maz7

I saw her at the bird supplies store in a cage with other budgies+she just wanted to get outta there! Scratching frantically@the food bowl.I spotted the Lutino red eye! So I've had her in a cage seperate from other birds from start. I've got her/him just over a week.she is very young,its obviously a new batch of chicks at the store. I guess around 2months old?thanks Nadine

Hi I bought a new Lutino Budgie "Calypso" - she is extremely tiny. I thought she was ill as she was puffed up and head under wing- ate little, so I started treatment with Baytril in water and Probiotic over seeds. She eats more now, is active and only head under wing when having a nap. BUT i noticed in her poop the seeds are whole as if not digested! What is causing this? Worms? Megabacteria? Fungal infection? She does not Vomit seeds up like with Crop-canker. It just seems to go straight through??? I've never encountered this in any of my birds ........they've had Crop-canker, which I use Ronidazole for, but i do have a product from a Vet which reduces stress and assists in electrolyte and digestion enzymes and with vitamins. Must I give her this? I also put her out in day for 10 -20 minutes of direct sun for D3. She is better than when I got her but I need her to pick up weight. I am very concerned as she is so extremely active and tiny- but Lutinos are normally madly active- here anyway. Please advise if any of you know what this could be. Also anything i use in water is so slow to work as Budgies rarely drink their water. My bird shop is very reliable but the seller might not have dewormed the little one? I have special dewormer but it has to be given in Soft food! I can't get any of my birds to eat Soft food-I've tried everything. parents won't even touch the egg-food and they have babies to feed! They only want to eat what you call silver beet and we call Swiss Chard-a type of Spinach and Lettuce greens. They sometimes eat fresh corn and apple-but only if they feel like it. I have also introduced Jap Millet which is apparently high in Protein.?

Interesting. Its hard to raise from day 1. Don't they need special crop milk from Mom first few days? I have 4 females breeding at moment. All eggs hatched except 1 female has 2 chicks+ some more eggs. But what I did this time around to prevent trampling+death for younger hatchlings: I swopped the babies.1 Budgie only 1 egg hatched so I gave her a foster chick,and 1 still on eggs hatched 1 so I gave her a foster. Works like a bomb! They didn't worry about where it came from nor that it smells like another bird+a human hand. They just raised them.they are now fully feathered,pin feathers+down+they are thriving! All 1w of them.

Welcome, someone will answer you on this + I am also very interested to hear answers.

Hi Finnie thanks for advice. She looks a bit better, and is eating more,playing etc. Meds r working-not sure how or where to post these articles. Any advice how to start a new topic or thread or whatever?

Hi Brax; hi L_J - wish I could resolve the Cape Town weather! Wind, heat,cold, rain varies from mild to severe+ can all happen in one day! I am trying to get my system up to a stage where people can come and buy budgies from me! I am so intent on hygiene but I cannot clean my Aviary everyday. I do it every 2nd day but sweep husks out daily. Disinfect every time I wash floor which happens every 3rd day. With such extreme weather changes my budgies get sick BUT note we don't have breeders here I can buy from. We have2rely on Pet shops+some look dirtier than what it should b 4 a bird.I hav 2 birds with a cold or crop canker- I bought a new Lutino younster+she eats like a ***. I noticed her puffing up and sleeping a lot, then the poo in which seeds seems to have passed thru without digesting. Is it crop canker or Diarrhea or worms, I've got her on Baytril+probiotics. Hope its going 2sort her out! Our vets r non-Avian+i've lost 3 birds@their hands but saved2 by myself with this forum's help Just typed+saved but its gone! My whole message! Jus be glad u r not trying to have Budgies in Cape Town! Severe weather swings! No Avian vets! No breeders! Purchase from pet shops+are normally afflicted with 1 or other ailment!

