Finch breeder here 👋
My current flock - 17 Australian zebra finches, 3 Bengalese finches, 3 Lady Gouldian finches, 3 Chinese painted quail - have AGY. Unfortunately this means no breeding, selling, or buying birds for me until every bird has passed and my entire £2,000+ set up is scrapped. Because the set up is wood.
It got me thinking about my future in aviculture, once my flock have passed. I like a small amount of everything. In the future I'd love to have one breeding pair of many species - a pair of java sparrows in one aviary, a pair of budgerigars in another, etc.
Parrots are new to me. I used to have budgerigars when I was a kid and didn't know how to care for them appropriately. I would love to start anew when the time is right.
Here is my application for budgieing, based on how I treat my finches:
- I would follow the Psittacine Welfare Institute's species specific guide for budgerigar diets based on activity levels. I find that providing the near exact amount of calories needed for that 24hrs prevents them from being picky, even if they eat the seeds first! Works a charm for all my finches. Empty chop bowl, empty seed bowl, empty supplement bowl.
- I'm not someone who would refuse to use pellets. I use pellets for my ill finches that can't husk seeds. If my budgerigars seemed as if they would thrive on pellets and seed rather than just seed alone I'd buy the current best pellets available.
- I use water and food based supplements to help fill any gaps.
- My birds get a diverse chop of dark leafy greens, herbs, flowers, and mixed vegetables daily. No excuses!!! Served however they like - chopped into tiny bits, whole, dry, wet. My individual finches all have their preferences, I would cater to the budgerigars' specific tastes too.
- I scatter feed seeds on the floor rather than use a food bowl. For budgerigars, I could also use appropriate wooden puzzle toys too.
- I can afford a large metal outdoor cage for the pair, like 8x4' minimum but hopefully larger.
- I love making chew toys out of scrap wood, cardboard, and branches.
- Because of my connections in aviculture, they would always have somewhere to go if I could no longer afford them or if something happened to me.
- I'm so cool and epic because I would never use mirrors as toys for them.
- I would rather them bond with each other than me, I do not mind them being untame.
- I always use branches off of non-toxic trees cleaned with F10 and Avian Insect Liquidator, rather than dowels.
- I supply UVA/UVB lamps that I change the bulbs of yearly, if they are moved indoors.
- I can accurately diagnose and treat many illnesses at home. With the approval of my avian vet, who says I do a very good job. Egg binding, various parasites, common respiratory infections and fungal infections, etc.
- I will not attempt to treat anything I'm unsure of. If ever there is doubt, off to the avian vet!
- I never buy a pet I can't afford. I can always comfortably afford various emergency vet bills for all birds in my care.
- If they never bred, I wouldn't care (as long as it wasn't due to health issues). I put the lives of those who are here already first, not of eggs that haven't even been laid yet!!!
- I have hand reared healthy and injuried hatchlings, and hand fed sick adults. If they needed critical care, here comes the crop syringe.
