(no subject)

I've been meaning to give an update on the birdies since last week, but I've been emotional and tired. I can now think about Woody without getting teary (mostly). Thinking about him is more making me smile. Still miss him.

On the Tuesday (the day after) we washed and disinfected the cages/bits & pieces/covers to be on the safe side. Took the birdies to the vet in the afternoon. Told her about what happened with Woody, she thought too that it was most likely something to do with him rather than anything contagious. I told her about how his legs never worked properly and he waddled and didn't fly well. She said it sounded like he didn't get enough calcium early in his life which would have weakened him structurally. (We've also noticed that they're going through a lot less seed and there's a lot less poops - he may've had more problems than we guessed)

She gave Danny, Snoopy and CJ a complete check over - wings, chest, crop, stomach etc and then clipped their nails. She said they are in fabulous condition.

She said if they came down sick to bring them back and she'd do a test of their crop, but that's basically all they can do with budgies. They can't do blood or urine tests, or anything surgery-like, and once they start showing they're sick, it basically already too late. I still feel a little guilty about Woody, maybe if I'd taken them to the vet the week before to get their nails clipped...but he wasn't showing he was sick...basically diagnosis (beyond the simple of mites/lice/some digestive upsets etc) is impossible.

They were quiet Tuesday, with being grabbed and moved multiple times. Wednesday Danny started calling at the top of his lungs for hours. Continued the next few days but less. Then he started grabbing the mirror and thumping it against the side of the cage for a couple of days. I got teary talking to him, explaining (pointlessly) that we were sorry and we knew that he was lonely, but Woody wasn't coming back. He's been calmer since the start of this week, and CJ and Snoopy have been spending some time with him. They all seem healthy.

(no subject)

I've been meaning to give an update on the birdies since last week, but I've been emotional and tired. I can now think about Woody without getting teary (mostly). Thinking about him is more making me smile. Still miss him.

On the Tuesday (the day after) we washed and disinfected the cages/bits & pieces/covers to be on the safe side. Took the birdies to the vet in the afternoon. Told her about what happened with Woody, she thought too that it was most likely something to do with him rather than anything contagious. I told her about how his legs never worked properly and he waddled and didn't fly well. She said it sounded like he didn't get enough calcium early in his life which would have weakened him structurally. (We've also noticed that they're going through a lot less seed and there's a lot less poops - he may've had more problems than we guessed)

She gave Danny, Snoopy and CJ a complete check over - wings, chest, crop, stomach etc and then clipped their nails. She said they are in fabulous condition.

She said if they came down sick to bring them back and she'd do a test of their crop, but that's basically all they can do with budgies. They can't do blood or urine tests, or anything surgery-like, and once they start showing they're sick, it basically already too late. I still feel a little guilty about Woody, maybe if I'd taken them to the vet the week before to get their nails clipped...but he wasn't showing he was sick...basically diagnosis (beyond the simple of mites/lice/some digestive upsets etc) is impossible.

They were quiet Tuesday, with being grabbed and moved multiple times. Wednesday Danny started calling at the top of his lungs for hours. Continued the next few days but less. Then he started grabbing the mirror and thumping it against the side of the cage for a couple of days. I got teary talking to him, explaining (pointlessly) that we were sorry and we knew that he was lonely, but Woody wasn't coming back. He's been calmer since the start of this week, and CJ and Snoopy have been spending some time with him. They all seem healthy.

(no subject)

We've been smiling and laughing after the tears over Woody, because we have *3* new baby budgies. And like all babies, they're great time wasters ;)

We didn't want to leave the other 3 without a 4th for too long, and my sister was upset about Woody and decided to go down to the pet shop we deal with (that specialises in birds and doesn't clip their wings) just to see what baby budgies they had, planning to get one on the weekend. Mum ended up going with her...and they came home with two baby birdies.

My sister's is Daffy (Daffodil). He's a mottled yellow/white Lutino going through his first moult (about 12 weeks). He sits like Woody did, a similar shape (but his legs do work).

Mum fell in love with Sniffles (after the mouse in the old WB cartoons) and had to have him, he's a light green and a total and utter clown. He was rolling over on the perch the first day and can't sit still. He was about 9 weeks, skinny gorgeous little thing. He adores squeezing down between the water bowl and the side of the cage, and doing it over and over. There's a video that we're going to try and send in to Australia's Funniest Home Videos, where he goes down the side of the water bowl 16 times in 58 seconds.

