# looks like i have a budgie!



## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

soooo,
out walking with kitty (my dog) today when i'd seen a man flailing his arms at a load of magpies etc. he called me over ton help him and it turned out that there was a wee budgie on the pavement. 
i picked him up and noticed he has a ring on. he seemed to be in shock though.
i got him home and put him in a cage i had sitting (the cage i got my rat boys in was a terrible rat cage, but makes a great bird cage!  ) 
i've been to the shop to get him budgie feed, millet sprays, plastic perches, cuttlefish, a feeder and a water fountain thingy, and have made him a few wooden perches with sandpaper, and a ladder for the cage from rat accessories i had lying about!

his nails were Very long- to the point his feet were getting tangled on each other (my aunt whos' dad used to breed budgies advised me to clip them as she held) and he is seeming a lot more content now...

i have out on FB and phoned the local vets to tell them i've found him, but don't know what else to do. my aunt says he looks like he may have been straying for a while, so his owners may have given up, but does the leg rings have a database like microchipping? i hate the idea of his owner missing him, but will certainly keep him if no one shows up to legitimately claim him...

have i missed anything vital? i've never had a bird before you see!


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

I'm not sure if there is a database, but some breeders ring their birds for their own ID purposes, I've had pets that have been ringed prior to taking them on. Well done for taking him/her in, if you've got a photo hopefully someone will be able to help age/sex your new budgie, I used to keep them years ago and had an indoor aviary.


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

i'll get pics of him as soon as my camera charges. i'm not to hopeful of an owner showing tbh; not sure if i even mind that- which i know is bad of me 


the bit just above 'his' beak id blue- apparently that make 'him' male? a females would be brown?

he's a wee beauty- a lovely powder blue :001_wub:
has a heck of a peak on him mind!!!

just can't get over the fact that he was in the street! i don't know why, but i do have a horrible feeling he may have just been chucked out. and couldn't get over that i kitted out his cage for a tenner!?! why can't dogs be that cheap! lol


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

To be honest, some breeders chuck out what they don't want at the end of the breeding season, I've had a couple of rescues in the past most likely from that sort of practice. They were ringed but not of sufficient breeding quality. 

Yes, a blue cere is a boy, hens are pink/brown - occasionally you'll get a cock bird with a wattle across their cere which can make it a little difficult sexing them. 

Has he got black shell markings, or are they cinnamon? Or a spangle wing?? Excited to see a photo now, some of mine were amazing little companions, my first budgie was Billy, who was a cinnamon mauve, he went everywhere in the house with me.


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

oh no; not another whole new terminology!!   
what's a spangle wing? 

please excuse the background in the pic- still decorating!!



oh, and seems my aunt has Already named him for me ut: 
so this is 'Alfie' (i'm gonna wait a few days before taking away the '' round his name, since his owner may be looking for him)


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

A spangle wing is where the shell markings are in reverse, normally the shell markings on the wing, are a band of black or colour along the base of the feather, leaving a white edge. He looks cobalt, but it's not easy to tell from the pics, and he does actually look like a *show* type bird, yes, there is a split with budgies even!!

Edited to add linke http://www.budgieplace.com/colorsguide.html


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## chichi (Apr 22, 2012)

Pretty boy....

I would say that I hope his owner turns up but he just looks so cosy and at home at your house 

Love his new name


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

he was just so flat when i got him- such a different bird altogether!
when my aunt came to pick us up (i called to my grans to get him in a box quicker) her first words were 'well he doesn't look well bred for starters the love' but once his nails were done and he was put in the cage he fluffed himself up and my aunt went  'gorgeous ain't he!?'


if his owner deserves him back i'll be happy to see them reunited- and i hvae his band number to weed out the opportunists! otherwise, i now have a wee bird! i've wanted one from i was 2!


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

you know what, just learned that i've never actually been gobsmacked before!!!!!!

i remembered my uncle showing my how to hold a well tamed budgie, so i had a go while adding more perches...

turns out 
he is finger tamed


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

yea, someones GOTTA be missing this boy!

(this is the cage i have him in... http://www.budgieplace.com/basic.html says it's a good cage for him- thats good advise on that site isn't it?)


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

He looks a different colour in those last pics. If he is finger trained then someone is most likely going to have missed him, but who knows how long he's been missing?


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

that's the closest and longest i've spent with him- i didnt want to freak him out... he does have a very green tinge to him in the clear light, it's a fantastic colour- i'll get pics again tomorrow with the sunlight.

it's the fact his feet were getting tangled under him that is making me think he's been fending for himself for a bit- they were Actually tying in knots


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## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

He is gorgeous  I once found a parakeet on the road outside my house!! Got him back to his owner as well was very happy 

Can I just warn you of the dangers of painting/decorating with a bird, the fumes can kill them!!


