Caryl

I can see why moving would not make sense and I know how hard it is to find bond money etc. One thing you said gave me pause for thought. You said that you were eating in a lot more now. Why are you not eating in all the time? Many young people today say they are budgeting but it is a false budget. Takeaways and fast foods are not a cheap option and I am always amazed at how many people can afford to eat at these places. When my kids were little, McD was a birthday treat we saved up for, not a weekly (or in some cases daily) thing. I know a couple who complain money is tight and they are having trouble managing but they have the latest big screen TV and fancy stereo system. They have broadband internet and Sky. They rent DVDs regularly and go out to the pub or movies. They both have cell phones with monthly plans. Believe it or not, these are not the necessities of life! I have no idea whether you have any of these things but is it possible to cut some of them, or change a plan? I would suggest you start a vege garden too but it won't help you in the short term Any chance your parents can help out with meals sometimes? I have no objection to you trying to get a benefit for the short term. That is what they are there for. I think some are being a bit harsh and judgemental here.

Aqua, not turquoise

I thought I read somewhere they shouldn't have sunflower seeds :-? I am not worried about over-eating, I am worried about Pepper not eating enough. Unless Pepper starts to play games, it is not getting much exercise so far as doesn't seem interested. Happy to just perch on a shoulder all day long :roll: (must be male :lol: ) We are doing our best to offer variety and have tried, so far, pumpkin (loves that), kiwifruit, Weetbix, peaches (loved them too), sultanas, bran (liked that but careful in case too much will give the runs), peas (played with but didn't actually eat), potato (liked that too). Bought some broccoli today so he will get some greens. I see they like dandelions too so will go and pick some. I think for lunch he will be offered a little porridge and some apple. In between times he has the seed mix the shop gave us in a seed dish in his cage but he is so rarely in there he does not have ready access. He can't get into it unless we put him in there anyway. He can fly down but not up.

That coloUr blue is actually green

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: