I have an aviary with 2 budgies and 2 tiels. I have always had an external feeder contraption which I hated from the minute I bought it, it's useless but the theory is the seed sits on the outside of the aviary and the feeder part is on the inside and the seed shall fall through (gravity). Hopeless, cost me over $60 and big waste of money. I used to have the budgie seed in this. It required me going and scooping and constantly 'encouraging' down new seed, scooping out old seed from the dispenser. The seed would also get wet when it rained.

 

We have a ledge in the aviary and in a large plastic potplant saucer I always have the tiel seed here. [/size] All birds share seed. I often see the tiels eating budgie seed and visa versa.

 

So I finally find a new contraption to replace my budgie feeder. Love it, ideal. I see them using in in the petstore and all the birds happily go to the feeder and feed away. Even the tiels use it up the petshop aviary. Bliss! So I buy one myself. Only trouble is my birds wont have a bar of it. It's been in there few weeks now, they wont use it. In that time I have removed the old budgie seed dispenser. I have enticed them to the new one making sure lots of perches go to it, hung lettuce and nice things off the dispenser. I have also removed the tiel seed so the only seed available in the aviary is the new one. There are perches nearby so that they dont even have to sit on the feeder, they can stay put on the perch and be able to reach the seed. But they STILL wont use it and after a day or two I end up putting back in the tiel saucer as I'm worried they'll die of starvation.!! Then I try again. I know they aren't using it because there are no budgie seed husks anywhere and the seed is at the same level I started with.

 

This is similar to the dispenser I have (slightly different) but the birds put their heads inside the hole to get the seed

http://www.wraith.sf.ca.us/agfa/bird-feeder.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Audubon-NATUBE12-AUD...75&sr=1-183

 

What else can I do ??

Edited February 5, 200916 yr by coffeegirl

Hello and welcome

 

I would say that he seed dispenser is no good for budgies and cockatiels. It is more suited to finches and canaries i think. Most people i know have their bird seed in dishes or in gravity fed dispenser with little dishes at the bottom.

Like this

I agree with Liv I am afraid. That dispenser is more suited to finches and canaries.

I have never seen a disepsner like that, My only advice is to try get another bird feeder. You can just use a lid or a dish or you can get the ones **liv** posted. I personally use open feeders for my birds.

okay thanks all.

 

Tonight though after I posted, I went out there and everyone was obviously hungry, the budgies had worked it out (it is big enough for them, I got the large size) and the tiels were also managing to get food from it. I let them continue to discover it for another 15 or so minutes, then I put the tiel saucer back in.

 

In the petstore the aviaries all have them and the budgies and tiels are eating from them. I will go and check it out again and take better notice of styles and sizes they are using and watch the birds a bit to see how they get on.

 

They are a really good design, keeps everything dry and because they take seed then take their head out, no husks get in with the fresh seed. Some of them can be quite small for the finch size birds but you can get larger ones. I'd say mine is suitable for budgie size, but not tiel size. But because I have perches going right up to it, near/next to it they can just sit on there and get seed without actually getting on it.