Caryl

I like to see different links to different sites like this. I too can't do maths so need all the help I can get! Also, what makes perfect sense on one site to someone may not be so for another but they understand a different site layout. If you are able to work it out yourself then fine but for the rest of us, thanks for the link.

The 2 for 1 deal gave it away :lol: We visited several shops at the weekend and didn't see any nets lying around anywhere. Indeed, I don't ever remember seeing any nets lying about like that in any shop I have been in. The ones we were in had theirs in a sterilising solution.

Is the "he" you refer to your partner or brother? Or are you flatting with your brother? I would have thought if you can show that despite their earnings, your parents are now in no position to be able to help, there must be something WINZ can do. I was lucky when my daughter finally decided to go back to school she had just turned 25 so was not means tested on our income :roll: If you have the time, can you pick up extra work like dog walking, babysitting, childcare or something for a few extra $$? Or, as Heir suggests, move back home?

False on my screen

Pepper wants to be on us too, not just near us. Near is not good enough :lol: He seems to be happy to just sit on my shoulder all day and preen himself. He sometimes grinds his beak, which is a sign of contentment according to the website. Sometimes he chatters a little and this morning when I came home from town and let him out he muttered for a while so I like to think he was complaining about being shut in :lol: . He can't have been too upset or he would have screeched. He has done that 3 or 4 times so we know what it sounds like. At least it isn't as ear piercing as some of them can be!! :bounce: If we decide to keep his wings clipped we will have to find out how :roll: Can someone tell us a bit more about feeding please? How much should it eat at a time? It seems to be eating very little. Also, does it matter if the veg is cooked or raw and is one better than the other? I am going to do as jenniferh suggested and just feed him what we eat so he is getting spag bol for tea. I assume he can eat the meat too? :lol: Not sure whether to give him broccoli before it gets cooked for tea or just give him cooked bits. Went into the local garden centre this morning and they don't actually have any seed for it. They have budgie, canary and dove seed plus a whole lot of separate seeds like wheat, rape, etc so feeding him our food will be easier and we won't run out 8)

I cleaned out as much as possible by hand and siphon then dosed. I repeated this 3 days later with the only water change being topping up what got siphoned out as I cleaned it off the substrate.

We think so too Sarah. Not as cute as your granddaughter though How much are they supposed to eat? (conures, not grandchildren) Pepper enjoyed some bran, Weetbix, peach and kiwifruit this morning but only nibbles on a very small amount and I am not sure how much goes in and what percentage has hit the floor! We are going to offer him bits of everything to get him used to different tastes and textures. if he ends up eating the same as us then it saves buying bird food doesn't it? We eat healthy here with low (if any) salt and no sugar and fresh fruit and veg. His wings are clipped. Should we keep them trimmed so he can't fly ever? He can go a reasonable distance in a glide as is.

Don't like avocado so it wouldn't get any anyway and I do not share chocolate! :lol: The shop gave us a big bag of cockatiel seed mix for it and it's been eating that. It has small black seeds in it I thought were sunflower seeds but if not, have no idea what they are. Must look on the bag (it is bedded down so won't disturb it now). The bean recipe would be appreciated. We aren't really sure how much to give at each meal either. Don't want to end up with a starved, or obese, bird :-?

Thanks for that.

HELLO JENNIFER!!! Was that loud enough? :lol: Cricketman our NW has roasted peanuts in the shell but not raw. The site Livingart recommended said peanuts weren't good for them as they often have a fungal toxin called aflatoxin :-?

Yes Jenniferh it was the one at Animates :roll: What was the site again that told you how to clicker train? Where do you get clickers from these days? :-? I hear you can toilet train these birds? Yes phoenix44, he sure loves water! Dived straight into a bath this morning. Water everywhere! :lol: We tried some veg today as the site Livingart recommended said fruit and veg were imprtant daily foods. I don't think Pepper has ever been offered fresh veg before as he was not too sure about it. He nibbled a bit on carrot but tended to bite a bit off then drop it. He liked the pumpkin. The peas were played with then dropped. He nibbled the potato a bit. Might try a bit of kumera tomorrow and apple. He was not interested in banana. Bud loved banana, especially the skin.

