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Here's some photos i got of the budgies before they got all soaking wet from their bath! Mr Handsome Ozzie Along came a Fizzy, who sat down beside him.... ....and tried to gobble him up? Blinkie looking cute Teeny tiny little Fizz I AM NOT TINY!!! Look at me puff out my chest!!! *macho budgie* Hey pipsqueak! This is how you look manly! *pose*

First there was Fizzy. Then along came Mr Oz And before long Blinkie joined in the fun too! .....so maybe that's not his most flattering side..... And for about 10 minutes all three budgies got soaking wet!!! Snacking to get energy for insane bath time Taking a moment to catch a breath Rest break's over, back in the tub *splash splash splash* *splish splash splish* *dive bomb* In comes Ozzie, and (Laughing out loud), Blinkie falls out Ozzie takes a breather So Blinko jumps back in And then we have some very wet and soggy budgies!! And i've saved the funniest wet budgie for last. Presenting Fizzy after his VERY FIRST BATH.... *drumroll please* (Laughing out loud)!! What's so funny?? And here's a short video of the bath time fun!

Gorgeous photos Nathan! You really have got a stunning flock.

I can buy Vetafarm pellets from any of the local pet stores.

I'm really not sure, but that would add even more cost to an already expensive product.

I almost gave up, but then i noticed the chipping paint on the budgie cage frame and that refuelled my anger, so i sent my angry email and everything went right! Very satisfying. Can't wait to get my new cages.

That's a truly awful and incorrect message the writer is sending to the public. How can such stupid people write things like that stating them as "expert" opinion and fact.

Well i now have 2 black vein powder coated cages paid for and i expect they will leave the seller tomorrow and be here by Thurs or Fri. Then the dodgy cages can be refunded at the weekend and all this fun forgotten about.

Yes, today i threatened to call consumer affairs and they immediately agreed to fully refund both cages.

Here's a good article from our FAQ section, it's worth a read: http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...=155&artlang=en

I feed Trill seed and Harrisons pellets, both of which i like. I'll soon be switching back to Vetafarm pellets which are more readily available.

I'm not sure that i'm allowed to specifically say, but i can tell you that in perth you're safe. It's a NSW/ACT store i believe.

I paid $150, and they've rusted/chipped/etc in just a few months. I've found powder coated replacements for $140 on eBay.

Well i am VERY happy to say that i've now spoken with the store manager and both cages can be refunded with the one reciept! All this sorted in less than an hour after a month of emails back and forth! I told the manager that i have to find new cages first and that i should be able to bring the cages back in a week or two. I've found the same style cage but powder coated on ebay for a good buy now price and once we've confirmed they have two we'll order them! Shouldn't be too long before i can put all this behind me and forget about it.

Well, didn't get that phone call - big suprise! So i emailed the guy i had been in contact with again to see what was going on - no reply. So today i sent my first angry email (the others had been polite) questioning if he had received my email, saying how extremely unhappy i am with the service i've been receiving, stating that i will be contacting consumer affairs in the next few days if this issue is not resolved and mentioning again that the only solution i see is a full refund. I just noticed that the paint on the frame of the budgie cage is chipping a bit too (quality product *cough cough*) and mentioned that in my email. I have a sneaking suspicion that both the company and the manufacturer are either blocking or ignoring my emails, when i first contacted the company i also tried to contact the manufacturer again and am yet to get a reply. Some service they're providing. I've just gone around and taken photos of the rust and faults in the paint so i can use them in future emails, etc. Budgie Cage: Paint chipping on corner of the cage frame Small amounts of rust under door wire The tiel cage: Rust in a little jointy bit Faults on the wires ******edit****** I am positively LAUGHING right now! Two seconds after sending the email mentioning me contacting consumer affairs i received this email, (Laughing out loud). :(Laughing out loud): I emailed back saying that i would gladly return the cages but that i first have to find replacement cages to house my birds (duh), and that if he could alert the store to the situation so that i could phone once i had the replacements to arrange a time to return them.

It's Fizz. Glad you liked the photos!!

Vetafarm doesn't have any nasties in it, i checked the ingredients before i ever got pellets. The only other pellets i've seen around here are Kaytee Rainbow....mmmm.....artificial colours, flavours and ethoxyquin....lovely.

For the last several months i've been feeding my indoor birds Harrisons pellets because i discovered that they were available from one of the vets in Canberra. The last couple of times i've had to replace them it's become obvious that it's not practical to get out to the vet that sells them. It's approx. 30 min drive each way which dad isn't too keen on doing when one of my birds needs a vet, let alone just to buy some bird food. The last two times i've needed to replace the pellets i've been "lucky" in that i've had a sick bird and have been able to combine the trip into one. But i would hope my birds won't keep getting sick. So now i have to decide whether Harrisons are worth the trouble! I can get Vetafarm crumbles/pellets from the local pet store which i can get to myself on the bus if i had to. Vetafarm is probably one of the most common bird food brands in Aust. and i think it's pretty good. Before i got Harrisons i fed my guys Vetafarm. I wouldn't say pellets make up a large portion of my guys diet. Each day they get 2tsp seed with approx. 1tsp pellets sprinkled on top. Then they get some sort of veggies. I can't honestly say that they eat the whole 1tsp pellets either, sometimes i would say they eat none...they like to waste my money. I think i would feel like i wasn't giving them the best i can if i switch back to Vetafarm, but i don't know if this is entirely rationale thinking. The other factor is price. It's $20 for 450g of Harrisons and about $10 for the same of Vetafarm. At this price i would feel a lot less worried about wasting it. Lately the tiels haven't been getting pellets at all simply because they would poop in the pellets and they'd get wasted, and they're too expensive to just be throwing away. Anyway, all you Aussie's, what sort (if any) of pellets do you feed your birds? What do you think of Vetafarm if you know of/feed their products? I guess i'm worried that switching wouldn't be looking after my birds right. I want them to be nice and healthy!

Yup!! She's frequently tilting her head for a scratch. He's still a bit dumb though, (Laughing out loud). Nine times out of ten he whistles at her head instead of scratching and then she just gets grumpy with him.

Here's some photos i've taken of the fids the past few days! Please don't take my mirror mummy....pleeeease. Cookie now has all the birdie boys except Ozzie waiting on her every need - a true princess. Poofy cheeks - so cute, awwww. Ozzie doing an impression of a thin budgie. The Princess Cookie Blinko on his mirror Blink and Fizz - you can see Fizz is getting an iris ring now. The baby is growing up! Blinkie investigating my calipo: "So how do i get into this thing....?" "Nevermind, i figuired it out myself!"

Awwwwww, looking through my latest batch of photos my birds love pulling the "puppy dog eyes" on me... Please mummy I would never be naughty and chew photo frames What do you mean i am an idiot? ...........well, i'm sure under those grumpy eye feathers he's doing puppy-dog eyes.

I go out to my aviary some days to see that sort of sight and it's never anything bad. Usually just a blood feather that's broken. It ALWAYS looks ten times worse than it really is.

Just remember that males bite too. Not all males talk and not all males make great pets. My very first budgie was a female and she was an amazing pet, extraodinarily friendly and fun! What if you get a male and it doesn't meet your standards? It's very stressful to keep swapping and changing their living environment around.

Just expanding on this! Start with just 4, but test to see if you need to do more. My brothers little devil has about 7 clipped on each side and can STILL fly very well and get into trouble.

That's great that everything is up and running in your aviary. I really hope you get some df melanistic spangles, they sound like stunning birds.