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Post by Liz on Dec 16, 2007 21:44:32 GMT
No. Mine get good old fresh tap water. I guess you could say that dechlorinated would be better for them, but humans drink water with chlorine in it, (although that's not to say that everything that is fine for humans is fine for birds) and probably the majority of all birds do too.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Dec 17, 2007 22:09:23 GMT
Good. I heard from someone that birds get sick from tap water so I wanted to clarify.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Dec 21, 2007 23:21:43 GMT
How much food do I give a parakeet and how often?
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Post by Liz on Dec 22, 2007 2:17:00 GMT
Just have the main seed mix available in a standard food dish all the time. They need to eat little meals pretty much all through the day because they have a fast metabolism, so if you leave the seed mix out they'll eat when they need to.
Veggies once a day (and you'll find out with trial and error about how much they'll eat) and any other treats every couple days or so.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Dec 23, 2007 18:40:30 GMT
So I guess the first meal I should just put out a dish with some a bit of apple, some lettuce, banana, and another fruit/veggie? I think i've got it now.
Have any of you bought the happy hut for your birds? I recently bought it and wanted to know if anybody who owns it likes it.
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Post by judy on Dec 23, 2007 21:53:26 GMT
there are alot of people that use them and they look so cute. Im thinking about purchasing one of ebay where they sell plenty and most are cheap as well. While my little guys are on the veranda thru the summer they could use some sort of bed.
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Post by Berserka on Dec 24, 2007 12:46:45 GMT
Very few (if any) budgies will eat banana. Any uneated fruit and veggies should be removed after 1 hour as it will start going bad. I'd suggest some silverbeet or spinach instead of lettuce as lettuce has no nutritional value. Mine love the leaves from Silverbeet. A good veggie mix would consist of: some small pieces (bit size) of carrot, silverbeet and/or spinach, probably about 20 corn kernels, a few garden peas, some mung beans if you have them. On alternate days could try the budgie on some apple, grape, strawberry, blueberry - most budgies don't like fruit but if you persist you may get him to eat some.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Dec 25, 2007 17:25:46 GMT
Thanks for the answer. I have another question though.
I went to a pet store a couple days ago and a lady who worked there said that budgies and parakeets aren't the same thing. The budgies looked like over sized parakeets. Which one do I buy?
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Post by Liz on Dec 25, 2007 20:18:41 GMT
Well, they are the same species. Professional breeders have better quality birds that are larger and usually for showing and call them "English Budgies" and the little ones are usually called "American Parakeets". Both types are what we call budgies on here, and it is up to you which ones you like better. They have the same needs and everything. I've heard rumors that the larger budgies are usually calmer and easier tamed than the little ones, but I honestly have no idea if there is any truth to that. I have both types in my aviary, and I have noticed that the little ones are a bit more hyper as a general rule. Personally, I would get a "English Budgie", because I think they are more attractive , but again, it's up to you. Merry Christmas!
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Dec 25, 2007 21:58:16 GMT
I think i'll get an american parakeet. There's a very pretty yellow one I saw. I think i'll get that one. If I get another one later i'll get the larger one.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Dec 26, 2007 23:37:22 GMT
I have a problem. I want a yellow american parakeet, but can't tell the difference between a male/female or tell how old they are. How do you tell?
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Post by Berserka on Dec 27, 2007 6:44:04 GMT
There is no such thing an an American or English Budgie!!!!!!!!!! They are only known as Budgies! The larger variety are Show or Exhibition Budgies, the smaller ones are mutts or Pet Budgies. The larger variety are better for pets as they are a slower bird and when tame enjoy being with their human. Pet sized budgies don't care and love to fly and fly and fly. They can be a bit more flighty than the Show Budgies. I have noticed though that Pet Budgies are usually funnier and go nuts over their toys more. If by yellow you mean Lutino - red eyes & the birds usually have white flight & tail feathers then they are difficult to sex young and impossible to age. Females on all budgies have a brown cere (bit above beak) which the colour varies on whether she is in breeding condition or not. Males in most colours are blue, however on the pieds (blue & white or yellow & green) their cere is ususally a fleshy/purple colour. All this is when they are past their first moult usually at around 3-5 months old. If the bird has a white ring around the outside of their eye, they are usually at least 6 months old. To have a good pet bird you should get a green or blue that has black lines all the way down it's head to it's forehead - that way you know it's no more than 10 weeks old. In my signature is my girl Boris - she is tame and in the picture she was around 13 months old. She is also somewhere in between a Pet & Show sized Budgie at around 42-44 grams in weight. This baby is around 8 weeks old and a girl - see around the edge of the nostrils is a whitish colour where the rest is a different colour? That means female: The yellow (lutino) in this pic is a girl - click to make the pic larger and look at the cere, there is a paleness to the edge of the nostrils: This is a yellow lacewing baby girl - can see the whitish rings around her nostrils: I haven't been able to breed any yellow males for ages so can't show you any baby ceres. This is an adult male yellow lacewing cere: Adult male Lutino cere: Hope this helps.
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Post by Liz on Dec 27, 2007 20:42:09 GMT
There is no such thing an an American or English Budgie!!!!!!!!!! They are only known as Budgies! Sorry to disagree Karen, but here in the US, the majority of bird dealers go by the common names of English and American budgies/parakeets. I think it is the stupidest thing in the world and have had many headaches over it... but the sad fact is that if you even say the word budgie, you either get blank looks from the uneducated, or a whole bunch of crazy divisions that don't make sense at all. On BC, I just use the budgie term universally unless I'm talking about show birds specifically, but if I'm going to a store or talking to other budgie owners here in the US, than the terms get confused really quickly. It drives me nuts that Americans can't even figure out the names for one little bird, but that is the sad fact! Sorry... I'm done ranting now.
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Post by Berserka on Dec 28, 2007 7:18:46 GMT
Yeah I know you guys and the POMS like to lay claim to other countries' things but the fact of the matter is, budgies are Australian, they are not Dutch, German, English, American, Canadian or any other countries. They evolved on Australian soil - you can take the bird out of Australia but you can't take the Australian out of the Bird. Until the morons who deal in birds stop referring to our animals' heritage as theirs, there will be many an argument over the correct naming. I have even caught out a couple of people over here using the term English Budgie. I just say "there is no such thing as an English Budgie because they evolved here not in England". I am positive it would be considered an atrocity if a family of Bald Eagles born and raised in Australia over successive bird generations suddenly were referred to as Australian Bald Eagles. LOL wouldn't that cause a diplomatic issue! That is the way Aussies feel about budgies. Yes overseas countries have them, might alter their size through selective breeding but they still are an Australian bird. While we acknowledge that the English did alter their size through selective breeding, it doesn't consign ownership of a species. It is a sore point to many dinky di Aussies. Melopsittacus undulatus - no other name. LOL okay my rant over too.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Dec 28, 2007 16:19:32 GMT
Wow.... I didn't mean to cause an argument over my question. Thanks for the pics Karen, they really helped.
How much every day should I take my budgie out of it's cage for exercise?
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