I was once at your stage, never kept any bird before. I started off with Budgies (3 - 1 male 2 female), they are indeed cute and funny. But quite noisy, especially when they hear music sound. After they escaped away last 2 weeks ago, I started to try other bird breeds. Bought a Canary and then bought a pair of Merbok (Zebra Dove), and yesterday just add one Magpie Robin.

Today someone is going to buy my Merbok. Then I will have space to accommodate more birds collection. At most I will keep only 5-6 birds, they are:-

1 Canary
1 Magpie
1 Cockatiel (coming soon)
1 Shama (still searching)
2 Love Birds (not sure yet, may change my mind)


No need to worry of parasite if you keep your cage clean everyday. In fact having Magpie or Shama, your house would be insect free. Yesterday I caught quite a lot of flying ants to feed my Magpie.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: Apr 14 2008, 11:47 AM

May be Bohrlin still have tame budgie for sale.

You can go to this forum http://pet-cockatiel.com/Dboard/index.php to look for a breeder. Or post a wanted list there, sure got people offer you.

Somebody wanted to offer me a "jadi" Shama with 7" tail at very reasonable price (below market price), because he (the owner) is not free to take care due to work commitment, he has 5 of them. I could only take 1 from him. Tomorrow night I will go and collect from him. He was shocked to learn that I am a female that like song birds like Shama, Canary and Magpie.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: Apr 14 2008, 03:39 PM

Well, I was brought up very differently from young, my father used to catch insects like grasshopper, beetle, spider, cricket for me to keep as pet.

So I have no problem in handling insects and worms. I guess most girls didn't keep song bird as pet, not because they don't like, probably it is because they could not overcome the fear in handling insects and worms which is a must for feeding most song birds like Sharma and Magpie.

Here are my new Magpie pictures.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: Apr 15 2008, 12:32 AM


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Definitely I want to give him a proper cage, but don't want to rush for it first, as now my house is shortage of storage space to keep unused cage.

This picture reminds me of Tom the cat and Tweetie bird cartoon.

Wow, you budgie is not afraid of the cat, and your cat won't attack the bird?

Wow, your birds are really garang!

Well..I heard of this from a friend of mine too, she has a pair of love bird. One died, eventually the other one refused to eat until died too. But I don't know the Budgies would or not. I also have heard from the Discovery Channel "amazing moment" that one Cockatoo owner died, and her birds also commit suicide. However my friend's father Cockatoo didn't commit suicide when her father passed away. Still living with the family, but not much attention given. Her Cockatoo is 60 years old. May be it depends on the personality of the birds too. Some are more emotional than the other.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: Apr 15 2008, 01:15 PM

Here comes my new addition to the family, Sharma.




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Haha...I got it for RM300 inclusive of 20" cage. I think quite worth it. Well..I would like to have all the above you mentioned, now also looking for a mata puteh, someone from the bird forum is helping me to find one. Mata puteh is very rare these days, not available in petshop. Mann_kl's has a contact to get Sharma for you if you really wanted.

Actually...after I own a Magpie, Magpie's song variety is much more interesting than my German Roller Canary. Hmm....can't wait to hear this Sharma sing, whether would it be better than my Magpie or not.

I also have ordered a tamed baby Cockatiel. Will be able to collect it by end of the month. So far, my hubby still don't know I spent so much money on birds recently. Trying to hide my birds from him.

I ordered through David who lived in Damansara Jaya. He keeps Albino Cockatiel too.


This morning when my Magpie sing, there are 2 wild Magpies came to my house wanted to attack my Magpie. Luckily my dogs protect my Magpie, the wild Magpies don't have chance to get near it.

My maid is trying to set up a trap to catch the wild Magpies for me. Hopefully she could succeed, then I will get free additional Magpie.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: Apr 16 2008, 10:19 AM

What kind of cage is suitable for Cockatiel? I saw many people keep their Cockatoos leg tied on to the wood, and no need cage. Does Cockatiel also need to do that?

Thanks for the advice. Ya...I have 2 cages (around 3'W x 1.5' Dx 1.5'H) available which are suitable for keeping love birds or finches kind. So wondering is it suitable? Is there any specific size needed for Cockatiel? I read from bird forum, some people put Canary together with Cockatiel in a big cage, I am considering this.

No sound yet, very quiet not even 'tak-tak" sound. I think he is very scared inside the cage. Fed him worms only eat very little like 5 only.

This morning I found out one of his eye cannot open, don't know why. Then I catch him and look closer and use my finger massage his eyelid, and then can open. What's wrong?

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Added on April 16, 2008, 6:12 pmYes! My maid successfully caught one of the wild Magpie today. Our opposite neighbour asking her to give it to them. She told them that it was our pet bird that escaped out, she is catching it back to the cage. Haha...she is smarter than I thought.

This wild Magpie is easy to care than I thought, he could eat the pellet by itself. I was worried that he doesn't know how to eat pellet and just want to eat worms only.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: Apr 16 2008, 06:15 PM

Haha..when I get my Cockatiel, then I will talk more on Cockatiel with you lor...

Magpie is very melodious, especially when they respond to the wild Magpie sing. Nice! Well...I have yet to hear my Sharma sing, just wondering how good would he be.

The wild magpie's partner keep coming back to my house and look for him. I feel bad in capturing this wild magpie, unfortunately I couldn't set him free, because my maid already clipped off his wings, he couldn't fly high anymore, so if I set him free, he would be easily caught by a cat/crow or somebody else who doesn't know how to care for a magpie and may cause him death.

This wild magpie is slimmer than my own magpie. But very good singer, can sing very lengthy sound. Come to think of it, if I don't capture him, he would attack my own magpie and cause my magpie death too. Now I am saving them both, but sorry for the female magpie, she has to find another spouse.

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Added on April 17, 2008, 4:01 pmMy Sharma still not willing to take bath even I gave him the water bowl. All my birds did bath this morning except him. But at least he is willing to eat from my hand feed worms now, and can eat more than 5 worms.

He doesn't seem cheerful yet.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: Apr 17 2008, 04:01 PM

Now I have put my Magpie birds on proper one bamboo cage each. More room for them. They (the wild and my own tamed Magpie) seem to be able to get along well. Seen them like talking to each other. One sings the other will follow. These two Magpies very easy to care, they adjusted to my place very fast. Enjoy their bath and their new cage.

However my Sharma still not singing yet. It seems to be more sensitive and reserved. Even though my two Magpies and Canary very hard working singing and making noise. This Sharma is still very cool sitting in its own cage observing them from a far distance.

Here is the video clip of my 2 magpies singing at home today.

http://s292.photobucket.com/albums/mbm14/J...pr152008010.flv


Today I saw a bird looks like a Bulbul flew near my Magpie, it is brownish in colour and as big size as Magpie, its head like normal Bulbul with a crown, the body colour is not black or grey, but brown and little bit white with black.

This post has been edited by Juztiny: Apr 21 2008, 11:31 PM

Yeah..I have 25 hamsters, 7 GPs, 5 birds and 5 dogs at home. Kind of like a mini zoo.

Hahaha...thank God I have a flexible job and give me a good income and able to work from home as and when required. Although I have a maid at home, cannot trust her, she is not a true animal lover. She is pretty lazy, I have to remind her to change my pets' drinking water every day.

My nextdoor neighbour hates me now, because my house is like a zoo. I became her eye sore because I rare so many animals.