quickly into the finger response, I have had fairly quick results. But doesn't mean you won't have to go through it a number of times before the bird will stop biting altogether, but I have found the bites tend to get less and less agressive. Again Good luck!!

Hi Jabberwocky, don't know if it will help, but it is something I have found helpful with mine. When the bird first bites, and I mean there and then!!!! I use my index finger, bring it higher than their head, but in front of their face, if you get my meaning and give a very difinite NO!! It's like a dominance thing, bring your finger down towards, and over their head and again NO! Or an noise like AH,AH, like you would a dog or child doing the wrong thing. Usually what the bird will do is lift it's beak/head and try again at your finger, but just very, very gently tap on the top of the bird's head and again, NO or AH AH and after a couple of tries I have found that they will just then gently raise their heads and nibble, rather than the "lunge and bite". It is just a stage, and I am sure they all go through it, but for my small experience, it seems to keep the whole "bite" mentality under control. As a pet he isn't much of a family member if you can't be sure he will behave, and I can see it could be a little frustrating if you want him to get on with the rest of the family. I have been doing this with my hen who has all the stroppy- hen syndrome and she is now at a stage where she can let me know how she feels without having to draw blood!!! She doesn't actually like being touched and while I appreciate that, there are times when it is going to have to happen, so now we are at a stage where she will tolerate me holding/ touching/feeling etc without getting all pent up about it. Sorry, its a bit or a rave, but if it helps you, then good!! Good luck! :D

Hey, Finnie. Don't know most of what you've just said, but good on you anyway!!! :P I think he's a pretty bird, regardless!!! My hen is very similar but with a more aqua colour blue. Does that mean anything?? :huh:

If he is annoying the wound, the savlon could help soothe the irritation. I haven't used it myself but a lot of sites give it a a heal-all for minor abrasions on birds, especially using it as a spray. I don't see how the cream could be toxic to them if the spray isn't. If you can, you could also try an Elizabethian collar on the poor thing - I can't imagine a budgie taking kindly to it, but if it's that or the leg.... Again, good luck!!

Don't think Bluey was too impressed!!! He took off flying all around the room and then wouldn't shut up!!!

Both mine love snow peas and asian greens as well.