Bird Junky

Hello, it's normal for a hen to start a new family as soon as the first is out of the box. If you don't want any more babies remove the box & any more eggs you find as she lays them. she will soon get over her broody period & stop laying. Boxes encourage hens to lay, it's a natural part of the life cycle......B.J.

Hello Vet asp. As your pics were not very clear. Even if its just a mild eye infection, visit the Vet......B.J.

Dillister. At the top of the page on the left, click on the Budgie FAQs, Scroll down to Feeding baby budgies in the nest. After a careful study of this post your sister will be more than capable of looking after any babies you leave in her care. Would it not be a good idea for your sister to join the forum. Then in your absence she can ask for any help she may require personally. .......B.J.

Hi, are you sure your bird is a cock. Some of what you say sounds more like female behaviour. If he's definitely a cock, he could could have gender problems. Does he have an Iodine block & cuttle bone in his cage? Try removing half his toys so you can rotate them occasionally, so he has something new to play with...B.J.

Hello As your talking about a few days your sister doesn't need to know much except how to feed & water the parent birds. Your breeding pairs are quite capable of laying eggs & raising the chicks without inexperienced interference.....B.J.

Hello. Down load this for a useful colour guide....B.J. http://budgieplace.com/colorsguide

Hello Apologies all round. For any upset I tend to look at things from the birds point of view. I'm told I'm always putting my foot in it. I'm not a people person as the wife's always telling me. Sorry to all the others who haven't complained.... I know... I'm just a silly old bugger who worries more about birds than people....B.J.

Hi She's just a budgie doing budgie things. Your not cleaning the toys often enough is something you should address, asap. The bacterial build up in dried on regurgitated food is not a good thing for any bird to re-ingest.. It might help if there was more interaction between you & your bird, click on my bonding post bellow then perhaps you could graduate onto a couple of tricks to keep you both entertained...B.J. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=32044

Hi like it say's on the bottom of my posts. SOME WILL, SOME WON'T, ETC, ETC......B.J.

Hello More info on your set-up so we can help you. If they are young birds they don't always get it right first time....B.J.

Hello. Re your questions...All answers are, in general no bird comes with a guarantee. My final suggestion would be to read though my post on bonding. Click on the link bellow.......B.J. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=32044

Hello I always took my birds with me. I built an aviary on a small trailer....B.J.

Charlie is oriental, I remember a detective on the silver screen....Charlie Chan......B.J.

Hello. I would bring & keep the cage inside if its cold. Let us have more info about your set-up it will make it easer to help you as you seem to be a novice. We love to help......B.J.

Hi. Easy isn't it?......B.J.

Hi. okay, buy a small torch with a lens no bigger than your thumbnail. If you feel you must make a box candler. Cut a half inch diameter hole in any small box & put a night-light type candle inside. Light candle. lay egg on it's side over the hole & observe. Candle candlers can over heat eggs if care is not taken. Once your proficient at candling you should be able to check eggs at 1 per second.....B.J.

Hi You don't have to make a candler. Just balance an egg on an upturned little torch. The type used by CSI . on the TV shows. Switch on the torch to see little veins growing in a fertile egg at about 7 days......B.J.

Hello I would advise a trip to a vet. Useful advice from myself & other well meaning members would be only guesswork at best as we cannot see the problem first hand. ....B.J.

Hello. Click onto the post bellow. I've just spent a few hrs writing this new edition. I'm sure it can help & answer all your questions. B.J. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=32044

