Adorable Budgies Blog

Our Indoor Budgies

2009-03-29T23:51:00.000-07:00

The first pics were taken back in January, when the 2 boys first started living together:

These pics are from today, 30th March; Buzzo and Fuzzy are getting on really well together, and neither lost any of their tameness since being together, so that's a bonus

Fuzzy can never quite decide which of the 2 swings he wants LOL

Fuzzy still doesn't dare go anywhere near Buzzo's ball, but luckily there are plenty of toys for them both to choose from

Anna

Updated Aviary Pictures

2009-03-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

30th March 2009: As promised, a few updated pictures

The pics were taken at night, and as you can see, every single one of my birds decided to go through a moult at the same time due to us finally having a little bit of sunshine hahahaha

Now we're just hoping for more sunshine with a bit of warmth added so that I can leave both of the right hand side doors open long enough to clear out all the moulted feathers ;)

And for those curious minds, this is how it all started out :)

Anna

Show cage training

2009-03-27T01:45:00.000-07:00

Show cage training: (Click link for full article)
"By Mick Freakley (Freakley & Ainley)

At this time of the year, most serious exhibition budgie breeders will be well into the breeding season, and will just about be completing their second rounds. It is around this time the thoughts turn to the first round youngsters as these will form the basis of the breeders early young bird show team.

Some birds will be natural showmen/women and will adapt to the show cage with absolutely no problems whatsoever, others though will be just the opposite and will not like the confines of a show cage. It is these birds we need to give some show cage training to."

Show cage training

27th March

2009-03-27T01:36:00.000-07:00

Another cold and blustery day today. The birds are all doing well, Bossy Violet now has 8 eggs with only a couple of days to go until due hatching date :)

Waiting for the wind to die down and the sun to come out before I clean the aviary today, just a tad bit too cold for me those few steps between the house and the aviary LOL

Hugh didn't bring my copy of Cage & Aviary Birds home yesterday, so he has to go and get it this morning. It took months to finally get the shop here to get it in, I bugged them and bugged them LOL, and have now been able to get it regularly for the past couple of months.

It's a decent read with lots of articles about lots of different type birds so if you haven't read it yet, go out and buy yourself a copy!

Anna

My Secret Pair

2009-03-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

Not so secret any more...

My lutino male decided on a mate and paired up with China, saw them getting jiggy a couple of times in the aviary so gave them a nest box and within a couple of days she had already laid the first egg. She now has 3, and one is showing fertile

The pair:

He's bred for me before and been an absolutely fantastic dad, even reared the chicks on his own when he needed to. It'll be China's first time for me though, so we'll have to wait and see how it goes

Anna

Terrible Forum Netiquette

2009-03-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a member of a very popular budgie forum where there are a whole lot of helpful people. Unfortunately, where there are lots of people you always get a few bad eggs too, (refer to my earlier post) and all is not always what it seems.

Take the past few days, just as an example; This young kid joins in on a thread and asks some very valid questions, just to get shot down and treated like a leper. Why? Because the person he directed the questions to doesn't like the kids dad and acquaintances.

I can honestly see no other reason, as the person in question has been very forthcoming with help for a female forum members son in the past. It's a sad world we live in when our kids have to be wary of who they try to gain advice and knowledge from because of petty feelings between a person of the older generation and others.

Should we ALL be trying to encourage every kid that shows an interest in birds? Help them as much as we can to help keep the hobby of budgies, whether pet or show, to survive? Where will the hobby of keeping budgies be without the newcomers?

Anna

More fertile eggs

2009-03-26T04:20:00.000-07:00

Of all my chicks this time, Bossy Violet and Daves 5 were most definitely the most popular, and were all spoken for before they even left the nest. I've had people asking and waiting for a 2nd round, so I've let the pair get on with it.

They now have 7 eggs in their 2nd round. 6 are showing fertile, and should be due to start hatching any time from Sunday 29th March

Our secret pair has 2 eggs so far, and one is showing fertile. They should have another egg by the end of today.

Anna

It's Cold Out There

2009-03-26T02:19:00.000-07:00

Today is a rainy, windy and miserable kind of day. Still very cold, and still not acting quite like it's spring yet. The wind is so strong it's making the rain come down sideways, which although not fun for me, it seems to be lots of fun for the budgies in the aviary.

Sat watching them from the living room window this morning and they'd all congregated on the most windy side of the aviary whilst having a shower in the sidewards rain. We have corrugated plastic sheeting on top of the flight to protect the birds from any possible diseases etc that wild birds may pass on, so they only get the rain when it's sideways LOL

Ah well, I now have a bunch of wet and bedraggled looking birds, but also a happy bunch :)

As for the site, well the survey is going pretty good, giving me lots of information to look at. I'm very surprised by some of the results so far, other results were no more than what I'd expected really. I'm not sure how long I'll leave the survey up, but it definitely is interesting ;)

Anna

Lots of Budgie Chicks

2009-03-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, time goes so fast with these little things, I keep forgetting just how quickly they grow up! It's been a good season. I have 23 chicks from 4 pairs, one of the pairs has even started on their 2nd clutch (6 eggs so far). I also have a secret pair that have laid 2 eggs to date, more on those at a later time ;)

Anyway, thought I'd share pictures of the chicks we have. Many of them already have new homes to go to, I'll be keeping some myself, and the others I'll be posting in my forum and on my site as birds for sale in the upcoming days.

So, here you go, tons of pictures :)

I hope they brighten up your day :)

Anna

A New Budgie Survey

2009-03-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

I've now added a survey to Adorable Budgies to help me get to know my website visitors a little bit more. It'll also give me a general idea of how people keep their birds.

If you would like to help by taking part in the survey, please Click Here to be taken to the page where available surveys are listed. Click on the link there for the survey, then fill in as much info as possible. It might take a whole 5 minutes of your time, but you'll be able to download a copy of the Adorable Budgies 2009 Calendar as a thank you ;)

Anna

My Article in Print.

2009-03-19T02:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long time coming, and although my name is plastered all over the net for various articles pertaining to different subjects that I've written in the past (search Anna-Marie Stewart if you're interested), I've now finally gotten my name in a magazine/paper!

I've never actually sent articles in for possible print before, not to anybody ever, but with some encouragement I sent my From an egg to a fledgling to Cage & Aviary Birds to see if they might have an interest in it.

I know lots of people have sent in lots of stuff that never got used, so imagine my surprise when they chose to use MY article! It's even got part of the centre page!! I'm well impressed and dead chuffed!

Can't wait to show the kids, they're going to be so proud of me :D

Anna

Chicks In Nests

2009-03-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share some videos of our chicks in nests. Of course, the chick has to hatch first, like this:

Then they have to be fed lots:

Of course, all babies need their sleep too:

And eventually the chicks leave the parents. Just like our own children, they've very inquisitive and love making a mess:

Did You Lose Or Find A Bird?

2009-03-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

There's some tips for lost and found birds here that might be helpful.

A place you might want to try posting about the found bird is here: http://www.ukparrotrescue.co.uk/messageboard/

And you can try the National Pet Register site too:

http://www.nationalpetregister.org/index.php (it loads a bit slow for me, don't know if it'll be the same for you).

You'll have to register to be able to post, but it might be worth it if it can help somebody get their bird back.

Budgies: Sadness and Joy

2009-03-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Click here for the full story: "Our Aviary
By Anna-Marie Stewart

Our aviary started with a small shed and an outside flight. The shed was 7'x7' and the flight was probably about 2'x7'. It took Hugh less than a week to put it all up, starting with the concrete base. He insulated all the walls before erecting the shed."

Budgie breeding checklist -

2009-03-05T03:12:00.000-08:00

Click here for full topic:

Budgie breeding checklist
« on: Sun 1* Jun 2008, 01.06 PM »

I am not having a lot of luck breeding my budgies.
Can you guys help me create a breeding checklist to show me if I have everything in its right place?

Obviously you need
a nest box ( a decent size with a hole large enough for a bird to enter without its wings touching the sides)
mineral blocks and calcium so that the hen gets all she needs for egg production.

How could I encourage the birds to breed?

Re: Budgie breeding checklist
« Reply #1 on: Sun 1* Jun 2008, 05.51 PM »

- Male+Female
- Dark nesting box
- Breeding cage (helps)
- Low disturbance level
- Plenty of seed and water
- Mineral blocks and calcium blocks
- EggFood"

Ups and Downs In Budgie Keeping

2009-03-05T03:08:00.000-08:00

Click here for full article: "Budgies: Sadness and Joy
By Jay Carrington

Keeping and breeding budgies can be heartbreaking but it can also be very rewarding. From the young age of 9 I have had an interest in birds, the feathered kind particularly budgies. The first pair of birds I were given were a pair of budgies from a friend of the family also a keen budgie enthusiast."

A Newcomers Start

2009-03-05T03:07:00.000-08:00

Click here for full article: "My wife Claire gave me a pair of budgies in July 2007, as she adopted them through a friend of friend of a work collegue. One was rung so decided to find out some info on the bird after contacting the Budgerigar Society to get the contact details of the breeder. After speaking to him to find out more on the hen, I then searched the Internet to find out about the care and upkeep of the birds, one had a case of scaly face and both birds weren't in very good condition, so were treated and cured."

More Budgie + Kids Happiness

2009-02-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

Hadn't realised just how many videos i had of the girls having fun with the budgies, but here are some more :)

And this one is an oldie but a goodie, and definitely my favourite video of all time!:

Kids + Budgies = Happiness

2009-02-19T05:01:00.000-08:00

My 2 girls always enjoy themselves immensely when we have budgie chicks, as you can tell by all of these videos :)

Budgie Breeding Tips

2009-02-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Click here for full article: "Budgie Breeding Tips For Beginners
First of all, we need to make sure we have everything ready to help maximise the chances of successfully breeding our budgies:

- Male + Female
- A cage
- Sturdy nesting box on the outside of the cage
- Low disturbance level
- Plenty of seed and water
- Mineral blocks and calcium blocks
- EggFood daily
- Extra light during the day to make them think their days are longer
- Lots of spraying to make them think it might be rainy season
- If other birds are in the house, let them see each other to encourage breeding
- Fruit/veg 2-3 times per week

Both birds need to be old enough, I'd say 12 months at least for him, a bit older for her.

Start fattening them up with lots of extras, millet and eggfood for definite. When it comes to spraying/misting I give mine a light spray 2-3 times per week when I'm aiming to let them breed, depending on how dry the air feels."

Adorable Budgies; From an egg to a fledgling

2009-02-17T05:01:00.000-08:00

Click here for full article: "Keeping Budgies: From an egg to a fledgling
This is a simple little story of how a budgie egg is laid and goes on to become a fledgling ready to leave the nest.

It all starts, of course, with the male and female both being in breeding condition and mating.
The first egg is usually laid around 10 days after a successful mating and then every other day until the clutch is laid. The mother sits in the nestbox most of the time and the father feeds her. At between 18-23 days after the first egg is laid, the chick hatches."

Recognize A Healthy Budgie

2009-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Click here for full article: "Recognize A Healthy Budgie

Whether you are looking to buy a budgie, already have a budgie or even own multiple budgies, health is of utmost importance. A budgie can go downhill really quickly if it gets ill, so it is really important to know what a healthy budgie looks like and to watch for any signs that may be pointing to the bird being slightly unwell or even very ill."

How to keep your budgerigar happy

2009-02-17T04:59:00.000-08:00

Click here for full article: "How to keep your budgerigar happy

A budgie is one of the cutest pets one could wish to own, but how do we keep them happy?

Budgies are instinctively used to living in a flock and love constant chatter and company. I would never suggest getting a budgie if it's going to spend most of the day all on it's own. The least a single indoor budgie needs of company would be either radio or tv."

Keeping Budgies; Sexing Your Budgerigar

2009-02-17T04:58:00.000-08:00

Click here for full article: "Keeping Budgies: Sexing Your Budgerigar

The simplest way to tell if your budgie is male or female is to look at the cere (the bit above it's beak) and see what colour it is.

Most of the time, a young female will have a pale blue cere with white rings around the nostrils whereas a young males will be a purple-pinkish colour.

Adults are a little different. An adult male budgerigar will have a blue cere and the female will have an almost white cere with a hint of blue."

Keeping Budgies, One Of Each Sex

2009-02-17T04:55:00.000-08:00

Click here for full article: "Keeping Budgerigars; One Of Each Sex

Keeping 2 budgies is always beneficial to the birds themselves, although it may make it harder for you to tame them. If you want to tame them and you have 2, then it's best to have 2 males. If you really want to keep 2 birds then 2 males are the best option, as they will rarely bicker and fight, whereas 2 females will spend most of their time doing just that.

It's also totally possible to keep a male and a female in a cage together. There's one thing you need to be aware of when keeping a male and female though, and that is if they're given the right opportunities they WILL mate and breed. I suggest you think very hard about what your plans are for your birds before deciding on one of each sex."

Availability of Adorable Budgie Chicks

2009-02-17T03:48:00.000-08:00

I don't like to count my chicks before they're hatched, or even assume that they're all going to make it, but I already have people interested in chicks from this seasons breeding so I have to start thinking about when they'll be available.

The first of the chicks is already 20 days old so all being well chicks should start becoming available in about 5 weeks time. That would make the date around 24th March. I never sell my chicks until they're 8 weeks old and fully weaned. I know some people will sell them at 5-6 weeks, but I believe a chick is better off with it's parents until it has learnt what it needs to learn from them, and that usually takes about 8 weeks.

I like to keep a few of my chicks for myself, so not all of these ones will be for sale. Anybody interested in buying chicks from me should either check back here or sign up at our forum and let me know.

The price of my birds is £10 per chick as this helps offset costs of feed and the upkeep of the aviary. Be aware that I am located in Cardigan, Wales and I can't send birds to people so they need to be collected. There are, of course, various courier services but they tend to be very expensive. Anyway, a day trip to Wales is usually fun for those who do it :)

We keep our chicks tame and friendly for those who want us to, and we have no aversion to holding onto them for a while if somebody needs us to. The kids love spending time with the birds anyway, so either way it's fun for us all :)

The birds in the above pictures aren't for sale, they're just to show how my 8 year old works with our birds ;)

Lots Of Chicks

2009-02-17T03:27:00.000-08:00

So far this breeding season seems to be treating us well. We have 4 pairs with nests and they all have chicks. In total there are 17 chicks and 9 or 10 fertile eggs left. We did have 18 chicks, but one of them (3 days old) sadly passed away yesterday due to some sort of growth in it's throat.

When you get to this many chicks it's all part of the territory really; Losing chicks, eggs not hatching, eggs not being fertile, hens plucking chicks due to being overly attentive etc. It can be a heartbreaking hobby at times, but the pleasures and joys definitely outweigh the sad bits.

Every chick in every nest is a new learning experience, right from the day it is laid as an egg. If we are willing to take on board ideas, tips and views that others give us, then we can soon learn a whole lot about our little feathered friends. Of course, we don't have to ACT on other peoples ideas and views, as long as we are prepared to listen and then we can make our own choices from there.

Fertile Eggs

2009-01-27T05:11:00.000-08:00

Our 3 pairs on eggs are doing very well.

Bossy violet and Dave have 6 fertile out of 7 eggs. BJ and Mr Jiggy have 3 fertile out of 5 eggs, and Jules and Bob have 3 fertile out of 4 eggs so far :D

Today is day 18 for Bossy Violets and Daves first egg, so all being well we should have a chick hatching within the next few days. In fact, any time from now is good ;)

Anna

An Ill Budgie (article)

2009-01-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

What to do if your bird seems ill

Symptoms.

Difference in feather appearance eg: "fluffed up look".

He/she may bob their tail more so than usual with a more distinct bob.

Their stools/droppings may also be a different colour to normal and watery.

A good tip for monitoring their droppings is to use newspaper or any other smooth surface so that you can visably see if there is any change. Even regular A4 sheets of paper is good for this.

They may be off their food or you may have noticed they're not eating as much as normal.

Change in weight because of the above

You know your birds personality, if they're sitting low down in the cage or their chirpiness has gone you'll know they're not themselves.

They may be off their feet, not be able to stand properly.

Discharge from their mouth or nostrils

Vomiting or bringing back seed (regurgitating)

Diagnosis.

This can only be done by a qualified vet/avian vet. Avian vets are specialised in dealing with birds so if at all possible seek help/advice from them. Regular vets sometimes don't have the knowledge or experience in dealing with the exact cause of illness and don't do as many tests as an avian vet. Sometimes this isn't possible though and so an appointment at the regular vets will have to be made.

Treatment until veterinary help is available.

You should never give your birds medication that you have been given by someone else or that is not prescribed for your bird as this can do more harm than good.

The most important things for your bird at this time are:

Heat

Clean, fresh water,

Food

If your bird is in draughts or is cold this will make him worse. If you have access to a heat lamp this is a good idea to keep him warm and a cover over the cage is also good to prevent any draughts.

It is very important to always have a fresh supply of clean drinking water for your bird. Water substituted for cold weak black tea is good for the bird if unwell and should be replaced frequently too.

Always have a supply of food available, anything you feel your bird may be tempted to eat. Does he have any special fruit or veg that he likes? Supply it. Millet is fantastic for ill birds as it has a high fat content so is good to replace energy that has been lost and is also good for getting food into your bird at a time when his eating isn't at its best.

Perches/Dishes.

Keep these as low as possible and use only one perch. This will let your bird rest and not try and clamber up and down when he isn't himself. It also means he will get the fod and water as it'll be with easy reach.

===========Resource Box===========
Kay Bell keeps and breeds pet budgerigars. Contact her
for help and advice via the Adorable Budgies Forum
http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/forum
====================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Kay Bell All Rights Reserved

Budgies in A Mixed Aviary Environment

2009-01-21T04:15:00.000-08:00

Budgies in A Mixed Aviary Environment

Lots of people ask about housing their budgies with other birds such as finches or cockatiels. I have tried both and here are my experiences.

Food.

Some things to consider when thinking about having a mixed aviary is food and eating habits. Do they have different food? Do they eat each others food?

What I have always done is provide the aviary with a mixed seed diet suitable for all the birds. Birds will only eat what they want or like so if you provide finch seed, cockatiel mix and budgie seed they will only eat what they want. Yes, they do share each others food but I have never heard of anyones' birds being ill or having problems in a mixed aviary that has been linked to food sharing. I also know some people have more than 2 species sharing with budgies so that's more food being introduced too.

Nesting/breeding.

Ok, so you want to breed your birds. I can only give advice on colony breeding finches inside a mixed aviary as I have never had the experience of colony breeding cockatiels or budgies. I separate my budgies into breeding cages and have not bred the cockatiels as they are not old enough quite yet.

Finches are easily bred at the best of times. I supplied 2 wicker basket nests last year as I only had 2 pairs at the time. Overall it went well BUT what I did notice was that the budgies chewed the top off the basket and left a wide open area. I had to modify the nest until the finches had finished their clutch, but to prevent this from happening this year I am buying plastic finch boxes. This means the hole is small enough for the finches to get in but not the budgies and the budgies cannot chew it to the extent they did the wicker ones. As long as the hole is small enough the babies are protected from the other birds sharing the aviary as they cannot access the box.

How well do they get along if none are breeding/Bullying.

I have had my fair share of fighting and squabbling in the aviary but have learn a valuable lesson. I tend to find the problems are not with the different species picking on eachother but the same species!

A prime example I can give was when my finches were becoming battered and had bald patched on their necks. I wrongly assumed that it was the cockatiels as it had only happened since I introduced them to the aviary. I removed the cockatiels from the aviary and put them in a cage until I could see if it made a difference. I have a window in my aviary so one night when I was going out to do my last check I thought I'd have a look through very still and see what I could see.

The result shocked me. I saw a few finches hammering each other, really going at it and pulling bits from each others necks, that was my problem, not the cockatiels. I am by no means saying that the different species won't fight or pick on one another but sometimes the answer is not in the different species, but the same.

Aviary Size.

Sizing is crutial if you are considering a mixed aviary. If it is not big enough, they will fight, simple. There has to be room for each species to hide if the going gets tough. If not, bullying will take place and it won't be nice as there's no space for them all to have their own "bit". It would be very irresponsible to mix them when you know their isn't enough space.

Keeping mixed species in cages together.

I have never done this simply because of the space issue. There are exceptions to the rule and I'm sure some people have done without problems but I have not. If you were to do this I would say keep the soft billed together (canaries/finches) and the hard billed together (tiels and budgies) but contrary to popular believe budgies bully cockatiels and not the other way around! I would have no qualms in housing finches and canaries together at any age but would be very wary of budgies and tiels.

Soft billed versus hard billed.

As I said before there are exceptions to every rule. I housed 2 diamond doves in my aviary and they didn't even last a week before I had to remove them as the budgies were bullying them. If I had left them they would have certainly faced death.

How fast can they fly is also important. Finches are ok as they are super quick so most of the time, the budgies can't get near them. Canaries however are very slow so I wouldn't feel happy putting them into a mixed aviary unless it was absolutely massive and even then I would worry. Same with the diamond doves, they are not quick enough to move if they see a beak coming towards them!

===========Resource Box===========
Kay Bell keeps and breeds pet budgerigars. Contact her
for help and advice via the Adorable Budgies Forum
http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/forum
====================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Kay Bell All Rights Reserved

Our Bird Videos on YouTube

2009-01-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

View our Bird Videos

Have fun!

Anna

New Budgie Articles Posted

2009-01-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned on Friday, I got a bunch of new articles for Adorable Budgies from Mick Freakley.

So far there's 8 of them, I do hope you'll enjoy them :D

Freakley & Ainley Stud Profile

Photographing Budgerigars

Hospital Cages

The Deep Litter System

Looking After The Chicks

Normal V. Variety Budgerigars

Show Season Is Coming!

Are You Prepared?

Thanks
Anna

Budgies And Eggs

2009-01-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

A week ago I put 5 pairs of birds in breeding cages after seeing them getting really friendly inside the flight. 3 of the pairs have larger poops in their cages, a sign that the hens could be getting ready to lay eggs. One of the pairs, Bossy Violet and Dave started laying eggs almost immediately after being given their nest box, they now have 4 eggs to date, and 2 of them are showing as fertile:

BJ and Mr Jiggy laid their first egg yesterday. Hoping to get lots of chicks from this pair especially :D

Wish me luck!

Anna

Budgie Articles Request

2009-01-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

Ok people, I know you all know lots about your birds, so how about putting some stuff together and writing some articles for Adorable Budgies to use on the main website?

We need all kinds of articles about budgies, so if you think you could write one about them please do and let me use them?

We already have quite a few articles, but the more the merrier. As you can see we have one written by Kim here: http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/splayed_legs.php

And one by Kay here: http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/nailclipping.php

Whatever you have experienced with your bird/birds, I'm sure you could do at least a small article about it? Of course, all credit will go to you, with your name attached and everything.

So what are you waiting for?? Get writing! You can send it to me via this thread on the Adorable Budgies Forum or via hotmail at annasbudgies at hotmail dot com

Oh yeah, don't worry about punctuation and editing if you don't want to, I can sort that out if need be

Thanks!

Anna

Articles By Mick Freakely

2009-01-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

I've just received a bunch of articles from Mick Freakley to add to the Adorable Budgies website. It's going to involve some work on my behalf, making pages for them all, but it's so definitely going to be worth it :)

If you're into budgies and have never heard of Mick, where on earth have you been? OK, if you've only ever been into pet birds I can understand, but if you've ever even considered showing birds then you should definitely know who he is.

