Monty shows us his best side on Camomile bath day

The budgies decided that they would love a bath today and requested that it be a Camomile one. So I boiled them some water and put a teabag in. Then it was diluted with cold water so that it was luke-warm.

They all dived right in. Roswell and Jerry especially enjoyed themselves and got very soggy indeed!

Roswell has a Camomile bath

Every day for the last few months I have put out a dish of water by the side of the Summer Palace. Blueboy usually likes to fly down to it and have a nip first thing in the morning. If I don't put it out he sits and waits in the space until I do.

Yesterday I put camomile tea in it. This was in the blind hope that it would calm the budgies down, they had camomile in their water drinkers too.

Roswell decided that Camomile was just the thing to take a bath in, he must have been waiting for this day!

It was enjoyed with such vigour. Pictures follow of a most soggy Roswell.

Gimme millet demands Roswell

So I did and he ate it all up. He's a lot heavier than little King Monty, I had to hold my arm out for 10 minutes while Roswell picked away at it.

Can I get him to step on my hand when there is no delicious treat involved though - the answer is a firm NO!

Oh well he's still very cute and it's nice to have him trust me enough to sit on my hand and eat millet :)

All the birdies had bath-time and Parsley earlier. I put lots of parsley in some clear glass dishes and most of the budgies had a massive dunk in the water. Dumpling waded through several times and then delighted in soaking us through by flying over us again and again!

After bath-time I rinsed and then clipped the parsley to ladders and a mug tree so that they could chew on it for a while.

I left them out a blue food dish with water and some plastic balls in it in case they fancied anther dip though, it's a rather warm day today and I don't want them getting overheated, poor little birdies.

Little budgies enjoy a splash about

Here are some photos of the budgies bathing and splashing about. Snowy seems to like a relaxing bathe on his own with only a yellow Ducky for company where as with the others it's a bit of a free-for-all. Roswell and Jerry did chivalrously let Custard bate fist which is most unlike them. Custard has really come out of her shell since she got here - at first she was frightened to go near the other budgies but now she wants to be a part of everything - especially where Roswell and Jerry are concerned. She even has girly chats with Snowy sometimes. :)

Boisterous fiends splashing about and a dumpling being naughty as usual

The birds had a little bath-ikins yesterday which they seemed to enjoy tremendously - especially Monty. We have a little shallow saucer which my husband thought might make a good "bird bath" so I put a little tepid water in and Monty came bounding over and jumped in it - look at the picture below you can see that he was very enthusiastic about it!

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, I have a confession to make - I call Lilek "Dumpling" - it's his slightly rounded shape and the way he waddles along - of course I mean it affectionately and cutely. He also dives at our plates of food whenever he gets the chance.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are spent fending him off of toast and pasta - he actually landed on my sandwich yesterday and the day before got some ketchup on his tail from waddling through my husbands food.

I know that he just wants to eat with us as he sees us as part of the flock which is fair enough, so yesterday I sliced up some apple and fed him some from my plate (not the same bits as I was eating obviously) as we watched TV and he seemed vaguely satisfied with that, although I am not sure he liked the apple and he still tried to eat my sandwich!

Maybe if I only ate budgie food there wouldn't be a problem...pass the trill and babycorn!

[
[gallery]

Come and join the pool party

The boys have enjoyed a bit of a pool party this morning, with a Dill Cocktail each they made their way to the top of the Summer palace (seems ironic calling it that considering the weather at the moment - 16 degrees and cloudy according to my PC)

As you can see they had a lot of fun splashing about - especially Snowy, who did his little duck impression and waddled in and out of the water several times.

Sunny Singing, bathing and flying!

The birds are singing along to Portishead's "Sour Times" on Kerrang in the sunshine, very lively and happy today it would seem.

Took a few photos of the feathered fiends frolicking about (try saying that three times fast)

Today I will be washing "Budgingham Palace" and quite a few of their toys, I expect much squawking as they're evicted from their home for a few hours and have to spend some time in the "Summer Palace". I'll probably peg some spinach up for them to nibble at, that'll keep them distracted for...oh...five minutes at least!

Now to think of a new way to arrange the cage so that they don't get bored - I honestly don't know who is keeping who entertained here :)

Enjoy your day!

Marianne and the gang

Nine pictures of the fiends

Are you looking at my Johnson?

I know I had it here somewhere..

Do you fancy a cocktail Monty, it’s my round?

Oh bugger, I’ve dropped the Basil

I Hink I got my Hung Tuck

 

It’s my impression of a koala

I can see through this thing

I don’t know the words to Hotel California, is it okay if I hum?

You might be bigger Roswell, but I’m pure muscle

How to get your budgie to bathe

When we first got our budgies we bought one of those “clip to the side of the cage” baths for £4-5 from the pet shop, a yellow one I believe. We tried all we could to get them into it, splish splashing about with our fingers, putting millet or lettuce in it but no, they were scared of the damn thing (not been in it to this day)

Eventually we realised that they would only get into a vessel if it was see-through, their suspicious natures no doubt!

So we got them a Pyrex pie dish to bathe in and they love it, especially if the water is diluted with camomile tea.

Something new though is that if I put the three coloured ping pong balls in the water then they jump in straight away and make a huge mess splashing about – especially Roswell and Jerry!

Monty likes it too, Snowy is not much of a bather but will get in the bath if I hold it up for him – I think he likes me to be the life-guard in case one of the other budgies jump in and he gets trapped. Bath time seems safer for him if it’s heavily policed, which is fine.

Monty and Jerry also like to rub themselves against Parsley in a rather perverse manner!

Monty and a Curly Parsley session

 

Jerry Day-Dreams on the swing

 

Ping Pong bath

 

Roswell “I always loved the Discovery Zone”

Fearless Fiends

The birds have had a pool party today as it’s been ultra-hot in London:

It’s funny how if I put my open hand near them they will all scatter and fly away, but if that open hand has their budgie bath on it they all hop on and dip themselves into the water. 

Roswell is always first, he dips in his wings one at a time and then his face. Monty just jumps straight in and flaps about like he’s swimming! it’s great to watch and you get a bath yourself in the process.  I should stand there in my bathing suit with a rubber ducky in the morning when I let them bathe.

We have also had a lot of Mange Tout and Corn flung at us today – they seem to nibble on it and then carry or nudge it to the end of the top of the cage with their beaks and then either push or fling it off.  They then go to the edge and look over to see where it went.

Silly boys!

Splish Spash I was taking a bath

Well not me exactly.. but my four birdies.

I had to hold up a glass dish to Snowy later on for him to take a dip in as I guess he's not into communal bathing, being a modest bird.

Monty also had a great time playing around and skipping about energetically like a little Sparrow.

[caption id="attachment_143" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Monty taking a bath"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_146" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Roswell and Jerry bathing"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_145" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Jerry and Roswell flicking water everywhere"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_144" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Monty being energetic"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_147" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Monty playing"][/caption]