May 12, 2013 17:20:11 GMT
jute
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 10
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Post by jute on May 13, 2013 18:38:32 GMT
hi, i bought my budgies yesterday, cock and hen, and i was told that because they were between 6 and 9 months, that i would never be able to tame them, i don't expect them to do gymnastics, just sit on my finger, do you thinks there is any chance? also, would megazorb be alright to use on the bottom of the cage ? it is dried paper in very tiny pieces.
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Post by Hezz on May 14, 2013 1:36:04 GMT
Jute, the easiest and cheapest solution for the bottom of the cage is newspaper - don't believe anything you may have read about the ink not being safe ...... that may have been the case many years ago, but most of us use news sheets now and never have a problem. The biggest thing to watch out there for is your hen may decide to start nibbling the edges. This can make a mess! As for the taming, that will depend a lot on the personalities of the birds. With time and a routine, they can learn the basics like going back into the cage when needed (not necessarily the first time round) They will occasionally give you the run-around even if they are tame!
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Apr 19, 2024 19:03:10 GMT
Deleted
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2013 5:57:25 GMT
jute- I'm by no means an expert and i currently only have a week to go on... That and every bird is different...
I got my 2 budgies a week ago last Sunday, the females is 1 and my male is 1-2. Since last Sunday I have spent a lot of time separating my male from my female (because he seem's easier than her) and just spending time with him. He is in the spare cage next to where i sit most and i just talk to him, tell him about what i'm watching on tv, use a long stick to make him 'step up' and last night he stepped up on my finger for a fraction of a second, bit me and flew off again. True he bit me and it wasn't very long but last Sunday i wouldn't have even got close enough for him to step up so he made huge progress in a week with a lot of talking with him. I am fairly confident i can her him on my finger eventually with time and patience.
I just feel bad for my female left alone while i work on him, she sounds so lonely... I leave her the radio on but i doubt it's the same.
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May 12, 2013 17:20:11 GMT
jute
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 10
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Post by jute on May 14, 2013 10:05:19 GMT
thankyou hezz and bloodmoon for the advice. I asked about megazorb because I don't have a daily newspaper but I have three 20kg sacks of megazorb because I use it for my rabbits and guinea pigs bedding, also, it is faster to compost. bloodmoon, I fully expect to get bitten when I try finger training but as they say, softly softly catchee monkey (I think!) x
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Post by mizloco on May 14, 2013 16:48:12 GMT
I use very cheap printing paper,tescos value. Lasts ages and is good for checking their poos are healthy. I don't get a daily paper so its easier.
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Post by Hezz on May 15, 2013 1:59:04 GMT
Sorry, Jute, can't help with the megazorb. I am aware that some of that "kitty litter" type stuff is scented, so watch out for that. Move your question down into the general "Health" area and one of the others who keep both may be able to help you there.
You know, even buying one weekend paper a week is probably cheaper than buying anything specially to lay on the bottom, although I understand you already use the megazorb and have that available.
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May 20, 2013 17:39:07 GMT
ivresse
Brand New Budgie
Shall we do the one, two?
Posts: 23
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Post by ivresse on May 20, 2013 19:01:17 GMT
I have a question. Both my budgies are babies, and I checked them both over before I bought them today. They were both absolutely fine before they were boxed and transported with me to my new place and their new cage (via taxi and a litle bit of walking). Once I got them in the cage, I noticed one, the smaller of the pair whom I have named Nox, was holding his ring wing away from his body. It's drooping a little and quivering. He can fly okay, not long distances by he can cover ground and doesn't go SPLAT when he takes off or lands. He's using it and ruffling his feathers... I'm just wondering what might have happened. COuld he have injured himself on the bars in the cage? Or perhaps when he was removed from the communal cage with all the other babies?
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May 20, 2013 17:39:07 GMT
ivresse
Brand New Budgie
Shall we do the one, two?
Posts: 23
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Post by ivresse on May 20, 2013 20:57:32 GMT
20130520_205557 by silveritis, on Flickr 20130520_205416 by silveritis, on Flickr 20130520_205159_7 by silveritis, on Flickr 20130520_205010_7 by silveritis, on Flickr 20130520_204928_5 by silveritis, on Flickr I apologise for the double post, I couldn't get the phots onto the original post. Anyway, these are photos of Nox, where his wing is droopy. As I said, he can fly with it, and flap it etc. I haven't seen him stretch it or anything. It doesn't seem to be hindering him, he moving around and hopping from different perches seems pretty happy. He's fluffling himself up and everything, I'm just a little concerned.