For those who don't, Mick is a World renowned professional bird photographer, Official Budgerigar Society Photographer and is also World Champion Exhibition winner 2 years in succession.

He is also a regular contributor to many magazines, including Cage & Aviary birds.

I'm really looking forward to having his articles on my site.

Adorable Budgies on Facebook

2009-01-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

Wasn't quite sure how to do it at first, but figured it out in the end with some help from one of the Adorable Budgies Forum members, so now we have an all new Adorable Bugdies Group on Facebook®

The group is almost an extention of the Adorable Budgies Application that people on Facebook® can use to send little messages and pictures of budgies to each other.

Anna

New Budgie Calendars 2009

2008-12-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

New and Exclusive!! 2009 Calendars with photographs by Mick Freakley

Get yours today and be the envy of all your friends!

Exhibition Budgerigars

Featuring 12 amazing pictures of Exhibition budgerigars from the Freakley and Ainley Stud, including pictures of the 2 World Champion winning birds!

Only available at http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/cal.php

Wild Birds

This calender contains 12 stunning pictures of wild birds in their natural habitats. Mick has photographed these birds in all their true glory.

Only available at http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/cal.php

Bugs Alive!

A collection of natures wonderful little creatures, dragonflies and butterflies as seen through Micks camera lens. Unbelievably clear and colourful close-ups!

Only available at http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/cal.php

Adorable Budgies 2009 Calendar

A Different Picture And Caption For Each Month!

Following the success of our 2008 calender, we are proud to announce that the 2009 calendar is now ready!

Ihese calendars are only, and will only, ever be available from the Adorable Budgies Website though, so if you're interested, just take a wander over there by clicking here

Anna

Footballer Budgie

2008-12-17T00:43:00.000-08:00

Buzzo totally loves his ball. I once brought another chick in from the aviary for him to have friend, but even after 2 months he showed her zero interest and just carried on playing with his toys. Weird bird LOL

Anna

Clipping a budgies nails

2008-12-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

I've recently asked forum members if they'd be interested in writing an article or 2 for Adorable Budgies

This is the 2nd (the splayed legs being the first) article I've received so far.

Sending out a great big thanks to our forum members who make our forum so worthwhile!

Clipping a budgies nails

Budgie's nails are similar to humans, they grow and some grow faster than others. We cut our own nails and this is what we sometimes have to do to our birds nails.

Please be aware the more you cut your birds nails the more they'll need cut as they will grow faster.

Ok, so you have a budgie, and you notice it's nails are too long. What do you do?

There is a simple and effective way to trim/clip a budgerigars nails.

First you will need a good pair of nail clippers or a pair of animal claw trimming scissors. Secondly hold the budgie in a firm but gentle way as illustrated in the How to hold a budgie section under Holding when needing to check claws and vent etc, making sure the claws are easily accessible.

It may be an idea to get a friend to help with the holding bit as then you can concentrate and doing the job confidently and quickly.

The key is to be confident in what you are doing and act calmly and quietly. This will reassure the bird and in turn the bird will be calmer and the job should be easier to do.

There is a main blood vessel that runs down the nail of a budgie. This is easily seen and this is the part you must avoid! The end of the nail, which will look clearish is the part you need to trim. It's better to clip little bits off at a time rather than too much in one go. If you hit the blood vessel you will notice spots of blood coming from the end of the birds nail. It can be a little blood or a lot depending on how far into the "quick" you've gone.

If you do hit the vessel it is important to put either a styptic pen on the end or cornflour, this will stem the bleeding. The bird must be kept warm and quiet and left to rest and recover from the shock of losing blood. It is very similar to cutting into the quick of our own nails only budgies cannot lose a lot of blood before it becomes a danger to them.

If you do not feel confident to undertake this, it would be advisable to seek veterinary advice or even a known breeder in your area may be able to help and show you the first time so you are confident to do it again if the need should arise.

Good luck!!

===========Resource Box===========
Kay Bell keeps and breeds pet budgerigars.Contact her
for help and advice via the Adorable Budgies Forum
http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/forum
====================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Kay Bell All Rights Reserved

WARNING! Dangerous Threads On Budgie Toys And Perches

2008-12-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Please please PLEASE make sure you always check your budgies toys for threads that could be hanging down, or harmful bits that could be sticking out.

Back in June I found out first hand how awful it can be for a budgie to get strangled on a thread from a toy.

I was lucky enough to go out into the aviary in time to see her there before she died of strangulation, and it took me 35 minutes to free her and make her comfortable in a hospital cage.

The poor thing looked wretched, her eyes and surrounding areas were totally pitch black, there was a massive bulge of fluid on her neck and I honestly didn't know if she would survive or not.

Sweetpea a few weeks before the accident:

And about half an hour after the accident:

When I took that picture Sweetpea already looked at least 10 times better than she had done just 35 minutes earlier.

It took a lot of time, hard work and loving care to nurse her back to full health, but luckily she got there in the end and is now as happy and healthy as she ever was.

She never did get her full voice back, so sounds a bit like a miniature duck. Apart from that I'm pleased to say she made a full recovery.

Please heed my warning and check over every single one of your budgies toys EVERY DAY!

Anna

p.s. Click Here To Read The Full Story

Preventing Splayed Legs In Budgie Chicks

2008-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Splayed legs in a chick is where the chicks leg or legs are turned out from the body (a bit like an aeroplane wing) as you see on the chicks left leg below:



Causes of splayed legs can range from things like calcium deficiency, the hen sitting too tight on her chicks and a slippery nest box floor.

To help prevent splayed legs in chicks you must plan ahead. Give the hen extra calcium during her breeding season, Calcivet in her drinking water during laying and while the chicks are growing will help her lay strong eggs and give strong chicks (always follow the instructions on the bottle as Calcivet can be overdosed).

Always leave any unhatched eggs in the nest box as the newly hatched chicks can use them to support themselves. If all the eggs do hatch then place either a glass marble or a white pebble that is just a bit larger than the eggs in with the chicks, this will prevent the hen sitting too tight on her chicks.

