Posted October 22, 200816 yr :rip: Hi there my name is Trish and below is a picture of my daughter Caetline's, new baby budgie "Ben". I fell in love with his/her beautiful colour! Ben was quite different that the others in the pet shop because he/she has a stumpy tail and not much in the way of flight feathers. I was told that he did arrive at the pet shop with feathers but he/she pulled them out. Apparently one had bled a little on day 1 at the shop. I noticed him/her getting picked on by the other budgies so I had hoped to give him a loving and secure home! I felt sorry for the little baby and have set up a sort of "special needs" cage so it cant hurt itself falling from a big height. Ben has been with us for three days and did seem a little nervous at first but today managed to chipper and chirp and seems happier eating and enjoys the newly set up cage. He/she has sneezed a little bit (no nasal discharge) and scratched a little so I hope this is okay? Only one tail feather and three tiny little feathers have come out in the cage so far, I am keeping an eye out (I have read about french molt but am unsure if this is a case?). This forum is wonderful and I love looking at the photo's of everyones little feathered pals! If anyone can tell me more about Ben....boy/girl, type of budgie that would be great! Cheers, Trish, Caetline and Ben! http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll245/g...08/dcp_3626.jpg http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll245/g...08/dcp_3627.jpg Edited October 22, 200816 yr by KAZ Photos must be edited to minimum 640 by 480 before posting. Sorry have had to change to links
October 22, 200816 yr Welcome Trish, Caetline and Ben! Unfortunately your little budgie is a french moult budgie. It may never regrow its flight feathers. Some do, but most do not. It hasnt lost them by pulling them out itself or by others. They drop out mostly after fledging. You may well have to modify the cage and a ladder is a must. Despite the fact that most opalines are female your appears to be a boy :rip: Cheers kaz Edited October 22, 200816 yr by KAZ
October 22, 200816 yr Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy your time here with us. I'm not really qualified to give advice on french moult so I won't. Good on you for taking him and I hope that he brings great joy to your family.
October 22, 200816 yr Author Thank you both for your replies and the welcome :rip: I called the pet shop today to perhaps get in touch with the breeder to enlighten me on the birds condition but they couldnt give out the details, fair enough I suppose for the breeders privacy. I have handed on my details to the pet shop owner but she said she could not assure me a reply. She assured me the breeder does not supply "runner" budgies and that they are "disposed of" early on by the breeder. This made me shudder! I am already in love with little "Ben" and am thinking the poor guy is lucky to have slipped through the cracks and come home with me! I am glad he is not sick and it doesn't bother me in the slightest if he can't fly just as long as he is happy! I have taken some pics of his cage, I have paper on the base and food and water trays low down for easy access, ladders and low perches for less distance to fall and lots of interesting toys low down for him to enjoy. Please let me know what you think Cheers, Trish. http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll245/g...08/dcp_3628.jpg http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll245/g...08/dcp_3629.jpg http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll245/g...08/dcp_3630.jpg Moderator’s Message images turned to links oversized, please resized to 640x480 no larger thank you Edited October 22, 200816 yr by Elly
October 22, 200816 yr Welcome I am glad you got on the forum to post this too :rip:. He is a cutie. Kaz is right but a budgie with french molt can live a very wonderful life given the opporunity.
