Posted July 9, 201014 yr Hi all, I found this board this morning and have been lurking but now it's time to say hi I'm a mum to 3 children aged 8, 5 and 1. Up until now we have been without a pet. However that is soon to change and the pet of choice is a budgie - so here I am! A couple of months ago we found a little canary in our front yard and rescued it and looked after it for a week after which the flyers we had dropped off to neighouring houses paid dividends and the original owner came and reclaimed the canary. In the meantime however our children fell in love with the bird and proved to us they were ready to take care of a pet. So after the canary left we promised them they could have a replacement bird. After family discussions we have decided on a budgie for a 1st pet Only problem is I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing I've never owned a bird of any kind. My hubby had a budgie for a while as a child but that is our only experience. So I have a million questions but I'll start reading the FAQ's and have a look around for where to post my noobie questions.
July 9, 201014 yr good pet choice! and welcome welcome babygumnut it will be very exciting when you get to pick your little budgie it always is for me well budgie care is pretty easy, compared to many oters pets you just provide a home, shelter, food (seed and maybe some veg), and water! and lots of love and care which im sure your kids will doo! goodluck and let us know what you get, maybe post a picture or two! alpaca-boy
July 9, 201014 yr Welcome! Budgies are wonderful pets. Fist of all, don't get your new buddy just yet. You'll need to find a breeder, not a pet store. Others may disagree with me on that one, but I have my reasons for not liking pet stores. You'll need a decent cage. Here is a link on the cages. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=17858 You also need to research on the correct diet, which is NOT just seed. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=6795 More members will give you advice.
July 9, 201014 yr Author Thanks alpaca-boy! Yes we think a budgie is going to be perfect for a 1st pet An 'easy' animal was definatley a priority. Thanks for the links Ratzy. This is exactly why I decided to join the forum so thanks. For a beginner it's hard to know what you don't know We quickly bought a cage at a local pet shop when we found the canary but I am not sure if it's suitable for a budgie, as for food all I have is some left over canary seed that I know isn't going to come close to being appropriate So I'm really starting from scratch! I will make sure we sort out these 2 basics before we go shopping. Not that I know where to buy yet, but we have decided to buy from a breeder, we walked into a local pet shop recently and quickly walked back out. I'd like to find someone local in Western Melbourne preferably.
July 9, 201014 yr Can you post a pikky of the cage? Budgies can be fed canary feed but have to have a staple diet of pellets or seed with veggies, fruits and eggfood. I know how you feel about pet stores. If you can't get a picture can you post the measurements on here? Did I mention welcome?
July 9, 201014 yr Welcome and I hope you find some great advise and a great companion Budgie. They are so wonderfull.
July 9, 201014 yr Author Can you post a pikky of the cage? Budgies can be fed canary feed but have to have a staple diet of pellets or seed with veggies, fruits and eggfood. I know how you feel about pet stores. If you can't get a picture can you post the measurements on here? Did I mention welcome? okay, here's the best picture I have of the cage at the moment. That was 'Patch' the rescued canary with a very temporary cage set up Might try and measure the cage tomorrow and give it a good clean anyway. Part of the reason we chose that cage was so we could hang it inside. Due to the layout of our 70's house and the heating/cooling setup we found a good position but it would be prime for our toddler to get at if we had a standing cage. Thankfully there is already a strong hook in the ceiling beam and my hubby got some of this strong chain from the hardware shop. This way the cage could hang at a good height for our older children but out of the reach of our toddling 13 month old Oh yeah, and thanks for the welcome Hi Jodie, thanks! we are really looking forward to the company our budgie will give us
