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I know it's a big taboo to take on unweaned birds, but this budgie was sort of thrust into my care and I can't just abandon it. It was growing up in some sort of mill, so I hope that I manage to give it a better life. I'm not entirely sure how old it is, but it's just outright refusing to be syringe fed. I don't have the long attachment to feed it directly into the crop (I wouldn't want this either), I just have a nub at the end of the syringe and slowly try to squeeze food out so the bird can swallow at their own pace, but the little one refuses to open their mouth, even if I try to encourage them by tapping the beak or opening it with the syringe. The food is thick, so I'm pretty sure I won't aspirate it if it did decide to eat. I brought them home last night after they were fed, it's coming up to 24 hours now without them having had any food and I'm worrying. This morning, they were inquisitive and were waddling around my desk and preening. It's 5:27pm and they've been sleeping for the past couple of hours (head tucked into wing). Last night, I covered their cage and left them undisturbed from 2am (when I got home with them) to 11am. I'm just at a loss as to whether they're sleepy because they didn't get enough sleep last night, or because their energy levels are dropping since they've not had a meal all day. Avian vets don't exist here, so I'm stumped.  I've put a shirt over one side of the box cause they seemed to like sleeping under it. I've had them chilling on my desk all day, and when they want to come out, they just hop onto my hand and I let them poke around the desk. I've attempted to feed them 3 separate times today, and not a single time did they properly take food in. They'd lick some but then keep their mouth clamped. I don't have a thermometer, but I'm able to hold my pinky finger in the food and it's warm, not hot, and definitely not cold. I have an electric heater on in the room keeping it a toasty 21-22 degrees celsius. It's been chewing on the wood shavings, and I've seen it peck little specks on the desk. I dropped some millet across the desk to see if they were interested in any of that (since they were pecking wood shavings), but the first one they bit, they just wiggled it out and weren't interested in trying again. It's somewhere between 4 and 5 weeks? We're not sure. Qubee fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Jan 20, 2021 |
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Jan 20, 2021 15:37
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Really useful info, thank you! They definitely are munching on the wood shavings, I got worried it was blocking their crop or something. I've already contacted vets in the area, they outright refuse to see birds. There's one avian vet but it has the most awful reviews and lots of "my bird was fine and then they killed it with incompetence". Swapping out wood shavings for newspaper, placing a shallow bowl of fresh water and transferring them to a bigger cage sat beside the electric heater set to low.
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Jan 20, 2021 16:22
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Anyone have any recommendations for heated pads / nests / bowls? Something for my budgie to just sleep in and be super cozy. Currently have the electric radiator on but drat does my room feel like a sauna, but the budgie still sits right beside the grating to be as close to the heater as possible. Also threw in a little hand towel thanks to Suntan Boy's advice, the little bugger turned it into a tent and sleeps inside it like a burrito. He / She / It has started eating way more reliably now, I'm super happy. I just use a spoon to feed it and they'll slurp it off, but it cools down rather quickly so I've resorted to doing a sort of bain marie style warmer to keep the metal bowl with the formula in it nice and warm. Also crushed up some pellets in a pestle and mortar into little specks, as they like pecking at little dust specks / wood specks, so I'm hoping they slowly graduate towards the pellets as it's actually good for them. Also, are these perches any good? I read that rough textured perches can give them sore spots or something. But my local pet store only has perfectly cylindrical perches or these.
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Jan 21, 2021 21:22
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Yeah a tad, windows are super jank and let a lot of cold night / early morning air in. It's currently 7c outside, and tomorrow it'll top off at about 13c. Well away from the 21-23c they are comfortable with, especially since this one is so young and hasn't had all the feathers properly come in yet. Next week it'll hit 20c and that's when I open the windows to let fresh air in and turn the heater off. But weather is topsy turvy and won't level out until March where it'll become unbearably hot (in the high 20s). I'm taking one for the team and sleeping in this sauna, but it isn't very pleasant. Would much rather come up with a solution that keeps baby warm and lets me sleep cold.
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Jan 21, 2021 22:32
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Is it normal for baby budgies to chirp / squeak at night? They had a nice big meal at 9pm, and have been covered with only one side open - which faces the electric heater. They're sat on this side of the cage with their head tucked into their wing. I don't know if it just means they're content / happy, or if they're upset about something? It's pretty dark for them, I'm not making noise, just watching a movie quietly on the PC. It's 11:30pm currently. Whole room is nice and toasty.
Qubee fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Jan 23, 2021 |
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Jan 23, 2021 00:22
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Well that just makes my heart melt. Against my better judgement, I lifted the covers to check on them before I read your post, and they tip tapped to the centre of the cage and just stared at me with this puppy dog look. I reached down and gave her a good old scratch and she kept bumping into my hand and nibbling my finger. I worried that meant I was stressing her out or it was a polite way of saying "buzz off" so I backed out and covered the cage. Google tells me it's their attempt at preening us? Taking an awful lot of self control to leave her be instead of going back in there for a round two. Tomorrow's going to be a good day. I'm going to start training with spray millet to teach her step up commands, cause I hate reaching in and grabbing her but it's the only way to get her out on the desk to feed formula. I've managed to coax her onto my finger with formula before but the cage is too awkward to get my finger straight enough for them to be comfortable hopping on every time. Hoping this means in the future I can just stick my finger at the entrance to the cage and she'll hop on herself so feeding is easier. How soon can I get her a partner, or should I wait until I definitely know her sex. I have no clue whether older budgies interact with unweaned / younger budgies nicely. Or if getting a cockatiel is a possibility, or do budgies prefer their own kind. Anyway, I'm using this thread as too much of a personal diary, it's just the first bird I've owned and I don't want to mess it up, but I think we've made it through the woods. She has a killer appetite, started eating pellets that I crush in a pestle and mortar to more manageable sizes, and has a big oil heater to keep her warm 24/7 (so fingers crossed sour crop doesn't happen). I haven't caught her drinking water from the bowl yet, even though it's low to the ground. Other than that, we seem clear of any rough patches. Can't wait for her to start flying so she can just roam around the entire room and choose whether she wants to be in the cage or out of it.
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Jan 23, 2021 02:15
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Is it possible to give an unweaned budgie a bath in warm water, and immediately plop them on a towel by the electric heater? She's got some stubborn formula gunk around her beak that I can't get rid of, even with soaking it with a warm moist tissue. The lovebird downstairs usually does a decent job of getting it out, but they've grown so big now compared to my budgie that they sometimes hurt her by mistake just because of how much stronger they are.
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Jan 25, 2021 10:28
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mediaphage posted:i dont have the experience here, sorry. but id maybe try bird burritoing the poor thing and slowly stroking the area with a wet towel or q-tip or something? This worked incredibly well. Instead of squirming and trying to wriggle out, the burrito experience lulls them to sleep. I managed to get one half of their mouth clean completely, but the other half has really stubborn, caked on formula that is still clinging on after 2 soaking sessions and trying to rub it / pinch it off. I was wondering whether I can just cut these mouth feathers off as they'll be eating formula for another couple of weeks. Not sure if it would cause bleeding though, so I've not done it. I can't wipe too aggressively either because there's some skinfolds near that seem paper thin.
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Jan 27, 2021 14:14
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There's a Discord? Link please! Edit: is it okay to feed formula to an unweaned budgie whenever they cry for food? Supposedly I'm only meant to feed this one every 5 hours, but I'm on a 4-hour window. Their energy levels are fantastic, they're way more playful. Sometimes I feel like there's still a bit of food in the crop when we go to the next feeding (I always ensure there's a solid 8 hour window at night to completely empty to prevent sour crop). I've just started picking up on cues when they're hungry - they become more frantic and needy, as opposed to relaxed and cuddly. I just don't want to be doing something bad for her due to my inexperience, but I want to give her the best start at life by making sure she's always digesting in the day. Qubee fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Jan 28, 2021 |
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Jan 28, 2021 10:47
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my roughly 35 day old budgie keeps regurgitating food for my fingers. he'll get very active and nuzzle my fingers and get super cuddly and let me really scratch his cheeks / top of his head and then make a little chirping sound and out comes a small amount of formula, is this healthy? is it his way of saying "you're not too bad, I like ya" or is it something I should worry about. he seems fine otherwise, and it's always the exact same way: hyperactivity, playfully attacking my fingers, being 100% okay with scratches (as opposed to the usual slight tolerance, before shuffling away a bit) and then up comes some food and he'll sorta just stare blankly whilst licking up the dribbles from his mouth. I thought it might be an infection the first couple of times, but now it just happens like clockwork.
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Feb 2, 2021 20:11
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he looks great, has started flying more often between the window sill and the desk or my shoulder, he's not lethargic or docile. he naps a lot but I think it's because he's still young, he'll have fits of activity and then nap for an hour or so. he weighs 30g, when I checked this morning. his feathers seem alright, still a bit bare under the wings but filling out quickly each day. this behaviour only started about 4 days ago, first two days had me worried and I kept a close eye in case he was ill, but these past two days I've paid attention to when he's about to do it and he doesn't seem distressed. he's weaning and eats crushed pellets, I'm just about getting him used to veggies, he can't even crack open millet yet as he hasn't figured out the knack. formula in the morning and at night before bed, midday if he's really begging for it (which he doesn't do anymore). I've not got a vet nearby that I trust, the only one that deals with birds has a whole bunch of negative reviews of how the vets aren't trained and kill your pets through sheer incompetence. perks of being in the Middle East. only time I'd even consider taking him is if it was an obvious life or death situation. I'll take a picture tomorrow when he's not sleeping. I just want to know if it could be a sign of illness, or if it's affection, or if it's a bad habit I should nip in the bud.
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Feb 2, 2021 20:53
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Thanks so much, took a lot of worry off my head!
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Feb 3, 2021 15:31
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will sniffing my budgie actually give me chlamydia, or is it one of those things where it's a risk, but a very minor risk? or is it something I don't really need to worry about since I'm in my 20s
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Feb 4, 2021 11:08
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Bird Name Chickadoodle (named when I thought he was a she, but they respond so strongly to this name so I just kept it) Bird Nickname Butthead Bird Age A month and a bit? Hard to say, but younger than 2 months for sure! Bird Type Budgerigar Bird Shape Dinosaurish Bird Super Powers Being insanely cute, recently learning to fly like a champ, and generally being the Lord of my entire bedroom Bird Evil Powers Likes to drop deuces between the keys of my keyboard, turns into a cheeky rascal when I try to put him into his cage for bedtime Bird Weaknesses Chin scratches, shoulder perching, and shredding anything and everything Pictures of Bird   Words can't explain how happy it makes me to see them growing so fast, they were barely able to fly just five days ago. Three days ago they could fly but had no control. Today, they're doing acrobatic loops around the bedroom, landing deftly on whatever perch they want, and generally flying to and from places rather than walking / climbing. They are currently perched on top of the AC unit looking down on me, and will occasionally take off and do a few laps around the bedroom. I definitely want to clicker train them to fly to my hand, and graduate to eventual free flights. I just don't know whether it's better to take them out to an open space once they're sufficiently trained, or let them fly from the rooftop of the house. I don't know whether they'd have a hard time locating me on the roof, or if it would be a nonissue with the clicker / whistle + sunlight + good view of me standing on the roof. I just want them to be the happiest and healthiest budgie they can be, and I see them staring out the window and would love for them to have regular morning flights to experience it. Looking forward to when they molt into their new feathers!
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Feb 4, 2021 14:23
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You've all knocked some sense into me. I guess the next best thing is to build a really wide outside aviary for him. I plan on getting another budgie partner (just scared of them breeding so I'm praying I have a girl since they don't fight like boys do, right?) and maybe a cockatiel, though if a cockatiel needs a partner I'll just stick to the two budgies.
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Feb 4, 2021 18:13
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Plant MONSTER. posted:Also, Mayo's a female and is approaching her second year of age and she hasn't yet shown any interest in mating or laying. Nope, she only cares about chilling. She's got her priorities straight, chilling is the best kind of life. My little guy is super active but he doesn't really have a personality yet. He's pretty tame, the most he does is a few happy chirps, no head bobbing though. Do these kinds of things develop over time, or are you able to see from an early age what they'll be like when they're older? In other news, he's recently developed a habit of not letting me put him down anywhere at night without immediately flying to my shoulder, and it's a nightmare cause I can't shake his tail despite needing to do other things.
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Feb 4, 2021 21:40
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I know I keep harping on about this, but it's driving me mental! Every night is the same routine with Chickadoodle. I get him out of his cage in the morning, feed him, and then we spend all day together. He typically basks in the sun most of the day, or flies on top of my pull-up bar and naps (or on top of the AC unit). Evening time, he gets more needy and will insist on sitting on my shoulder. He'll preen me, happily chirp, generally just be happy. I feed him formula before bed, and then attempt to put him in his cage afterwards with a warm belly. He becomes visibly distressed and will continuously bite at the cage liner, climb all up the cage walls, and keep trying to squeeze through to get out / get to me. The goober can't even crack open millet, so I can't entice him with those as a treat or train him to realise the cage ain't that bad. He's able to eat crushed pellets / flax seed / chia seed, but that's about it. I have a feeling this problem would disappear if he had a friend in the cage with him, I think I may have just gotten him used to almost an entire month of constant contact / being out of the cage. I can't do this nightly fight with him though, and I hate being a big cause of distress for him, I'm worried I'll revert all this trust and friendship we've built over the past few weeks. I used to try and let him slide off my finger onto the perch, but he either grabs on or - now that he's strong - flies up my arm back to my shoulder. So I have to grab him, which I hate doing, but it's the only way. There's no rhyme or reason to why he's more chill some nights and fights like the devil on other nights. Do I just brute force this by putting him in the cage and letting him tire himself out trying to escape or is there a better way? I've taken pity on him and let him out again and will try once more when he's napped a bit, he's beak grinding on the pull-up bar... I get my job seekers allowance on the 15th and I intend on getting him a beefy cage and adopting a playmate from the place I originally got him. Until then, I need to fix this cause it's stopping me from being comfortable going out as I worry he'll hurt himself when I'm not home by flying into a wall or something.
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Feb 6, 2021 21:47
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I sincerely love this little stinker, his cage is at eye level beside my PC desk. I cover 3 sides of the cage and the top, and leave a little sliver for him to see me at the PC and for a tiny amount of light to shine into the bottom of his cage (the top where his perch sits is pitch black). No bueno. If I try and console him or coo, he just goes ballistic and will really try to squeeze out, to the point where I worry he'll hurt himself. I'm going to have to take the firm route I guess, cause coddling him is only going to enable this behaviour and it really isn't sustainable. Edit: spoke too soon, he's back at the desperately clawing and shredding at the cage liner to get out  he's also dunked himself 3 times in the waterbowl, his legs and keel are wet. He did the same yesterday and I took him out to dry him under my shirt, but I've just put the electric heater on super warm so he won't catch a chill.