Photos can be found here

Thank you all. We are really missing him. His empty cage is on the floor and the bungy cord from which it used to hang looks out of place. Southerrrngirrrl (can't remember how many RRRs are in there) he was 4 years old and lived his life to the full. He was such fun and was a great little friend.

I am sorry to report that Bud the wonder budgie died today (with the vet's help) at 2.58pm Turns out he did, as we expected, have a very large tumour. The vet suspected it had been pushing against the other body parts which was why he appeared to be partially constipated and having difficulty breathing. I cried almost all the way back to mum's then, once there, having to tell her we had to euthanase him I burst into tears again so I have been too upset to post earlier. Sorry to those of you waiting to hear the outcome. He was a wonderful little companion and we will miss his chatter and funny (and not so funny) antics. RIP Bud

Congratulations! It sounds like it will be interesting.

Good idea. You don't know what the gene mix was from the male side

Thanks for the link Mark. It sure has plenty of information! I am printing it off in booklet form so I can refer to it easily. We want to make sure we feed him the right stuff! I will have a look for Jennifer's link too as I know clicker training works.

Actually Brad Pitt doesn't really do it for me. I think I would prefer that Aussie bloke - Hugh Jackman I think his name is. Or Victor Webster :lol: (I Googled Claire and can see the attraction! Better than Ange definitely)

How long was it in the trap? Sometimes moving them into the trap can cause them to abort early. If she is young, that may have been the problem but I am no guppy expert so someone else may have something more reliable to offer :roll:

Neat. I hope more appear. Only 9 more required to register

Why don't we just Photoshop Brad Pitt in and remove Navarre entirely? :lol:

Meet the latest addition to our family. It is a green, maroon bellied conure. No idea of sex as, unless it lays an egg, we will have to have it DNA tested. At the moment it is being called Pepper cos it is green with a touch of red and has bite. 8) It loves baths apparently... I think the man said he was about 3 or 4 months old and hand reared. He was loose in the shop and happy to be passed from customer to customer. They had 2 and the other one was sold the day before so it is probably missing its companion It has been quiet so far and only given light nips on occasion. It rode home loose in the car moving from person to person as the fancy took it. Grant and Ryan managed to get the cage built so we had somewhere to put it! We bought a really big one on wheels so it can be moved about and maybe get outside for some direct sunlight (if I can keep the neighbour's cat away :evil: ). It came with a starter pack of food and toys so ew are all set for a while.

Thank you all. He gets reassessed at the vet today 2.45. He has improved a little but is still a sick budgie so I think it will be kindest to have him put down. He certainly does not have quality of life and we put off getting Misty put down so I think she suffered longer than she should have just because we couldn't bear to make the decision. We have not heard a sound out of him for a week now and he is usually bouncing about nattering away and playing with his toys. As to names, Deidre (one of our members) works at a supermarket with several Brazilians and Sth Americans so is going to ask them for South American name. Of course we will have to trust us when they assure us the name relly does mean something nice! :lol: At the moment it is being called Pepper cos it is green with a bit of red on the front and it has bite I understand you can train them to poo in designated areas so will need to learn more about them. We are not even sure what they can eat apart from bird seed. The guy at the shop said they love raw peanuts in the shell but I could only find roasted ones. Anyone know where else they can be found and how often they can have them? Also, what fruits and veg can I give, and how often? Any advice on training or any aspect would be appreciated.

I have to delete that first one Navarre. Not only unflattering lower areas but your eyes were shut too :lol: The one with you and Grant in it was good though. Hopefully I wil have time to post pics later. I hope nobody objects to being identified? There are no photos of anyone doing anything embarrassing or anything like that! 8)

It was a delicious cheesecake wasn't it? So was the carrot cake and the cup cakes :lol: I hope to upload photos of the weekend in the next few days but have a lot of other stuff to do, including finishing off the AW!