Hi I am new to the site and seeking advice on budgies for an aviary. We have purchased a 1500 X 1500 aviary which will be delivered next week.

 

~My research has told me we should wash it down with a mixture of vinegar and water in case there are harmful chemicals on the cage. Is this true?

 

~We are looking to get 6 to 8 budgies. Is this a good number for an aviary that size?

 

~Not looking to breed yet. Should I get all males, females or a mixture for a good group of birds? I believe you should have even numbers if getting a mix otherwise they can get violent?

 

~Is it okay to buy from pet shops. I would rather a breeder who knows what they are talking about. Anyone know of a good breeder in the Bayside area of VIC?

 

~The toys I have seen have colorful wood the birds seem to chew on. Doyou have to be careful which ones you buy? Toxicity? Harmful?

 

 

Thanks in advance

This looks like a great site - hope to chat with you more

 

Nic

Hi I am new to the site and seeking advice on budgies for an aviary. We have purchased a 1500 X 1500 aviary which will be delivered next week.

 

~My research has told me we should wash it down with a mixture of vinegar and water in case there are harmful chemicals on the cage. Is this true? Yes. Thats a good idea

 

~We are looking to get 6 to 8 budgies. Is this a good number for an aviary that size? You could have twice that many but not if you put nesting boxes in there. If you plan to breed in the future just pull out a pair or two at a time and put them in breeder cabinets and just enjoy the aviary birds for their antics

 

~Not looking to breed yet. Should I get all males, females or a mixture for a good group of birds? I believe you should have even numbers if getting a mix otherwise they can get violent?any mix for the aviary general population, is fine,....its when you put nesting boxes into an aviary in a "colony breeding" situation that you will start to have trouble

 

~Is it okay to buy from pet shops. I would rather a breeder who knows what they are talking about. Anyone know of a good breeder in the Bayside area of VIC? When I first started out in budgies I used to buy from petshops. A lot of my birds bought that way would die within a week. Not saying they all will and there ARE good and bad in all petshops........

BUT I do know that when pet shops buy birds in they mostly put them all in together regardless of where they were bought from so the incidence of disease transference is high. Please read our FAQ section on quarantine. It is essential. Also, with petshops, they tell you ANYTHING about their birds to get a sale, including selling you older birds as babies, and budgies with bad wingclips, and they will sell you a multitude of products you dont need. A member on here may be able to help point you in the direction of a good breeder in your area. Buying from a breeder has benefits. You get to know the health and history of your bird and its family line

 

~The toys I have seen have colorful wood the birds seem to chew on. Do you have to be careful which ones you buy? Toxicity? Harmful? The colourful ones we should hope are dyed with vegetable dyes. Some of the chinese ones could be suspect.

 

 

Thanks in advance

This looks like a great site - hope to chat with you more

 

Nic

 

 

Happy to have you here Nic. Please wade through our FAQ section for some really great info. A lot of our members have put some hard work into that area and its just GREAT

 

CHEERS KAZ

Edited September 28, 200717 yr by KAZ

Welcome Aboard

Hi, welcome to our forums

Thank you all for the welcome and advice. I have checked out the FAQ section and learnt a lot.

Wonderful informative site you have here.

Looking forward to posting some pics when we get up and running. Aviary is delivered this Wednesday.

 

Nic

Welcome Nic.

 

Good luck with setting up the aviary.

Nic, does your new aviary have a safety door ? If not you can rig up one of theose mosquito nets that hang from ceilings on a hoop. Rig it up over your door...step through it as a safety door and throw it back up on top of the aviary when not in use.

Cheers Kaz

Thanks for that tip Kaz. It doesn't have a safety door and my daughter is very worried about them escaping. I will look into this.

 

Can I ask another question??

Please give me some tips on telling a young bird from an older one. I did see this info somewhere on the site and now I need it I can't find it! Will be looking to buy some birds next weekend and I would like to know what to look for.

 

Thanks

Nic

Thanks for that tip Kaz. It doesn't have a safety door and my daughter is very worried about them escaping. I will look into this.Can I ask another question??Please give me some tips on telling a young bird from an older one. I did see this info somewhere on the site and now I need it I can't find it! Will be looking to buy some birds next weekend and I would like to know what to look for.ThanksNic

Young birds or babies have barring (striped pattern ) right down to their cere ( the fleshy part on top of beak ). They have no iris rings ( white band around the eyeball ) ...although some mutations dont either.....and they have no strong colour to their cere like bright blue for boys or pinky brown for girls. sexing a budgie......http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/index.php?action=artikel&cat=1&id=14&artlang=en&highlight=baby%20budgiesevaluation of a petshop.....http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...&artlang=enevaluation of a breeder .....http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...&artlang=enCheers Kazany more questions ...please just ask

Baby budgie

 

 

adult budgie

Edited September 30, 200717 yr by KAZ

Hi there

I refer to this lovely photo. I am currently working on an article about budgies and wondered if I would be permitted to use this photo? I have a website that I am setting up, and the article will go in there. www.myzeta.net there's not alot there yet, but in the next few days I'll be uploading. Thank you, Rocio.