foraging toys!

Today I made some foraging toys for the budgies. My budgies love to play with toys, so I decided why not make some foraging toys to get them playing and receiving food as a treat! foraging toys are great for your birds health and happiness and some bird owners use it alone to feed their birds.

When you're first introducing foraging toys your birds might not know what to do, so its best to start of simple.

Today I used some cat jingle balls (which my budgies love to throw around) and simple pushed some millet and some seed/honey treat through the little holes... I then placed it in a little dish so they could try and get the food out.

As soon as I put something new in the cage they check it out.

Here's some pictures of them having a go!

If you're bird give up very easily with the toy, this is probably because there is food right there he or she can eat in its food dish. Take the food dish away for a few hours and let them get food from the toy.

some more ideas for making your own foraging toys are:

cardboard boxes: punch wholes in there, and put some of your birds favourite treats in...

or a paper bag, simple place the treats in and let your bird try and get it out.

(paper bags are best for bigger birds like parrots)

You can also buy toys online that allow you to place food inside.

here are some pics of my budgies checking the treats out!

here's one hanging up Kirby was having a look at

charlie having a go!

hmm what treats might be in there??

KEEPING RABBITS AS PETS

Rabbits come in different sizes and colours and are a very popular pet for many age groups. They are rather easy and cheap to look after and are friendly with young children.
Its easy to find a rabbit, you can go to a breeder, a pet store or RSPCA or your local rescue shelter nearly always have rabbits.
If you are looking for a certain breed you may want to go to a breeder, a pet store sells rabbits fairly cheap and will nearly always have them available, RSPCA or your local animal shelter also have rabbits available adopting is a good choice you can get different age rabbits and RSPCA can tell you about their personality and what kind of family they are suited to.

RABBIT CARE:

rabbits are fairly easy to look after, you can house a rabbit alone although it is recommended you keep them in pairs because they are social animals and enjoy having a friend.
Rabbits need a large enough cage so they can easily move around, have a place to eat, drink and sleep.
Its important that some part of the cage is covered so the rabbit can go there to feel safe if its scared, or to get out of bad weather conditions.
Rabbits also need plenty of exercise some breeds will be more active than others. For exercise you can let them jump around your backyard under supervision, or you could get a rabbit run that you can move around the grass which is great for hot days for your rabbit to relax on the grass in the shade.
The cage itself should be in a place that isn't going to get too hot in summer or too cold/wet in winter.

THINGS YOU NEED INSIDE THE CAGE:
first of all you will need a water bottle, bottles are the best form to provide water for your rabbit, unlike a water bowl they can't be knocked over and your rabbit won't get dehydrated. The water should be changed daily.
Food: there are many different types of food bowls, try and get one that's heavy so you're rabbit can't knock it over and make a mess, or one that attach's to the side of the cage.
Bedding: rabbits need a soft absorbent bedding in their cage, I use pet hay, you can get this at most pet stores. (and rabbits also like to eat it )

toys: some rabbits will like to play with toys, others won't. You can get wooden blocks and other toys for your rabbit to chew on.

NUTRITION:
rabbits should be fed a commercial rabbit mix with a variety of grains,seeds and vegetables.
Fresh fruit and vegetables should be offered to your rabbits as well.

GROOMING: if you have a longhaired rabbit you will need to groom it, some rabbits enjoy being brushed others don't. So if you need to groom your rabbit, try getting it used to being groomed small amounts at a time & give it rewards :)

CLEANING THE CAGE:

The cage should be cleaned out weekly, to do this you should remove the rabbit and put it somewhere safe.
You should then remove the water, food and any toys. Remove the bedding in the cage and then the cage should be scrubbed out and hosed down. You can buy pet disinfected from most petstores and find one that is safe for small animals.

QUESTIONS:

Can I have a male and female rabbit together?
You can house a male and female together, but its best to get them neutered or spayed.
spaying your female rabbit can have many benefits it can reduce aggression and helps prevent them developing cancer. Its recommended to de-sex both male and female rabbits if you wish to house them together unless of course you are using them for breeding.

Can I house a rabbit with a Guinea pig?
Guinea pigs and rabbits have been known to get alone, but its best they aren't housed together.
Rabbits are much stronger than guinea pigs and can often hurt a Guinea pig accidentally and severely injure it.
Guinea pigs also have different nutritional needs to rabbits.

How much do rabbits cost to keep?


Rabbits are cheap to look after once you get past the intial cost.
When you first get your rabbit you are going to need cage you can buy cages from as little as $50 to over $100 the cage you choose is up to you and what you can afford.
rabbits in pet stores depending on their breed can be priced from $25-$50
adopting a rabbit from an animal shelter can be more expensive, this is usually because you are also paying for any vet treatment/check ups they may have had and vaccinations. But its worth the price when you are helping an animal in need of a new home. Adoption fee is usually around $75 depending on the rabbit.

can rabbits be kept indoors?