Sorry for your loss! How on earth did he vanish? I would have taken your Titch in a heartbeat but am in South Africa- ask the Co-ordinators +breeders- ask Nadine+Kaz or Budgie_mad or Phoebes or Amum4children Hope you get sorted. Phone breeders clubs Regards Maz

Hi Brax I wasn't trying to put you off but I am in Cape Town South Africa and we have miserable winters cold and damp! Not a great recipe for Budgies+Finches. My lovebirds seem to handle all conditions well! Its true what Finnie says, not all bad BUT very rewarding. I'm not just a breeder I get attached to my birds. Everyone has a name+a careful Logbook is kept with info+data. Its just hard to tell when a bird is sick as they hide it well until they r soooh ill,else they will be attacked by the pack. I've lost some beloved favorites to fungal or flu/chill. But I've learnt a lot about birds in the past 3 years.Ask advice anytime! I am hand rearing baby finches who were abandoned when we extended Aviary! Now that's a big challenge. I feed them with a filed round toothpick.works like a bomb. 3 died of 9 BUt 6 survived, so its not too bad but I cry each time,even when I sell my surplus I'm always sad! Each bird has such a personality! I have 10 babies split by 4 hens plus 1 hen still on eggs due in5 to 7 days, apart from finches who also have 8 babies and eggs in most nests. I just learnt its busy,time consuming and requires a lot of dedication.its NOT something to be taken on if u have a full time job!. I am semi-retired but do the once a week bookkeeping 4 a client. You can't travel when you hav an aviary+breeding birds.But have your pet enjoy them or 1 and teach them tricks! That's such a joy! But don't put them with another bird-they lose the tricks+all the tunes+instinct kicks in. I have 3 pet budgies and a canary and 2 Indian ring necks. They talk+do tricks+ whistle tunes+wolf whistle+talk baby talk but the others are just unresponsive to that. They know my voice but they r more interested in birds around them. Good luck+ask for advice anytime. When building Aviary take care to have shade,sun+ventilation. Did you know birds need unfiltered sun daily for VitA+D? Much like humans do? Did you know Avo+Apple sees r poisonous 2 birds? Also all kinds of Lillies! Happy reading+learning xxx

Hi Brax welcome and enjoy your budgie as a pet. YOU are far too young and seems you like travelling ; to breed. LET ME WARN YOU NOW: It is a fricking lot of work, time and dedication and babies and mommys die. There is constant cleaning and hygiene to take place-daily or they get fungal disease or your aviary attracts mice and there are other diseases. 3 of my budgies died from damp seeds and got a fungal infection! One got Crop Canker and thanks to this website s people and their assistance i mannaged to just sae him with Ronidazole. I have bred for 2 years and hand reared most of the runts! I AM EXHAUSTED and i don't even have a job! At home 6 days a week!!!!!! So re-think the breeding part carfully! Young Budgies train easy. I taught my budgie Peanut to step up and down from my finger in one day and to Twirl upside down in another day, she is now 1 year 6 months and she still twirls for me and steps up or down! Enjoy Budgies as pets, you certainly won't when you breed and the work starts!!!!and the problems: Egg-binding, young being trampled, disease

Welcome, try not too go too big. I am on 18 adults+10 babies hatched between 4 couples. I also have 6 Lovebirds, finches,IRN s x 2, and a few others in total 63! Far too much work+cleaning to do. Once again welcome

Welcome nthere's lots of info on this site+lovely people

Hi and welcome, I can absolutely relate to the rain on roof;same here. They chatter+screech, I hav 6 lovebirds in a seperate section of my avery;they make more noise than the rest ha ha ha. I have also 2 darlings in house that I teach tricks Peanut+Fievel. Stay in touch

I also had a similar incident so I put her in cage with mate.they are young and mischivous! She actually got through to my finches side through a gap+killed 2 finch babies+injured 2! Best to split her from the pack till she's's had her 1st clutch,but I would keep an eye on her. I wonder what causes this odd behaviour?

thanks 4 tryin to help me. Two of my other birds last year died of this! Itts a fungus that attacks crop.. Vet gave baytril for water, mega vitamins+metstatin powder+crop solution citrus. They both died irrespective! No Avian vet exists in Cape Town! Only normal vets! All they do is charge+kill my birds. I've had my own methods work better. He's still sick though.

Hi pse help!!!!! 2 of my budgies died last year of some fungal infection..................................since then it seems to have bn kept at bay with Apple Cider Vinegar in water and bath water and washing avery once a week down with either JIK diluted in water or vinegar! The birds mess terribly with food and husks and when it gets wet it really smells disgusting after a day or two, so I sweep and wash............work tirelessly just cleaning after these budgies and Lovebirds (seperate paRt of aviary) Now one of my young males have it- he vomits his seeds up in little bundles. he has lost weight and prefers to eat the Groats (oats) instead of small millet since ill. I have put Metstatin powder over his seeds (from Vet) - have treated him with a liquid Ani-biotic in water, and have first 3 days treated him with Crop treatment (all from VET) my last 2 birds died anyway on this treatment-they just got weaker and weaker. What can i give him to boost his immune system that he will eat! Any natural or homemade remedies! The Vets in Cape Town are useless with birds!!!!! HELP HELP HELP

Hi + welcome Your son is far too young to breed budgies on his own, you'll hav to help dad! Big responsability+ things do go wrong! I've shed many tears in past 2 years! I have 25 finches;6 lovebirds and 18 budgies, I've had success+ failure. Life+death. The saddest is when u lose a budgie to illness; weakness; etc many tips on this site. L o l

It does grow back a bit but very slowly+ none of drops,calcium or vitamins hav really helped. They could not eat; I had to dehusk their seeds.they hav stump beaks but bottom beak seems to grow up longer than normal.but is softer+not has firm as top beak will try to post photos

Why do they behave like that? It seems only females do this?!this1 hen got into Finch side +de scalped 2 finches+killed2.the descaped ones died anyway! 1 survived I'll call her Miracle! I always blamed lovebirds but seems culprits r budgies! In all fighting 2 females lost half of their beaks. One has sort of grown back but other 1 seems to stay at a level. Help? Will it ever grow back normal again?

I've always lost the youngest 3 as the older ones trample them in the feeding frenzy but I'll try the supplementary feed.and put them back, which I've done b4 but they still died. They get trampled on their little necks+ byebye runt. I've only saved1 by removing and handrearing. Thanks Flip+ Robin.I feed every2hours first week every 3hrs 2nd week and every4 hrs from 3rd week on. Is this correct?hope this has all bn helpful budgetminded. I've got a little graveyard in my garden for all my angels that die!and I cry many tears but there is also much joy about success stories!

What a cutypie! I love the bath one- my fievel looks like that after a bath! He he he

I've also wondered exactly same! Lost many runts this way and cry my eyes out everytime! Successfully removed 2 @1 week+ put into little incubator(fishtank+ infrared light with temperature control) 1 died but 1 lived. I raised her on breeding rearing mix for parakeets/lovebirds.she eventually ate out of a bent spoon. She is beautiful!fully grown year old now+tame as can b.its a risk at 7 days, they say after2 weeks but by then they r trampled or starved! We'd love to hear from the administrators on this! Also hi Robin, Kaz, budgielover :HELP

They r beautiful! I've lost some birds including my Lutino this month; baby finches pulled from their nest by a female budgie that got through barier. I'm so sad, each bird I lose I cry bitterly for!

My word! I wudn't know a spangle from a pie, or a cinnamon from a greywing! Where do u learn all this? I think I have apart from 2 lutinos+ 1 Albino, about every coLour bird+ you hav just described! Where can I find out what I have?

What gorgeous birds? What is a duster?

Yes I didn't know that either! My problem is fostering out when 1 mom has2 many and 1 too few. Will that work? Or will they kill them?