Lazzi's Legacy - achatterofgentlemen

The multiple Kenai's would love for you to come along to the comedy show next Saturday 07/08, this is to support Kiwi's New Life Bird Rescue and to help birds like Kenai 💚

Kenai was found in an unclean and horrible living situation, and without the help of Kiwis, I am not sure he would still be alive to this day. Kiwis helps so many birds across the state, as well as educates owners on bird care.

Book your tickets at http://comedyforacause.net/KNL and enjoy a night out while supporting a fantastic cause. If you're unable to make it, please share with family and friends.

Are you going away for the holidays?? Contact us and book in your bird's stay now 😊

All details here: https://www.achatterofgentlemen.com/boarding

*Feeding Budgies: Part 2/4 - Vegetables (Chop Mix)*

Feeding a range of vegetables is very important for your budgie's health. As mentioned in Part 1 - budgies can be fed seed and veg or seed, veg and pellets/crumbles.

Our chop consists of 6-8 vegetables (we rarely add fruit as our budgies only really like apples). Generally, we will do 2-3 coloured, 2-3 dark green, and 1-2 other veg; we make our chop every 3-4 days and keep it in the fridge as our birds refuse to eat defrosted chop. We then add dried ingredients to help soak up the moisture, and to make the chop tasty.

Two example chop recipes:
1. Beetroot, Capsicum, Carrot, Broccoli, Spinach, Zucchini, Brussel Sprouts, Chia Seeds, Puffed Quinoa, Crushed Coconut Flakes
2. Pumpkin, Sweet Potato (lightly steamed, added when feeding), Cauliflower, Green Beans, Kale, Radish, Corn (little amounts), Chia Seeds, Puffed Quinoa, Crushed Coconut Flakes

Chop is beneficial as budgies are less likely to fill up only on their favourites, pellets/seed can be mixed in and it provides a wide variety of vegetables daily.

Chop is fantastic for diet conversion as we generally recommend the following steps:
1. Seed and Chop side by side (week 1)
2. Seed and Chop mixed together (week 2)
3. Seed, Chop & Pellets/Crumbles mixed together (week 3-4)
4. Chop & Pellets with a tiny amount of seed sprinkled on top (week 5)
5. Chop & Pellets in the morning then Seed at night before bedtime
6. Decide if you want to have the 3 components all fed together in one bowl or in separate bowls ongoing

Remember that diet conversion can take months and months (so the above timeline is just a guide), and it is important that budgies always have seed until they are eating large amounts of their chop and pellets. There is always the option to stop at Step 2, as long as the budgies are eating the vegetables well. If possible, weigh your bird every 1-3 days to ensure they are not losing weight.

You can also offer your budgies a range of whole sliced vegetables on a stainless steel kabob, but this does mean they may pick and choose what vegetables they want to eat and become deficient. If feeding pieces of vegetables instead of chop, it may be beneficial to ensure they do eat some pellets/crumbles everyday.

I think I could go on and on about feeding chop, so please feel free to ask questions. I have included a whole bunch of photos from 2020 - 2024, which you can see the process of me learning and trialling new food with my birds.

Always remember that moderation is the key to a good diet. A lifetime of pure broccoli can be bad for you too.

Part 1/4 - Seed https://www.facebook.com/share/p/9CQ1huTWyPdgs1qg/

A good reference:
https://www.melbournebirdvet.com/post/the-importance-of-fresh-food

Introducing ~FAIRY~

Fairy is an approximately 4 year old Female Budgerigar. She was picked up by rescue as part of a surrender of mixed species.

We don't have a lot of information, but we do know that Fairy had a cagemate that passed away recently, a history of respiratory symptoms, and lived in an unclean environment for an unknown period of time. She had been abandoned by her original caretaker and left in the care someone who did the best they could.

Upon further examination at the vet, Fairy was found to have blocked nares with one side either previously injured or diseased, a deformed foot, bumblefoot and a noticeable tail bob. Nothing was found on microscopic examination, and we are awaiting the results of a chlamydia/psittacosis test. Fairy has been starting on symptomatic treatments, and if she does not improve then she may need x-rays next week.

We are currently paying for the majority of our rescue vet bills ourselves. If you wish to contribute to Fairy's ongoing care and diagnostics, we would appreciate any donations.

You can donate to:
Lazzis Legacy
067-873
1164 4825
Ref: FAIRY
or by calling Melbourne Bird Veterinary Clinic and donating directly to our vet account (Lazzi's Legacy Bird Rescue)

*Feeding Budgies: Part 1/4 - Seed Mix*

We grew up being told that broccoli good for you and that chocolate is bad for you. However, if you lived on a diet of pure broccoli, you would be nutritionally deficient and have many health issues. The same goes for feeding budgies seed.

Seed is a crucial part of a budgie's diet, but it cannot be the only part. Everything must be in moderation.

For our personal and rescue birds, we feed a diet consisting of vegetables, pellets/crumble and small seeds. They get chop with crumbles/pellets mixed in for breakfast, and for dinner they get unlimited seed (which they nibble on at sunrise too).

Budgies can be fed vegetables and a good quality seed mix without the crumbles/pellets as long as they are actively consuming a good range of vegetables - only feeling seed and only 1 or 2 types of vegetables will not be sufficient.

Our regular seed mix consists of:
- 5kg Budgie Seed
- 5kg Canary Seed
- 8kg Greens & Grains (Elenbees native grass seeds)

Another crucial aspect of feeding seed is to buy a good quality seed, there is no point wasting money on food that is not going to be the best for your bird:

- Avoid food that has been sitting on the shelf for months (as the seeds dry up, they lose nutritional value)
- Avoid food filled with grit/filler (budgie's husk their seeds, so do not require dietary grit to aid in digestion unless they have medical problems)
- Avoid food that has little coloured pellets that budgies will rarely eat, and even if they do, they are a low quality supplement
- Avoid seed sticks and honey bars - these often have dried fruit and too much sugar

Brands we tend to avoid:
- Trill
- Frankie & Me
- Harmony
- Homebrand (e.g., Coles or Woolworths)
- Watson & Williams
- Peckish

Brands we use/used:
- Avigrain (Budgie Blue or Green)
- Petstock (clear bags)
- Elenbees Greens n Grains
- Green Valley Grains (we rarely use this now as they have vegetable oil coating the grains which isn't necessary)

There are many brands of bird seed, but the important thing to remember is to keep is simple. You can always add chop toppers and foraging containers to give more enrichment. You will learn what a good budgie seed looks like visually as you feed them, and always remember that moderation is the key to a good diet. A lifetime of pure broccoli can be bad for you too.

Next up: Part 2/4 - Chop mix

Likely Female Budgie/Budgerigar found Brunswick West on 08/08/2024.

She has a minor injury to her cere, but is currently receiving treatment. She is in very good (slightly chonky) body condition so has not been out for long.

Please contact us with a photo if this is your bird.

Calling all Melbournians! Enjoy a night out with the family AND support the largest and very crucial bird rescue in Victoria 🥰

Come join us for a night of comedy featuring comedians from Sydney & Melbourne International Comedy Festivals. Your tickets will help us raise much needed funds for vet bills and our future goal of building a sanctuary.

The comedy night will be held at the beautiful Yarra Valley Lodge. Drinks will be available for purchase. You can also make a night of it by booking lodging and dinner at the Yarra Valley Lodge. They will be offering vegan options in dining at Lodge Bar. To make dinner and lodging bookings, visit Yarra Valley Lodge website.

Book your comedy show tickets at:

http://comedyforacause.net/KNL

Thank you for supporting Kiwi’s New Life Bird Rescue!!

A rare bit of corn today 🌽

Lasagna 💙 my very special blue boy is home 💙

Lazzi was my very first budgie, he is the one that started it all and will always be the most special boy to me.

We started Lazzi's Legacy in his name, so we can continue to help budgies forever 💙

Thank you to:

♡ Karen Rest In Pieces - you made the process so easy, and from the moment I met you, I knew I could trust you with Lasagna. You took such good care of him and made me feel so secure with each update. Your skill is amazing and anyone who works with you is lucky. The skull is everything I wanted and more.

♡ FurEver After for the cremation, feathers and footprints. I love the personalized tag with Lazzi's name

♡ Amanda Lee Starkey Photography for the beautiful photo, he just looks so handsome

♡ Merue Art for the artwork we use for Lazzi's Legacy (please contact her for copyright use of commissions)

The other items in his memorial are:
(acrylic frame)

😋 Fresh veggies

What a wonderful little gift from our friends in the UK Budgie Rescue - Wirral 💙

We have been so incredibly lucky this year to have met, and gotten to know better some people from around the world that share our passion for birds (especially small birds).

Our friends have been nothing but supportive, and we really are thankful to have such a great network of people.

Thank you for all you do 💙

(And thank you to A Bird A Day - safe toys for birds. for helping this get to me xx)

Amazing opportunity to support a rescue 🥰

🎉 ATTENTION! - Help Save Lives and maybe Win Big! 🎉

Have you ever dreamed of making a real difference while having a shot at winning $2,000 every week? Now, you can! Our charity raffle for our amazing Bird rescue is here, and it’s amazing.

Every ticket you buy supports our mission to rescue and care for Birds in need.

💰 And the best part? You have the chance to win a whopping $2,000 every single week!

Join us in this incredible journey of compassion and hope. Buy your raffle tickets today, and let’s make this world a better place for our feathered friends. ❤️

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to win big while doing something incredible for birds in need.

Join here - https://www.club-draws.com/charity/kiwis

💙

My darling Rolo in art form 🥰 this cute drawing was done by Unique Beaks Sanctuary as part of their fundraiser! 💙

Donate to help them continue to help parrots, pigeons, ducks, and many other feathered friends!

Protecting Your Bird From Poor Air Quality A planned burn in the Dandenongs, Victoria, Australia. It doesn’t look it to the untrained eye, but this actually a controlled fire. Firefighters do these burns to reduce fuel load to reduce the risk of serious bushfire. The smoke blankets numerous suburbs when they do this. Occasionally something...

Thank you to everyone that donated to Kiwi's New Life Bird Rescue this month, we hope this will help out in any little way for the rescue.

Thank you to Helen LittleBeaks for kindly donating the Tier 2 prize.

Congratulations to Lars, Khyya and Rosie for being the raffle owners, and we hope you and your birdies will enjoy the goodies. We will be sending the packages out before the end of the week.

Only a few hours left!! 💙💙💙

Hello everyone,

After careful deliberation, I have come to the decision to close my online store.

Unfortunately I can no longer manage a side business as well as my main job, study, and taking care of my own flock. But don't worry, there are many fantastic small bird businesses out there that you can buy from to support Australian businesses still.

For those who have purchased from me privately before, you can still feel free to message me, as I may have left over supplies to make your custom orders. Take care everyone ❣️❣️

-achatterofgentlemen & human

Adopting an adult bird means their personality and maturity are already developed, so surprises are limited. But this doesn't mean you can't train or adapt them to your environment. Adoption is highly rewarding if you put in the effort to work with them. In just 1 week, Zazu has started to learn and adapt to our home. It will take months for him to fully settle in and feel comfortable, but the potential is there and we are so proud of him.

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSRhbR7cv/

AviRescue Victoria

The Chatter on TikTok Zazu's made some fantastic progress in his first week with us. I am so excited to work with him, he's such a handsome and gentle boy. We hope in a year's time, he will be fully tame and integrated into the flock 🥰🥰 *Please note I am not a professional trainer/behaviourist so my techniques may ...

Diet and Enrichment are my favourite topics to talk and write about

New blog post available now:
https://www.achatterofgentlemen.com/post/diet001

*Please excuse any spelling mistakes, I will go back and edit this later, heh...*

Delicious and nutritious, what lucky birds!

Have a read through of this before bringing a bird home ❤

So you want a bird huh?!

Well let's just see if you're REALLY ready for one. Here I will go over many things and/or reasons why not doing your research first makes this a bad idea.

THE BIRD- I don't discuss prices on this page. The reason is because it varies by color/mutation, the country you live and the actual place/person you buy, adopt or rescue from.

FOOD- Do you have the time to cut up vegetables and fruit daily or make a chop? Do you know what chop is? Are you aware not all food is safe for birds? Are you willing to spend the extra money on buying a good quality pellet or seed mixture?

WATER- Is not only for drinking but they like to bathe in a water dish too. Their water dishes should be changed out several times a day.
They bathe in them, many p**p in them by accident and drop/dunk food in their water. Oh and when they bathe in their dishes water gets splashed out several feet from the bowl itself.

SLEEP- Parrots tend to sleep when the sun goes down until the sun comes up. They should have about 12 hours of sleep and may nap on and off throughout the day. Sleep is important for their overall health.
Do you like sleeping in? Maybe a bird is not for you.

THEIR BEAKS- Their beaks aren't just for eating. They like to chew and destroy toys or even household items. They can and will chew up furniture, clothes, phones/cases, remotes, wallets, purses, wires, walls, blinds, keyboards and so on. A busy beak is a happy beak so if they're bored and/or not provided enough stimulation or left alone, this can and will happen. Having extra toys handy is a must.

BITING- Can happen for a number of reasons like anger, jealousy and fast movement to name a few but this means you need to understand body language.
They may bite you, a child, another animal and even each other (to the point of death). Even a toe of another bird can be taken off in seconds.

TALKING- So you saw a cute video of a bird talking, singing or dancing and you want the same. Just because they have the ability to speak, not all will talk. I personally spend countless hours repeating myself ALL DAY LONG for weeks to months sometimes before anything is ever uttered and sometimes they don't pick it up. With that.... NEVER by a bird for its speaking abilities and just think of it as a perk if they do.

P**P- Something you will see a lot of. Actually sometimes you may feel like all you do is clean. You clean it off yourself, clothes, furniture, floors, walls, cages, toys, them and playstands.
Would you like to walk around in your f***s, drink it in your water or eat it if it happens to get in your food? Yeah.. probably not and neither should they.

MESSY- When they eat they may hover over their bowl or hold it with their feet. They can be picky and throw what they don't like on the floor and sling wet/juicy food on the walls.
New toys can be destroyed in a matter of minutes with all the shreds left behind. They throw toys on the floor and who picks it up? YOU, OVER and OVER! I mentioned earlier they take baths and water spews out for several feet away from where they are.

MOLTING- This happens when they have new feather growth, so expect extra cleaning during these times. You can find feathers and dander all over for months. Some birds produce dander all year long (more so than other species) like Cockatiels, African Grays, Cockatoos and Amazons.
This also means changing out your air (AC) filters more frequently. Some people even experience Bird Fanciers lung and it's deadly to humans.

TOXIC/DEADLY/UNHEALTHY

Candles, wall scented plug-ins, cleaning products, pesticides, mouse traps, any aerosol sprays, pots and pans (Tons have teflon and it is toxic to birds. Dont use them if they contain PTFE or PFOA) Irons: for hair or for clothes, certain kitchen appliances ex: air fryer, stain repellents, self cleaning oven option, oven bags, aluminum foil with non stick coating or just about anything that says/is non stick, some hair dryers, certain metals/wood/plants/flowers, nearly all paint, most all glues, tape ingestion, hair dye, nail polish/remover, sharp objects, electrical cords, any non food grade dye, even some bird toys are unsafe because of ingestion like: bird tents/huts, clips on some bird toys, thread of any sort can be ingested like: swings and boings (birds should be monitored when in use), cigarettes/smoke, mirrors can cause sexual frustration and/or agression with their own image, things with glitter, glow in the dark stuff, shiny/silky like papers, certain inks, detergents, ceiling fans, carpet fresheners, essential oils, flea collars, mothballs, human medications, pine oil, tea tree oil, fertilizer, other animals, space heaters, bread machines, waffle irons, ironing boards covers, carbon monoxide, gas leaks, sleeping next to your bird in bed, open water like: toilets, filled sinks, cups/stove top pans with water, other pet water dishes, human grade food such as salt, some seasonings, dairy, onion, avocado, alcohol, fruit pits, chocolate, seeds/pits of some fruit, sugar/sugar substitutes and coffee/grinds (caffeine products) Also be sure to monitor yourself/other family/guests when closing doors/cabinets of any kind.

VETERINARY CARE- Overall annual check ups, nail trimming, vaccinations (if applicable in your country). A true board certified Avian Vet is best and is able to do/test more.

*You are their flock now, their teacher and their parent.
*When you're sick, their life must carry on the same.
*Do you have the ability/time to deal with taming or aggression?
*Is your entire family okay with the idea?
*They require many hours of daily interaction. Do you work days and off nights (opposite of THEIR schedule. Being left alone all day is no fun is it? They feel the same.
*Does your home provide adequate space for a larger cage if need be?
*Consider your age and health because many species live a very long time.
*Consider the type of home you live in (your neighbors and your own sanity) they scream, squawk and are attention seeking.
*Some species are one person birds.
*Some species require special diets.
*Are your feelings going to be hurt if they love your spouse or another family member other than you? It happens...
*You will likely experience hormonal issues.
*How will you handle punishment? You don't hit them. You shouldn't put them in their cage as punishment all day or you will have more problems on your hands. You shouldn't yell back.
*Not only do you need to initially consider the cost of the bird but also its food, vet check, cage/travel cage price and toys.
*Travel a lot? Can they go with you? Can a boarding facility guarantee no avian diseases are in their building?
*Hand fed does not mean hand tame.
*Can you afford if something tragic happens and the bird needs surgery or plenty of tests run?

