Bea

:(Laughing out loud): Gotta put those men to work!

I'm eagerly awaiting pics!

I love how budgies keep their head dry, makes their head look massive when they're done. Kazumi is such a cutie!

That's a great sized cage. I have one exactly those dimensions in my garage which comes out as a breeding or quarantine cage. One or two budgies would be very happy in it.

I think it would make a nice soft food for them. I might get some to have around for my guys. Thinking about it, i wouldn't mind some with milo on top for breakfast... :(Laughing out loud):

In Australia its hard to get and expensive. I gave it a go, but didn't find it to be so brilliant it was worth the money or the 30 min drive each way to get it. I went back to Vetafarm.

Hi there! I have both species myself and i think it depends what you're looking for in a pet. Generally speaking cockatiels are quieter and cuddlier. Budgies chatter lots, and while it's not loud it can be fairly constant. I find that it doesn't bother me in the slightest having my three boys chattering in the room while i watch tv. Having said that dad does calls with work from home, and they think he's sitting in an aviary. :(Laughing out loud): Budgies are active, acrobatic and act like silly little clowns. They're awesome fun, easy to tame and make brilliant pets! Get one at 6-8 weeks old, and it won't matter if it was hand reared. Budgies are really friendly, and usually quite easy to tame. Like others have said, breeder is better than pet shop. You'll probably get a healthier and friendlier baby from a breeder. I have two budgies i've bred myself who have had very few health problems, and one who i got from a pet shop who is an absolute darling but i've had a fair few health problems with. A single budgie is okay if you can give it time, but there really is nothing like watching two budgies play and chat together. Puts a smile on my face everyday watching my three. A budgie was my first pet and i've owned them for 8 or 9 years now. I got my first cockatiel over a year ago. A hand tamed (not reared) female from a pet shop. With the exception of a slight screaming issue i had shortly after she came home (which we resolved) she's very quiet, very cuddly and a lovely pet. I got my second tiel, Bailee, a few months later. He is hand reared and from a breeder. Like a lot of male cockatiels he's learned to mimic some whistles and he blesses us with his "singing" lots when he's out and playing. That can be quite noisy and i can't say i can block that out when i watch tv. He's a mummy's boy and sticks to me like glue. As much as i love cockatiels i find them to be a little air-headed and they're higher maintenance and want more one on one attention than the budgies. I would read up all i could on both species. Either would need a roomy cage, and both do better with company. They also both have practically the same dietary requirements, so it really comes down to what sort of personality you want in a bird.

I tried that. Apparently MINE tastes better! That's always the way!! I've tried that with apple i was eating, i put some aside for the budgies. Sir Blinkie just wasn't satisfied though, and had to help himself to mine. :(Laughing out loud):

He is such a little cutie!!!

Too cute!!

I've moved your post to the mutations area, more people with the answers will see it here. A good image resizer tool is a free microsoft download called Image Resizer, you should have a look for it. Once installed you can resize hundreds of pics with a right click.

Gorgeous little baby. :sad:

Here's some photos of everyone except Fizzy - he wouldn't sit still. :sad: Blinkie's been doing some muscle building *cough* or rather he's been silly and flying around too much in the heat. Bailee trying very hard to think what Cookie wants Any of those things? *yawn* - i guess not Bailee Budgie boys Oh wait, so THAT's what Cookie wants - her Ozzie boyfriend, hehe.

Having just recommended a fan, i now need to ask my own question. It's been hot here too, and my little genius's figure that means they should fly heaps more and get completely over heated. They hate being misted too. Any other ways to keep them cool out of the cage. I turned the lights mostly off and sat Blinkie (the most over heated) on my finger and gave him a bit of "Bea Air Conditioning".

Do you have a fan? In the summer the budgie boys are down here in the air conditioned lounge room, but the tiels are in my room which gets awful. I set up a fan and have it rotating and passing back and forth by their cage. It seems to keep them from getting too hot.

I can't wait to see your aviary all set up! It will look great!

This is one of Fizzy's favourite things to do lately, doesn't he look cute with his little hat. He sits like that for ages.

My talkers/mimickers/whistlers are in cages/rooms with more birds and they spend time in my flock of 5 for several hours a day. Blinkie, the best talker of the bunch, was an only bird for over a year. The others have still learned though.

Friends of mine have that exact cage for their tiel, but the bar spacing is perfect for budgies or tiels. It was around $300AU and that was massively reduced. For a good, solid, powder coated cage you are likely to have to pay a lot, but they are good quality and will probably outlive the birds you put in them.

Just about everything Blinkie says sounds like martian talk to me. He's got a few things he can say very clearly though (in my opinion). Even Ozzie's talking now, he says "Zeeeeeeee" really long. It's his interpretation of his name, as everytime i greet him i say "Hey Ozzieeeeee". Fizzy can do a few of the whistles Bailee does, so i have a very chatty bunch here at my house.

Blinkie was just chattering on my shoulder and i heard him say "Blinkie stinky". :(Laughing out loud): Mum's been claiming he can say it for a while now, he spends a lot of time on her shoulder. I love that he's insulting himself, and doesn't even know it.

I would think that there would be someone who would be willing to do regular beak trims if necessary who might want to adopt a "special needs" budgie. :budgiedance: Fingers crossed that it's a deficiency in his diet, and once on better food and veggies it won't need regular trims.

Welcome back!! :budgiedance:

If you are after a budget cage that is a great size, you might want to look at something like this: The dimensions are 18"x18"x30"w so it's a good size for 2 budgies, wide rather than tall, and not too big indoors. You can get stands for this style cage easily too. Most pet shops i've visited in a few places in Canberra, Victoria and NSW stock them as flight/breeder cages for around about $60 so i assume they're easily available around other places in Australia. I know you can get them on eBay too. My one did a great job with my two boys while i was using it (i have a larger cage now), now it comes in if i need a quarantine cage.

I love the little yawny baby. :bluebudgie: