Hey everyone

18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
Just found this place and it looks to be full of knowledgeable and helpful people. Just entered this world of bird keeping with a couple of budgies. I haven't named them yet, as they haven't given me any personality cues to work off of in so short a time. As far as about me, I'm an over the road trucker, I have a house in Louisiana, and my better half has kept Senegal's as long as I have known her. Patrick and Homey both unfortunately are no longer with us, but this is my first personal foray into bird keeping. The setup for them is a 30x18x18, I was hoping to find a cage that was a bit bigger for the pair, say 40x20x20 but I have had no luck finding anything of the sort, suggestions would be most welcome! One of the birds is I believe a good bit younger than the other, the blue one, it has a smaller size than the green one, who since I mention it seems to have a bit of a bum left leg, he climbs his cage (I'm assuming he given the nearly purple cere) and gets into his food and water just fine, walks around on it, but when perched seems reticent to put any weight on it...I'm hoping it's something that will look after itself in time, but either way doesn't appear to be something that is going to impede his ability to live a long, happy life...he has got a band on it and no other reason I can tell why his leg/foot ought to be in pain, it looks normal and he stretches/uses it it most other instances. As far as food they are on a diet of Zupreem Fruitblend for small birds, any reason to change this? They get fresh bottled water daily, and unless I hear otherwise a cage cleaning every week. Nice to be here and poke around all the interesting threads.

Very Respectfully,

18WheelsOfSteel.
 

Flboy

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2014
12,598
4,101
Greater Orlando area, Florida
Parrots
JoJo, 'Special' GCC, Bongo, Cinnamon GCC(wife's)
Hi! And welcome! The fruit blend isn’t too bad a choice, high in sugar though! They do love veggies and such too! Don’t be afraid to offer a high quality seed mix, especially sprouted!
That leg band may be the cause of his injury!
For cages, look into double flight cages!
Again, welcome!
 

Casper223

New member
Apr 27, 2019
327
2
Gulf Coast, Louisiana/Mississippi State Line S/E
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo "Zoey"
Good Morning, and welcome to the forum, I'm also from Louisiana, just north of the lake. Do the budgies travel with you on the truck? You can easily add a fresh food dish for your budgies, I'm betting you have a cooler, ice box on board, sprouting is pretty simple, and entails soaking for 8-10 hours, then rinsing twice a day for 2-3 days, until they begin sprouting, then add them in a fresh food dish, and refrigerate remaining up to 3 days, to continue to use as you start another batch. Theres several different pellets out there, but before you switch, make sure your budgies will eat the pellet your thinking about switching too. My breeder sent several sample packets of pellets for my U2 for when we hit the 1 year change. Nice to see you here, by the way we love pictures, and will be looking foreword to reading your long haul adventures.
 
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18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
Good Morning, and welcome to the forum, I'm also from Louisiana, just north of the lake. Do the budgies travel with you on the truck? You can easily add a fresh food dish for your budgies, I'm betting you have a cooler, ice box on board, sprouting is pretty simple, and entails soaking for 8-10 hours, then rinsing twice a day for 2-3 days, until they begin sprouting, then add them in a fresh food dish, and refrigerate remaining up to 3 days, to continue to use as you start another batch. Theres several different pellets out there, but before you switch, make sure your budgies will eat the pellet your thinking about switching too. My breeder sent several sample packets of pellets for my U2 for when we hit the 1 year change. Nice to see you here, by the way we love pictures, and will be looking foreword to reading your long haul adventures.

They are indeed my codrivers, and they aren't eating veggies yet, had to trick them with millet into eating the fruit blend, I'd like to find a pellet with less sugar and fillers if possible, but sized for the little guys which thusfar has been a bit hard to find...the Petsmart I got them from seemed to permit the birds constant access to millet and the food dishes looked untouched, shocking I know. As to "The Lake" I will presume you are referring to Pontchartrain and not Charles, which happens to be the lake I live north of...at some point I'll try to wrangle up some photo's, we'll see if the weather cooperates over the next couple of days.

As to the band being the bug in the soup as it were, is it advised to look into having it removed, or is that something he'll eventually get over and just learn to deal with?
 

Allee

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2013
16,852
Media
2
212
Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
Welcome to the forums, we’re happy to have you and your budgies join us! Thanks for the wonderful introduction. Your new codrivers sound like great company. I agree with Flboy, look for a better pellet, offer sprouts, fresh veggies, a quality seed mix and a flight cage. I would talk to a certified avian vet about removing the leg band. Looking forward to photos and stories.
 

