I am working towards an aviary in the backyard and am wanting to think everything through first. I have read that having love birds, cockatiels and indian ring necks are not good for combining with budgies, but have seen references to finches and budgies living happily with bunnies. So, could you more experienced aviarists provide advice. What is an okay combination?

Edited November 30, 200816 yr by KAZ

How big is the aviary? It really depends on size, whether you will have nest boxes in there, etc. I have housed budgies and tiels together with no problems in a large aviary with no boxes. Quails are always good of course.

This is the beginning of a plan, so the size hasn't been determined. I would imagine about a floor plan in the vicinity of 4m2, but it might be smaller. I want to understand the key issues first, then buy. I have been looking on the web and starting to prime my husband. We have a guinea pig - could he run around the bottom or is he enough of a rodent to be of concern? In relation to nesting boxes, I am picking up from this site that it isn't a good idea even for single species aviaries, so I thought not. I thought I could use a breeding box on my back decking or inside the house for breeding when I want to go in that direction.

Edited November 29, 200816 yr by chrisg

I used to have guinea pigs in the bottom of my aviary and at one stage i had 8 and there was never any problems with them and the budgies.

I have budgies and cockatiels and there has never been a problem... as long as the aviary is big enough. I'd agree with cabinet breeding too... colony breeding is too much heart ache and problems. Not worth it.

over time i've kept teils, finch's, quail and grass parrots with my budgies

For those that are commenting on their "mixed aviaries" ...please state the size and type of your aviary as all of that matters a great deal

I have tiels, budgies, quails and rabbits in my aviary which is almost 4m x 3m without a problem and on the odd occasion I let my barraband parrot in for a free flight as she already shares "housing" with tiels and they get along fine. Although I am home all day everyday. I also suggest you don't colony breed as many things become hard that way and unless you have 24/7 to watch them, things will go wrong

rosa bourkes parrots okay with budgies

rosa bourkes parrots okay with budgies

 

 

Are Turqs also okay with them since they're almost the same species?

I have found the Turqs to be quite nasty mixed in with anything really.. they are VERY territorial and attack quite nasty.. I tried going down that track with great headaches along the way

Rosa Bourke's are more gentle in nature, just make sure there is enough room for everyone to have their own "ME" space

my female turq will go for mostly yellow or yellow pied budgies. my male turq, before he died, was best friends with a male budgie who fed each other. the budgie was smart cos her would go feed his female or young.

my avairy about 4m x 4m x 3m

Thanks so much for that advice. It will enable me to make wise choices that will enable me to go forward. I have only two boys at the moment and I think I will keep it that way for a while while I take the opportunity to learn more. Like each of you, I have learned the hard way that bad decisions with budgies will cost them their lives. Thanks again for all the info.

 

Chrisg

I keep budgies, cockatiels, quails and a faintail pigeon in my avairy and they all get along fine with no hastles

Just continuing in my decision making (now that my husband has agreed to the aviary!!!) I need to get a bit more advice. There are two places that I can put an aviary in my house. The first is out in the backyard - but it will be quite remote from the house and I am worried that the budgies will become "out of sight out of mind". The alternative is setting up an aviary on the decking which would be visible from the kitchen, so they would be enjoyed enormously. The challenge is the flooring. The decking is wood with small spacings that I would presume would let mice in. My lab is a good ratter so I have seen the evidence of their presence. I could either put something like lino down on the floor to protect the wood or get something else built - steel or other. Any thoughts?

Edited December 14, 200816 yr by chrisg

Hmmm perhaps if you just put something like lino straight down you will run the risk of rotting out the timber decking with moisture caught between the two (either from rain or just condensation) .. I'm not sure if its a great idea or not but you could perhaps line the bottom with mouse proof wire or something so that the wood can still breath and you could hose out easy.. I'm guessing it would be really not much different to a suspended aviary although if your birds spend ages on the ground the wire could cause foot problems (bumble foot its called in gineapigs hahaa I'm not sure what its called in birds)

Well seems I'm not really much of a help after all :budgiedance:

Hopefully others will have ideas ot help

my personal preference would be to put it on the deck where it is more visible . you could screw it to a piece of marine ply same size as your base and maybe add some casters ( wheels) to the marine ply so you can move it about easily if need be ,and not do any damage to the timber decking either

my personal preference would be to put it on the deck where it is more visible . you could screw it to a piece of marine ply same size as your base and maybe add some casters ( wheels) to the marine ply so you can move it about easily if need be ,and not do any damage to the timber decking either

 

thats what I was thinking about... do you know how big the aviary is going to be?? I'd try to raise it up slightly so that you wouldn't cause the decking to be damaged... It doesn't have to be to high... just high enough to allow access to clean underneith... It would be easier to clean under if it had wheels, but if you were worried about it staying still wheels wouldn't be a must...

I created a false floor for my aviaries using either pavers or timber plywood layed on top of timber to keep it off the ground, I then have lino layed on top of the ply for easier cleaning. If you decide to use lino hang it over the clothesline for a few days to air it well before using it as it does have a very plasticy small when new.

Thanks,

 

The aviary will be about 2.4m x 0.9 x 1.8 metres, so that makes the idea of casters an issue cause you'd want to be able to walk inside. I think your idea of the pavers might be the winner. That way I can use several lino mats that can be withdrawn and hosed down from time to time. I think otherwise there will be occasional dramas with the build up of debris!! Anyway thanks for the advice. By The Way, Melbourne Budgies, your two guys are going brilliantly. I confess they are all in together now and your two boys look so much more sleek and healthy than my other two - congrats on great birds.

Lino has as an active ingredient FORMALDEHYDE. It gives off noxious fumes when hot and when new.

 

Your Lino isnt the true natural lino from years ago that was made from natural products

...it is a vinyl flooring product and is a synthetic product made of chlorinated petrochemicalswhere traditional linoleum is produced from all-natural ingredients.

Vinyl flooring has health hazards as it emits vinyl chloride fumes.....these fumes are a known carcinogen ( cancer producing ) .

It will also trap moisture and promote the growth of moulds.

Just when I thought it was safe to go down to bunnings.............. :hap: . HMMMMMMM what about geotextile fabric? I looked up some on the search engine and it is made from polypropylene. There isn't even a chemical safety card on it. It has to be safe cause it is the same material that is used to make ski gear and thermal underwear, but this is material that is used to line wetlands and similar. That would have to be safe - surely - maybe -perhaps.......

Edited December 19, 200816 yr by chrisg

What wrong with brickpaving, or slabs and sand on top ?

Not sure how your decking is set out but the seed falling between the cracks 1) once it gets damp it smells, 2) will be a haven for mice and crawling things.

Its amazing when you put your aviary in an out of the way spot in the yard- that spot becomes more familiar to you, you work more in that area and sit for agaes staring at the birds. I might just be me but I hate seed and feathers around the house/patio but I spend alot of my time in the far end of the garden

The good thing about the aviary that I am looking at is that it is entirely portable, so I will probably start with pavers on the decking with a max 3mm gap between for drainage. I can put geotextile webbing underneath and put sand between the pavers. Then over that I will use geotextile webbing - that's used in wetlands and is UV stabilized so it won't give off fumes or break down. It is also porous so water will go through, and it is strong - it is designed to be used in place of clay. It is also safe for little beetles, wild birds etc, so it will definitely be safe for budgies. I can get a couple of lengths that will fit in, then I can alternate them for washing. If the whole thing is proving to be too difficult the roses are going and the budgies will have the lower area. I'm not much of a gardener anyway.