Some of the Green Stuff

I can't seem to wean the budgies off of Basil, I keep trying new herbs but they either hate them or just feel apathetic towards them.

Even the old favourite Coriander seems to be more miss than hit these days.

Maybe Basil has some magical property for budgies that I am yet to fathom out.

Anyway they still love it and always rush over when I put it out - in fact Monty and Lilek are usually on it nibbling before I can put it down for them.

They hate mint, it's a shame because I'd quite like the house to smell of mint for a change, Dill makes it smell buttery and Basil makes me want a salad but maybe the mint will bring the desire for Polos.

Photos as always!

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.

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!