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Second that, pop him in another room when you're painting and while it all dries, and keep rooms well ventilated, they only have tiny lungs. 

Look forward to the pics tomorrow


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

the rats are in the living room as well, so ALL cages are going to be moved out on decorating day- and the next.
unfortunately, the walls have looked like that for about a month now 



does he look healthy enough do you think? i'm not sure if he maybe has a bit of nasal discharge or not?


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

I can't see any on the photos, and to be honest, if they have got any nasal discharge you can usually hear and see it fairly obviously, and they tend to *cough* 

One of my best party pieces is that I can speak fluent budgie, after years of owning them, I learned how to chirp and mimic them, I'm sure it was meant to be the other way around


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

ok thats it- i need to own bidgies wether 'Alfie' stays or not!! i hear they like company!?


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

They do like company, but if you want to keep *tame* budgies, you're better off with just one. Personally, I like to see them interacting with each other, having an indoor aviary was fun, if a little noisy!!


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> They do like company, but if you want to keep *tame* budgies, you're better off with just one. Personally, I like to see them interacting with each other, having an indoor aviary was fun, if a little noisy!!


i'd like to keep happy budgies... is it one or the other- company or tame? because i really don't like seeing group animals alone, but like pets that like me! do i sound ut: yet!?


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

That's the conundrum. All of mine that were kept singly were happy enough, but having kept them in a small number, you can see so much more interaction, if I were ever to keep them again I would keep a few at a time in a space big enough for them to have free flight. They are amazingly intelligent little birds and watching them play together is, for me, more enjoyable than having one bird that is tame.


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> That's the conundrum. All of mine that were kept singly were happy enough, but having kept them in a small number, you can see so much more interaction, if I were ever to keep them again I would keep a few at a time in a space big enough for them to have free flight. They are amazingly intelligent little birds and watching them play together is, for me, more enjoyable than having one bird that is tame.


hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

if i was to get a young one, with 'alfie' already being fairly tame reckon i could keep both Fairly tame? as in still happy to sit on my shoulder before scooting off to play with brother again?
with my groups of rats they are all getting tamer the more of them there are it seems!


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

I've had hand tame ones revert to being less tame once you put more than one together, but you can definitely have more than one hand tame bird. The same as with any other pet, you put the work in and you get results. I just like watching how they play together and interact naturally. They play games with each other and even roll around!!


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

i know this is gonna sound silly (and probably pretty childish)


but how long is a reasonable time for me to make myself stay detached before assuming he's staying? if i don't set myself something like that i'll just start thinking of him as mine, and i dont want that then his owner show up the next week!


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## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

Legally for dogs its 28days from when you report them as 'found' I suppose the same could be for birds?!?!


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

so if i'd report a dog to the warden i report a bird to...  i don't know!


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Have you got a lost and found in the local paper?


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

probably do- never look at it myself 


its on the local fb lost and found etc already, never thought of the paper! the vets know i have him as well...


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## Kittenfostermummy (Jul 25, 2011)

That should be ok then. As long as you have got the word out there somehow and the vets know start counting


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

well, it's been a week and seems i'm putting in more effort finding his owner than the owner is in finding him!  so i'm backing down a bit now.
this wee man has been tamed as a young boy, but for some reason he is now Very unsure of all people. i also think he has mites- his feathers are getting sparse in places and he is constantly scratching, and my rats that he is near also have mites now... so everyone has been treated, but trying to get hold of him to get the drops on him :yikes: that wasn't fun for anyone 


he is more than likely staying i assume! and he doesn't suit alfie at all... so is now named 'Winston'.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

This is a very good web site I'm on it and got lots of help and advice 
Home | Budgerigars Forum

Also take the sand perches out, they are no good for birds feet!
Add natural willow branches or the wood ones you can get in pet shops.
Ones of different thickness too as this helps budgies feet to keep in good nic.

Have a pot of grit, a good quality budgie seed like trill, iodine block and cuttlefish.
My two budgies love raw carrot, baby sweetcorn,celery,broccoli, and kale oh and basil leaves and leafy salad.

That cage is from zooplus in the budgie section of cages, its not a bad bird cage actually and budgies prefer length instead of height. As long as there's various perches at diff heights.

I'll post a pic of my set up in a min.