Qubee fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Feb 6, 2021 |
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Feb 6, 2021 23:09
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You're all bird whisperers, I'm pretty sure the advice you've given will work ( I should cover the cage and not let him know I'm there). The little champ spent most of the day crawling about the cage crunching seeds, he's also gotten to the point where he associates the food bowl with food, rather than me having to pick it up and tilt it by his head. He'll plop right into the bowl and go to town, though he still doesn't touch the water bowl. I had to leave for an hour, he was in the cage with the door open. I got back and he was just relaxing on the perch, which makes me hopeful for tonight's bedtime. Cage is where his food, water and treats are, so here's to him thinking of it as a happy space. Though as soon as I sat down he beelined for the door and hopped onto my shoulder.
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Feb 7, 2021 16:56
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I left him closed in my bedroom, which is pretty spartan. Just the 4 walls, my bed and computer desk. Nothing he can get trapped behind. Though it's still a bad idea, right? I'll start putting him in the cage when I leave, just empathy wins over sometimes even if I know it's not the smartest idea. I looked at bigger bird cages today, there's one almost twice the size of my current one and isn't too expensive, so looking forward to picking that up. Fed him formula, tucked him into bed, he's still doing the same antics, but he'll just have to tire himself out and get used to it 
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Feb 7, 2021 23:10
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https://i.imgur.com/z3eBX5J.mp4 Nothing stops it, you can unmute the video to hear his heartbreaking little cries. Cage completely covered, or with a tiny sliver open for a bare minimum amount of light to get in so he can just about make out his perch / food bowl etc. I put him into bed 45 minutes ago and lay down in bed myself listening to an audiobook, he just hasn't given up. It's stressful for the both of us. Will getting him a friend fix this? I removed the cage liner tonight as I thought that might rile him up as he always goes to town shredding it trying to escape. First time he's bitten me since I got him, I tried calming him down through the bars by putting my finger through to give him scratches, he just chomped down harder than he normally does. I'm at a loss and feel like a pretty lovely owner, cause Google doesn't show any results of people having the same issue as me so I must be doing something terribly wrong. I also took the advice given and put him in the cage earlier today whilst I nipped out for an hour and a half. Left him and he was calm and happily eating food, when I got back, he was pushing against the bars trying to escape and I felt terrible wondering how long he must have been doing that whilst I was gone. It wasn't even dark, my bedroom lights were on as it was only around 5pm. Am I letting him sleep too much in the day? Should I be encouraging him to be active, rather than letting him go off and do his own thing. He only really gets active in short bursts, he just naps the rest of the time, or will preen. I put him to bed at 11pm every night, and wake him up at 11am, but he still doesn't get the routine. Qubee fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Feb 8, 2021 |
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Feb 8, 2021 22:25
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https://i.imgur.com/ueXaozm.mp4 Good news is Chickadoodle has a new mansion. But I plan on getting an even bigger one once the local petstore restocks, preferably without the circular ceiling. Bad news is they still go bonkers as soon as they stop eating. I took the early bedtime advice, I put them to sleep at 8pm and remove the cage covers / open the window at 8am so the natural light lets them know it's a new day. It'll be day 3 of this schedule, and the little one is super sleepy as it's almost 8. We came up with a new routine that melts my heart: they perch on my shoulder and I use index and thumb to scritch both sides of their head and they just get KO'd. They also love when I rub the top of their head and cheek with my nose lol, it's super wholesome. Starting to think Chickadoodle may be a girl, as her cere is light purple and her nostrils have solid white rings around them. She's currently perched on my shoulder with one leg tucked up. I do think the issue is they're just super bonded to me, all they ever want is to be on my shoulder, and if they can't get that, they'll go sit somewhere high and look down. I want to get them a friend but I've no idea how I'll quarantine the new bird, as there just isn't space anywhere for them, the only free space are communal areas so that wouldn't help a new budgie settle in. Not sure what to do but I really do think a friend would help them be a lot happier in the cage.
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Feb 10, 2021 17:55
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 ~2 month old budgie, I've bounced between thinking it's a male then female too many times. Can someone more experienced tell me? Also, cage update: I've started doing the new bedtime routine, I tuck them in at 8pm and uncover them at 8am, but don't let them out until I wake up around 10am. They still do the running around inside the cage trying to break out, but they tire themselves out a lot quicker. I've started also putting them in the cage for an hour here and there throughout the day, and only feed them in the cage. That hasn't really helped, they're completely calm and happy whilst pecking around for food but as soon as they're full, they go stressed-mode and do the whole pacing up and down / climbing all over the bars / sad chirping. They also refuse to enter the cage unless I grab the food bowl, tilt it for them, let them hop on and put it in the cage with them still on it. They'll then move about inside between food bowls and exit as soon as they're done. It's not even like they do it because they want to chill with me, as soon as I open the door they'll fly onto my shoulder but then it's a 50/50 on whether they stay or fly off to my pull up bar. They've been up there since I let them out and whether I'm in the room or not doesn't phase them. Should I just keep them in the cage for a few days to force them to get used to it, or is this cruel? Bedtime is always a game of cat and mouse and unnecessary stress. I'm gonna upload a bunch of videos showcasing the cage stress in a bit.