October 22, 200816 yr Author Moderator’s Message images turned to links oversized, please resized to 640x480 no larger thank you Sorry about oversized images will try and fix tomorrow Trish Edited October 22, 200816 yr by birdluv fixed quote
October 22, 200816 yr Your cage look very well set up for Ben. Wonderful job and well thought out for his special needs. Unfortunate about the petshop....they are denying all really and I doubt you will get anywhere with them. Usual tactic is to say alright give back the budgie and get a refund. They say those things knowing you are already bonded and wouldnt like to think of what may happen to him if returned. So from here, you just make the best of it. He was sold younger than maybe some others from that breeder and that why the feathers went after he was sold. There are occasions where this can happen with what is termed a STRESS MOULT and in those cicumstances the flights may possibly return at some point. If they dont he will never be able to fly around the house. I have a lot of experience with these guys and still have 5-6 in my aviary, where they have ladders and such to help them get about. They arent picked on at all in a mixed aviary and indeed one of my F.M. hens ( half budgie size ) has a large show budgie boy madly in love with her right now. Again welcome and enjoy your time here Edited October 22, 200816 yr by KAZ
October 22, 200816 yr Author Your cage look very well set up for Ben. Wonderful job and well thought out for his special needs. Unfortunate about the petshop....they are denying all really and I doubt you will get anywhere with them. Usual tactic is to say alright give back the budgie and get a refund. They say those things knowing you are already bonded and wouldnt like to think of what may happen to him if returned. So from here, you just make the best of it. He was sold younger than maybe some others from that breeder and that why the feathers went after he was sold. There are occasions where this can happen with what is termed a STRESS MOULT and in those cicumstances the flights may possibly return at some point. If they dont he will never be able to fly around the house. I have a lot of experience with these guys and still have 5-6 in my aviary, where they have ladders and such to help them get about. They arent picked on at all in a mixed aviary and indeed one of my F.M. hens ( hald budgie size ) has a large show budgie boy madly in love with her right now. Again welcome and enjoy your time here Thanks Kaz, no matter what the little babe isn't going back! I am glad the cage is good. I do remember them saying that he was much younger than the others. Just read about F.M. so informative! http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/lofive...php/t18828.html That is so cute that your F.M. hen has the show budge after her, she must be quite the charmer! Is Ben a Skyblue Opaline? I read the post here but unfortunately no pics: http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/lofive....php/t3799.html Thanks so much Trish Edited October 22, 200816 yr by Trish
October 22, 200816 yr hi, welcome to the forums! Ben is a cutie, if anything u you think he is overloaded with toys and would suggest taking afew out so that every couple of weeks you can switch them around and give him/her abit of variety, and you are right about the yellow face type 2 opaline (i think) ps. is that shell grit the far left bowl? if so budgies don't actually need shell grit as they dont need anything grinded down in their stomachs, welcome and good luck Edited October 22, 200816 yr by birdluv changed u to you, please do not use shortcuts. use only approved shorcuts that are found in the rules.
October 22, 200816 yr Ben is a Yellowface skyblue opaline and so pretty for a boy budgie Andrew is right about the grit too...he doesnt need it. I just noticed the rust on your cage. Rust is harmful to birds. I dont know if this was meant to be your forever cage for Ben or if its till you get a better one, but I just thought I had better mention about rust. Those linked rings are favourites of my baby budgies and the hanging mesh balls too. Budgies can also enjoy some colourful plastic bracelets just looped over the perches. Good to see you are finding your way around the forum in searches. Catch you later :yes: Kaz Edited October 22, 200816 yr by KAZ
October 22, 200816 yr Hi, welcome. You have a very nice budgie, l would suggest that you should get some natural perchs and rope perches. Also l noticed that you have a honey stick and millet seeds, these are great as treats but only as treats. Try to only give it to him once in a while. Edited October 22, 200816 yr by birdluv
October 22, 200816 yr Author Thankyou everyone for the great advice! Am ammending Ben's cage as we speak. The cage isnt that old unfortunately the rust started after I gave it a thorough cleaning after "Buddy" passed away a month ago. I am in country vic and it is hard to find a supplier so I might try good ol' ebay! In regards to the Millet and Honey stick my idea was sort of to encourage Ben to eat as his appetite wasn't the best when he arrived. I love the idea of the rings on the perch as he is kept lowdown it will be great, I'll also take some toys out at second glance it does look a tad overloaded! Thanks everyone and have a great day! Trish :rofl:
October 23, 200816 yr The honey stick and millet spray is fine to use on budgies that are new :rofl: It is after when they are settled in to their new home is when you can offer them as a treat.