Yes! lots of rabbit owners are now keeping rabbits indoors, rabbits are easily litter trained and love to be a part of a family. You can have your rabbit indoors in a cage, pen or just running around. Just make sure there is no areas the rabbit might harm itself or chew on something left lying around.

do rabbits bite?


rabbits rarely bite, I have had my rabbit for 4 years and she has never bit me. She is also always around young children who pat her and pull her ears but have never bitten them either. Rabbits usually only bite if they are scared or have been hurt. So if young children are around make sure they are supervised and don't do anything to hurt or scare the rabbit. Rabbits are very trusting animals, once part of your family and they feel safe they shouldn't be afraid of you and should be great pets.

will rabbits get along with cats and dogs?


lots of people own both rabbits and cats/dogs. Its important that your rabbits cage is secure, that here is no way a dog or cat may get to your rabbit and the rabbit has a wooden or enclosed part of the cage it can go in a hide if it is scared.
Many rabbits get along fine with cats and dogs. When you first get a rabbit your cats or dog might be very interested in it, once they realise they can't get it they will most likely lose interest. When the dog or cat is used to you having a rabbit try holding the rabbit on your lap and letting your dog or cat have a look or sniff.
My cats get along fine with my rabbit, the cats sleep on top of the rabbit cage and the rabbit doesn't care at all. I got my rabbit as a baby and already had 2 cats... at first the cats watched her a lot and lost interest it never seemed to bother the rabbit.
Now my rabbit can run around the back yard and my cats don't chase her. Although I wouldn't leave them alone together!
I don't own a dog at the moment, but we used to have a small poodle x dog and she didn't bother the rabbit either. We often have family friends that bring their dogs over they have a : border collie, dalmatian and a cocker spaniel. And once again they don't take any notice to the rabbit. But it all depends on the animal. so just introduce slowly and supervise :)

KEEPING BUDGIES AS PETS

Budgies are great to have as pets... if you're thinking about getting one there is some things to consider.

Budgies should be kept in pairs or more, they can be kept alone but unless they are around people 24/7 they can get lonely and depressed and start showing bad behaviours such as feather plucking or just being unhappy.
They also need a friend to help them preen their head and places they can't reach when they are moulting.

A budgies cage is very important.
never house a budgie in a round cage, budgies often get scared and like to go to a corner to feel safe, when a budgie is placed in a round cage there is nowhere for it to go and the budgie will become stressed and pace up and down the perch.
this cage(two cages joined) is housing my two budgies Kirby and Charlie:

If you're going to house more than two budgies its best to have a larger cage

The larger cage the better, and the width of the cage is more important than height, since budgies fly across and not up.
In the cage you should have:
feed and water cups: more than one if you have two budgies, because they will fight over food.
toys: budgies are very smart and its important for them to have something to do, there are many different toys available. Preening toys: with string bits hanging so the birds can preen (this helps prevent them over preening themselves or feather picking behaviour) toys for their beaks, bells, mirrors, beads, wooden toys and much more.
Perches: its important for budgies or any birds to have a variety of different size and texture perches, this is to help exercise their feett and prevent bumble foot (sore's on their feet) which happens from perching on the same thing every day.
different perches are: wooden dowel perches, rope perches (or swings) calcium perches and natural perches can be bought from pet stores or found in your garden (if you use tree branches, make sure they are free from bugs and haven't been sprayed with any chemicals) also make sure the branches are safe for budgies to chew.

food: budgies should be fed a commercial budgie seed, or budgie pellets. Too much seed is actually bad for you're budgies health, many pellet mixes are healthier for your budgie but may take time for them to eat if they have been fed seed previously. Also fresh fruit and veg should be offered for your budgie to be in best health.


clipping budgies wings: 


some people like to clip their birds wings, this is a personal choice and up to the owner.
Clipping your birds wings does NOT hurt them if done properly, but this shouldn't be done unless you know how, so ask your vet or someone who knows how to safely clip the wings of your bird.
there are pros and cons of clipping wings.
The pros:
your bird will be safer when out of the cage, it won't be able to fly into mirrors,walls or windows and hurt itself.
you can easily handle your bird, and it can help tame your bird.

cons: your bird can't exercise properly.
they can actually get into trouble if they get into somewhere and can't fly out.
if in a large cage the bird can fall and hurt itself.
birds can't fly out of  harms way (from being stood on etc)

if you are going to clip your birds wings don't assume your bird wont get away, there's been many case of clipped birds still flying away, when outside the wind can take a clipped bird very far.

I have clipped my birds wings before, because I wanted to introduce them outside of the cage, when one of them was still not very tame and I was worried they would hurt themselves.
After my birds were introduced and their flight feathers grew back they have not and won't be clipped again.
It is easier to deal with two birds when their wings are clipped but now that they are tame I no longer have any issues and they are great at flying around the room and its great to see them happy and flying.

this is what clipped wings should look like:

SEXING BUDGIES


telling the sex of your budgie is fairly easy when they are mature, but at a young age it can be difficult.
A female budgies cere will either be pink/white or brown when they are in breeding condition and a males will be blue.
When budgies are babies, a males cere will be purple pink, and a females light blue or white which is what causes confusion!
There are some exceptions to the blue and pink cere, in Lutino budgies and Albino the males cere does not go blue, but stays a pink/purple colour and the females will be white or brown.


This is my young male's cere as a baby it looks pink like a female (this is how people are easily confused)

then this is him now matured with his blue cere:

my female kirby as a baby has a white/light blue cere:

and as an mature adult with brown cere:

To tell a budgie is young there are several things you can look for:

The budgie will have all black eyes, with no iris ring (the white iris ring develops after 4 months of age) but in Kirby I can still hardly see it.

Baby budgies beaks are often a blackish colour

and they will have baby bars down their forehead until their first moult (which happens between 4 and  6 months of age) A moult is when budgies lose feathers are grow new ones.

Both of these budgies are babies, the one on the left the youngest still with the black beak.

(yellow budgies will not have baby bars)

My own animals

Over the years I've owned a few animals, you know what its like if you're an animal lover, you just can't stop! I'm currently wanting two little female rats that are at my work, but unfortunately I'm still living at home with my Mum who hates "rodents" I didn't get my animal loving skills off her :P
anyway I don't think there is any convincing her.
I also tried convincing my boyfriend, still working on making him believe they are adorable little animals and maybe one day I will get to own two :)

I can't say how important I think it is that you plan when you're going to buy animals, I know as much as I want those little rats it wouldn't work here, and I don't know where I will be in 6 months etc... although I will always have animals they do make it hard to find somewhere to live, when most rentals don't allow pets! But I will keep trying :)


Anyway over the years my family has owned many cats, our first Muffy, who was a lovely long hair tabby cat, she stayed with us for about 11 years... I was only a baby when we got her.
(I have no pictures because they are all old in the photo album :P)


Not long after we lost muffy, we got Milo, he was a dark nearly black or chocolate colour domestic short hair. He was a lovely playful cat :) but unfortunately he went missing after a few years.. I was very very sad and Mum said we would never get cats again because it was too sad when they got lost.


we soon moved into a new house, and eventually Mum decided we were getting a kitten :P
He was named mink... (notice the M names) he came to us from a farm, and was our first cat to be kept indoors... it was so much fun! although now he is an outdoor cat that sleeps inside! (because he loses terrible amounts of fur!!)


this is mink he is now 6 years old and moved 2 times with us & hasn't run away :)

two years latter I was walking with my friend and we found two little kittens, we asked around the neighbourhood and everyone said that no one owned them;they were strays.

so they got taken home, and Mum said : we're not keeping them.

We posted an add in the newspaper, but no one rang and asked..

so Mum finally decided we could keep one! haha

This is Mitsy and her sister Mittens when they were found...

Mittens went to live my my best friend.

mitsy is now a massive fluff ball!

at that time I also had two guinea pigs, unfortunately not long after we got mitsy one of them died (of old age) a few months after the other passed two. They were great little pets & I loved them a lot. They came to me as adults from my friend who could no longer look after them.

Around the same time we got mitsy (and the guineapigs passed ) a friend down the road had rabbits that had babies, they asked my sister if she wanted one (she didn't) but of course I did!

So then entered the rabbit. Lop X dwarf

She is now also 4! and such a gorgeous friendly girl

snowy:

just last year I got my first budgie (in march)  she was only young when I got her and became tame very fast.. she now loves attention and will happily chew on anyones fingernails or jewellery people are wearing..

In June I got her a friend Charlie... He spent one month in quarantine and then it took them a while to get used to each other.. now they are happily living in the same cage & get along great.

I'm very happy I decided to get a second bird because although I know kirby was happy when I was with her, I think she must have been sad when I wasn't home & I'm sure she loves having another birds company. I think its very important for birds to be in flocks of 2 or more :)

small animal care :)

Hi, My names Sarah and I have a passion for loving animals!
I have a fair bit of experience with different types of animals. I have studied animals and have certificate in companion animal studies.
I now work in the animal care industry.

My blog is going to be about small animals. (mostly birds,rats,mice,guinea pigs and rabbits).
I think these animals are great pets and can bring happiness to someone's life.
they deserve the best care possible, when we choose to have a pet they become our responsibility and its up to us to care for them properly.

Here you will find information that will hopefully be very helpful to you.
I will also be posting about my own animals and experiences :)

I hope you enjoy.

Also please feel free to ask questions about animals!

email me at: sarah.animallover92@gmail.com

thankyou :)