I had mentioned on my update thread that I was going to go pick up a pair of budgies in my effort to create a little flock for Harley's benefit - and I was going to wait until the next update to tell you about them but I couldn't wait! They are ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!! I really could not believe my eyes when I saw them! I expected a male and female from PetSmart or some such that the owner had gotten tired of (the man was giving them out for free!) but these are obviously private breeder birds and not from a bird mill! They are not only gorgeous, they are so very delicate looking with long, slim bodies and skinny tails... He is a PERFECT double spangle yellow (this means he is completely yellow with no other color but a single white spot on each side of his neck) and she is a single spangle opaline sky blue (Her upper body is almost all white with a few markings of a very pale grey on the wings and the palest sky blue underbody). And they had been fed only supermarket seeds and water! Now, why would anybody pay two or three times as much to get a bird from a good breeder and then feed them cheap seeds and nothing else? It makes no sense! Mind you, not that I am saying that any bird should have that kind of diet because I am not but one would think that if you go to the trouble and expense of getting better than average birds, you would put more effort into their care, don't you think?
They had no names so I named her Luna and he has become Tweety - I know, I know, not a very original name for an all yellow bird but the funny thing is that he actually tweets! I had never heard a budgie tweeting like a canary but he does!
Now, to give them vitamin/mineral supplement everyday for two weeks and transition them to a better diet, observe them carefully and see if they show any kind of symptoms so I can put them all together in the large flight cage (I also have to order the new cages).