A slippery nest box floor, in my opinion, is one of the worst culprits for splayed legs.

As many of you will know the nest box concave is sometimes roughed up by the manufacturer to prevent slipping but the rest of the floor is shiny and slippery and not nearly rough enough for the little chicks feet to grip, causing their legs to slide apart which results in the chicks not being able to stand properly and developing splayed legs.

Use plenty of wood shavings (not saw dust) in the nest box and if possible roughen up the nest box floor. You could also use a canary nest pad as I do. Although I have not seen anyone else use my method in a budgie nest box, it does work for me.

What I did was to cut a wedge out of it and taped it together to form a small cone like shape that fit the concave so the eggs didn't roll out. Another thing that I did (although it's not shown in the picture) was to cut out some more nest pad to shape and covered the rest of the nest box floor with it.

It was just like they had wall to wall carpeting in their nest box and it did stop their feet from slipping about when they went wondering about or stood up.



After all this, if chick still develops splayed legs you can repair them if it's detected early enough by placing a splint on their legs. There are various methods you can use but the most common is to use soft wool.

Personally, I would recommend using a pipe cleaner because it's easier than trying to tie a fiddly knot. With a pipe cleaner you can just bend it around the chicks legs and also they have a soft woolen covering.

To repair splayed legs it's best if the chick is on it's back and there are two people as it makes it easier to bind the legs together.

Firstly, wrap the pipe cleaner around one leg just above the ankle and twist the pipe cleaner to make a loop around the ankle, not too tight but not loose enough for the chick to slip it's foot out.

Next, put the legs together to just less than the normal standing position and wrap the pipe cleaner around the other leg making another loop around the ankle, making sure to cut of any excess pipe cleaner.

The splint will need to be left on for anything from a few days or up to three weeks depending on severity and the age of the chick. Remove the splint every few days to see if the chick can walk. If it's ok then leave the splint off and keep an eye on the chicks progress, but if the legs are still splayed then replace the splint.

Sometimes the hen will reject the chick or try to pull the splint off. If this happens then you may have to hand rear the chick.

Here is a pic of a chick called TeenyWeeny with splayed legs all splinted up;



If splayed legs are not treated early enough then the chick will remain crippled for the rest of it's life. As the chick grows older and develops, it's bones calcify, meaning that their bones will have hardened and are no longer soft and pliable and therefore cannot be corrected so any correction must be done before the chick is two weeks old otherwise it might be too late for the chick.

Although chicks survive and do learn to adapt (with our help) with one splayed leg, having two splayed legs is different because the chick cannot stand at all so all it's weight is on it's vital organs and it will probably die.

This is TeenyWeeny from the leg splint picture all grown up:


There is another article on splayed legs here
http://www.cagenbird.com/splayed_leg.htm

===============Resource Box===========
Kim keeps pet budgerigars and loves to help new
budgie owners as much as she can.
Visit Adorable Budgies for more information, pictures
and forum http://adorablebudgies.co.uk/forum
====================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) AdorableBudgies.co.uk All Rights Reserved

Special thanks to our forum members Max and Nat for the kind use of their pictures, and to Kim for taking the time to put this article together.

Buying Your First Budgie

2008-12-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

As a first time budgie buyer there are certain things to look for and be aware of. This small article points out some of the things you should know.

First and foremost, before you even buy a budgerigar, you need a cage for your future feathered friend. It's always best to have that set up and ready for when you bring the bird home, but what's the best type of cage for you and your bird?

Don't buy a small cage, get the biggest one you can afford and have the room for so that your budgie will have lots of space to move around. It's very important that you get a cage that is actually intended for budgerigars and not for larger birds, as the spacing between the bars of the larger bird cages is usually much bigger and your budgie could squeeze through them or even get stuck between them.

The spacing between the bars shouldn't be more than 1.5cm and the bars should be made of metal rather than plastic. If buying used or 2nd hand make sure there isn't any rust. Try to get a cage that has both horizontal and vertical bars for the birds to climb around them with ease, and also so that it's easy for you to attach feeders and bottles.

A pull-out drawer in the bottom for easy cleaning is also recommended, as is a detachable base. Multiple doors is always a good idea too, for hanging bird baths and nest boxes etc, or for being able to access the inside of the cage if you've already hung one or both of them on it.

Ok, that's the cage sorted, now it's time to think about getting that little bird you so badly want :)

When you go to buy the bird, whether buying from a reputable breeder (recommended) or from a pet shop, take a good look at it to make sure it looks healthy, chirpy and active. No missing feathers, no poop stuck to its bottom. Bright alert eyes are usually a sign of good health. Tail bobbing isn't.

For more information about the health of birds please read How To Recognize A Healthy Budgie (opens in new window).

Both males and females can be tamed and learn to talk, but males tend to pick things up quicker (or so I've heard). Females tend to nip harder than males, but it's never really an excruciatingly painful nip, although it does hurt a bit. Either way, it takes a ton of time and patience to get a bird to talk. Remember, the bird won't really be talking, but rather mimicking what you've taught it.

Make sure you have cuttlebone, iodine block, a bit of millet, fresh food and water (of course). If it's a really young bird, put the food and water in shallow dishes at the bottom of the cage and the perches low.

I don't personally use sandpaper, I prefer to use sand that I buy at the pet shop.

Give the bird a week or 2 to settle in before thinking about letting it out of the cage for a fly-around. Some people prefer to wait until they have the bird at least finger tame before they let it out, as it makes it a tad easier to get them back in.

===============Resource Box===========
Anna-Marie Stewart keeps and breeds pet budgerigars.
Visit Adorable Budgies for information, pictures and forum
http://adorablebudgies.co.uk
====================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Anna-Marie Stewart All Rights Reserved

The Adorable Budgies Calendar

2008-12-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

I made a 2008 calendar back in June this year, exclusively available from my main site Adorable Budgies. I really enjoyed making it and it turned out great, even if I say so myself ;)

There was a picture and a caption for each month, and they looked like these ones:

This year I'm working on multiple calendars to compliment Adorable Budgies, they should be ready soon :D

Anna

Keeping Budgerigars; One Of Each Sex

2008-12-10T00:44:00.000-08:00

Keeping 2 budgies is always beneficial to the birds themselves, although it may make it harder for you to tame them. If you want to tame them and you have 2, then it's best to have 2 males. If you really want to keep 2 birds then 2 males are the best option, as they will rarely bicker and fight, whereas 2 females will spend most of their time doing just that.