Whether you rescue, rehome or purchase/adopt are you asking the right questions. Has the bird been disease tested? Surely you wouldn't drop lots of money not knowing if the bird is thriving well.

Did you skim through this, roll your eyes, say to yourself "Geeze that's a ton of stuff to learn", then *Maybe a bird is not for you now or ever.

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH
Don't buy on impulse for something cute because only the animal suffers from your lack of knowledge.
Don't let the next bird be the one you gave up to another home or rescue.
Would YOU want to be given up on and unwanted because you weren't what people saw in a video or expected?!

These are kids with feathers that stay toddlers their entire life.

**Chances are if you are reading this a bird owner cared enough to share or you left a comment on a page showing you were interested in a bird.

BIRD OWNERS/CARE TAKERS feel free to add more in the comments that I'm sure I missed and also feel free to share this post because many people need to see what it takes to love, provide and home a bird.

With everything said they make wonderful family companions and can be loving and cute. Just understand they may need time, patience and a bit of space but they may not offer you the same.

Throwback to May, a beautiful sunny day when it felt like all was well. When we took a moment to admire what we had. Always appreciate what you have in front of you, take as many memories as you can so you can look back when the moment has passed. You never know how much time you have until it runs out 💛💙❤

We are disheartened to share the news that we were unable to save our finches from sickness. We got our first pair of finches a few months ago, when the male RCCB died suddenly we had Finchie checked and cleared of illness. We adopted Gordon from .birdie and soon after that we added Zebra Finches Lord Meeperton and Testificate and Finchie 2.0 to the finch team. Unfortunately, the zebra finches became incredibly sick and were separated, Finchie 2.0 suddenly declined also and died about 2 weeks ago. We found Macrohabdus so decided to treat them all for this. Unfortunately, even with treatment and care they continued to go downhill with the deaths of Gordon then Finchie and finally the pair of Zebra finches died cuddling together last night. At this stage we aren't going to be added more finches to the team, as we are still recovering from other recent unrelated deaths. We hope to find some answers in post mortem investigation to keep the rest of the birds safe. May these beautiful tiny birds fly free now, free from suffering and forever be at peace ❣️❣️❣️ Our family has suffered the loss of 7 birds since the start of May, so we are recovering but will continue to answer messages, tags and comments as they come. Thank you all for your support in our little business and family. Lots of love, Mon and the Chatter ❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍❤

Sheogorath ❣️
Jan 2020 - June 21st 2022
Fly high my
We love you so much
Read our full goodbye in our bio
(https://www.achatterofgentlemen.com/post/chaoticboisheo)

Writing is the last thing I do to say goodbye. To write something from the heart, to last forever. I wasn't ready to post or write last week, I just wasn't ready to take that step. But I know my sweet Sheo is at rest now, and we will forever love and miss him until we meet again

A photo for each month you blessed us with your presence ❣️

I cannot believe how beautiful these little ones are, only 10 grams but every tiny feather makes up such a gorgeous bird. This is a female red cheeked cordon bleu finch. She's recently lost her mate, but she's settling okay for now as she awaits a new boyfriend.

I believe these finches originate from Africa, they primarily eat grass seeds but in our home she will forage in everyone's bowl for pellets, small seeds, fresh chop, and I occasionally give her some crushed dried mealworms or crickets.

They don't breed well where I live as it is too cold, and they don't like to be kept in cold places (e.g. outside) - so unless she's going to the vet, she is a free range bird in the safety and warmth of the bird room. She usually sleeps in the branches or one of the cage top perches/toys, and she shares the open door cage with the canaries. She's is a lot more docile and less anxious than the male, but not hand tamed and does not like hands or sudden movements.

Dolly/Darryl is a young rooster chick (breed guess is bantam leghorn). He needs a home where he can thrive and live safely when he starts to crow. He was abandoned and dumped a few weeks ago, and was found to be a male through DNA sexing.

He is a sweet boy who will fall asleep on your lap, loves pats and eats fresh vegetables, chick starter and grain currently. He likes to peck at plastic cat balls filled with oats and you will hear him trilling when he sees you.

Please email us at [email protected] or message the page if you have a safe forever home for this cutie. We do require information about your current setup (including photos) in order to ensure he is going to an appropriate home.

We are willing to travel if your home ends up being his perfect forever place