| BUDGERIGAR |
 |
| Budgerigars are Native Australian birds. They come in many (over 100) varieties of colour wich are recognised by budgerigar breeders. Choosing Your New Budgerigar: If you are new to Budgerigars you would be best of getting a Male (blue nazles/cere) wich are easier to train (once they reach about 6 months they are usually responseless to training) than the females (Brown)wich would only be worthwile getting if you wanted to Breed. Yong birds are harder to tell the sex of. There adge is more easily to tell, young birds have bars of colour from the cere to the forehead. these begin to dissapere at about 3 months. If you are not going to be home or not have much time for the bird you would be best to buy a companion bird (they will be hard or imposible to train as they don't have the human bonding). AVIARIES A well built and decent sized aviary is the next best thing from the wild. It gives the owner a good chance to breed and to put differant species such as cockatiels and other compatable birds together. Small birds like finches are not compatable but ask the breeder of the other bird if they are or not. Whether building your own or buing a ready to asemble aviary it needs to have 2 key elements, 1. an outdoor flight area and a weatherproof sleeping and nesting area. The most common type of avairy is one built of timber with wire mesh, a double door for security and built on concrete or similar rat proof floor and should have the eves and all gaps filled or blocked from all rats or similar rodents, and even snakes that might eat the eggs or even the birds. The avairies position should also be thought about hard because the birds need some sun preferably in the morning but some of it must allways be away from the wind rain and the sun. The sleeping area needs to be furnished with plenty of perches that are all preferably all at the same leavel and in a uniform angle and direction. This is because bugies allways try to get the highest position and if ther is only on perch that is high you might get the birds fighting for it. The perches should also have a variety of diamiters and textures so the birds do not get cramps. They should also be partly in the weatherproof area but some not because the bugies sometimes like a good soaking.Next is the nesting box, it should be out of the way from the main flight area and is best positioned in the weatherproof area. The birds like a secure dark area with a hollow floor for the eggs. Bugies need no nesting material but some sawdust in the bottom of the nesting box. CAGING If you are just keeping your bugie in a cage you will need to spend allot more time with it because it doesent have room to fly or other companion birds. It is also essential for you to allow the bugie time out of the cage for exercise each day. The bars of the cade should be horizontal (from left to right) not vertical (top to bottom) to give climbing bars. The cage should be somewhere that the bird can have the most human contact but can be let out safely. Obviously windows should be shut when the bird is let out but also remember things like toilets, pots with water little kids and other animals that might attack. Also fans fires and other stuff should be covered or turned off. If the house is secure and there is no way the bird can hurt itself you can leave the cage open for the bird to get in and out by itself. Just make sure the bird can get back to its cage. If there is an open fire or smokers in the house the bird should be removed from the room. Furnishing the cage is easily done. it needs perches close to the water and food pots. The bottom of the cage can have sand or sand-papper wich the bird will use to chew and to sand its nails down. Other things for the cage are bells, ladders, bells, ropes, swings, and mirrors are all suitable toys providing the cage is not overcrowded with them. Toys made from natural things like wood are prefered and are safer. FOOD AND WATER Seed is the most important part of a bugies diet. You can get many pre mixed seeds from your local pet shop, most of these are a mixture of canary seed and millet. The better mixtures have red rape seed or niger. Bugies also like some types of sunflower seed and wheat germ. You should also have a buch of seed grass for them sometimes. You also have to make sure you blow away the husks of the seed so the bird can get to its food. In captivity your bird will also eat chickweed, groundsel, dandelion, and other greens. Some also enjoy a peice of apple or orange and even grated carrot. Bugies also need the following in there diet- Grit-essential for digestion in seed eating birds. Cuttlefish Bone - for calcium, triming beaks, they should both be firmly fixed so the bird can easily peck at them. Mineral Block - variose minerals that help the bird function it also needs to be secure. Water - for drinking and a sepperate saucer full for a bath because birds need to clean themselves but they should be given the saucer in time that they can dry before it gets cold they do need seperate bowls. |
 |
| MORE |