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Feb 12, 2021 14:33
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Plant MONSTER. posted:the pull up bar belongs to the bird now btw That and the top of my AC. I was excited to move out and get my own place before I got Chickadoodle, but now I'm even more excited. I'll bird proof the entire place and let them have free reign. Floors are typically stone here so easy cleanup! Had him perched on my shoulder whilst I did my morning routine, it was fab. Captain Log posted:For what it's worth, the video you posted didn't say terror or desperation to me. I just saw a young, excitable parakeet doing young excitable parakeet things. As sad as it is to admit, I've spent almost an entire month with this little fluff, day in day out. Silver lining to being unemployed I guess. I know the video might not have showcased it, but I'm definitely in tune with their behaviour, and they really are stressed / unhappy in there. Pacing back and forth, trying to chew their way out, constantly attempting to dig in the corners, the chirps aren't the playful chirps they do right before letting me attack them with chin scratches, it's morose and frustrated. I uncovered them at 8am again today, only to wake up at 11am with them death staring me from the bottom corner of the cage floor, as soon as they saw me look at them the pacing and breakout attempts began. Was really hoping to wake up to them relaxing on the perch. I did manage to sneak a look at them last night and they were hunkered down on the topmost perch sleeping. Same shenanigans with the food bowl today though, they're hungry but will run up my arm as soon as I try to put them in the cage while eating from the food bowl. I think I'm just going to stop making the same updates regarding the cage, fingers crossed in a week I'll just post a simple "the cage is his temple now" and we can all clap.
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Feb 13, 2021 11:47
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I've been eyeballing budgie poops since the very first day, is it normal for poops to get smaller in size once budgies wean? When this one was on the formula diet, they'd drop great big girthy monsters. Now that they're eating pellets / seeds, the droppings are smaller, and don't have as much water that comes with the poops. My budgie does drink water though, but only small sips!
Qubee fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Feb 14, 2021 |
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Feb 14, 2021 12:09
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Birds seem to be very forgiving, I was deathly afraid I'd destroy all trust with mine when I had to resort to grabbing them to put them in their cage because they're an absolute terror when they know it's bedtime. https://i.imgur.com/mBzeg35.mp4 This is Chickadoodle today, after countless times being grabbed and put in the cage, and all the stress that causes. They do this when they want some cuddles, but it's hard for me to safely give them chin scratches when they're on my shoulder. Looking at them just causes me to see double and I can't work out where to put my fingers without bumping their head. We're all lucky to have birds, and I think it'd take some pretty lovely behaviour to have them actually hold a grudge against us.
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Feb 15, 2021 00:56
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Does anyone have recipe recommendations for a budgie? I give a seed mix / pellet diet evenly split, but when they eat the seed mix, they'll ignore everything and only go for the millet. It's a bit frustrating and I wish I could find seed mix without the drat millet. I figured I'll start making veggie mashes or whatever it's called when you blend a bunch of veggies together in a food processor. I also want to start trying to train mine to be a tad more responsive when I call her. Right now, she's kind of Queen of the room and does whatever she wants. It can be irritating when I have to chase her back and forth between her two favourite perches to get her in the cage as I'm about to leave the house. Night time is fine, she's a lot better in the cage now, way way happier. She'll happily hop on my finger around bedtime and sorta waddle onto the perch and hunker down for sleep, I think it's the fact the budgie friend is there. I just don't know how to go about training her seeing as millet is her favourite food, but giving it as a treat is a bit redundant since it's a vast majority of her seed mix.
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Feb 17, 2021 10:22
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I can't even handle the cuteness. New baby budgie - called Wasabi as they're lime green - hasn't been eating much formula, had me worried as I thought they might be ill or stressed, despite seeming rather relaxed around me. Turns out Chickadoodle has been regurgitating food for the little bugger, no wonder they have barely been eating formula. Wasabi also picks up new habits astoundingly quick, they're already foraging and cracking open seeds. At this stage in Chickadoodle's life, they were pretty much utterly dependent on me and were on the formula big time. We had the first solid flight today, managed to go from the cage door all the way up to the pullup bars, just to be close to Chickadoodle. They both then flew to the top of the AC unit and preened like crazy, absolutely wholesome. I had a go at making veggie mash but they're not fans of it. Anything with a tiny amount of moisture on it makes them shake their heads / sneeze. I sprinkled some seeds on top to entice them but it hasn't really worked, Chickadoodle ignored it and tried to get to the seed bag instead of tasting the veggie mash flavoured seeds, oops. Qubee fucked around with this message at 12:50 on Feb 18, 2021 |
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Feb 18, 2021 12:45
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Kenshin posted:I just have a big floor-standing lamp that I have a full-spectrum LED bulb in. It's very low energy use and it provides great light all day so unless it's actually sunny outside, it's usually on for most of the 12 hours that Auri is uncovered. Getting Name of the Wind vibes.
