Thanks, I sure will read it. So many new things have come out over the years in all honesty its hard to keep up with. The reason on my website that I only wrote about the pellets fresh fruit and veggies. is because in reality alot of people (and this is going to sound harsh) really dont care to take the time to care for there keets the way "we do". So, instead of pushing the issue of organic foods and such. I would rather push pellets fruits and veggies, things that seem more feasable in the eye of someone who really dont want to go through the trouble of 1 finding and 2 paying for organic foods which can get a bit pricey, if you get my drift. Although I completly 100% agree with you when it comes to your method of feeding I also only feed organic foods, unfortunatly alot of people wont out of sheer laziness. So instead of wasteing my time writeing about something that I know people are not going to listen to, atleast write about something that end the end the bird will atleast get the vitamins it needs.

well i think you will find MANY people are now more conscientous about doing the right thing and have indeed gone organic and not feeding pellets or at least not exclusively for sure id say about 80% of this forum alone, and thats being conservative ...

they have no issues with going organic and get great satisfaction not only from buying an seeing and smelling the difference but putting it all together in the ***correct ratios ...***then...watching the mega difference in a very very short period of time with their birds...

dont sell people short on their willingness to provide the best and maybe going the extra yard...

besides they have also found out ...cost is irrelevant as there is little to no waste ..waste means money lost so there is no savings then there is the health issue...less MUCH less chance of tumors and the so called ***fortifide commercial seeds are a joke...

im sure others will sound off on what they have found and the benefits and how they have found it to be ***more cost affective and more beneficial to reach the total requirements and needs of the birds entire system...

and ill leave that to them to add to this

and a 18x18x18 cage would not even for todays standards be considered adequate for a finch...

7 yrs makes for many changes and sorry if this sounds offensive ...but you said you had a open mind...

you will see how a lot of folks are very willing to make changes to provide better nutritional foods and accomadations for their birds...

a lot of people dont take the time to care for their birds the way we do because they do not know any better. before finding this forum i wasnt feeding my birds the best diet that i could. not because i didnt want to but because i didnt know any better. everyone was either pushing a fortified seed or pellets on dang near every site i went on. i knew there had to be a better way of feeding but being new to birds i didnt know where to start and everything i found was either fortified this pellet that. i found this site and it was a god send. people were talking about honest health diets. it was great. and i know a lot of other people feel the same way as i do. i guess what im trying to say is since you know there is a better way to feed you should be telling people that not telling them something that is less than desirable. with all the new research that is going on with pellets we are now finding out that they are really no better than a fortified seed diet. please do not sell people short. state the best way to feed not some supposed short cut they can take.

Welcome back 6budgie.

I joined the forum back in Feb and in June got my first budgie after waiting four months for her. She wasn't even an egg yet when I found my breeder.

I did TONS of research while before finding the breeder and while waiting for my budgie. I read here for hours and hours and also on other sites and forums. I am glad that I found information on the best way of feeding my new bird and not the 'easy' way. I saw in several forums/sites the controversy of feeding pellets and/or seeds where often both sides of the controversy were stated. With this information in hand, it was an easy decision for me NOT to feed pellets.

I named my budgie Birdie which is what I had been calling her the months I was waiting. It was supposed to be a temporary name but it appears to be sticking. She was hand fed and hand raised by the breeder. She has the cere of a female and the behavior of a male so we're still not sure of her sex. She is fearless, outgoing, loud, determined, loves people and has turned my world upside down.

I'll be sure and look at your website to see more of your birds.

I wouldn't sell people short on wanting a better diet for their birds. The aisles of food available for dogs and cats shows that people are fussy about food for their animals. It is a billion dollar a year industry.

The difference is dramatic and I think it actually costs less in the long run. I guess my take in it is that if you cannot afford the food then you cannot afford to have a bird. I have owned every animal from a horse to a bird and believe me birds are way cheaper to keep and all others even if you shop organic food and pay shipping prices.

Pellets are not natural and birds cannot hull them like their beaks were intended to be used. Pellets are a man made product not what birds want or need.

When you know better, you do better. I would make every attempt on a website to provide people with honest information and explain why the diet is so important and those who do not want to won't anyway.

