Shann

I took her to the vet the other day, unfortunately the avian vet wasn't in, but the normal vet said that it could be peritinitis and gave her a shot of antibiotics. Its been a couple of days and she still hasnt perked up so Im going to take her back either today or tomorrow morning, the avain vets are there on the weekend so hopefully I will get a more accurate diagnosis...

This morning I did my rounds of the budgie cages, feeding and checking them and found my Grandma's bird George II and his friend Winnie doing some odd things. When Winnie was a baby she had splayed legs, we took her to the vet and he bound her legs together which only bent the other one. She is crippled but is now quite adept at getting around the cage we set up for her. Nanna's keeping her with her budgie, George II and they are quite happy together. Anyway this morning I found Winnie and George side by side on the perch, Winnie was all puffed up with her beak open and George was preening her head while mating with the perch... They seemed to be enjoying themselves... He's obviously figured out that he cant actually jump on top of her as she'll fall off the perch so it seems he's improvising.... -Shann

They are absolutely lovely! What a cute budgie you have. -Shann

Here are some more piccies of my newest babies... Mum and Dad are Kailani and Lucien and they have adopted two of George and Fatty's bubs (the green ones.) I'm assuming the youngest two are Fatty and George's babies as they look a great deal like Fatty at the moment and I did put some of Fatty's eggs under Kailani. All huddled together Hiding in the corner by himself, this ones the eldest of Fatty and George's I swear I'm not crushing it, the little one just decided to get into a very awkward position for the photo. The second oldest bub is going to look like mummy and has her temperament, that is, very boisterous Climbing on my dressing gown The second youngest one - assumably Fatty's baby (green spangle opaline) And finally the youngest one who likes to screech at me whenever I come near and runs after me when I put him on the floor... Enjoy! -Shann

Awww, they're gorgeous! What lovely birdies. I especially like Jingles.

I had a friend whose budgie had a broken leg once, the vet used a toothpick split down the middle to splint it so I imagine the vet would do something similar (if not with a toothpick.) As far as I can tell just keep the little guy warm and in the dark, just like what youre doing. GOOD LUCK, Im sure he'll be right. -Shann

I called the avian vet last night and described the lump to her, she said it could be a an egg that hasnt formed a shell and the yolk has passed into her abdomen causing swelling. She didnt seem too worried, but said I should keep her warm and give her warm black tea with sugar in it. She is lookign a bit better this morning, but still not great... I'm going to take her to the vet as soon as dad gets home this arvo - a branch fell on our other car last night so we cant use that one. Thanks for your advice anyway.

Hi guys, my budgie Blacky has just had a clutch of eggs (about 7 or so weeks ago) and for the past few days shes been looking under the weather (excuse the pun), but I didnt think anything of it as all my birds are at present due the shocking weather and none look actually sick, just a little miserable... anyway, I noticed today after bringing the birds in that, what I thought was just more eggs in her tummy, isnt. Its a lump which is kind of orangey in colour and its squishy, so not like eggs would be. Has she had a prolapse? Ive never had a bird with one before??? In her last lot of eggs the eggs looked a little thin despite the fact that they are on calcium suppliments. If it is a prolapse, would it be fatal? Like, should I call up a vet NOW or could I wait till tomorrow morning?

They are a couple of lovely boys you've got there...

I was procrastinating tonight in relation to my homework and so decided I'd take some pictures of my newest babies... Some are Kailani and Lucien's and I think a couple (or at least one) are Fatty and George's again... I'll figure it out once I see what colours they are... There's Kailani (a while back) and the lovely Lucien ...and here are their bubs all together the youngest little one, not quite sure what colour this one'll be yet... the second youngest one, This one will either be like Lucien or one of fatty and george's, so, a green opaline the second oldest one... I have a feeling this one is going to look like Kailani as it has a few white looking pin feathers on its head... But I'm still not sure and the eldest one... gee... can you guess what colour this bub is going to be??? Im thinking this one is definately one of Lucien's kiddies... I'll post more pics as they grow. -Shann

Shes a lovely bird... gorgeous pics.

Nah, they were right by the window looking outside... I wouldnt take them outside, especially after the eldest one escaped ....then came back -Shann

Here are just a few I took when they were out and about... Some of them are a bit blurry but you get the idea.

Dad's opaline and mum's opaline spangle (or so Ive been told), i dont know if theyre split for blue... The eldest one and the youngest one are a lime green that has a light blue sheen in the light and the middle one is a kind of olivey green that sort of turns blue down the bottom near its tail... Are the photos coming up the right size for you guys? Cause they still look too big to me...?

