Hey! It's been ages since I posted here... I still been hanging around and reading and looking at the nice pictures, but just not posting. I been so busy this year!!

 

So I'm awfully worried right now. I just had to post it away to folks who would understand, you know, get it off my chest... Back in june, my beloved little budgie Bud and her sweetie AKA punching bag Pat had five little babies. Well, they had 7 but 2 died at 3 days of age. She kept them full but they just never grew... And well, at 4 weeks old or a bit older I gave 4 of them away and kept the first one. Godzilla's his name. He used to like me but no more, he decided to snob me and go for my mother only instead! So we got a cute rivalry thing going now for my mom's attention.

 

The other four... #2 I gave to an unknown woman I met at the petstore. I don't know how it turned out, she never called back. No idea if it's a boy or a girl. I hope it's okay and plenty happy! From the sound of it, her first budgie was very happy and even speaks so I can only imagine my Bud's chick is just as happy. #4 is called Lemon. I gave her to a workmate, along with Bud's old cage. I visited her a couple months ago. She's absolutely delightful. She wouldn't let me go and kept giving me kissies. She's just as happy around strangers as around her owner.

 

Now... #3 and #5... I thought they were both guys. I gave them both to my aunt. And boy was I wrong. Now, I knew they would be well treated, my aunt had lots of budgies before. She even raised them. Old style since she warned me that I should never touch my chicks otherwise Bud'll kill them and such... 'course, that never happened.

 

Turns out #3, Charley, it um... A girl. #5, Blue Moon, is a boy. And what does boys and girls do?

 

Yah. That.

 

First mom told me they were doing stuff. I suggested my aunt should split them. She didn't. Then, a few weeks later, mom said to me that Charley laid an egg at the bottom of the cage... Now I was pretty worried. But she was ignoring it. I still suggested my aunt goes buy a fake egg and trade. Then more eggs came. I'm not sure how many she had... So I suggested she should at LEAST scramble them. Cuz the resulting chicks might not be too great.

 

And well, she didn't do it. On the weak genes part, I just had a "I'm not sure they bother checking that in nature."... Of course not, but there's at least a lot more budgies to choose from!

 

So a couple days ago, my mother and I were talking and she asked me when budgie eggs hatch... I say that if her eggs were to hatch it should be anytime soon, but we didn't remember the date she had her first egg on. I thought it was a long time ago, so I said "They must be duds. They may never hatch"

 

Annnnd I was wrong. They did. Today, the first chick came out. So let's see... There's a what, 10 months old bro and sister budgie that got kids at the bottom of a cage, there's two small hyperactive dogs that walk around the cage pretty often and probably offers extra stress... I don't know why, I smell problems coming.

 

I'm seriously worried, and helpless too. Not only for the newborn chicks, but for the two kids of my budgies too... I wish I could help, but how can I help? I can't just start counselling her, she's my aunt that raised hundreds of budgies. And well, it's her budgies now. I was 5 I think when she stopped raising... so for all I try I can't remember what it was like...

 

Thoughts folks?

Great Vent Michelle .... Letting you know that someone is reading it (Laughing out loud) .... Mate can you ever tell someone what to do when "THEY KNOW IT ALL" ...... I am curious to see how the chick turned out Being Brother and Sister??? Keep me updated

Thanks. I'll be sure to post whatever info gets to me about the chicks.

 

I really want them to grow up strong, but there's just so many odds against them I don't have high hopes. Still, who knows... I might actually take one if they get to maturity!

 

I'll be sure to try to take a boy though... I don't want another girl! I got two guys here and the only spot there is for it would be in Godzilla's cage! That'd be... Bad. very bad.

Just got more to say...

So, the first offspring is all grown up and gone, it is now living with my aunt's friend. Happily hopefully. But this weekend I went to see...

 

*sigh* ...Their four new chicks. Yea. She already had a new clutch. I caught a video of the first one, its all healthy and cute. Well fed, nice feathers coming out. It'll look just like its mama. Aunt's got a backward mentality though, the "You can't touch them" and "you can't clean up when there's chicks"... Took me a while to convince her I CAN take the chicks, and hopefully she will clean up the cage because it's disgusting and it smells terribly. But... Well... The last chick is not in a good shape. It was born june 10th...

