Ideas Please?

[Hezz]

We are entitled to have a rant now and then, Ira, and if it helps to have someone to rant off to, go for it! I don't mind. As long as it isn't about me! ;D

[Deleted]

Thanks Hezz ;D And don't worry, I don't think I could find anything to rant about about you.

[Hezz]

Awwww, aren't you being nice?!?! ;D I know, I have just had a "cranky at the world" day! No particular reason (the birds being the least of it!) even telling the poor dog off because I was sick of a wet nose up the back of my leg! Luckily he is VEERRRyyyyy forgiving. A smoochy cuddle and we are all good again.

Mind you, BF seems very understanding regarding Munchy, probably even a bit smitten himself. Maybe you can use that to your advantage? Invite him over for an evening of training and bonding............ (not bondage!!!!) ;D

[Deleted]

I get that sometimes but it's because I seem to have very crazy hormones so I go from being really happy and cheerful to having about a week of crying quite a lot at night because I'm worrying about things I can't do anything about or getting sad about things that shouldn't matter all that much in the long run.

Yes, he really adores Munchy ^^ He does worry about him a lot though and is often a bit hesitant. We could do a session in the morning before I go to his house and if we come back earlier then we could spend some time in the evening with him.

Darn... how did you know my secret, Hezz?

[Hezz]

[Deleted]

Hezz, do budgies moult twice in their first year? Because Munchy is loosing a lot of white feathers, which I know is normal, and also some yellow ones. Just wanted to check if there was going to be another big moult or if it's just random shedding.

[Hezz]

By white feathers I am guessing you mean these are small downy feathers? A lot depends on the temperature, and changes in temp. I know mine do two major moults, where they lose a number of their "long" feathers, but in between they often have what I call mini-moults. By long I mean their flight and tail feathers.

When did Munchy last moult in a big way? I imagine he would have had one end of winter/early summer, so a few months ago?? If the weather has turned hot quickly he could be shedding from the climate change, but otherwise they will just shed the few most of the time. Mine do anyway. Sparky never seems to stop! I don't know how he looks so beautiful all the time with the feathers he loses. But we don't have a summer/winter season so you may be different.

But there has to be a constant turn-over of feathers to some degree or we would have bald budgies twice a year! Slight exaggeration, but get what I mean. That has to go for the outer feathers as well as the downy ones. If you are worried, a little egg-food will give him a perk up to grow new ones.

[Deleted]

Yeah, it's been hot here over the last few days, Hezz. Lots of downy feathers and quite a few yellow ones too. Even two flight feathers. I've put in some egg food for a couple of days and given him plenty of veggies to make sure he's getting the vitamins that he needs.

That would be funny to see but very impractical for the birds, I should imagine XD

I think I'm giving up on the hand-taming. I'm not home enough to get him to learn consistently. It's a bit late for us now, I think, sadly. He'll step up outside the cage when I need him to, though, and if I want him to stay on my hand I just hold the weeble within his reach and entice him into the cage with it. Otherwise I never really have to handle him anyway. I don't think I'll be able to get him to be more social, with the little time I have, either, as I don't really know what to do to make him want to come and see us and neither do my grandparents. He's tame and will give us kisses when we ask for them, but I think he doesn't know how to have fun by being with us, as he gets bored just sitting on us, and we don't really know what to do with him either.

I'm having a day where I really wish I was allowed to get him a friend. Never know, I might have more luck taming that one as I'm still on summer holiday and would be starting from scratch, but I know it's not going to happen. I'm lucky to have the one. I just wish I'd known more and had more time when I first got him, instead of having to cram like crazy for exams.

This summer seems to have gone by so fast. It feels like I haven't been able to do anything when I should have had enough time to do so much stuff.

Edit: My boyfriend and I got our 3DSes mixed up, so he came over today and we talked to Munchy and then went for a walk whilst the yellow fluffball was loose in the living room. We played with him when we came back (well, retrieved his toys) and then I put him back in his cage, which is currently in the living room, because he hadn't eaten in a while.

I went out of the room to wave my boyfriend off, and when I came back in Munchy was eating. I sat and talked to him until he was done, and then opened the door for him. He stood by the door but wouldn't come out, so I moved to the side to give him a clear path to the windowsill and continued nattering to him about general rubbish. He hopped out onto the rope perch and sat next to me, blinking and occasionally grinding his beak, for somewhere around 10 - 20 minutes just listening to me talking until he finally had to move.

So happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hezz]

Sounds like good fun for you. With losing feathers, just to make a point that it is pointless to worry and fret about a few lost feathers, while Smudge was having her vit injections, I took Sparky in with us as well, just for a question. Mid-week I suddenly noticed that just above his cere, sort of between his nostrils he was bald! Firstly I thought it may have been staining and that he was suffering a cold but nothing else pointed to that and I got him under the magnifying glass for a good look. He just looked bald in that little area. A week later and he is a mass of pinnies all over his head, especially in that area where he had lost them all. So in a week he has replaced all those lost feathers - poor little darlin' I am sure he must be itchy! The vet had no ideas really - thought he may have gotten his head caught (I knew that wasn't so) or had rubbed all the feathers off. With his moulting I thought it was a simple but heavy moult happening and the only way to tell - wait and see. I am sure Munchy is the same - just having a random moult, particularly if the weather has gotten warmer.

[Deleted]

He seems to have started his second moult, probably triggered by the good weather. I'm losing a lot of hair, too. It's blackberry season, which is when hair moults a lot, apparently, so maybe it's the same with his feathers XD

Maybe it's because of the moult, but Munchy seems reluctant to come out of his cage. He is requiring a lot of tempting. However, once he's out he will stay out and play for hours unless he's ready for bed or food. I'm hoping he'll be more eager once his moult slows down. It seems quite heavy this time.

[MattJ]

Munchy sounds like a lot of fun

I think Puck had two full moults in his first year, then at around 15 months he lost 4 wing feathers and a tail. I think we had 2 or 3 mini moults as well.
I give all his larger feathers to my ex-girlfriend as she's a trainee milliner planning to use them in a hat so I cant be entirely sure

[Deleted]

He is. Sadly most of the fun comes from watching him rather than getting much interaction with him, which is why I often get feelings of wanting a friend for him because I figure that if I can only watch him playing then he should have someone to play with.

Been getting him to step up onto a short piece of dowel and then onto my finger, which worked because he could see the millet. Hopefully I will eventually get to the point where I can just ask him to step up and he will, because whilst he won't bite the dowel if I press it against his belly, but he might still do it to my finger. The weather is miserable today so I'm doing short little bursts of training so that I don't overwhelm him, especially as the moulting might be making him feel grumpier.

Also, I think next year my lectures are in the afternoon and practicals are in the morning, so if I don't have too many practicals in a week then most days Munchy will have someone home with him all day because I won't have to go out until 1 or 2 in the afternoon.