So another tale of caution ...

 

I rotate my breeding cabinets quite rapidly and always wash them out before a new pair go down. I use a 'natural' cleaning product that is very effective and non-toxic to my budgies. For some reason I left the bucket in the breeding room last night and forgot to remove it today.

 

So imagine my horror when I just popped into to check on them and saw 2 budgies happily chatting up their caged counter-parts .... yes they were out! I quickly caught them up and returned them to their cabinet only to espy another sitting on the shelf! A quick glance revealed an open cage door. So I caught her up and put her back .... but couldn't for the life of me see where her partner was.

 

Yes, you guessed it, he had committed budgie suicide and was floating in the bucket of water.

 

Actually this is not as unusual as it sounds. Over the summer I lost a couple when the lid of the tree bucket got misaligned and they fell in and drowned.

 

So be careful, open buckets of water are a peril.

a shame you had to learn the hard way

thanks for the info...i will be more optimistic in that kind of situation

I have had that happen but was lucky I was able to save the little one. So sorry for your lose

I have to make sure my kitchen sink hasnt any water in it at night when I turn off lights as I also get the odd escapee in the birdroom.

I have to make sure my kitchen sink hasnt any water in it at night when I turn off lights as I also get the odd escapee in the birdroom.

 

You know what really shits me Kaz, is that barely an hour had gone by since I gave them all their soft food and this stupid bird escaped from its cage and nose dived into the bucket which wasn't very close to its cage at all .... in fact I find it incredible that it ended up in the bucket at all considering how many other perching alternatives it had. Ggggggggrrrrrr.

Birds find the stupidest ways to kill themselves

Birds find the stupidest ways to kill themselves

 

Related to this, I also found by accident that a bucket half filled with water and a few handfuls of swept up husks etc sprinkled on top makes an excellent mouse trap! Especially if you provide the mice with an easy path to climb into the bucket.

Birds find the stupidest ways to kill themselves

 

Related to this, I also found by accident that a bucket half filled with water and a few handfuls of swept up husks etc sprinkled on top makes an excellent mouse trap! Especially if you provide the mice with an easy path to climb into the bucket.

 

Yes Daryl, it was that in mind that prompted me to post this topic. Unfortunately if one of your budgies gets loose you may find you end up with more than husks and the odd mice in your bucket.

So sorry to hear the news renee

 

Also in regards to daryl's suggestion - it could pay to cover the top of the 'sneaky seed layered water bucket of doom' with some cage wiring - birds wont get through but for mice it wont be a problem whatsoever.

 

I once noticed mice rampaging through my compost bin, which was nestled into a corner of the yard about a half foot from either fence, so i wedged a water filled bucket in the gap and sure enough had 3 mice drowned in it the next day

quickly runs out to aviary and removes the deep bowl she placed in aviary for birds to bath in earlyer this arvo

this is good advice something that would be over looked by me

not now

you forget birds can not fly when wet and my bath could be deadly in dark of night

thanks reene