Casper223

New member
Apr 27, 2019
327
2
Gulf Coast, Louisiana/Mississippi State Line S/E
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo "Zoey"
They are indeed my codrivers, and they aren't eating veggies yet, had to trick them with millet into eating the fruit blend, I'd like to find a pellet with less sugar and fillers if possible, but sized for the little guys which thusfar has been a bit hard to find...the Petsmart I got them from seemed to permit the birds constant access to millet and the food dishes looked untouched, shocking I know. As to "The Lake" I will presume you are referring to Pontchartrain and not Charles, which happens to be the lake I live north of...at some point I'll try to wrangle up some photo's, we'll see if the weather cooperates over the next couple of days.

As to the band being the bug in the soup as it were, is it advised to look into having it removed, or is that something he'll eventually get over and just learn to deal with?

Definitely lake Pontchartrain, In the Slidell area. I PM'd you a couple of web sites I use with mine Bird, hope that helps, I try not to post them publicly as their not supporters of the site, so don't deserve that kind of recognition. Check out Imgur as a free way to store photo's into your personal account, then you can upload photos through a direct link from there. Hopefully you'll find the information provided as helpful, be safe and Happy Trails....
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Welcome, glad you found the forums!! What a fascinating set of co-drivers, at least they are not pesky "back seat drivers!"

You'll find many varieties of pellets, though the "best" brand is what they'll actually eat. Might find samples to introduce a variety of pellets as alternative.
 
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18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
They are indeed my codrivers, and they aren't eating veggies yet, had to trick them with millet into eating the fruit blend, I'd like to find a pellet with less sugar and fillers if possible, but sized for the little guys which thusfar has been a bit hard to find...the Petsmart I got them from seemed to permit the birds constant access to millet and the food dishes looked untouched, shocking I know. As to "The Lake" I will presume you are referring to Pontchartrain and not Charles, which happens to be the lake I live north of...at some point I'll try to wrangle up some photo's, we'll see if the weather cooperates over the next couple of days.

As to the band being the bug in the soup as it were, is it advised to look into having it removed, or is that something he'll eventually get over and just learn to deal with?

Definitely lake Pontchartrain, In the Slidell area. I PM'd you a couple of web sites I use with mine Bird, hope that helps, I try not to post them publicly as their not supporters of the site, so don't deserve that kind of recognition. Check out Imgur as a free way to store photo's into your personal account, then you can upload photos through a direct link from there. Hopefully you'll find the information provided as helpful, be safe and Happy Trails....

Guess I need a few more posts to respond to your PM, I'll send it once I hit the 20 post mark.
 
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1

18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #9
Welcome, glad you found the forums!! What a fascinating set of co-drivers, at least they are not pesky "back seat drivers!"

You'll find many varieties of pellets, though the "best" brand is what they'll actually eat. Might find samples to introduce a variety of pellets as alternative.

If the limited amount of screaming they have engaged in already is any indicator, they'll give my better half a run for her money given the opportunity...they seem to be settling in alright, but I am anxious to get them to a vet to make sure that anything they may have got from the store is handled early before it has a chance to really get going and to look into possible solutions for bum leg, any chance there is a resource here on where to find a qualified Veterinarian?
 

munami

New member
Apr 13, 2019
223
4
Ottawa, ON
Parrots
Luna // F // Whiteface Pearl Cockatiel
Welcome to the forum 18WheelsOfsteel & budgie friends!
You mention about the pellet size? Harrison's makes tiny pellets for birds that my cockatiel loves. She's a little bigger than the budgies but they're still very small. Harrison's isn't necessarily the best pellet ever imo and everyone has their preferences. However, like Scott said, the best pellet is the one your birds will eat. So it's your choice honestly since your budgies are already eating pellets.

Personally, I would try to convert them to a healthier pellet as I'm not a fan of the fillers in the Zupreem Pellets and Harrison's has less fillers. However, it might be a hard process for them. There are tons of pellet conversion guides out there, quite a few on the forum itself.

One thing that worked for me and might work for your budgies if you have the time is trying to spread it on the bottom of their cage. You can play with the pellets, crush them up in your fingers, and if you have fingernails, you can make a flicking sound to simulate pecking at.
I believe budgies are also ground foragers in the wild so it might help in getting them interested.

Don't be afraid if it takes time but if they're not eating them, make sure you're still offering their old food but not all the time. A good way to make sure they're eating is to weigh them daily when switching over.

As for finding a vet, what you're looking for specifically is a CAV or a Certified Avian Vet. They're harder to find and may be more expensive but so many exotic vets don't know what to look for in birds.

There are resources out there but honestly, I just did a quick google search to find mine. I wish I could help you more on this but I live in Canada.


Anyway this has gotten longer than I have meant it to, so I hope you enjoy your new companions!!
 

Ellie777Australia

New member
Apr 12, 2019
1,280
98
Queensland, Australia
Parrots
SI Eclectus Female, Ellie; RS/SI Eclectus Male, Bertie (both adopted as rescue/re-home)
Welcome to the forum 18WheelsOfSteel, better half and co-drivers :D. You have already received good advice here I see. Regarding the leg band, we had to have Ellie's removed as it caused a foot injury. Leg band injuries are common but let us not presume this to be the cause of the 'bum leg'. Look forward to the vet's assessment. Great to have you on board.:)
 
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18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #12
Welcome to the forum 18WheelsOfSteel, better half and co-drivers :D. You have already received good advice here I see. Regarding the leg band, we had to have Ellie's removed as it caused a foot injury. Leg band injuries are common but let us not presume this to be the cause of the 'bum leg'. Look forward to the vet's assessment. Great to have you on board.:)

I've seen enough injuries over the years on everything from reptiles to livestock to poultry to humans to know better than to make assumptions about most of them, I found a vet in Shreveport, not sure when I'll have the opportunity to get through there, but I'm going to make every effort to do so
 

Casper223

New member
Apr 27, 2019
327
2
Gulf Coast, Louisiana/Mississippi State Line S/E
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo "Zoey"
Welcome to the forum 18WheelsOfSteel, better half and co-drivers :D. You have already received good advice here I see. Regarding the leg band, we had to have Ellie's removed as it caused a foot injury. Leg band injuries are common but let us not presume this to be the cause of the 'bum leg'. Look forward to the vet's assessment. Great to have you on board.:)

I've seen enough injuries over the years on everything from reptiles to livestock to poultry to humans to know better than to make assumptions about most of them, I found a vet in Shreveport, not sure when I'll have the opportunity to get through there, but I'm going to make every effort to do so

There's also one in Metairie, LA. and I believe one in Gulfport as well, not sure how often you run east.
 
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18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #14
Welcome to the forum 18WheelsOfSteel, better half and co-drivers :D. You have already received good advice here I see. Regarding the leg band, we had to have Ellie's removed as it caused a foot injury. Leg band injuries are common but let us not presume this to be the cause of the 'bum leg'. Look forward to the vet's assessment. Great to have you on board.:)

I've seen enough injuries over the years on everything from reptiles to livestock to poultry to humans to know better than to make assumptions about most of them, I found a vet in Shreveport, not sure when I'll have the opportunity to get through there, but I'm going to make every effort to do so

There's also one in Metairie, LA. and I believe one in Gulfport as well, not sure how often you run east.

Depends on how often somebody feels like paying for freight to go that way, ideally that does not go to Florida lol
 
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1

18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #15
Alright, think I did these attachments right, few from around where I stopped in Oklahoma for the night and one of the birds...green bird had a massive bowel movement tonight, pretty sure that has as much to do with his diet being changed as anything because it looked like normal other than the size and he had a tough time getting through it, looks better than I have yet seen him since.
 

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Ellie777Australia

New member
Apr 12, 2019
1,280
98
Queensland, Australia
Parrots
SI Eclectus Female, Ellie; RS/SI Eclectus Male, Bertie (both adopted as rescue/re-home)
Nice Rig 18WOS ...love the pics...your two darling budgies are adorable :D...any closer to names for them yet or still awaiting a little more demonstration of personality? I bet it won't be long before you have a couple of 'endearing' names for them because they are just soooo cute!:)
 
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18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #17
Nice Rig 18WOS ...love the pics...your two darling budgies are adorable :D...any closer to names for them yet or still awaiting a little more demonstration of personality? I bet it won't be long before you have a couple of 'endearing' names for them because they are just soooo cute!:)

Closer certainly, I had originally thought about naming them after historically significant individuals, but that won't do at all, these birds are too playful! Green bird is decidedly more bold and less shy than blue bird, he even went so far as to perch on my arm after a mere 5 days last night while taking out a perch for cleaning, cheeky bugger breaking all the rules! Blue bird is still not sure about this whole humans being my friend business, but isn't hateful far from it, stayed calm and was more annoyed anyway, still trying to determine gender but leaning toward female...I'll find a bold and a shy name for them in the next couple of days
 

Casper223

New member
Apr 27, 2019
327
2
Gulf Coast, Louisiana/Mississippi State Line S/E
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo "Zoey"
Alright, think I did these attachments right, few from around where I stopped in Oklahoma for the night and one of the birds...green bird had a massive bowel movement tonight, pretty sure that has as much to do with his diet being changed as anything because it looked like normal other than the size and he had a tough time getting through it, looks better than I have yet seen him since.



Might I suggest “Happy and Bashful”.... lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
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18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #20
Alright, think I did these attachments right, few from around where I stopped in Oklahoma for the night and one of the birds...green bird had a massive bowel movement tonight, pretty sure that has as much to do with his diet being changed as anything because it looked like normal other than the size and he had a tough time getting through it, looks better than I have yet seen him since.



Might I suggest “Happy and Bashful”.... lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Given her prim and proper behavior and always perfect grooming, I believe Belle, as in "Southern Belle" is what I'm settling on for the blue bird, just gotta come up with something for him now.

EDIT: Spelling
 
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