B.J's STEP BY STEP TO EASY BIRD BONDING The following suggestions are the result of a lifetime of experience, training many hundreds of birds of all kinds for performers, both professional & amateurs. The main problems when compiling what really amounts to a list of instructions, is the diversity of bird personalities. Some are naturally curious & quick to learn, while others are slow & more reserved. For their own safety birds should be confined to their cages until the bonding process is complete & step-up has been mastered. Chasing & catching a bird can undermine any bond already built up between an owner & bird. Allow 2 or 3 days of practice after the first successful outcome of each step, in the bonding process. If your bird is a little slow please keep practising until your bird is 100% before moving onto the next stage. You will be more than amply rewarded for your patience. It is just as easy to bond with several birds, as it is a single bird. The slow birds soon learn to follow the lead of their more forward flock companions. Those who find a flock difficult to train, are too impatient to allow the slower birds to catch up, befor moving on to the next stage. Whilst on the subject of impatience, don't be tempted to take short cuts. Just because your bird does what you want at the very first attempt. Does not mean he has actually learned thats what you want him to do. As I said before, a 100% success rate is what a good trainer aims for. Anything less is a setback waiting to happen. (1) TAMING BIRDS with a FEAR of PEOPLE. The best cage position for fearful birds is a quiet corner of a room, with 3/4 of the top covered to provide a greater feeling of security for the bird. In the cage provide plain seed or pellets, water, cuttlebone & an iodine block. Both containers are better if they can be refilled without opening the cage door, this will prevent further upset to an already fearful bird. The remaining foods such as, fruit/veg. hard boiled egg, millet spray etc. are to be fed in small portions as treat foods. This will show the birds that your arrival, means nice things to eat & by giving small amounts your visits can be much more frequent. Hard boiled egg should be sliced & fed 1/2 a slice at a time while fruit & veg can be cut up into small pieces & clipped into a clothes peg to prevent it falling through the bars. Each piece of treat food should be placed on the cage top, you should then retire to a distance the birds are comfortable with, to allow them to settle down & eat. At each treat feed, stand or sit a little closer. Don't be in a hurry take your time. Show them by going slow & easy that people are nice & not at all frightening. When the time finally arrives that you can sit quietly by their cage as they eat their treat food, they are ready for the next step in the bonding process. From now on you should talk softly to your birds at every opportunity. (2) BITERS & BIRDS with a FEAR of HANDS Prepare the cage as for (1). These birds are best fed the treat foods in small portions through the bars of the cage, with a pair of tweezers or chopsticks. As the birds get used to this, gradually over the next few days, move your fingers closer to the treat food as you slowly build up the bond of trust. As before the treats are fed little & often. If your bird is a biter or even attempts to bite, remove the treat food immediately for a count of 10, then re-offer it. Any longer & the bird may not link the two actions, do this as often as it takes, don't be in a hurry. Only when your birds are 100% happy to eat from your fingertips for several days, are they ready for the next stage. This stage is not complete until the birds stop any biting behavour. (3) HAND FEEDING SEMI-TAME BIRDS INSIDE THE CAGE Young birds recently weaned are the most trusting & ready to eat from your fingers. This stage will lead automatically to step-up. When working inside the cage use a hanky fixed to the bar above the door with clothes pegs to act as a safety curtain to prevent a bird from escaping via the open door. Offer the birds a treat food by holding a small piece between the fingers of your upturned palm & close to a perch. So the birds can reach the treat. You will notice the birds will be thinking about the situation. If they appear in anyway disturbed or attempt to bite, resenting your intrusion as a trespass into their personal space. Remove your hand & allow them to calm down. When they are calm & curious, hold your hand still so they can eat the food treat. Remember offer it don't try to force it on them, If no bird approaches wait a few minutes, withdraw & try again a later, repeat until they eat. Keep offering them different small treats as often as you can over the next few days. Until all the birds are happy to eat from your hand. As before, your aim is to build up a strong bond of friendship & trust, talk softly to your birds. It matters little what you say, just be aware that rude words & the sound of a clicker (as in clicker training) will come back to haunt you if you birds develope into good mimics. (4) STEP UP After a day or two of successful hand feeding, hold your treat filled hand just far enough away from the perch so the birds have step onto your hand to reach the food. Say "up or come on", or whatever you like just be consistent. Do not poke a reluctant bird. You want to invite not bully your bird into stepping up. A poked bird has two options. A shy nervous bird will retreat, as you probably would if it happened to you. A more confident bird will step-up to show you he isn't backing down. Not because he thinks, poke means step-up. A layed back bird who goes through life taking the easy road, will step up only to regain his balance. Poking will not guarantee 100% Step-up. If trust has been established, the birds will step up without any hesitation at every treat feed. Step up is the most important part of the whole bonding, befriending process so be sure your bird will step up every time before moving on. (5) OUT TIME Prepare by first bird proofing the room. Curtains shut etc, put together a portable perch on wooden blocks, raised a few inches off the table top. Make or buy a bird gym. For their own safety birds should be discouraged from perching anywhere except on a cloth covered table or your hands. Out time, this is better done some in the early evening or late afternoon. After the birds have had a fly & play for an hour or so & will be ready to return to their cage for supper & sleep. Food is the most powerful tool you have. If they can get food outside of the cage they have no incentive to return. With a little treat in hand open the cage door. Put your hand in & allow the birds to step up & eat, slowly take your hand & bird out of the cage. Let them stay on your hand until they realise they're out. Let them explore & encourage them to use the gym or play with their favourite toy, YOU. (6) THE RETURN TO CAGE Fix the cage door open & put in one of their other favourite treat foods. Offer your birds a small food treat, when they step up for a taste, return them to their cage. You are now a fully fledged, 'BIRD BUDDY'. A FEW TIPS Save a favourite treat to be fed only as an educational treat. With my birds it was Peanut Butter or Cottage Cheese with salt free chopped up peanuts or a crumb or two of Sponge cake. Most professional entertainers use a hand perching stick. It keeps their clothes clean & the birds enjoy the swaying motion. It's also handy for getting birds down from curtain rails. You offer a bird a treat for a wanted action. If when it's learnt it you stop giving the treat. Can you really blame the bird for non compliance? You have to convince your birds that you are the most interesting thing in the world, not just a lump of wood to perch on while watching telly. It is your job to entertain your bird, not his job to keep you amused. The surest way to achieve anything is with bribery. It works on every living creature on earth including human beings. Yours B.J. PS. Check out my posts on tricks & games to keep, you & your birds happy & active.

Hello. There are too many variables for this to be a guaranteed method of breeding, to list here. Better as suggested to separate, within earshot or sight, Nest box when both are in condition & compatible.Yours B.J.

Hello. Your confusing obedience with compliance & the inability to refuse.. You can't make a bird enjoy bathing. What you will be doing is getting them used to it. If they don't like it you could ruin any trust already built up between you. Many budgies go through life without a bath...... Why do you think they need to bathe? Click on the post bellow when your babies have fledged. Yours B.J. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=31805

Hello. Greens are just to tempt the birds into the bath, Not needed if birds like to bathe. Personally I would wait until the birds are weaned.. Babies don't need to bathe. Feet may need attention if matted with poo. There is the chance they may get a chill. Yours B.J.

Hi Yes I know that but it was just another avenue to investigate. Breeders know breeders & there are always someone with duff birds going cheap. Not every club member Has champion stock.. Plus the fact, getting to know a local breeder may come handy for advice etc. Yours B.J..

Hi Your right I was going by your 1.2 m measurements . I did try to delete after I saw your photo's but no delete on this forum. SORRY...Yours B.J.