Apr 19, 2024 17:59:25 GMT
robert
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Post by robert on Oct 13, 2011 7:35:37 GMT
Back in August my wife asked if we could get a budgie and even though I wasn't a bird fan I agreed because she had found memories of her budgie she had when she was 6 or so. We went to our local pet store and they had chicks only 2 weeks old there. We were told that we had to wait till they were 30 grams before we could bring them home. Might seem crazy from what I now know but that's how they are sold here so we brought them home when they were 25 days old or so, no exact D.o.b. PoPo is a blue pied but I'm not sure what kind and PJ is a violet opaline. We hand feed them 5 times a day for the first 3 weeks, then 3 times, then 2 and now we are still feeding PJ once but PoPo lost interest 2 weeks ago. This pic is about 4 weeks ago right before PoPo lost all her tail feathers but the 2 longest and all her wing feathers except 2. We are assuming it's French molt but aren't testing for it, just giving vitamin drops and hoping for the best. To get ready for them we got them a cage, a playground and made a play tree out of some natural perches and a coat hanger. This is right when the feathers started to fall out and PoPo lost verticle flight ability. We use the tree to give them their soft foods as well. They love broccoli sprouts that we dip in vitamin water. "I meant to do that" - PJ I love this pic even though it's not focused because PJ actually fell from standing on the food tray and just happened to land in the hoop. They've been with us for almost 2 months now and they love me! I actually have to start learning how to keep them off my head and glasses which they love because they can groom my eyebrows. PJ will come to me half the time I call his name and PoPo who's feathers are growing back in enough to fly around seems much more relaxed and is coming to me as well and hanging out on my shoulder more. First 2 months with hand feeding and a sick bird has actually been a bit tiring but to be honest but now they are eating on their own and PoPo is starting to fly like a pro things are just awesome. Keeping fingers crossed these feathers will stay in but prepared if they don't. I like the idea of the blog because hopefully I'll get some nice shots of the birds and things like blogs give a little more insentive to get the camera out and if I'm lucky knowledable people will visit and learn me a thing or two.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
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George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Oct 13, 2011 8:03:05 GMT
Hi Robert Those photos are adorable! It's great that even though you weren't a bird fan you threw yourself into it and cared for them. I can't believe that they sold them to you so young. Lucky you had the skill and knowledge to look after them, not sure that many people would. Looking forward to more photos and insight into the world of PJ and PoPo
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Post by barrieshutt on Oct 13, 2011 8:05:53 GMT
A super story you told Robert , love the birds but i do not like your pet shops
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Post by stace on Oct 13, 2011 8:36:17 GMT
Love it, Robert. They're just beautiful. It looks like you're doing all the right things for them.
I spent a couple of weeks in Tokyo with some friends who'd lived there for a long time. It's funny, but one of the things I'd noticed was a lack of basic knowledge about pets. Not sure why, but I thought it might be that there wasn't a long history of keeping family pets there.
Where in Tokyo are you?
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Apr 19, 2024 17:59:25 GMT
robert
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Post by robert on Oct 13, 2011 8:41:37 GMT
love the birds but i do not like your pet shops That's just how it's done here in Japan and I didn't know it wasn't the norm till I was told on another forum. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the chicks they sell don't make it. I'm so glad we had a water cooler with hot and cold faucets. We used it for instant noodles till now. We fed them Kaytee exact hand feeding formula mixed with millets that were prepared by soaking for 10 minutes at a ratio 2/1. I was pretty much flying blind but just tried to make sure not to overfeed them, weighed them daily and examined their poos a lot. On the plus side they are super tame and friendly. I've read a lot of threads of people with problems with taming and so on and that's one problem we won't have I think. Today I actually have a cold so I was going to take an afternoon nap but they wouldn't have it. They flew over to keep my company. I hope it's ok to ask questions in this blog because I usually have questions that aren't really worthy of starting a thread, just random stuff. Do budgies like colorful toys or are the colors for us?
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Apr 19, 2024 17:59:25 GMT
robert
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Post by robert on Oct 13, 2011 8:55:17 GMT
Love it, Robert. They're just beautiful. It looks like you're doing all the right things for them. I spent a couple of weeks in Tokyo with some friends who'd lived there for a long time. It's funny, but one of the things I'd noticed was a lack of basic knowledge about pets. Not sure why, but I thought it might be that there wasn't a long history of keeping family pets there. Where in Tokyo are you? I'm not sure. There has been a recent pet boom of sorts in Tokyo so I think a lot of unprepared people are buying pets but in the country side there are plenty of dog and cat owners. The vet we go to has a huge building and about 5 vets who cover everything from birds to ponies, it's almost comical how big and impressive this place is. We're in the south of Tokyo in Setagaya near the river, about 15 minutes from Shibuya by car.
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Post by stace on Oct 13, 2011 8:57:19 GMT
People say they like colours. Mine doesn't seemed too fussed.
He likes shiny metal things, little precious, and things that bang and make noise, or he can spin around - as well natural toys, like seed pods, he can chew on.
He also likes his washers - small stainless steel washers. I've got one on a stainless steel rod that he spends ages spinning around. He also like to chuck them off the bench, then carry them across the floor in his beak, throwing them around every so often and chasing them as they roll across the floor.
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Post by stace on Oct 13, 2011 8:58:15 GMT
By the way, if you have an important question, it's always better to ask it in the main forum. You'll get more replies there.
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Post by stace on Oct 13, 2011 9:05:26 GMT
[/quote]
I'm not sure. There has been a recent pet boom of sorts in Tokyo so I think a lot of unprepared people are buying pets but in the country side there are plenty of dog and cat owners. The vet we go to has a huge building and about 5 vets who cover everything from birds to ponies, it's almost comical how big and impressive this place is.
We're in the south of Tokyo in Setagaya near the river, about 15 minutes from Shibuya by car. [/quote]
I had a great time in Tokyo, staying in their tiny apartment in Ebisu which was very central. My friends also shared rent on a very modest little weekender beach shack in Shimoda, a couple of hours away in the train, so we also went up there for a week. It was a brilliant spot.
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Apr 19, 2024 17:59:25 GMT
robert
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Post by robert on Oct 13, 2011 9:43:25 GMT
My inlaws have a summer home in Chiba 5 minutes from the beach that we use in the summers. Got our tan on this summer.
Ebisu is a really fun part of town with some great food. Tokyo is just such a great city to eat but we haven't eaten out a lot in the last few months because of the birds. Longest I've been away is about 3 hours and I start to worry.
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Post by stace on Oct 13, 2011 9:48:07 GMT
They're like our little babies. I understand though, especially hard to leave them for long when you're hand feeding them, with them being so young and all.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
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George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Oct 13, 2011 10:26:24 GMT
My inlaws have a summer home in Chiba 5 minutes from the beach that we use in the summers. Got our tan on this summer. Ebisu is a really fun part of town with some great food. Tokyo is just such a great city to eat but we haven't eaten out a lot in the last few months because of the birds. Longest I've been away is about 3 hours and I start to worry. Absolutely know how you feel. I hate leaving my birds at all! But then I am a nutter, not sure if you realised that
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Apr 19, 2024 17:59:25 GMT
robert
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Post by robert on Oct 13, 2011 10:48:24 GMT
Donating your time and effort into a budgie site for free? Nutter? Never crossed my mind.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
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George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,743
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Oct 13, 2011 11:33:46 GMT
Donating your time and effort into a budgie site for free? Nutter? Never crossed my mind. Now you come to mention it. Sounds totally sane! Got any Photos of PJ and PoPo's cage?
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Apr 19, 2024 17:59:25 GMT
robert
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Post by robert on Oct 13, 2011 11:58:10 GMT
I have a video I made right before PoPo lost her feathers. I now know we have the wrong shaped cage but they only go in there now to eat and sleep and spent the rest of their time out of their cage. At night we plug in a little 20 watt heater and cover the cage with towels. A friend says I shouldn't worry too much about the temp since my apartment never really gets down too low, coldest is 12c or so but since they are still so wrong and we're still worried about PoPo we're trying to keep the temp at 25c all the time. I don't speak much English anymore so I sound a little weird in the video.
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