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Feb 19, 2021 10:35
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Grabbed the drinking bowl to see if Chickadoodle was thirsty, imagine my surprise when they start trying to bathe in it. I decided if they're going to bathe, we'll do it properly, so I got the big dog bowl I bought as a bath and filled it with lukewarm water. Chickadoodle hopped in and started dunking themselves and shaking, it was mega cute. I think the water was a tad shallow though as they weren't able to easily get themselves wet, but it was so nice seeing them go at it. I tried with Wasabi as he is a bit stinky, kinda smells like Iranian cuisine for some reason? He wasn't interested though. Chickadoodle has always had that smell you get when sunlight is on clothes for a long time, mixed with fresh air. Like baby smell but for birds. I may just give up on trying to get them to like crushed pellets. Now that they've tasted the sweet, sweet nectar of millet, they don't even bother with anything else. I will have another go with veggie mash, though. I think I might have blitzed it too fine in the food processor, but they're not big munchers. If they can't crack something within 3 seconds, they discard it and don't bother again. So having small cubes of veggie or whatever just has them attempting to shell it, and then spitting it out. This millet craze is frustrating, as I know they aren't going to get the nutrients they need.
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Feb 20, 2021 11:44
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  I thought Chickadoodle looked hella cute, especially when they struck a pose in the second picture. Veggie mash all on their beak. I also don't think anything has made me as happy this past year as seeing the two dinosaurs swooping around the room playing. They'll call out to each other and then immediately take off together, do a few laps, land, then repeat until they're all gassed out and ready for a nap. Oh, and the fact they'll happily come down from the perch every now and then to fall asleep on my shoulders or play around, that makes me smile so much. Wasabi straight up fell asleep on me and I just went to town giving him scratches and cuddles and that made him plop down on his stomach, his eyes didn't open no matter what and I thought maybe something serious was happening but he was just deep asleep. When they're both preening me, I die. Qubee fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Feb 21, 2021 |
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Feb 21, 2021 15:25
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mediaphage posted:in an attempt to cheer things up, i would like to introduce the new branch manager and the assistant branch manager: what type of bird are those two branch managers?
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Feb 22, 2021 10:49
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Hey, it's me again. Why do my budgies absolutely hate their cage? They won't even go in to eat unless they're starving, or I entice them in by bringing the food bowl to them, then slowly placing it in the cage with them on it. Their cage is plenty spacious and is wider rather than taller, it's pretty drat big. There's enough toys in there without being cramped. I've kept a solid bed routine for a few weeks now, lights down at 6pm, in cage at 8:30 and covered three sides. I leave the back against the wall uncovered so they have a tiny bit of light. Chickadoodle sleeps on the highest perch, I dunno where Wasabi goes. I then wake up every morning at 8:30 and uncover them and open the curtains, then go back to sleep until 11am. I've started wearing earplugs as they won't stop attempting to break out. It's really wearing me down. I hoped by now they'd have gotten used to it, or at least started viewing their cage as a safe space. When they're out all day, they mainly perch high up and just nap, or they'll come down and play on my shoulders, so it's not as if they're utilizing the whole space of my room. They're only really active right after being let out and will aggressively swoop around the room for 15 mins. I'm just feeling real upset with the whole routine, and I hate having to grab them and put them in quickly, because as soon as I open the door, whichever one got put in first will immediately try to break out. It's just pointless stress and frustrates everyone involved. Getting Wasabi hasn't really helped, so it's not a loneliness issue. I've spent more money than is wise on toys, treats, you name it. All to try and make the cage a place they associate with positive stuff. Chickadoodle will immediately run up my arm if I slowly move her inside whilst perched on my finger, even if it's the middle of the day, and even with treats in plain view in the cage. Only time she doesn't is if she is hungry enough, in which case she hops onto the bowl, eats, then beelines right for the exit. She's slightly better at night though, once she's in, she'll relatively quickly settle down by going to her top perch. Wasabi is a month younger than her and will aimlessly squawk and sad meep whilst chewing the bars, digging the food bowl and pushing his head at the bars. Takes him ages to get the memo and sleep. In the morning, they'll spend the entire time stressing out trying to break free. I've never once woken up to them calmly sitting on their perches. They're always pacing or chewing at the bars. It's driving me nuts and I almost bought a flight cage today, but sanity prevailed and I decided not to as I don't