Well, I went to the Ipswich Budgie Show today, to meet with some breeders and see what they had available. I came across a gorgeous little (not so little) 3 month old boy budgie that I just loved

So now we have him home......he is a bit freaked out lol I am paranoid about budgies' feet as our last budgie had problems with blood clotting etc. Just hope that this little one doesn't have splayed legs.... The perches we have can be a bit slippery....because we have cleaned them a lot over the years.......Not sure if that is the problem or if it is just because he is still quite young. The breeder I got him from was wonderful and high up in the budgie society out there, so I trust him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm thinking about calling him Vinnie hehe He has a spunky attitude and very fluffy when he isn't freaked out by a brand new cage LOL

Edited March 4, 201213 yr by Louise

He's lovely. Vinnie is a great name too. He looks healthy.

He's older than 3 months.....he has to be at least 6 months maybe more. Please remove all mirrors...they do budgies heads in and give them something to protect and "feed".....and the perch is rather thick too.....go for a diameter of between 12 mm and 16 mm for perches, plus the variation of diameters of tree branches too.

 

Edited March 4, 201213 yr by **KAZ**

Do you reckon Kaz? The breeder said he was born in January of this year. If he is 6 months old, will I still be able to hand tame him? Gawd I hope so!! I'll be a little annoyed if he is 6 months and not 3 months old..... if it makes it harder for me to tame him.

Yep, I am going to put in some smaller branches, as I suspect that that is also the reason why his legs are sitting apart a little. He seems very healthy, and a bit of a cheeky little thing He is starting to get more used to his cage now.

He isnt three months.......the cere colour is far too blue for him to be three months. The breeder may have him confused with another bird. Cere colour that fully blue would come in at 6 months, and he has no bars left on the cap of his head. So DEFINITELY not 3 months. Taming him will depend on your techniques and time taken with him and the trust level you both establish...bird to human friend. Show budgies are handled a lot anyway from hatching and they are generally less flighty and less excitable than a pet type budgie.

 

Please remove the mirrors or he will bond to his friend in the mirror and not you.

 

This baby boy budgie

 

 

is 3-4 months and you can see his cere colour is still pinky purple ( not blue ) and he is just breaking cap ( means getting his clear head cap feathers ). Your boy has 2-3 months on this fellow ( older ) .......Vinnie has both broken his cap and has a full blue cere making him for sure around 6 months.

Edited March 4, 201213 yr by **KAZ**

Have just removed the mirrors....am going to add some different toys instead

*sighs* I can't help but feel a bit disappointed that he is 6 months rather than 3 months. Now I'm worried that it is going to be MUCH MUCH harder to hand tame him and bond him with me. The breeder must have just gotten confused, as he is well respected in the budgie society. I just had my heart set on a baby baby budgie, so we could go through the initial stages of bonding with him. No turning back now. Just really disappointed.

Personally I would never try to force a bird into either bond with me or nothing for the rest of your life your choice LOL (sorry to sound dramatic long story) BUT he is a bird who knows he is a budgie, so will forever want to be with other budgies. If you want the best pet posible get a hand raised baby who has been human fed since a chick, or at least one that has just weaned. Maybe you could get him a girl, let them have chicks then raise one of the chicks for your friend?

Okkk. So you are saying that I am doing the wrong thing by him? Trying to bond with him? I find that a little astounding sorry. Are you saying that budgies not hand raised from the start can't be bonded with? A little confused...

Personally I would never try to force a bird into either bond with me or nothing for the rest of your life your choice LOL (sorry to sound dramatic long story) BUT he is a bird who knows he is a budgie, so will forever want to be with other budgies. If you want the best pet posible get a hand raised baby who has been human fed since a chick, or at least one that has just weaned. Maybe you could get him a girl, let them have chicks then raise one of the chicks for your friend?

 

I also find this a weird random statement................forcing a budgie to bond ???

 

What do we breeders do every time we select pairs for breeding ?? you are a breeder and of more than just budgies. Think about what you just said.

 

Louise, proceed with your taming and training......I believe you can do it

Thanks Kaz! A veryyy odd statement.....

I am going to give it a good try, with bonding with him.

 

Another issue that has arisen.....he seems to have his poo sitting outside his bum (no other nice way of saying it lol)....and I have read online that that can be common for english bred budgies as they have more feathers around that area.....is this true? And how should I approach this to check that it isn't a sign of other problems? I hope that he isn't sick......He is still realllly skitish at the moment (only 2nd day being in his new home), so getting him out of his cage and sitting still long enough to sort out what is happening with his poo will be 'interesting' lol

 

Edited to add that he was eating well yesterday. He doesn't show any sign of sickness at all. He actually looks really healthy. His feathers, his beak, everything looks fine. Just this poo around his bum.

Edited March 4, 201213 yr by Louise

It could be just that he's a bit stressed from the sale move etc. put a bit of white paper in bottom of his cage and check to see if it gradually becomes normal droppings.

