Handling birds..

[fliptheswitch]

I popped out to the supermarket earlier, and came home with a couple of budgies (not from the supermarket).

I saw an advert on the noticeboard for someone looking to re-home them, so I phoned and went to get them.

Anyway...

They're in a large cage, but I'd like to let them have a fly around. I just went to open the cage door, but they went crazy! Am I supposed to put my hand in and take them out, or just leave the door open and let them come out as they please?

They're not babies, they're 2 and 1. The lady said they haven't been handled much, only on a couple of occasions. Are you supposed to even handle them?

I need a crash course in budgie care. Thanks :-)

[divegirl]

argggggghhhhhh

http://i1119.photobuc...foosandpartyon049.jpg

[fliptheswitch]

Thanks Divegirl, that indoor aviary is absolutely brilliant, and would be ideal. It would take me about 2 and half hours to get to where that is, but I am very interested, so I'm going to keep an eye on it, but also see if there's anything like it more near to me.

I really do hope they aren't too set in their ways, and will eventually come out of the cage... :-)

Oh, and I love the name Dave. It really made me chuckle.

[divegirl]

Hi Flip, that was just a suggestion of a cage....go on Ebay and do the distance thing....if you are not a avid Ebay user [like myself] let me know what area you are in and I'll have a looky for you :0)

Lisa x

[fliptheswitch]

Oh wow! Nice bird.

I've taken lots of pics of Ronnie and Reggie, but they just look awful stuck in the cage.

I'm browsing Ebay as we speak! :-)

[divegirl]

Thank you....he's a real babe and spends most of the day on top of my work station [hence the pooping on the keyboard] , he can be a little aggressive at times but is a sweeetie with my nephew, he's also fine with me but will scream at my kids [older] when they try to pet him, I think he gets it off of me.....lol
Good luck with the cage hunt...Oh and apparently budgies love
# Apple
# Sweet potato
# Salad cress
# Grated carrot
# Grapes
# Pumpkin
# Winter squash
# Broccoli
# Parsley
# Spinach
# Mango
# Papaya

Lisa x

[divegirl]

Just one more....can you tell I do internet research for a living....lol

http://www.budgerigars.co.uk/forum/forum.php

Have a good read and join here....loads of advice :0)

Lisa x

[fliptheswitch]

Thanks for that, it really is much appreciated :-)

News flash... they've been out!!

I decided to open the doors on the cage, and see what they did. They sat on their perches tweeting to each other for a little while, then Ron made a dash for it, and Reg followed.
They flew round the room, quite flustered and a bit scared I think. Reggie landed on the blinds, and stayed there, whilst Ronnie didn't seem so brave and came down to the floor. He appeared to knock into the wall, which frightened him (as well as me!) but he flew off shortly after, so I'm confident he didn't injure himself.

I've taken some pics, so I'll get them offloaded now and post them on here...

[fliptheswitch]

Here's some pics of Ron and Reg. The first one is when I first brought them home yesterday, in their cage. The second one (sorry it's a bit blurred) is when they first flew out of the cage today. It's a bit difficult to see them, as they were flapping around all over the place.


http://i53.tinypic.com/59rax.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/1056woz.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/dwe15y.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/2yy9yzl.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/wwc1v7.jpg

[divegirl]

Awww bless. loves the last one, the caption should read ''Can you see what I can?''

Lovely looking birds and that cage isn't too small though that said that alcove would be perfect for an bigger one ;0)

Lisa x

[fliptheswitch]

Lisa, lol... that's exactly what I'm thinking! The alcove they're in now, is obviously taken up with a book shelf... but the one opposite is free... free for a lovely, new, bigger home :-)

Thanks for all your help. Much appreciated :-)) x

[Andyvon]

Hi Flip,
They're lovely birds and they're obviously settling in happily. We buy a selection of about eight or nine different kinds of seeds which gives them variety. It's important to give them a seed called 'tonic seed' which helps them regrow their feathers as they shed them regularly. It's also a good feather conditioner. They also need grit which they eat and use to grind food in their gizzards in the same way we use our teeth. A mineral block provides them with trace elements such as salt and potassium and a beak conditioner (a block of pumice) helps them keep their beak sharp and strong in the same way cats claw things to look after their claws. All those things are available in most pet shops or on-line (Netpet.com). Regular foods that our budgies also like are millet sprays, dandelion flowers and leaves, luttuce and grated carrot. They also like fruit such as apple provided you remove the peel. Like us, the birds will be happier and healthier if they have a balanced and varied diet.

My wife goes in the aviary every day to clean and tidy it. The birds are quite used to her and they happily land on her shoulders and head. They also stand about 2 inches away from her hand and watch while she cleans their perches and mirrors! They only get alarmed on the odd occasion I go in as I'm the one who catches them with the net to spray them! Saying that, they do occasionally need spraying with mite spray and you'll know when they have mites as they start to scratch. Budgies love mirrors too as they think there's another bird in there! They'll spend ages talking to their reflection and sleeping beside it! We used to put a sheet over their aviary at night but they were wide awake and flying underneath it all night so we stopped using it.

One word of warning Flip - it's easy to acquire more budgies! We only started with two and we've somehow ended up with ten! Good luck!

[fliptheswitch]

Lol Andy. I'm quite happy with just the two.. for now! :-)

Thank you for all your information, it's really helpful.