fancy being utterly broke until the middle of next month. Is this an adolescence thing? Will they grow out of it? I don't know how to fix it. I'm so close to just spending a few days with them primarily locked in the cage, in the hopes they realise it's not too bad. But then the thought of them not being able to fly whenever they want makes me not do it, and seeing them continuously try and bust out ain't fun. Sorry for the wall of text, someone who's a bird whisperer please tell me how to fix this. Is it a pipe dream where one day they happily flit in and out of their cage, but mainly enjoy being in their cage / on the roof, and only come out to fly or sit on my shoulders? The budgies I had as a kid were like that, they only came out to fly. PS: I've taken a hands-off approach with Wasabi. He likes me well enough, but I barely handfed him, Chickadoodle took the reins on that front and he's been okay with seeds from the get-go. He tolerates me due to Chickadoodle, but I didn't imprint on him. He won't cuddle or nuzzle against me, he just chills on my shoulder or preens me. So we can categorically rule out the 'they just want to be with you' line of thought. Qubee fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Feb 24, 2021 |
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Feb 24, 2021 19:53
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 Knew it would happen, broke again til next month as I bought them a new cage. It's taller than I'd like, but I spent ages searching around and nowhere had wide cages that were affordable. The height is good though as they're quite happy chilling on the top looking out the window, and it's a good spot to scatter food for them to forage around in. Any time a pigeon flies past the window they'll scatter, it's why I've got the shirts on top, it stops them freaking out in the cage when something flies past outside. They both went to sleep instantly last night, they sat right on the very top perch. This morning was the best morning yet. Wasabi occasionally tried to break out but nowhere near as much as he would in the old cage. Chickadoodle just relaxed on the perch all morning. They even played a bit with the toy near the top perch. It's total overkill but fingers crossed everyone's going to be happier with the new arrangement. I'm going to see how the next few days go but if there's any issues at all with regards to putting them to bed, I think I'm just going to have to toughen up and cage them for a few days until they understand the cage is actually pretty cool. It's funny because as soon as they realise that, I've got no issue letting them out 24/7, I just want to know I can quickly and consistently lock them up when I have to leave without the slapstick comedy routine of chasing them about the place. On a more positive note, Chickadoodle has always had a fondness for squidging under my chin, and I'd sorta cuddle her that way. But yesterday was a level up in our friendship, she let me cup her with my hand and just go to town with head scratches. She even rested on her belly, and was a budgie burrito. I'm practically a Disney princess right now and it's great. This is a video towards the end of the session, was 10/10. Excuse the unemployed and dishevelled look I'm rocking. Thanks for the advice as well! I realise this is more a wholesome 'post your birbs' thread rather than a questions and answers thread, I can't help but verbal diarrhea anytime there's a tiny issue though. https://i.imgur.com/XiUZWRR.mp4
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Feb 27, 2021 12:20
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Thanks for the heads up. I have two lightbulbs in my room front and back, and I turn one off so the cage is basically entirely in shadow when the top half is covered and a sliver of the bottom of the cage is illuminated, makes my room feel like it's having a sunset. Moving about doesn't cast shadows due to the lightbulb layout. I just have to hope that if a fright does happen, no serious injuries occur. Morning routine when I can hear them puttering about is to gently call their names, it's strangely the only ever time I've been able to wake up early without being annoyed. Then I just sort of fold the shirts I use to cover the cage up slowly onto the cage top and flick the light on, then go back to sleep. I think this may be the final cage update: it's been three days since I started Operation Lockdown. I keep them in the cage throughout the day and only let them out twice a day, one hour in the morning and one hour in the late afternoon about two hours before bed. Feeding only happens in the cage, no exception, to help solidify the idea that cage = safe and positive and good things. I don't let them eat seeds from my hands anymore, or spread it around on my desk. First day was awful, I felt like a monster. Second day was slightly better. Today, they'll happily sit and play in the cage and will sometimes not immediately try to fly out when I open the door. They'll accept that the door is, in fact, open, but carry on eating or playing with their toys or relaxing. They do get a bit antsy if I don't let them out when they are expecting it. Reckon I'm going to keep this routine up until they're comfortably and happily flying in and out of the cage of their own accord. I miss having them out all the time, I love when they're just on my shoulder or playing around my hand whilst I'm using the mouse. But they're still not perfect when it comes to cagetime. I'm just so grateful the stressing out and trying to squeeze through the bars has stopped.