That's what I am thinking Robyn. He settled really well last night with the cover over his cage. I'm wondering whether I should leave the cover over him for the next day, so he feels a bit protected.

There are some droppings on the newspaper on the ground. I can't get much of a view of his bum at the moment (lol gross) as he is up on the top perch still waking up lol Hopefully it is just from the stress of the sale and move. Before he was taken yesterday the breeder clipped his wing for me also, so he has had to deal with a few things in the past 18 hours LOL Will keep an eye on him!

okay, two things.......lol

 

Budgie poo is gross especially when you have to pick it out of their feathers around their bum....(he had quite a build up there)..........and Vinnie has a veryyyyyyyyyyyy strong bite......ouchies!

I had rung the breeder this morning and he was mortified, worried that the bird had gone to my house like that. I told him it could have just been from yesterday and him stressing. He said to ring him ASAP if his poos don't go back to normal after I have removed all of the buildup......

Let's hopeeeeeeee that he just goes normally today!

Have just been observing him after doing that this morning (see above) lol

 

He is fairly quiet now. And it looks like his sphincter (??) is spasming or something.....so his tail rocking back and forth or something like that.....

Is it that he is constipated? due to the buildup? or is it a sign of something worse?

The breeder asked me to call him later today if he doesn't improve.....

 

*sighs* I can't seem to catch a break! 1 day into having this little fella home and it seems like he already has some issues.

 

Could it be the food? I am feeding him good clean seed that I bought from a produce place. I double checked what was in the mix and it all seemed fine. Could it be that he is eating something different to what the breeder had him on?

He is veryyyy quiet, and hasn't whistled much this morning....

 

Arghhhhhhh Can't tell if it is just because he is new to his environment and getting used to it, or if there is a real problem....

I didn't mean to offend anyone, sorry if I have. Just that a baby handreared is much more suitable as it thinks it is human, and yes you play god when pairing birds up, but they still have the company of thier own kind. IMO taking away mirrors etc is trying to force a bird to bond, a baby HR you would'nt have to do with because it would be all over you from the get go. I really don't think my comment was random at all! Anyway good luck.

I didn't mean to offend anyone, sorry if I have. Just that a baby handreared is much more suitable as it thinks it is human, and yes you play god when pairing birds up, but they still have the company of thier own kind. IMO taking away mirrors etc is trying to force a bird to bond, a baby HR you would'nt have to do with because it would be all over you from the get go. I really don't think my comment was random at all! Anyway good luck.

Mirrors are always a bad idea and it isnt just about bonding.......mirrors affect their mental state and are on old wives tale about adding them to a budgies cage.

 

Have just been observing him after doing that this morning (see above) lol

 

He is fairly quiet now. And it looks like his sphincter (??) is spasming or something.....so his tail rocking back and forth or something like that.....

Is it that he is constipated? due to the buildup? or is it a sign of something worse?

The breeder asked me to call him later today if he doesn't improve.....

 

*sighs* I can't seem to catch a break! 1 day into having this little fella home and it seems like he already has some issues.

 

Could it be the food? I am feeding him good clean seed that I bought from a produce place. I double checked what was in the mix and it all seemed fine. Could it be that he is eating something different to what the breeder had him on?

He is veryyyy quiet, and hasn't whistled much this morning....

 

Arghhhhhhh Can't tell if it is just because he is new to his environment and getting used to it, or if there is a real problem....

 

The poop thing can be stress due to being caught up early and taken to the bird thing where you bought him, then caught and taken to your home etc. Important you clean him up even pull away a few feathers around his butt and then

observe the dropping. Good to hear you have ongoing support from the breeder too even if he did get the age wrong

Yep, I suspect it is stress also. He hasn't done many more poos since I posted last. Going to keep an eye on him though.

I'm not sure about the age Kaz. When I was looking at him closer he has quite a few bars further down on his cap but he has a soft layer of white feathers covering them at the front. Very bizarre lol

 

Fingers crossed that he isn't sick.

 

The breeder told me to pull away a few of his feathers around his bum but I don't know whether I can face doing that lol

 

 

The breeder told me to pull away a few of his feathers around his bum but I don't know whether I can face doing that lol

 

 

Do it and do it quickly like ripping off a bandaid...........we breeders do it all the time and they dont seem to notice much....if you fuss and try one at a time you will cause more stress than grabbing a handfull and pulling quickly.

 

 

I'm not sure about the age Kaz.

 

 

I am :D

I'm coming into this a little bit late, but I just wanted to agree with Kaz' estimate of his age. Besides, if he had been born in January of this year, and we are only in the very beginning of March, he couldn't be older than two months. That's barely out of the nest, and you would REALLY be able to tell. Maybe if the breeder got mixed up, he meant January of LAST year?

 

 

 

Is the breeder very far from you? He sounds like he would like to remain involved, and if there is a question as to Vinnie's health, maybe the breeder would let you trade him for one that really is a baby? Although you might not want this if you are attached to Vinnie. I agree with Kaz also about taming him. Even though he is older and it will take more effort on your part, you are doing him a good turn by being his friend.