October 23, 200816 yr Author Gee I hope I have it right this time. I have just travelled 50 mins drive away (near Grampians in Victoria) and found the perfect cage in the pet store there. It is 75cm x 45cm x 45cm the old one was 60 x 40 x 40 and rusty. I didnt really want black but I had no choice and didnt want him in a rusty cage that was no good for him. This one makes little Ben look very small but at least he has loads of room to run around! I have resized the photo so hopefully now they are the correct size? Kaz I took your idea on board and put the hanging rings on the perch for Ben to play with! Poor little guy went from pet store to milk carton to yukky cage to another cage and now this one, I don't blame him for being stressed but hopefully now he settles now and I finally have it right! While in the pet store today I saw a budgie with splayed feet and another with a sore foot that was fumbling around on the floor of the cage and a couple of very pretty opalines I was tempted but at the same too sad for the other lil' things. I have quite a few feathered and furry animals at my palace.....sorry place...two more of which are a Sulfur crested Cockatoo and a Long Billed Corella that I rescued after it was hit by a car (it has only half its wing on one side). I am unsure of age and sex of Corella and Cocky is 3 years old but I am unsure of sex as well. Here are some pics:
October 23, 200816 yr Sorry I didnt mean to put those rings on the perch. I was talking about plastic bangles.
October 23, 200816 yr Looks great I have corellas and galahs and they are great pets too Maybe a cocky one day but they're very noisy!!
October 23, 200816 yr Hello and welcome Ben is adorable. I had a runner as a pet when i was a kid and she was the most lovable budgie i have ever known. Congratulations on your beautiful boy and thank you for being a lovely budgie owner
October 23, 200816 yr Author Hello and welcome Ben is adorable. I had a runner as a pet when i was a kid and she was the most lovable budgie i have ever known. Congratulations on your beautiful boy and thank you for being a lovely budgie owner Hi Liv, Skooter is absolutely beautiful I love his colouring! Caetline is six so hopefully Ben will be a great companion for her like yours was for you
October 24, 200816 yr i love that cage (mainly because Bing has that one aswell) um.. but i would suggest cutting the perches so they fit the opposite way they are right now if that make sense? so from running frm the back of the cage to the front that way he gets more excercise from flying and if even better if you could get some natural branches as they are better for his/her feet... :bow: good luck
October 24, 200816 yr Author Hi all! I noticed Ben standing on the cuttlebone trying to sleep and it looked hard on his little feet so I moved it and now he is sleeping in his seed. I had also noticed him swapping his feet on the perch today. Is it because he is getting sore feet or is it normal? I noted that Andrew said to get more natural perches so I'll try and find something softer tomorrow. Is flowering gum okay? And does it matter if he sleeps in his seed. He is such a little cutey and listens in when I talk to him. We have lots of birdlife here nesting in roof cavities and gutters and whenever he hears the chicks chirp he starts. He hadnt chatted much till I looked up budgies on youtube and boy did he go off! Have a great weekend, Trish x Edited October 24, 200816 yr by Trish
October 24, 200816 yr Sleeping in the seed bowl is very much a baby thing to do, I wouldn't worry about it as he should stop soon Any native branches are fine including gum, bottlebrush or tea tree. If you give him some leaves to chew he may enjoy that too. Just make sure they haven't been sprayed with any nasties
October 24, 200816 yr Author Sleeping in the seed bowl is very much a baby thing to do, I wouldn't worry about it as he should stop soon Any native branches are fine including gum, bottlebrush or tea tree. If you give him some leaves to chew he may enjoy that too. Just make sure they haven't been sprayed with any nasties Thanks for that....he is very cute and just so tiny! I'll head out tomorrow with the kids to find him some natural goodies! With no feathers for a tail he looks like he has a little ducks bum and waddles around .....god what a gushing new mummy I am!
November 1, 200816 yr Author GOOD NEWS! Benny boy's feathers are growing back! 2 tailfeathers have come back and possibly two flight feathers on each side!