The vet checked them both out and said they looked good. But we were told to keep them quarantined from the others for 3 weeks to be on the safe side. They're in the smaller cage some metres away from the big cage, but they can see each other and Danny is particularly interested (we wondered whether Danny thought Woody was in the small cage).

Apparently, getting 5 was mother's brilliant plan to sneak in a 6th one, as Dad probably would have balked at us buying 3 (they tend to pair up, so we needed an even number). So, on the weekend we got another new little addition. Tweety is dad's budgie, and he's about 13 weeks, a darker yellow and much sleeker with his new feathers and a little bit bossier than Sniffles and Daffy. Sniffles has been preening him.

Turns out that Sniffles was bred by a girl I went to high school with, she works down the pet shop. I wasn't really friends with her then, but we had a lovely talk. She's had health issues too, so understands, and she's also living with her parents and has a 13 year old son. So I didn't feel at all judged for still being at home.

We're handling them, trying to get them used to our hands in the cage...with varying degrees of success. I remember it took a while before Danny, Snoopy and Woody were finger trained. They get to go for a fly one at a time...great fun! Sniffles is a little twinkle toes and bloody quick, almost impossible to catch. Daffy has virtually no tail feathers and isn't a great flier, so tend to just get in front of him and he'll crash land in the palm of your hand. Tweety is also fast, but a little easier to catch than Sniffles. Hopefully once they go in the big cage in just over a week, the older 3 will be able to lead them back to and into the cage, just like CJ taught Woody, Snoopy and Danny.

( some photos and videos )

(no subject)

We've been smiling and laughing after the tears over Woody, because we have *3* new baby budgies. And like all babies, they're great time wasters ;)

We didn't want to leave the other 3 without a 4th for too long, and my sister was upset about Woody and decided to go down to the pet shop we deal with (that specialises in birds and doesn't clip their wings) just to see what baby budgies they had, planning to get one on the weekend. Mum ended up going with her...and they came home with two baby birdies.

My sister's is Daffy (Daffodil). He's a mottled yellow/white Lutino going through his first moult (about 12 weeks). He sits like Woody did, a similar shape (but his legs do work).

Mum fell in love with Sniffles (after the mouse in the old WB cartoons) and had to have him, he's a light green and a total and utter clown. He was rolling over on the perch the first day and can't sit still. He was about 9 weeks, skinny gorgeous little thing. He adores squeezing down between the water bowl and the side of the cage, and doing it over and over. There's a video that we're going to try and send in to Australia's Funniest Home Videos, where he goes down the side of the water bowl 16 times in 58 seconds.

The vet checked them both out and said they looked good. But we were told to keep them quarantined from the others for 3 weeks to be on the safe side. They're in the smaller cage some metres away from the big cage, but they can see each other and Danny is particularly interested (we wondered whether Danny thought Woody was in the small cage).

Apparently, getting 5 was mother's brilliant plan to sneak in a 6th one, as Dad probably would have balked at us buying 3 (they tend to pair up, so we needed an even number). So, on the weekend we got another new little addition. Tweety is dad's budgie, and he's about 13 weeks, a darker yellow and much sleeker with his new feathers and a little bit bossier than Sniffles and Daffy. Sniffles has been preening him.

Turns out that Sniffles was bred by a girl I went to high school with, she works down the pet shop. I wasn't really friends with her then, but we had a lovely talk. She's had health issues too, so understands, and she's also living with her parents and has a 13 year old son. So I didn't feel at all judged for still being at home.

We're handling them, trying to get them used to our hands in the cage...with varying degrees of success. I remember it took a while before Danny, Snoopy and Woody were finger trained. They get to go for a fly one at a time...great fun! Sniffles is a little twinkle toes and bloody quick, almost impossible to catch. Daffy has virtually no tail feathers and isn't a great flier, so tend to just get in front of him and he'll crash land in the palm of your hand. Tweety is also fast, but a little easier to catch than Sniffles. Hopefully once they go in the big cage in just over a week, the older 3 will be able to lead them back to and into the cage, just like CJ taught Woody, Snoopy and Danny.

( some photos and videos )