He's a beauty though, well done on catching him.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Here's my two, cedric and sky.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Oh and one droplet of beaphar spot on for budgies is all you need not the whole pipette.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Another pic


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

thankyou! i thought because Every petshop sold the sand sheets that they were good :yikes: 
i'd been given a mite solution by the vets for jenny when i first got her and it was primarily a budgie one, so used that (after checking dates etc) it was only one drop as well...

he has two wooden perches and two plastic ones that are height adjustable, but don't seem overly durable- they're being replaced as soon as i can get sturdy adjustable ones. grit is the one thing i haven't got yet... 
he throughly enjoyed a millet spray a few days ago though!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Cool. And I line my buds cage with newspaper on the base, I put in a whole newspaper and every morning I whip the top sheet out and hey presto clean base.

Remember to blow his seed husks off everyday and prob 3 times a day too as budgies can't get to the seed under the husks.

Sorry if I'm telling you things you already know


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

blade100 said:


> Cool. And I line my buds cage with newspaper on the base, I put in a whole newspaper and every morning I whip the top sheet out and hey presto clean base.
> 
> Remember to blow his seed husks off everyday and prob 3 times a day too as budgies can't get to the seed under the husks.
> 
> *Sorry if I'm telling you things you already know*


please, budgie dummy right here! never allowed a bird when i was a kid in case it hospitalized me! (severe asthmatic) 
wouldn't have thought about the husks! but it seems he's picking the seed out and putting them on the floor to eat!?  and chucking the husks out himself!

i just can't believe he's not being looked for- he looks really young to me,like a yearish or so when going by the age comparison pics on all the budgie sites... oh i don't know!
i'll be taking the ratties to the vets for a check up soon (jenny doesn't seem great and emilys head tilt is getting worse) so they're a great bird vet to, so hopefully they can tell me a bit about winston!


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

kodakkuki said:


> thankyou! i thought because Every petshop sold the sand sheets that they were good :yikes:
> i'd been given a mite solution by the vets for jenny when i first got her and it was primarily a budgie one, so used that (after checking dates etc) it was only one drop as well...
> 
> he has two wooden perches and two plastic ones that are height adjustable, but don't seem overly durable- they're being replaced as soon as i can get sturdy adjustable ones. grit is the one thing i haven't got yet...
> he throughly enjoyed a millet spray a few days ago though!


I use sand sheets for our budgie, aren't they meant to be any good?

I've used bird sand in the past but the place we got it from burned down so gone back to sand sheets now from the local pet shop.


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## Ponky42 (Nov 11, 2012)

I'd say Alfie has "fallen on his claws" at your place. It's good to see him in a decent size cage as well.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Jazzy said:


> I use sand sheets for our budgie, aren't they meant to be any good?
> 
> I've used bird sand in the past but the place we got it from burned down so gone back to sand sheets now from the local pet shop.


It causes bleeding feet, I know I wouldn't like to be perched on a sand sheeted perch or walk about on the sand sheet floor.
Plastic perches aren't good either.

Always stick to wooden perches and newspaper for the bottom.
Newspaper is safe as now days they use vegetable oil in the print.


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

in that cage, there is only one level you can put perches, and he has two wooden ones he flies between... should i add more for him? try to get ones i can fix at a different level?


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I've got small perches that I can screw on to different areas of the cage.
So if you buy one or two of those they'd be good.
Also wooden toys with bells on and a budgie mirror is a def fave for a lone budgie. It's funny watching them talk to themselves and head bang the mirror. Cedric used to do this but now he's got a girlfriend he does it to her instead.

Avoid any toys that have straggly rope as budgies can ingest and cause them problems.


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

blade100 said:


> It causes bleeding feet, I know I wouldn't like to be perched on a sand sheeted perch or walk about on the sand sheet floor.
> Plastic perches aren't good either.
> 
> Always stick to wooden perches and newspaper for the bottom.
> Newspaper is safe as now days they use vegetable oil in the print.


Oh it's okay then cos for some strange reason my budgie never bothers going on the floor of the cage and he didn't when I used bird sand either and that's lovely and soft. I have wooden perches from fruit trees as my o/h is a gardener. I thought it was good for their claws though as they sell special sanded perch covers for the perches.

Edited to add, just seen that the sanded perch covers aren't good for them but I haven't used them for ages anyway so that's okay.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I have some of these perches but not the one with the white rope dangling down, no that would cause accidents.
Perches for Bird Cages: great bargain at zooplus


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

well, there have still been no ads put up anywhere to find him  but i did have lady on the phone hoping and praying he was her lost pet, but turns out he wasn't- i never thought i'd want to find his owner until speaking to her- she had me crying when i had to tell her it wasn't the boy she'd hand raised 

i know it's too soon to be thinking of getting him company (because he isn't mine yet!!) but if/when the time comes... am i getting him a boy or girl? baby or older?   
my mums not keen on the idea of me adding birds to my zoo! :ihih:


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