:offtopic: I am yet to get my budgies for my new aviary. I have had budgies before but only as singles. Is it possible to have both males and females in an aviary and not have them breed? Is it as simple as not providing nest boxes? I would like to get a mixture so that in a year or so I can breed when I am ready to.

 

:dbb1:

:offtopic: I am yet to get my budgies for my new aviary. I have had budgies before but only as singles. Is it possible to have both males and females in an aviary and not have them breed? Is it as simple as not providing nest boxes? I would like to get a mixture so that in a year or so I can breed when I am ready to.

 

:dbb1:

 

Yes, you can have any mix of sexes in an aviary when there are no nesting boxes. How many you have depends a lot on your space and size of aviary. It's when nesting boxes are introduced in a mixed aviary that the problems start Also, budgies WILL have recreational sex....thats the way they are. Its only a nesting box that makes them want to produce eggs and make babies. No nesting box and they should be fine. :ausb:

Edited March 21, 200718 yr by Bubbles

I have about 30 in the aviary of both sexes. No boxes, and they still mate. I only have 1 hen that will actually drop eggs in there.

I am yet to get my budgies for my new aviary. I have had budgies before but only as singles. Is it possible to have both males and females in an aviary and not have them breed? Is it as simple as not providing nest boxes? I would like to get a mixture so that in a year or so I can breed when I am ready to.

 

 

Yes, you can have any mix of sexes in an aviary when there are no nesting boxes. How many you have depends a lot on your space and size of aviary. It's when nesting boxes are introduced in a mixed aviary that the problems start Also, budgies WILL have recreational sex....thats the way they are. Its only a nesting box that makes them want to produce eggs and make babies. No nesting box and they should be fine.

 

Thanks for that. My aviary is 1.52m x 1.52m and 2m high, how many budgies can I get without over crowding?

 

Also I was going to go for the natural look, I have a tree branch (not huge) that I am going to put inside on an angle from the floor to one wall to hang eucalypt leaves over as I read somewhere budgies like to bathe in these leaves, and I have 2 different sized sticks thick and thin that I was going to use as my perches safely secured obviously, but I was wondering if it was okay to put dry gum litter on the floor so that if they went to the floor for any reason (I know they mostly stay up) they would have something soft to walk on?

 

The other thing I was wondering about was grass. Do they like this?

 

I am yet to get my budgies for my new aviary. I have had budgies before but only as singles. Is it possible to have both males and females in an aviary and not have them breed? Is it as simple as not providing nest boxes? I would like to get a mixture so that in a year or so I can breed when I am ready to.

 

 

Yes, you can have any mix of sexes in an aviary when there are no nesting boxes. How many you have depends a lot on your space and size of aviary. It's when nesting boxes are introduced in a mixed aviary that the problems start Also, budgies WILL have recreational sex....thats the way they are. Its only a nesting box that makes them want to produce eggs and make babies. No nesting box and they should be fine.

 

Thanks for that. My aviary is 1.52m x 1.52m and 2m high, how many budgies can I get without over crowding?

 

Also I was going to go for the natural look, I have a tree branch (not huge) that I am going to put inside on an angle from the floor to one wall to hang eucalypt leaves over as I read somewhere budgies like to bathe in these leaves, and I have 2 different sized sticks thick and thin that I was going to use as my perches safely secured obviously, but I was wondering if it was okay to put dry gum litter on the floor so that if they went to the floor for any reason (I know they mostly stay up) they would have something soft to walk on?

 

The other thing I was wondering about was grass. Do they like this?

 

 

Your angled branch is good. Re flooring materials...a lot of things attract insects and mice. Sand is good ( the kind they use for sandpits for kids )...and you can sweep up any excess seed from the sand base with a brush and pan.

Re budgies...the amount you can fit in there safely would be around 25 to 30 I would say. But if you intend breeding in there colony style, it wont work. Later on, maybe, as you learn from this forum, you may want to pull pairs out of your aviary for breeding in breeder cages. Safer and less hassle. Been there, done that.

Budgies also love the branches and leaves from the peppermint tree ( most councils in Australia plant the peppermint tree around parks and schools if you want to check it out ). Budgies will also eat the eucalypt leaves if they are young and fresh.

Look forward to your photos.

I am yet to get my budgies for my new aviary. I have had budgies before but only as singles. Is it possible to have both males and females in an aviary and not have them breed? Is it as simple as not providing nest boxes? I would like to get a mixture so that in a year or so I can breed when I am ready to.

 

 

Yes, you can have any mix of sexes in an aviary when there are no nesting boxes. How many you have depends a lot on your space and size of aviary. It's when nesting boxes are introduced in a mixed aviary that the problems start Also, budgies WILL have recreational sex....thats the way they are. Its only a nesting box that makes them want to produce eggs and make babies. No nesting box and they should be fine.

 

 

Now Bubbles, do let us note there are exceptions to every rule, not having a nest box will not guarantee that they WILL NOT BREED!!! Good luck with your aviary and welcome to the forum!

No nesting box and they should be fine. .....of course there are exceptions...just ask Phoebe about her "breeding without a nestbox" pair.

When you talk about a size of aviary, is there actually max. size? If the aviary is about 4m long, 3m wide, 2.5m high is it too big for about 30 - 40 budgies? I remember a post about budgies flying too fast and hitting the wall?

 

I have a mix of sexes also, they breed sometimes, but no eggs so far . I read about having grass in the aviary - it would have to have a net under it, so the mice don't get in the aviary and it's a bit more difficult to keep clean I think.

I bought a second aviary and set it up on the grass in the back yard and I had nothing but problems with mice. Their tunnels would make great holes in the floor. Also after a while the grass died off maybe due to lack of sun? and all I ended up with was a muddy mess.

 

On colony breeding....I have tried both. I used breeding cages and my birds would not breed. I then put the nest boxes into the aviary and they bred successfully the first time. But i know each bird is different and many people have problems with this. Maybe I am just one of the lucky ones.

 

Oh yeah and welcome to the forum

I also have tried breeding cages and didn't have much success. Fortunately my avairy is 4m x 3m and is sectioned off into 3 separate sections. What I have found successful is putting a pair that I want to bond in a smaller cage (pet cage?) is big enough, let them bond and then release pairs into a breeding flight (usually about 3 pairs), leave them for a couple of weeks to make sure that they don't entend to swap partners, then I put in nest boxes (if I have 3 pairs I usually put in 5 or 6 boxes to stop the arguing). Once the hens start laying I will take the unused boxes out, so that then hen won't be too tempted to start laying again in another box before the first lot of babies have fledged. Some may disagree with this method but so far it has worked for me.

 

Good luck. :feedbirds:

When you talk about a size of aviary, is there actually max. size? If the aviary is about 4m long, 3m wide, 2.5m high is it too big for about 30 - 40 budgies? I remember a post about budgies flying too fast and hitting the wall?

 

I have a mix of sexes also, they breed sometimes, but no eggs so far . I read about having grass in the aviary - it would have to have a net under it, so the mice don't get in the aviary and it's a bit more difficult to keep clean I think.

 

I had budgies that flew too fast and hit the wall when they were in my larger aviary Zebra...but that aviary was 10 metres long. Half that size is fine as they dont build up enough speed nor fly in flocks.

I bought a second aviary and set it up on the grass in the back yard and I had nothing but problems with mice. Their tunnels would make great holes in the floor. Also after a while the grass died off maybe due to lack of sun? and all I ended up with was a muddy mess.

 

On colony breeding....I have tried both. I used breeding cages and my birds would not breed. I then put the nest boxes into the aviary and they bred successfully the first time. But i know each bird is different and many people have problems with this. Maybe I am just one of the lucky ones.

 

Oh yeah and welcome to the forum

 

I was thinking more along the lines of grass in a seed raising tray one of those ft x ft square jobs and having a couple that can be interchanged. My Aviary is also set up on concrete and the wired areas don't go all the way to the floor, there is about 1 1/2 ft of tin from ground up before you get to the wire, so i doubt very much I will be having any problems with mice. Any options for soft flooring other than sand as my aviary has no floor other than the concrete.

I bought a second aviary and set it up on the grass in the back yard and I had nothing but problems with mice. Their tunnels would make great holes in the floor. Also after a while the grass died off maybe due to lack of sun? and all I ended up with was a muddy mess.

 

On colony breeding....I have tried both. I used breeding cages and my birds would not breed. I then put the nest boxes into the aviary and they bred successfully the first time. But i know each bird is different and many people have problems with this. Maybe I am just one of the lucky ones.

 

Oh yeah and welcome to the forum

 

I was thinking more along the lines of grass in a seed raising tray one of those ft x ft square jobs and having a couple that can be interchanged. My Aviary is also set up on concrete and the wired areas don't go all the way to the floor, there is about 1 1/2 ft of tin from ground up before you get to the wire, so i doubt very much I will be having any problems with mice. Any options for soft flooring other than sand as my aviary has no floor other than the concrete.

Show breeders would say just use your concrete as the floor as it helps keep an aviary disease free. We have concreted areas and woodchipped areas as our flooring, but I think the floor being totally concrete would be better for my birds. Soil DOES help reinfest birds with worms and other illnesses especailly when moisture is a part of it ( rain etc ). I think your aviary is fine, especially as it has the tin to help combat mice. Another idea as well as your interchangable grass trays ( and that idea is a good one ) ...is do discard your leftover seed into a plant pot and allow the millet and other seeds to grow. We have large pots and areas of garden and have a constant supply of fresh millet of different types to feed the birds. They love it.

Edited March 23, 200718 yr by Bubbles

Hi Daffy,

 

I am also new to this site and prior to joining the community read it as a guest and have found it very useful. In regards to your aviary floor a cost effective way that I found (too the expensive concrete) was using paving slabs inside and filling the gaps with posting concrete and using a hose sprinkling water over the base to enable the concrete to set, (make sure the door is able to open), and leveling it off with a yard broom. I then dug a small trench around the outside against the base and filled that with posting concrete. This was all done prior to the birds being introduced.

I bought a second aviary and set it up on the grass in the back yard and I had nothing but problems with mice. Their tunnels would make great holes in the floor. Also after a while the grass died off maybe due to lack of sun? and all I ended up with was a muddy mess.

 

On colony breeding....I have tried both. I used breeding cages and my birds would not breed. I then put the nest boxes into the aviary and they bred successfully the first time. But i know each bird is different and many people have problems with this. Maybe I am just one of the lucky ones.

 

Oh yeah and welcome to the forum :ausb:

 

I was thinking more along the lines of grass in a seed raising tray one of those ft x ft square jobs and having a couple that can be interchanged. My Aviary is also set up on concrete and the wired areas don't go all the way to the floor, there is about 1 1/2 ft of tin from ground up before you get to the wire, so i doubt very much I will be having any problems with mice. Any options for soft flooring other than sand as my aviary has no floor other than the concrete.

Show breeders would say just use your concrete as the floor as it helps keep an aviary disease free. We have concreted areas and woodchipped areas as our flooring, but I think the floor being totally concrete would be better for my birds. Soil DOES help reinfest birds with worms and other illnesses especailly when moisture is a part of it ( rain etc ). I think your aviary is fine, especially as it has the tin to help combat mice. Another idea as well as your interchangable grass trays ( and that idea is a good one ) ...is do discard your leftover seed into a plant pot and allow the millet and other seeds to grow. We have large pots and areas of garden and have a constant supply of fresh millet of different types to feed the birds. They love it. :ausb:

 

 

Thanks for the info. I have taken your advice and made up a seed tray of bird seed. Once it is at a reasonable height I'll add it to the aviary.

 

:ausb: I now have 10 budgies in my aviary which I think is sufficient, they're all very happy. I added some gum leaves which they have been enjoying along with their seed, millet sticks, treats and fruit. They know where the grass is also. They have two twig type perches one which goes horizontal and one smaller length on a diagonal. I also added the tree branch on an angle and have hung the eucalypt from there. Is there any other native tree leaves I can add to the aviary? As for toys they have a mirror, some rings with a bell, a ladder and a swing with small blocks on rope on either side which they can pull on.

 

My budgies are called Sunflower (F Yellow (Breeder Bird)), Jungle (M Olive Green & Yellow (Breeder Bird)), Meadow (F Green & Yellow), Rainbow (M Blue with Green and Yellow cheeks), Ocean (M Blue), Sky (F White with Turquoise cheeks), Skylark (M White & Blue), Ice (M Grey with White Head and Wings), Crystal ( F Turqoise) and Cloud (F White with little grey patches on wings). Will be adding pictures later in the week.

Edited March 25, 200718 yr by daffy

They would also like peppermint tree leaves and branches.

I bought a second aviary and set it up on the grass in the back yard and I had nothing but problems with mice. Their tunnels would make great holes in the floor. Also after a while the grass died off maybe due to lack of sun? and all I ended up with was a muddy mess.

 

On colony breeding....I have tried both. I used breeding cages and my birds would not breed. I then put the nest boxes into the aviary and they bred successfully the first time. But i know each bird is different and many people have problems with this. Maybe I am just one of the lucky ones.

 

Oh yeah and welcome to the forum

 

I was thinking more along the lines of grass in a seed raising tray one of those ft x ft square jobs and having a couple that can be interchanged. My Aviary is also set up on concrete and the wired areas don't go all the way to the floor, there is about 1 1/2 ft of tin from ground up before you get to the wire, so i doubt very much I will be having any problems with mice. Any options for soft flooring other than sand as my aviary has no floor other than the concrete.

Show breeders would say just use your concrete as the floor as it helps keep an aviary disease free. We have concreted areas and woodchipped areas as our flooring, but I think the floor being totally concrete would be better for my birds. Soil DOES help reinfest birds with worms and other illnesses especailly when moisture is a part of it ( rain etc ). I think your aviary is fine, especially as it has the tin to help combat mice. Another idea as well as your interchangable grass trays ( and that idea is a good one ) ...is do discard your leftover seed into a plant pot and allow the millet and other seeds to grow. We have large pots and areas of garden and have a constant supply of fresh millet of different types to feed the birds. They love it.

 

 

Thanks for the info. I have taken your advice and made up a seed tray of bird seed. Once it is at a reasonable height I'll add it to the aviary.

 

I now have 10 budgies in my aviary which I think is sufficient, they're all very happy. I added some gum leaves which they have been enjoying along with their seed, millet sticks, treats and fruit. They know where the grass is also. They have two twig type perches one which goes horizontal and one smaller length on a diagonal. I also added the tree branch on an angle and have hung the eucalypt from there. Is there any other native tree leaves I can add to the aviary? As for toys they have a mirror, some rings with a bell, a ladder and a swing with small blocks on rope on either side which they can pull on.

 

My budgies are called Sunflower (F Yellow (Breeder Bird)), Jungle (M Olive Green & Yellow (Breeder Bird)), Meadow (F Green & Yellow), Rainbow (M Blue with Green and Yellow cheeks), Ocean (M Blue), Sky (F White with Turquoise cheeks), Skylark (M White & Blue), Ice (M Grey with White Head and Wings), Crystal ( F Turqoise) and Cloud (F White with little grey patches on wings). Will be adding pictures later in the week.

 

Kaz, they also like Grevilia leaves. We have 2 different varieties in backyard, and they just love to shred these like they do the gum leaves.

 

By the way I now have pics on the web.

http://budgies.page.tl/

Budgies are funny things. I have tried grevillea with mine and they ignored it. Same with bottlebrush, but other birds have enjoyed both. I will persist.