Foxjxa Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 If you're after a small hand tame bird, I think a budgie would be easier. It doesn't matter if you got one from a breeder or a store PROVIDED you put time into it. Plenty of people get hand reared birds and ruin them through lack of effort on their part to maintain a bond with them. You only need to have them out and spend time with or around them for a bond to remain stable! Budgie's can be little snuggle-bugs if handled right, and are extremely cute! They make great talkers as previously mentioned, but I find their chatter to one another can be annoying at times. I've handled several in-store that didn't fly off my finger straight away and they went on to make great cuddly pets. If you want 2 and don't care if they're hand tame, I'd go with a couple of lovebirds. Doesn't matter what gender they are, they'll still form a pair if you get them together young enough and they'll cuddle together and do all sorts of cute couple-y stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Your probably right LA, mine never used to say any words, they only ever spoke to each other :-? Now I know why :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Okay, if I'm allowed one (I'm very convincing), I'm guessing that my 35cm x 27cm x 40cm tall (24 from bottom to the square part, 40 from bottom to arch) cage isn't going to be big enough for ONE budgie? http://www.petmart.co.nz/cart_product654-1-44.html If so, I was thinking of building a 60 x 30 x 30/40cm tall box out of 2x2's with MDF or ply walls on every side except the front which would be wire mesh. One door that opens up the whole front, and another that opens up half or a third of the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 That cage will be fine for one budgie, especially if it going to be let out regularly as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 That cage will be fine for one budgie, especially if it going to be let out regularly as well. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Cool. Anyone want to buy a male grey and female white zebra finch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 1 budgie only, and only if you are going to have him out all the time :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Yes Sergant Phoenix sir! Looks like the finches are going to have to go. Perhaps into the outdoor aviary? Does anyone heat their outdoor aviaries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 only ever heated outdoors for foreign finches, not zebs though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Yeah, but the reason I moved them in was because they were dying out there. I'm going to have a good go at making some real decent nest boxes for these two and adding some ply to the front. How do you heat Livingart? (No, I don't want to heat Livingart, I would like to know how you heat(ed) the aviaries :lol: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Yes Sergant Phoenix sir! Looks like the finches are going to have to go. Perhaps into the outdoor aviary? Does anyone heat their outdoor aviaries? muttermutter general lol. shouldn't have to heat an out door one, with zebra finches in it. they do fine in the cold and the wild :lol: dunno why yours were dying though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 not so much a matter of heating hang a 100 watt light bulb in sheltered back of aviary with perches near it gouldian finches don't have a down on them so get cold quickly they are only small birds and food they consume is used to heat their bodies on cold nights our long nights in winter mean they run out of internal heating the lighting allowed them to get to the food to recharge the heating system worked for me zebras should be able to handle a winter outdoors if they feed off a damp floor in winter they can get fungal infections in their nasal passages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 I'll lay down some bark, then sand, then sawdust. Will that reudce the damp? It was mainly chicks or fledglings that were dying, and a few of the older birds. Used to have the feeder on the ground for the Quails but I'll move it up. I Lol'd when I saw that pic of Phoenix/the pic that Phoenix submitted. Those Budgies looked so chilled out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 i use a layer of bark, if birds feed on the ground on damp feed they can pass this on to the young in the nest young birds have a weaker immune system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 I Lol'd when I saw that pic of Phoenix/the pic that Phoenix submitted. Those Budgies looked so chilled out. those budgies were terrible to start off with. store bought and bit me all over. laid down the law and soon they were nice budgies. sadly these were the same 5 birds that got eaten by a cat in my current house, that is causing me paranoia :lol: that pic is pretty old now - 3years old or so... I think. my hair is considerably longer ha ha. keep em budgies away from too much dampness and youll be sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Yea phoenix's hair is rather womanly now i think he calls it :lol: I didn't recognise you in that pic phoenix :lol: Terrible that 5 Budgies got eaten by the Cat One of my 5 Cats bought a Budgie home to me one day, dropped it at my feet as if to say "I got you a present mummy" "Hope you like it" :lol: still to this day have no idea where she got it from :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkfur Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 maybe wait until the outside temps warm up a bit before moving birds that are acclimatised to inside out? course more of a problem in my part of the country than yours but it could be a bit of a shock to them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 The finches are kept in the cgae on the previous page. Usually inside but outside on good days. They used to be in the outdoor Aviary so should be sweet as. Thanks for your concern though darkfur. My cat is just a BIG softie, literally. She can't bring anything in except crickets, too fat and furry I reckon. What do ya'll build you're nesting boxes out of? Saw some MDF one at Animates but the rain would trash those. Ply's a bit tricky to work with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Do you not have a covered area at all in your aviary? That is where we put the nesting boxes when we had our aviary. The boxes were made of chip board. Come to think of it, our whole aviary had a tile roof (leftover from house alterations). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 doesn't your aviary have a roof on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 doesn't your aviary have a roof on it? Mine? Yes, mine has a roof, sloping ply and half ply at the back. Thinking about boarding up part of the front with some ply too, just to break the wind a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 so mdf boxes wouldn't get wet then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 i made a round cylinder about 250mm across out of wire netting put a base of netting on the bottom stuffed with dry hay cut holes in side for finches to get in use a broom stick to poke in and make a hollow in the hay hung it in the aviary undercover and the zebies nest in it and talpacoti doves nest in the top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Yea phoenix's hair is rather womanly now i think he calls it :lol: well it was either that or as the lovely lady said, "my my your hair is lovely, just like a well groomed afghan hound". :lol: well sam, are you getting this budgie? what colour one did you want>? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 well sam, are you getting this budgie? what colour one did you want>? I'm getting it Seragant General Phoenix sir! Just need to build some boxes, move some birds and it'll be all go. Looking at getting a Blue, Grey and/or White one if I can source one young enough. But I'm not too fussed on the colour as long as it isn't mainly Yellow and Green. What colour would you suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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