Believe me I agree with all of you, But I think my point was missed. Since I created my website I have had many people email me talking about how they cannot afford to feed there birds "real food" and while yes I totally agree that if you cannot afford to feed them then no you shouldnt have them in the first place. but there are so many people who look past the "rules" and buy a bird anyway. they also very irresponsibly try to breed those birds while feeding them an all seed diet. I agree that everyone on this forum are very good birdie parents because you guys care about your birds enough that you sought out the correct way to care for them. But sadly alot of people dont. But you guys are right, I will go back onto my website and add to the diet portion. But that was my reasoning for not doing that when I first created the site. I figured if people were going to go cheap in feeding there birds it would be best for me to suggest giving pellets because in the end, It is alot better than seed alone. But of course fresh fruits and veggies you cannot get anybetter than that. And I do suggest feeding fruits and veggies on my site. With my babies they get seed but it is mixed with dehydrated fruits and veggies and nuts and beans, But they also get there daily fresh fruits and veggies plus a powdered vitamin supplement. But you guys have got to understand that most of the people that come to me asking questions about there birds, I do ALWAYS suggest organic foods and most of the time I always get complaints of priceing, So I suggest second best thing for them. So Its not that im selling anyone short. its because this is what i have seen. As far as the bird cage size those things are constantly changing and it really all comes down to each individuals opinion. But so many times I have watched people go buy there first bird and come back with these itty bitty cages "because they cant afford a bigger one" So I suggest a small but efficient cage for ONE bird. of course the sizes get bigger as you add more birds. But again this all comes down to personal opinion and guidelines are always changing.

Hi 6 budgie, Welcome back
I have to say I don't remember you, maybe you stopped coming here just as I joined? But anyway, it's always nice to see another avid bird lover.
It's also pretty cool you have started your own website trying to educate people about caring for budgies.
But I have to say..if you are going to educate you might as well tell it straight right from the get go. I agree with the others...Pellets are sooo not the way to go. There has been more research in ti the goods and bads of pellet diets and it's being found they are more bad than good.
Fresh seeds and grains, herbs n spices and of course fresh veggies. Dehydrated vegs or veg powders are a super way to get their veggies in to them too.
In all honesty I don;t think that buying the separate seeds and grasins cost much more than the commercial premade mixes that are full of junk. Esp when you consider that 1/2 the time the birds pick out only certain things and leave the rest behind or toss them to the floor. The "vitamin enriched" part is useless because it is on the hulls that they discard, so that defeats that purpose. It's crazy isn't it?
And the artificial coloring? Ick BAD NEWS but I won't go there right now. LOL
Sooo if you're going to inform people ya might as well tell em like it is, not just tell then what they want to hear right?

Here are just a few links about the Pellet deal that just might make ya see why they're not all they're cracked up to be, and why pushing them because you might think they're better than seeds is not such a good idea after all.

http://www.parrotparrot.com/articles/parrotdiet/are-pellets-a-panacea/#more-440
http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/Pet_arts/PelletsOrSeed/POS.html
http://www.naturalbird.com/mcwatters/synthetic.htm

Please don't think I am trying to step on toes here. I'm not. Really. I just think it's important to share what we have learned, and since you are sharing on a website...well we can all learn from each other right? Knowledge is power..and in this case healthy birds.

As for cage size, I think 18x18x18 is too small too. You say you suggest it because some can't afford bigger. But in the long run if they buy a cage that small they will end up having to buy a bigger one before too long and spend even more. Warn them right up front that these birds REQUIRE more space and tell them why

As I said, I will most definatly take the advice here and make some changes to my website, I created this website a long time ago. and since then there has been alot of changes. and alot of things I have yet to hear of. haha. But thank you all for your input and Ill also will be doing my own research. back when I was on this site the standard cage size for a keet was 18x18x18 and this what at that time we were recommending to people. But I will most definatly change that. The bigger the cage the better. and that is just common sense. But I dont want people thinking that im nuts suggesting that size. because dureing that time that size was acceptable, I just made another post with some pictures included in those is a large flight cage that I love!!! AND its affordable! check it out.

hello again. i was just reading through the thread and realized i came across a bit on the rude side and that is surely not how i meant it. so i would like to say that i am sorry for that. i stand by what i said just do believe i prob could have worded it better.

ahall your passion for doing the right thing showed nothing wrong in that at all...lordie knows how often it happens with me...

im sure 6 budgies will get a lot of new up-to-date info to revamp her website...and very nice she has a open mind as well...its the only way to learn

its always best folks get the right info from the start foodstuffs can be bought a bit at a time so its not so overwhelming for people even on a moderate to low income...

and the cage is the most important expense in the beginning to prevent having to shop around again n again for what is safe..large enough for birds and accomodations...there just doesnt seem to be anything of insignificance with animals you can over look