When its feathers were beginning to grow one or two of them grew vertically rather than flat against the head so I dont think it was just because someone plucked it... Thats mummy and thats daddy, sorry, its the best one Ive got of him (he's having a bath in his medicated water... its about the only time he does bathe) ^and thats their foster parents...

All Blacky and Casper's bubs (biologically Fatty and George's) are out and about in the cage. This is the eldest one, yesterday he escaped and few away but when I got home from school he was back and hanging onto the cage trying to get back in! :hap: silly little budgie... I cant believe he found his way back actually, considering the amount of gum trees around. I think he must have heard the others. When I put him back in the cage he was in the food bowl for about an hour! This is the middle one, Ive only got one picture of this little one at the moment as he's a little bit jittery still when i take him (Im assuming its a him at present) out of the cage. And this is the youngest one, the little guy still sleeps in the box, but is out most of the day and is cracking seed okay. I dont know if you can see it in the last picture but he's got a funny bit on his head; a couple of the feathers grow the wrong way and so he has a bit of a bump... His markings on his head are funny too, its like he really wanted to be a normal budgie but the opaline gene won out... I dont know, the stripes on his head are thicker or something than all the others... -Shann (okay, so Ive resized the photos on photobucket but they just wont work on here, so Im waiting a little while to see if they resize themselves here.... :hap: bloody computers...)

Well, thats what the vet told us it was. It was a respiratory problem they had and it seems to be contagious because at first only george had it, then fatty caught it. And the psitticosis medication seemed to work. The vet told us that sometimes they can be carriers and never actually completely get rid of it and everytime they go through periods of stress they can present with symptoms which they do. We got George x-rayed and he had a lot of scar tissue in his lungs. I cant actually remember if we got a blood test done as it was a fair while ago. So Im assuming thats what it is.... The vet didnt offer any other alternative diagnosis. -Shann

Here are some piccies of my latest bubs. Their real parents are Fatty and George (sorry, dont have a better picture of him) but Blacky and Casper are fostering them seeing as Fatty and George both have reaccuring bouts of psittacosis yet are still insistent on breeding. Unfortunately none of Blacky's eggs hatched this time round... The eldest one thinks s/he's old enough to come out of the box as you can see - s/he's not... Hence the hammock thing to stop it from falling too far. The yougest one is a bit camera shy and kept wriggling around so I didn't get any pics of it alone.

9/10! Woot! I got question 10 wrong... how was I to know they have never been called a grassland parrot? They can live in grasslands can't they??? And who decided to call them scallop parrots anyway? what a silly name for them....

Thanks guys but unfortunately the little guy died overnight, I put it back with Blacky to keep it warm and fed it at about 2am this morning and it seemed fine, and this morning i checked on it and she'd kicked it out of the box and it was dead... Thanks anyway for the advice. -Shann

Hi guys, I've got a little bit of a problem... okay, so Blacky and Caspar (two of my budgies - go figure) have four babies at the moment. The fourth one to hatch is four days old and hatched a week later than its siblings. Anyway, Blacky isn't feeding it for some reason and even though its three days old it looks like its just hatched (that is, in size). As far as I can tell its only had three feeds, all coming from me... So I took it out this morning and am planning to hand raise it (not that I really have the time but I suppose Ill have to make time) I was just wondering how I should change its diet as it gets older, because I know the mummy bird would change whats in the food she gives as the chick gets older. Ive got a budgie raising formula, I think its similar to egg and biscuit mix which its eating at the moment. Should I be crushing up seed to mix in with it or chop up greens as well? Ive never done this before so dont really know what to do... Any advice would be greatly appreciated -Shann

Thanks heaps. I don't know what his parents looked like, I bought him at a pet shop. I was hoping I'd get some like him cause I think he's gorgeous! -Shann

She'll probably just lay them on the bottom of the cage or possibly in a food bowl - thats what mine generally do. I wouldn't worry too much, but do keep an eye on her just in case. -Shann

Hey, Could anyone tell me what kinds of bubs I could expect from this pair? I'm hopeless with genetics and that sort of stuff... and Both of these photos were taken ages ago but you get the general idea. Thanks. -Shann

I've still got the other bub, and he's perfectly normal. I was going to give him away, but it sort of never happened I haven't even named him yet. He's a violety coloured recessive pied and he's gorgeous, I'll post some pics up in the next few days.