It's also totally possible to keep a male and a female in a cage together. There's one thing you need to be aware of when keeping a male and female though, and that is if they're given the right opportunities they WILL mate and breed. I suggest you think very hard about what your plans are for your birds before deciding on one of each sex.

Do you want her to have chicks? If you do, then provide her with a nestbox (you can buy them pretty cheap at pet stores) and put a handful of wood shavings inside it (also available at pet stores)

If they've mated successfully, then she'll start showing an interest in the nestbox, possibly within the next few days, possibly later. It usually takes about 10 days from a successful mating to when the first egg is laid. The hen should then lay an egg every other day, and the clutch of eggs can be anywhere between 1-8 eggs (sometimes even more).

Ask the petstore for eggfood and millet, as the birds will need extra strength to help them rear any chicks they might have. If the eggs are fertile they will start hatching between 18-23 days of being laid.

You don't need to feed the chicks at all, the father will feed the mother, and she will regurgitate the food for the chicks when they get a bit bigger. At first they will be fed by her with something called 'crop-milk' basically the same as mothers milk, but in bird form ;)

The chicks will start getting ready to leave the nestbox somewhere around the age of 28-35 days old, the father will feed them for a little while longer and they'll eventually start feeding themselves. Provide the extras (eggfood and millet) all through the period of mating, laying and rearing, and also while the chicks are learning to become independent.

If you don't want the hen to lay another round after the first chicks have hatched, then remove the nestbox as soon as the chicks leave the nest.

If you just want to keep one of each sex and not have them mate and breed, the solution is pretty simple; Don't give them a nestbox. Budgies will seldom mate without a nest to lay eggs in. I'm not saying it never happens, sometimes it does, and sometimes it even results in a bunch of lovely, healthy chicks. So the choice is down to you which sexes you think you can manage best. Good luck!

===============Resource Box===========
Anna-Marie Stewart keeps and breeds pet budgerigars.
Visit Adorable Budgies for information, pictures and forum
http://adorablebudgies.co.uk
====================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Anna-Marie Stewart All Rights Reserved

Checking For Fertile Eggs

2008-11-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

A lot of people don't quite know what a fertile egg looks like, so I thought I'd take a picture while I remembered to. I like to use a mag light, torch light or pen light to candle the eggs. It's always been the easiest for me to use.

The egg that you can see veins in is a week old, which is about the time when you can actually start 'candling' eggs to see if they're fertile or not. Somewhere between days 6 and 8 is probably the best time to check.



The pen light I use to check the eggs with:


I use the pen light so that I don't have to handle the eggs at all. You can buy these at fishing tackle shops, d.i.y. stores, ebay, pound shops etc.

It is also possible to check the eggs with the naked eye after a lot of practice. It's not always easy to get the camera to show the different shades of the eggs. The whiter, more glossy looking eggs in this picture are the fertile ones:


Again, the whiter ones are the fertile ones, you can see the others have more of a pink tint to them?


When an egg goes bad, or 'addled' it turns a dirty grey colour like the middle one on the left:


4 of these 7 eggs are fertile, in this picture the other 3 haven't gotten to that stage yet. Can you guess which are the fertile ones?


===============Resource Box===========
Anna-Marie Stewart keeps and breeds pet budgerigars.
Visit Adorable Budgies for more information, pictures
and forum http://adorablebudgies.co.uk
====================================
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) AdorableBudgies.co.uk All Rights Reserved

Article: Lost And Found Bird Info

2008-11-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

I found this article on one of the forums where I am a member. The author Emily Rackley was kind enough to let me reprint it. It's a great article with masses of info, so definitely well worth a read. If you would like to use the article on YOUR blog or site, please contact Emily for permission first. You can contact her via the link at the bottom of the article. Thanks!

If you have lost OR found a bird, there are things you can and should do:

Call a number of people and register your parrot as lost:

- Police:
Use http://www.police.uk/forces.htm to find the contact details for your local police force.
Dont be suprised to find they are not very helpful as they apparently only deal with dogs now!

- John Hayward at the National theft register: (also deals with lost birds)
01869 325699.
E-mail: jh@ntr.supanet.com

- Local rescue shelters
For the RSPCA call 0870 33 35 999 between 9am and 5pm

- Local vets:
locate your nearest veterinary surgeries here: http://www.any-uk-vet.co.uk/

Alert the local community:

- Put up posters asap. Be sure to keep replenishing them over time. Describe all distinguishing features, such as physical appearance (photos are good too), unique phrases the bird says / things they do and whether the bird is rung or not (do NOT state the ring number however).

- Examples of places to put up posters / alert include:
Local shops,
Lamposts (check restrictions so as not to land yourself in trouble).
Libraries
Supermarkets
Pet shops
Community halls
Council offices
Post office
Sports centres and gyms
Schools (particularly primary schools - the children will love having the mission of looking into the trees and trying to find a parrot)
Local taxi firms may put 'missing' cards in their cabs
Any business with a window visible to the public
Parks and park staff

- Try and get the local paper / radio stations / news shows to run a story about the missing bird. Ask them if they would do a follow up story if there were no results the first time round.

- Tell people like the postman / milkman / bin men about the lost bird as these people get about the local community and are a good way to spread the word

- Knock on doors in your immediate area, or any areas where there are sightings.

Post on websites that the bird is missing:

- This forum!

- Some further useful websites can be found here

Keep trying:

- The key is to keep reminding people by repeating all the above regularly.

- It is often said that within the first month of escape, a parrot remains relatively close to it's home. Call for your bird regularly, or try placing it's cage filled with tempting treats outside. If the bird has a cage mate, placing them outside in a closed cage can sometimes tempt them back.