July 9, 201014 yr Welcome and I hope you find some great advise and a great companion Budgie. They are so wonderfull. welcome to our forum also im not sure where im at in regards to western melbourne but i have a very friendly almost three month little grey opaline hen whom loves people company i think would tame very well with very little effort your welcome to her if you can come pick her up i started tamming for someone but i never heard back from them so really she would be good bird to start with if your not after a certain colour have a think about it im in gippsland id love her to have a family although i was happy to have her as aviary mate shes a pet type size she jumps straight on my hand when im changing food and all so loves to nibble me through cage shes craving attention i just dont have time to give so when you are after a bird have a think also my local pet store is always very friendly and helpful with plenty of discounts and bargains all the right cages at very decent prices not as expensive as in town , seed and other bird needs toys mineral blocks execrate id be more than happy to help you get what you needed for a bird weather you want to take my offer up or not gb also that cage is no good sorry but i can help with all that if you like Edited July 9, 201014 yr by GenericBlue
July 9, 201014 yr Hi Babygumnut! Welcome to the forum! I think it's great that you are researching before you get your budgie! You will learn a ton of information here. You have a little bit of a dilemma, because cages that are large enough for budgies are basically too large to hang. One idea might be to hang a sturdy shelf on the wall at a height that is safe from your toddler, and the cage could sit on the shelf. You could also hook or bolt the back of the cage to the wall for security. I'm not sure what other people with babies and toddlers have done, but maybe someone will come on and tell you their solution. Keeping budgies is pretty easy, but one thing that doesn't get a lot of mention is: Their poos stick to the walls!!!! LOL. Some types of walls are easier to clean than others, so you might take that into consideration. I had one friend who hung a poster behing the cage. After a while, the poster was ruined, but it saved the wall! (Also, some of their veggies might stick to the walls, too.) Well, enjoy looking around and learning from the forum. I can't wait to see pictures of your little one, once you get it! -Finnie
July 9, 201014 yr The cage is inadaquate for housing a budgie. I have my eye on a really good cage for my budgies. It has a stand which can be used for a storage area. It would be high enough so a toddler can't reach and low enough for your older kids. I hope you find a breeder! PS. Here is why I don't like pet stores. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....mp;#entry344310 http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....mp;#entry345840 I went to another pet store the other day and there was a galah in a small cage. The bottom hadn't been cleaned out for who knows how long. It was the same with the other birds. Edited July 9, 201014 yr by Ratzy
July 9, 201014 yr Welcome! I bet your very excited to get your first pet (Budgie), and choosing to research about them first. It's best to research than to step into the unknown before knowing what you're getting into. Just remember, research as much as you can before hand so that you will be prepared. And keep researching, because you can learn something new every day. You could read up in the Budgie FAQs here on this site, which are very great for any current and future budgie owners. They hold a lot of great information, so I suggest checking that out. Anyway, good luck. I hope you find a good place to get your new little friend. And if you have any questions, ASK THEM! (But stay on topic here) I bet everyone here will be more than happy to help you out. Kassidy Edited July 10, 201014 yr by KAZ
July 10, 201014 yr Keeping budgies is pretty easy, but one thing that doesn't get a lot of mention is: Their poos stick to the walls!!!! LOL. Some types of walls are easier to clean than others, so you might take that into consideration. I had one friend who hung a poster behing the cage. After a while, the poster was ruined, but it saved the wall! (Also, some of their veggies might stick to the walls, too.) finally someone else that has that [problem, how does this occur? if their bum is facing down how does it end up horizantally projected onto the wall i only get 2 or 3 every month , but how??
July 10, 201014 yr Hi, welcome I see that you have gotten a ton of good advise. For the cage, it is best to get the biggest size that you can afford. Here is a great guide on right and wrong type of cages. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=17858 Also, for the perches it is good to provide the budgie with different sizes of perches. This will allow the budgie to stretch it's feet. It is alao a good idea to use natural branches and rope perches. Keeping budgies is pretty easy, but one thing that doesn't get a lot of mention is: Their poos stick to the walls!!!! LOL. Some types of walls are easier to clean than others, so you might take that into consideration. I had one friend who hung a poster behing the cage. After a while, the poster was ruined, but it saved the wall! (Also, some of their veggies might stick to the walls, too.) finally someone else that has that [problem, how does this occur? if their bum is facing down how does it end up horizantally projected onto the wall i only get 2 or 3 every month , but how?? I'm not 100% sure but perhaps, when they stretch their wing muscles and they are flapping them causes this.
