Budgies

How to train your budgie 0 2676

Niche Pets
Training a budgie

Budgies are a great starter pet as they don?t take much money or time to set up their habitat, and are cheap to look after, only needing to be provided with daily food and water and the occasional new toy.

It?s important to have the correct sized cage for your bird, however, so they can stretch their wings and exercise, plus you’ll need to create a toilet area. A twelve by twelve by eighteen-inch cage is perfect for a single budgie, but you should increase the size for a pair or more. Ask your local breeder or veterinarian for advice. These sizes of cages are only suitable if your budgie is getting the right amount of exercise outside the cage. Read on to find out how you can do this.

Exercising your budgie

One of the best things about having a new budgie, especially a young one, is that you can train it. Here are some tricks you can teach your budgie to get the most fun for you and your new pet.

Ping pong

You can play ping pong with your budgie by rolling a ping pong ball towards it. If your budgie doesn?t roll it back, keep a treat in your hand so it gets the idea eventually.

Budgie tunnelling

Get your budgie to go through a short tunnel by tempting it with food, then increase the tunnel length. You can buy special connecting tunnels from pet shops to give your budgie an amazing adventure and plenty of exercise.

Budgie skateboarding

Yes, budgie skateboarding is real and it is great for both you and your budgie. It?s a great way to teach your budgie balancing techniques and to improve its spatial awareness. Sit your budgie on a mini skateboard from a pet shop with a treat so it gets used to it, and push it along gently. Repeat the process until the budgie can balance and skate.

Find out more about budgies and other pet birds…

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How to ensure your parrot lives a long and happy life 0 1033

Niche Pets
Happy pet parrot

Are you considering getting a parrot as a pet or have you recently made the great decision to get one? Today we are going to explain how to ensure your parrot lives a long, happy and fulfilled life.

When you decide to purchase a parrot as a pet you have to be aware that they can live for a very long time depending on the exact type and breed. Your new parrot from day one will become a huge part of your life and most definitely a part of the family.

Consider the size of the cage

The first thing you will probably think about when getting your parrot is its cage. This is going to be where your parrot spends most of its time, so it is essential that the cage isn?t too small. Your parrot will be happy within its cage but not if the cage is crammed and leaving it feeling hemmed in ? it should definitely be big enough so that your new pet can fully stretch out its wings and have room either side. Cover the bottom of your cage with newspaper as it will get messy each day – this offers an affordable and quick way to change it over every day.

Where you place your cage is just as important. Do not place your cage in the kitchen as fumes are extremely bad for parrots. Do not place near a window or in direct sunlight. Look for a calm, quiet spot for your bird to enjoy.

Feeding your parrot

When feeding your parrot, you need to remember that they enjoy a varied diet including parrot pellets from your local pet shop and a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. Parrots can be given various other foods, but it is important to check that they are safe first, as chocolate and avocado are not.

Letting your parrot out of its cage

You need to ensure you let your parrot out of its cage at least once a day, ensuring this is supervised. Parrots are extremely clever and should be stimulated to ensure they remain as happy as possible. Give them a selection of suitable toys and you can practice tricks with your new pet. Most importantly, look after your parrot and ensure it is loved and well cared for.

Learn more about caring for pet birds…

Hatching Chickens 0 1295

Niche Pets
Chicken hatching
Hatching chickens
Two chickens hatching

It?s the 18th day of incubation for your chicks, and one of them is beginning to hatch from its shell! You may even hear peeps coming from the eggs. What do you do now? Here?s a quick guide to hatching chickens.

When an egg is freshly laid its temperature is 105 degrees Fahrenheit. A chicken begins to develop at 88 degrees Fahrenheit. The chicken does not develop from the yolk or the egg white, but from a small segment of cells called a blastodisc.

First, try not to move the egg because the chick is already in a position to hatch. Moving the egg means the chick has to move back into the hatching position, and this causes them to expend energy and weaken them.

After 2 more days of incubation, the chick will more than likely begin to pierce the membrane of the egg with its beak. This lets in outside air for the chick. Then, the chick must chip away at the shell, and it does this in a circular pattern. It may take up to a few hours for a chick to complete chip away the shell so that the top pops off. After this tiring process, the chick may simply lie there for a while to rest and dry off.

While it may be tempting to help chicks come out of their shell if they are having difficulty, it?s actually not a good idea. Hatching is an incredibly slow process, and patience is key. If the membrane of the shell has dried out too much around the chick, you can slowly and very carefully help the chick with tweezers.

So what should you do if the eggs hatch late? (FYI- If the eggs hatch early, the incubator temp was probably too high, or you miscounted the days. If the eggs hatch too late, the temp was probably too cold, or you didn?t store the eggs properly before incubation.) If a lot of the eggs fail to hatch by day 22, pull some out and open them. They could have improperly formed embryos or no embryo at all. If you do find some living embryos, put the unopened eggs back for more time in the incubator.

Many problems are associated with incubation temperatures and humidity level. High temperatures can result in malformed chicks, and temps that are too low can result in chicks hatching with egg goo on them. If chicks have bad legs, it may have been caused by hatching them on a slippery surface.

There’s much more to learn about backyard chicken care…