Finnie - yep, I think he is older than what he told me. I rang the breeder a couple of times yesterday. He is concerned. He told me that I could come and swap him for another budgie......but I feel really weird about doing that as we have attached ourselves to him now lol arghhhh

We cleaned out his bum again last night. Surprisingly my husband held him this time, and once we were done he got him onto his finger, and he was quitely calmly 'stepping up' on my husband's fingers.....OMG! lol I think I might be nervous which is stressing vinnie out, although I didn't try that with the stepping up when I held him early yesterday. So there are signs that he could respond pretty well from now on.

I am concerned though as I have checked this morning and he has a stack of poop again around his bum, which we are going to have to remove....again......*sighs*

I don't really want to worry the breeder, but I also don't know what to do with Vinnie ifffffff he is sick with something.

 

What are the common reasons for poop stuck around the bum?

Well, Vinnie is a lot more active today. He seems a bit more relaxed, and whistling away. We have still needed to clean the poo around his bum, but I am just wondering if that is because he has so many feathers around his bum. I managed to pull one of the feathers out (Kaz you would be proud babahahaha).....it wasn't as scarey as I thought.....they are just the finer feathers.....I will try and do a few more in the coming days.

 

I think we are both a bit nervous about anyyyything that might be out of the ordinary, seeing as though our last budgie had so many issues with blood clots going to his leg.....so I think we are extra sensitive to everything that we view with Vinnie.....

I also don't think we are used to a 'usual' budgie and their behaviour, as our last one was quite subdued I think because of the ongoing issues with his foot.

 

Vinnie has the poo around his bum which could be just due to excess feathers bunching it all up......but I also notice him doing a lot of 'munching' or like he is trying to clear his throat or something.......IS this just normal? Am I being completely too sensitive to his behaviour, almost like I am 'trying' to find something wrong with him????? I took a video which doesn't show it 100% well......but it's the only way to describe the behaviour of like clearing his throat.... When he does this there is usually no sound associated with it, but occasionally I will hear like a munching or small squeeking like sound.....It also seems to be that he is trying to whistle but does this with his neck instead. Am I just being overlyyyyy sensitive, trying to find something else associated with the poo issue? Or is there an issue? The video doesn't show this behaviour until about half way through.

 

Edited March 5, 201213 yr by Louise

Hi Louise, the poo on the bum could be from excess feathers, but could be stress also. Did he have any when you first got him? From the vid he looks a little stressed, but it could be some sort of respiratory thing?

I just got back from the breeders. He has a great setup there. Lots of lovely budgies. Vinnie perked up BIG time once he got back there....and of course showed NONE of the symptoms I have been talking about lol.

His poos seem to be getting better.

I just had my first 1 on 1 with him in a small room so as not to overwhelm him....and he had a nice flutter, and some sitting on my arm and on my hands, and even did a few step ups. He seems to have calmed a bit more now....after that.

The breeder gave me some medication to give him for the next 5 to 7 days.....I can't remember the name he used, but he said it is fairly common with birds in this wet weather.

 

I asked the breeder a bit more about the age. I think I might have gotten confused about what he said at our first meeting, as he said again today (I was listening more today), that Vinnie would have been born around November/December, making him about 5 months old. He said that the ring that is on his leg wasn't received by the society until September last year.....so that gives me a bit more of an idea on age.

 

I decided to keep him and move forward.....he is a lovely little budgie, and I think if I give him time he will be able to relax some more and enjoy his new home.

I think your Vinnie is a gorgeous looking boy and he will work out well. The thing about show budgies is they are handled more in the nest and they are quieter and less flighty than pet types. I think he will tame pretty well.

Poop on the butt down to feathering ? NO

....they should be able to shed poops without it clagging up his butt. The meds will either be a sulpha meds or a coccidiosis medication and should get him over any nervous state he may be in due to the move.

Play a radio near him...bright and cheerful and medium loudish......he is used to flock noise and there isnt any. The radio will help

Yep Kaz! I got to see the setup, and there are lots of breeding cages with individual parents in them and the babies. I think the breeder handles them quite a lot, so Vinnie shouldn't be any different.

Yep, I suspect it is the feathers around his bum that aren't allowing the poo to just fall.

 

That's the one Kaz! Coccidiosis........The breeder says that he gives that off and on to all of his birds, especially when there is wet weather.

 

I have a bird recording playing most of the time (except when I start to go a bit mental listening to it lol) called Morning Birds and I can hear him whistling to that a fair bit through the day.

 

He is coming up to us moreso in the cage in the last 12 hours, so I think he will relax and be fine

 

I think I feel a lot better now after seeing the breeder's setup......Feeling better about the decision to get him.

I actually said it shouldnt be the feathers that make his butt get all clagged up.....if it were so then every bird I own would have a poopy bum.