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Mar 2, 2021 23:25
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I had an interesting discussion with a friend, who also keeps birds. He has a Zebra Finch that is like a tiny puppy, it's so weird to see a bird behave that way when they're naturally rather reclusive and distant. He seems to be of the opinion that I need to be more hands on with my budgies, as he said the way I treat them is too 'formal', I guess, or polite? I told him budgies are a different breed entirely, they're not really that cuddly, they dictate when they want scratches or not. If I even attempt to stroke them or hold them, they get a bit irritated. He said if I keep practicing with the youngest (Wasabi), I can get him used to being held, or put on his back on my hand, or stroked and cuddled. I don't know if I fully agree with that, it kind of goes against what I have read about birds online: always respect their boundaries, never force anything, always let them initiate contact, encourage behaviour with positive reinforcement. A glaring example of our different schools of thought are how we get our birds to step up, I put my finger in front of them and let them hop on, he'll push his finger gently under the belly to get them off balance and force the step up. I'm not really sure whether I should listen to the advice. On the one hand, I'd love my two budgies to be even more cuddly and 100 percent okay with rougher (in the sense of stroking them, having them lay on their backs on my hand, letting me cuddle them any way I want) handling, but on the other, I feel like this is a great way to destroy a lot of the organic trust we've built up. We spend plenty of time together, they love to be on my shoulders, but they're like an extreme version of a cat - they only want to be cuddly and close when it suits them, otherwise they won't even entertain the thought and will flit off to do their own thing. I'd love to hear what you all have to say. I also wouldn't want to force them to do things they're unhappy with, but a small part of me wonders if that would only be the initial reaction, but over time they'd realise it's not that bad and they actually love using my hand as a hammock or letting me cuddle them under their chins whenever. I just accepted the fact that they're budgies and this is how they'll always be, slightly aloof with brief periods of cuddliness - but only ever on their terms. However, some pictures and videos I see online or on Reddit, people manage to have extremely cuddly and close budgies that'll happily lay in their hands, or get cuddles, stuff like that. I figured I'd perhaps chosen the wrong type of bird for my personality, and maybe should have gone with a cockatiel. I still absolutely love my two little poopheads, but the relationship can sometimes leave much to be desired. Question: Wasabi is a month younger than Chickadoodle, so 2 months old rather than 3 months. I notice he will keep harassing Chickadoodle for food. That's not a problem as Chickadoodle will tell him to buzz off when they're not in the mood, but is there a risk of Chickadoodle becoming malnourished due to all the feedings? I catch her feeding him a couple of times a day. He eats seeds no problem, I think he's just being lazy. I don't know whether to leave this behaviour or try and discourage it. Qubee fucked around with this message at 11:32 on Mar 3, 2021 |
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Mar 3, 2021 11:26
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Chickadoodle is getting hella nibbly, which I've heard other people complain of with their female budgies.
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Mar 4, 2021 12:26
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For those that remember the video of me scritching the heck out of Chickadoodle under my chin, every day she just gets more and more comfortable with it. She'll go upside down whilst clinging to my thumb if I curl my fingers into a tunnel, and I can put her upside down on her back and she's sorta alright with it. We had a pretty cool moment today where she was upside down and I used my nose to rub her cheek area and she just fully stretched out her neck and had that spa treatment look on her face. Wasabi joined in and started preening her at the same time. Talk about spoilt. Weird how she's completely comfortable with me using my nose to cuddle her but if I try with my fingers, she'll hedge away or think it's step up command. It's super rare to actually be able to scratch her cheeks with my finger, she'll either try to regurgitate food onto them or try to step up onto them.
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Mar 7, 2021 00:23
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hbag posted:i have been told that despite being a sedentary, lazy prick, taking care of budgies isnt as difficult as i think They're more social than I expected, and mine definitely don't like being caged all day. Even with two hours flight time, they'll still jump at the chance to spend time with me / out in the room. Plus I've been waking up at 8:30am for the past month or so to uncover them every morning, even if I'd slept at 4am the night before. Normally, I wouldn't even consider doing that for anything, but these two would get me to walk through shards of glass to make sure they were okay. There's also the daily routine of changing food and water, and then the weekly one of cleaning the cage top to bottom. Also, you'll either learn to not really get bugged by bird poop, or you'll hate bird poop and feel annoyed whenever they drop bombs on stuff outside the cage. I'm the former, I've embraced the poop. I'm just saying this as I'm lazy too, and if I could go back in time knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have gotten any bird, because the responsibility and work involved is more than I anticipated. I didn't expect it to be this level of maintenance, and I sure miss the days of having nothing to think about except what I want to do. It'll help a lot if your desk room doesn't have many things on the walls for them to perch on, that way you can buy them a bird play area / stand, and it'll become their defacto hangout spot. Easier poop cleanup. Mine have two spots across the room they can get to, so they crap everywhere. When I move out, I'll just have my PC / Desk, and then a bird play area so they're always in one spot for sure. Qubee fucked around with this message at 10:46 on Mar 8, 2021 |
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Mar 8, 2021 10:42
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Thank you for letting me know hibiscus is a thing I can get them that's safe. I was just going to get one of those playstands that catch poop but I'd rather have a beautiful hibiscus tree for them to chill in. Does anyone else have their birds divebomb their tea / coffee? I can't drink in peace unless they're caged as they'll keep trying to drink my tea. Chickadoodle has managed a couple of times, she gets a swig or two in then I react in time to block her from getting any more. I don't know why they're so crazy for tea. I want to buy birdsafe herbal tea but I'm not sure whether any generic herbal tea is safe. Could I let them drink rooibos tea?
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Mar 8, 2021 16:33
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