 

And it has severely splayed legs. And by that I mean they're horizontal and inflammed and all. If it stays that way it will NEVER be able to walk, just crawl! I told her "You have to put them back into the proper position" and FAST... I told her the trick with the make-up sponges, but she pretty much just shrugged it off in a "They'll get back okay by themselves" and "I don't really care" (!!!)

 

Agh! I wanted to bring it back with me! I'm sure I could have salvaged that cute baby!!!

Edited June 23, 200817 yr by Michelle

Oh boy....I personally would heve the eggs addled and replace with fake because not only are they related closely they are too young I believe to be breeding. This is why I personally always suggest to people to hav same sex budgies if they want two so there are no opps (but you didn't know) but just talking out loud here. I am sure others will come on and give you some good solid advice too.

Oh boy....I personally would heve the eggs addled and replace with fake because not only are they related closely they are too young I believe to be breeding. This is why I personally always suggest to people to hav same sex budgies if they want two so there are no opps (but you didn't know) but just talking out loud here. I am sure others will come on and give you some good solid advice too.

I told her to do that! I did. Fake eggs and all... But she didn't. You know, she breeded budgies before, so it's very hard for me to get something through her head since she thinks that she knows everything about them. Seriously, they live in a tiny cage, the babies are at the bottom in a corner, it stinks, they waddle in there and the parents hang out on a perch above them (and you can guess what falls down on the babies from that.), it's horrible...

 

Well, now they're a year old (Blue Moon, the cock, was born June 20th last year, Charlie, the hen was born on the 16th.) I seriously don't know how to sex them when they are weanings. But she just doesn't care. Heck, they're wild. When I gave them to her they were both darlings. I did a mistake, I never should've given her two.

 

If the handicapped baby lives... I'll figure out a way to make it happy... But even then I'm at a loss. It will never be able to perch, what would I do?

Edited June 23, 200817 yr by Michelle

it is hard to work with people like that I know, I have those type in my family too, at this point I am at a loss for you Michelle because you can't force her to do something, and creating conflict probably would not go well.

YEa... I don't wanna create conflict. I mean, I like her a lot.

 

I figured I could take it from her at 4 weeks. I know it's a bit early, but I dunno, I hope I could try to salvage it a bit... But even then, at that age I imagine that it would be too late to save its legs?

I would let the parents finish with it because taking it too early could stress it out and if it dies you will have that what if I kept it with the parents that is my opinion.

Well, what if I left it with the parents... It would still be what it is; pretty much a bird whom can't be a proper bird and whom might die anyway.

 

When the parents will be done feeding what will happen to it? It can't perch so it can't go eat.

I meant to leave it with the parents until the parents are done feeding it and make sure it is eating on it's own, so wait th extrat 2-3 weeks needed to make sure it is on it's own that is what I meant not keep them with the parents forever

I meant to leave it with the parents until the parents are done feeding it and make sure it is eating on it's own, so wait th extrat 2-3 weeks needed to make sure it is on it's own that is what I meant not keep them with the parents forever

Yes, that's what I understood. I wanted to take it out at 4 weeks because I wondered if I could hold the legs together... S'why I was asking if it was too late.

 

But even then, if I leave it with one of my birds, are there chances it would be fed by them?

A new update!

 

This week my aunt was away for a few days so we had to go over and take care of the budgies every night. All four of them are turning out to be just like their mama, and #4... well, she's thinking of having it killed. Wonderful. I still tried with the next best thing I had off hand, wool, and tied the legs closely together. (We just couldn't find makeup sponges somehow.) I'm not sure it's gonna work at all. If the thighs are brought back in closer together it's a start and might give it a chance to stay alive, but the feet will probably stay horizontal.

 

I told her to leave the rope there for a week at least... And I told her that if it helps I'll keep the baby since no one will want it. If it doesn't... well we'll have no choice but to put it down.

what a sad story!!

 

Personally i would take that disabled baby and keep him or find him a loving home - His legs are splayed but other than that he would be healthy happy bird with the right owner - don't let them kill him and they dont sound like the type of people who would get it done properly by a vet

No worries. She'd get it done properly.

 

The problem with it is that the splayed legs are more than splayed... they're horizontal, and it can't use its legs at all. Right now they're tied together but I doubt it will do anything. Frankly, she's just waiting for my okay to have it killed off...

Horizontal splayed legs are a serious disability, but he can still have a happy life with a cage that it set up for him. He would need a cage with no grill in the bottom, he would need platforms with ramps rather than perches and he will be able to eat out of a plate rather than a bowel.

 

In March I was offered a budgie who needed a home. ----> here is the topic. Scooter was reported to have splayed legs, but when i got him he only had rickets so was nowhere as disabled as i was expecting. Disabled budgies are delightful and adapt well to their limitations

Edited July 7, 200817 yr by **Liv**

Horizontal splayed legs are a serious disability, but he can still have a happy life with a cage that it set up for him. He would need a cage with no grill in the bottom, he would need platforms with ramps rather than perches and he will be able to eat out of a plate rather than a bowel.

 

In March I was offered a budgie who needed a home. ----> here is the topic. Scooter was reported to have splayed legs, but when i got him he only had rickets so was nowhere as disabled as i was expecting. Disabled budgies are delightful and adapt well to their limitations :budgiedance:

It could be a good set up but I'm not sure I'd be willing to go that far. It would mean I need to set up a new special cage for it, and I just don't have the space for that. I can live with a disabled budgie that can still sorta perch. That way I'd set it in Godzilla's cage, which has a low ceiling and all. But... ramps and platforms are for hamsters and if I want a hamster I'll buy a hamster.

 

I guess I'll have to see how it turns out.

Edited July 7, 200817 yr by Michelle

Good luck with that?

 

But why are they tied???

Have you tried using the sponge method ( in FAQ) also

Good luck with that?

 

But why are they tied???

Have you tried using the sponge method ( in FAQ) also

I tried. I had one sponge only, and I managed to rip it. :glare: So I had to fall back on the wool.

Well it's over. I gave my aunt the okay for putting the little chick to sleep. The legs stayed splayed, I totally failed. It's terrible. :\ And therE's just no way I can adopt him. I'd have to get him a new cage and all like pointed out above, plus I have his father now.

 

I checked them all tonight, and from what I think I thought I understand the clutch was 3 girls (ceres with blue and white rings at the nostril, some pink bits if I remember well), one boy (the splayed one, full opaque pink cere). First time I tried guessing the gender when they're so young! Tomorrow the girls are leaving... Not a very bright future ahead of them either, but it's still the best they can get. She's taking them to work. My mom and her work in an old folks home. They will live there and give company to the old people, but they will never leave the cage... Most likely won't have any vet care either. Oh well, I hope my mom will visit them and check on them sometimes. It's a bit cruel of a fate but I'm sure the old folks will love having them around. They love their finch.

 

But they have to leave NOW. Charlie laid a new egg and she's incubating it... It's empty of course but we don't want her to go on a killing spree on the babies either. Sad fate for her too, she'll stay alone forever.

 

I'd never want to put another bird with her anyway!!! She's still covered in Blue's blood.

Its good you took Blue back, and I think you both did the best thing putting the chick down as horrible as you may feel. You never know she may get sick of the female too and give ger back in time.

That egg may be fertile, they can store sperm for quite a while. Personally I would go and visit your aunt in the next few days and wait till she's out of the room and give the egg a good shake to make sure nothing comes of it.

You think it could be fertile? I mean, I removed Blue a week ago, and I doubt they did anything. If I end up going to see her... I'll give it a look. So many chicks in such a short while isn't good on her.

 

And about Charlie... Hum, I'll be frank. I don't want her. Seriously, she can keep her. It's not because of her murder attempt habits, it's because four budgies is enough, and blue is already a handful of savagery. Giving him his meds is a quest.

 

Oh and I got precisions yesterday from my mom about the three girls.

 

At first the personel at work thought there was just 2 budgies, so the 3rd one is going home with a worker. That worker used to work in a pet store so she assured them that she would give her a good life and lots of care, and make her tame. Also, the two other chicks will be split (It's a HUGE old folks home). They will try to tame them and they'll clip their wings so eventually the old folks will be able to play with them!

 

Looks like the girls got a good deal after all!

 

And the boy's probably dead by now. The vet came to get him by himself at her home, he wanted to see what was wrong. He then agreed it was a good idea and took it away...