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Post by Hezz on May 21, 2013 1:25:22 GMT
He could have simply banged it on the cage at some time, you'll probably never know. But is that blood on his wing? He may have bumped a blood feather in the move ...... as long as the bleeding (if it is blood) stopped, all should be fine with time. Keep an eye on it and see if he picks it up over the next day or two - if he isn't worried with it and is still using it, I doubt it is more than just a bump.
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May 20, 2013 17:39:07 GMT
ivresse
Brand New Budgie
Shall we do the one, two?
Posts: 23
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Post by ivresse on May 21, 2013 9:32:29 GMT
I've had a closer look at the dark spot. It does look like dried blood but the spot hasn't grown so it looks like any bleeding has stopped.
Please forgive my ignorance, but what is a blood feather?
Something else I wanted to add, I have a water trough set up, full of water and positioned over a T-bar perch so both Nox and Allegretto can reach it easily, if they don't want to be clinging to the bars. I've yet to see either of them have a drink. I've sloshed some water about a little so they know where it is. Theyv'e both found their seed and grit bowls too. But the water trough, cuttlefish and mineral cube all seem to illude them despite them both exploring the cage quite extensively.
Maybe I'm just a bit overly concerned because I'm new to budgie keeping as an adult, and I only brought the birds home yesterday, but I would have thought they'd have found the water, at least, by now. .___. I mean... they both seem to be pooping fine and no issues like that. Allegretto who is slightly bigger than Nox seems more adventurous and active. He's stretching and fluffling, more vocal and seems braver. Where as Nox, who is the one with the droopy wing hasn't moved much from one of the perches except to come down and eat something. I've seen him climbing around the cage and using their ladder and other perches to get to their personal favorite perch, but that's really it. Admittedly I was out for a few hours today, so I obviously couldn't see what they were up to while I was away, and now I'm home and keep looking at them (they're positioned right next to my desk) they're probably doing things on purpose.
Apologies for the rather long... and rambling message.
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Post by Hezz on May 22, 2013 1:38:42 GMT
Budgies don't like drinking while being watched if they are nervous, so in the beginning it is quite common for new owners to be concerned their budgie isn't drinking. They will be fine - more likely than not, they are drinking while you are out of the room. Once they are comfortable with you, (or you are sneaky and just manage to catch them in the act) they won't be so worried about being caught drinking. Their instinct tells them that drinking is a vulnerable time for a budgie. In a flock they will leave scouts around to keep watch for any hawks or whatever - being a prey animal, survival is ensured only by taking loads of precautions - and so they take it in turns to have a drink. Also, coming back to them being prey and you a predator, don't stare at them - they will think you are lining them up for dinner. To spend time watching them blink lots, also tilt your head slightly so both eyes aren't watching them and wink with the eye they can see. The cuttlefish and mineral block are there for when they feel they need it. They may not touch either for months, that's okay, just keep them available. Sorry, a blood feather is a new feather, still with a blood supply. This is a good description of both blood and pin feathers, courtesy of Wikipedia: A pin feather, sometimes called a "blood feather", is a developing feather on a bird. This feather can grow as a new feather during the bird's infancy, or grow to replace one from moulting.
The pin feather looks somewhat like a feather shaft. However, unlike a fully developed feather, the pin feather has a blood supply flowing through it. As such, if the pin feather is damaged, a bird can bleed heavily.
As the pin feather grows longer, the blood supply is concentrated in only the base of the shaft, and the tip of the shaft encases the feather itself, in a waxy coating. As moulting birds preen, they remove the waxy coating, and the feather unfurls.
When the blood has receded, the term "blood feather" is no longer synonymous with "pin feather" – it can only be referred to as a pin feather.
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Post by barrieshutt on May 23, 2013 5:08:44 GMT
well done Hezz
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Post by Hezz on May 24, 2013 1:54:00 GMT
Thank you, kind Sir. *Takes a bow*
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Post by barrieshutt on May 24, 2013 6:16:55 GMT
Thank you, kind Sir. *Takes a bow*
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Jun 18, 2013 21:19:42 GMT
SamuelKeith01
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 3
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Post by SamuelKeith01 on Jun 18, 2013 21:39:54 GMT
What would be the best cage size for one Budgie. I have read a lot of differant things on the internet.
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