- Remember that birds are very adaptable, and there are some really heartening stories of people being re-united with their birds weeks, months, even years after they were lost, so don't give up hope!

Microchipping
One further point to make is the importance of microchipping. This allows for a definative positive identification of a bird when it is found, and easily traces them back to you, the owner. Well worth it for a small fee and a very quick, simple and minor procedure for your bird.

If anyone has any other useful contacts or advice in the event of a lost bird, please contact one of the mods / admin with your suggestion - thanks!

Copyright Emily Rackley All Rights Reserved
Click here to view the original post

Exhibition Budgie Versus Pet Budgie

2008-11-29T09:08:00.000-08:00

There's a massive difference between Exhibition (English) budgerigars and Pet (American) budgerigars. (I use the terms English and American loosely as that's mainly what they're known as.)

Not as massive at it may seem where the birds are concerned, but the people keeping them? Well that's 2 totally different worlds!

I could be totally wrong here, but competition between the 'Big Boys' in the exhibition world definitely seems to run over into their lives instead of just staying within their hobby.

On various forums there seems to be constant bickering between the Big Boys, and some of them are even downright snooty towards 'humble pet bird' owners. It's like there's constant competition to gain appreciation, attention and status, which I can only assume comes from the fact that they work so hard to breed the perfect show bird according to club standards.

Saying that, a lot of the exhibition bird owners are very nice to pet bird owners (even if they secretly like to think of them as lesser types) and will help in every way possible to make sure we can keep our birds as fit and healthy as possible.

My own birds are a mix of the 2 types, some bred from show stock that were later sold to the pet shop where we bought them, and others just the normal, average, everyday Joey. They all live together happily in their aviary.

I remember back when I was looking for birds to fill my aviary with. I'd posted in a forum saying what I wanted, and someone was really nice, said they'd probably have a few chicks in a few weeks time for me, show type, but I could have them for free.

I was really new to the forum, and there was an exhibition breeder who seemed to be the bees knees, cream of the crop, a highly knowledgeable man that everybody looked up to there. He sent me a private message and warned me against buying, or even taking birds, from the other breeder, saying that if I was ever anywhere near his place, I could drop in and get a few birds from him. He said that the other breeder had gotten their birds by basically stealing them from another breeder who was too ill to argue etc etc.

Me, being a trusting type, I took his advice and thanked the other breeder kindly for his offer but declined the chicks.

A year or 2 later, I was selling my own chicks and I was chatting with a friend of mine who was also selling budgies. In the course of the conversation it turned out the same man had also told my friend not to buy birds from that first breeder who'd offered some to me!

As it happens, we did eventually find out that the man had been filling us with total codswallop, probably in the hopes of selling HIS birds to us.

I'm all for a bit of healthy competition, but there are limits ;)

Mind you, all is not bleak and sneaky in the exhibition world. There are some fantastic birds being bred, some of them are truly massive. I still prefer the smaller ones for their colours and personalities, but the big show birds do have a rather regal stance to them.

I have to admit, I've never actually met a showbird person in REAL life, just from behind a keyboard, but most of them really are extremely helpful, so if you ever have a problem with your bird and it's something I can't help with, I'll make sure I ask one of the exhibition breeders for their advice.

The First Post

2008-11-29T05:38:00.000-08:00

I finally decided that it was time to get a blog to compliment my Adorable Budgies Website and Forum, and you're looking at it right now.

I'll mainly be talking about my budgerigars here, but you may also find posts about my other pets, my family or my friends from time to time.

My budgies are my passion. I have about 40 of them in an aviary in my back garden, and I have one special guy, Buzzo, who lives with us in the house. He's a total nutter, so expect to hear about him on a regular basis. He's also our main website and forum mascot, that's how special he is to us.

Buzzo, of course, is the bird you see in the picture above. He's not really that blue colour, the flash just makes him look that way, but it does look good, eh?

Anyway, expect to hear from me on at least a semi-regular basis, but don't expect posts every single day cos life sometimes gets in the way of my free time. If you get bored waiting for me to update, you could always come and visit us over in our forum for a friendly chat ;)

Adorable Budgies Blog

Our Indoor Budgies

Updated Aviary Pictures

Show cage training

27th March

My Secret Pair

Terrible Forum Netiquette

More fertile eggs

It's Cold Out There

Lots of Budgie Chicks

A New Budgie Survey

My Article in Print.

Chicks In Nests

Did You Lose Or Find A Bird?

Budgies: Sadness and Joy

Budgie breeding checklist -

Ups and Downs In Budgie Keeping

A Newcomers Start

More Budgie + Kids Happiness

Kids + Budgies = Happiness

Budgie Breeding Tips

Adorable Budgies; From an egg to a fledgling

Recognize A Healthy Budgie

How to keep your budgerigar happy

Keeping Budgies; Sexing Your Budgerigar

Keeping Budgies, One Of Each Sex

Availability of Adorable Budgie Chicks

Lots Of Chicks

Fertile Eggs

More Articles By Mick Freakley

An Ill Budgie (article)

What to do if your bird seems ill

Budgies in A Mixed Aviary Environment

Our Bird Videos on YouTube

View our Bird Videos

New Budgie Articles Posted

Budgies And Eggs

Budgie Articles Request

Articles By Mick Freakely

Adorable Budgies on Facebook

New Budgie Calendars 2009

Exhibition Budgerigars

Wild Birds

Bugs Alive!

A Different Picture And Caption For Each Month!

Footballer Budgie

Clipping a budgies nails

WARNING! Dangerous Threads On Budgie Toys And Perches

Preventing Splayed Legs In Budgie Chicks

Special thanks to our forum members Max and Nat for the kind use of their pictures, and to Kim for taking the time to put this article together.

Buying Your First Budgie

The Adorable Budgies Calendar

Keeping Budgerigars; One Of Each Sex

Checking For Fertile Eggs

Article: Lost And Found Bird Info

Exhibition Budgie Versus Pet Budgie

The First Post