The budgies sleep on the wire and in the nesting boxes i beleive. It is lucern that is on the ground and it is 6 months old so it couldnt possibly have any chemicals in it.

Thanks

P.S I put rat baits outside the avairy.

Not chemicals, MOULD.

Not chemicals, MOULD.

 

I don't think its your screen MB... The straw looks like it is contaminated with mould.

If you smell it and it smells anything other than sweet, then its no good. budgies are very sensitive to moulds and other toxins. there is also no need to have the straw down there either. I'd rake it up, toss it out and leave the floor as dirt/pavers. this will also reducing hiding spots for RATS!!!

 

However, regarless of wether the staw is mouldy or not, mould did not cause the open wounds on the birds. I still think a RAT did this :hap:

Edited June 19, 200816 yr by **Liv**

The straw is good for the quails Liv, they like to nest in it :hap: However it definately needs to be replaced.

okay I will get rid of the lucern, I only put it in their for the quails seen as their isnt realy anywhere for them to nest in.

Thanks very much for the big reply. What do you mean by rise the gum tree branches before I put them in the avairy? half the floor is bricks and the other half is dirt and deadgrass.

 

If I were you I would drag everything out of the aviary and I mean everything. Then give your brick floor a good scrub with water and disinfectant.

 

Dig out the dirt down to about 30 centimetres and fill it back up with clean river sand.

 

Instead of Lucerne, which has a habit of generating heat and mold, use some good clean straw.

 

Let it sit for a couple of weeks before you put birds back in it.

Edited June 19, 200816 yr by Derek

okay I will get rid of the lucern, I only put it in their for the quails seen as their isnt realy anywhere for them to nest in.

 

make sure you wear a good quality protective breathing mask when you do as the mould spores are bad for your lungs and could make you sick.

Edited June 19, 200816 yr by **Liv**

My birds were all dead on the floor and the only similarity that I could find is that they all had holes in them. Its hard to explain but I could see the insides of the budgies. I dont know if that is normal though, it looked like somthing could have bitten them. I will get some pictures. I forgot to mention in my first post that i colony breed my budgies, i dont seperate them.

You have rats...that how rats eat birds. I have a rat problem at the moment too. Soil floors and they tunnel in. Is there anywhere else you can put all the birds till you find the rat tunnels and deal with the rats ? Also, if you are going to dig up the floor like Derek suggested, you need to put finer mesh down before you lay soil back over the top. Clearing out the floor for now would show you the possibility of rats tunnels into the aviary. Also check where your tin meets beams in case of gaps rats can get in there too.

Edited June 19, 200816 yr by KAZ

Update:

I have 8 budgies 6 quails and 1 cockatiel left. I've removed the grass clippings and cleaned out the entire avairy. I've covered half of the uncovered area with a shadecloth so that birds in the tree above wotn give diseases to my birds. They still have an area of about 2 meters by 2 meters where they get full sunlight. They mainly sit out in the sunlight all day and only go undercover at night. I bought some straw (with absolutley no mould or chemicals) and laid it on the ground for the quails. I also put some rat sack around the outside of the avairy and I cemented 2 feet down all around so that the rats cant get under. I am going to buy 1 more cockatiel so that my other cockatiel has a mate. Also, If anyone knows how to tell if a budgie is in breeding condition, please pm me or post here and I will send pics of my birds. I need to know this because if they are in breeding condition, I wont need to go and buy more budgies.

 

Thanks for your time

Sounds like you have been very busy .....very proactive

Bear in mind quails dont need a ton of nesting materials. Ours drop their eggs all around and when they have their ideal clutch size ( usually 8 or so ) they roll them all together and put them in a corner somewhere. They always manage to find odds and ends to make a nest from. Some old plantpots turned on their sides with dried grass in would do. Having all that grass or even having hay all over your floor helps and hides rodent activity, and damp would bring mould with it.

Breeding condition for budgies ? we have heaps of topics on that in here in both FAQ section and by doing a search. Activity and behaviour is a good indicator bewteen your budgies, besides the full colour on the cere. If you are putting nesting boxes into your aviary and about to breed colony style that can bring you a world of trouble also re territorial issues...you have to be part bird psychologist and home 24 hours of the day to circumvent problems with colony breeding. Been there, done that and wont do it again :budgiedance: But I did write an article that will help you in our FAQ section HERE..... http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...highlight=colon

Edited June 23, 200816 yr by KAZ

I have personally stopped colony breeding due to issues BUT at the moment you have a MASSIVE aviary with only 8 birds in it. You are probably okay at the moment having the nest boxes in there but I would tak them out once you get more birds in there.

I have more nesting boxes than I do birds. My birds bred fine when I had 50 of them.. The nesting boxes are 1 meter apart and all the same height off the ground to prevent fighting. They all look exactly the same. Are you saying that if I get 20 budgies they wont breed in a colony?

I have more nesting boxes than I do birds. My birds bred fine when I had 50 of them.. The nesting boxes are 1 meter apart and all the same height off the ground to prevent fighting. They all look exactly the same. Are you saying that if I get 20 budgies they wont breed in a colony?

You will be fine as long as the personalaities of the budgies get along. You have done the right things with nestbox placements it sounds like to me. Just watch your birds and any troublemakers will have to be moved out temporarily. All it takes to be discouraged with colony breeding is to experience the slaughter of a nestful of gorgeous chicks by a hen that wants to swap for what she thinks is a better nest.

You seem to care about making your aviary just right for your birds and thats half the battle. Best of luck. Look foward to more photos when you can :budgiedance: