This Saturday, I am going up to Forest Hill with a handsaw, Home Depot bucket and an ambition to get some manzanita branches. I need to update the budgie's cage with new perches. And give some to the tiels. Also, I'm getting a few big ones (just in case if I get a bigger bird in the future).

While thinking about the wood last night, I had an amazing dream. I had a dream I went to a general store and found a pack of 5 beautiful budgies, hanging on the wall. I bought it and when I got home, I opened the package and had 5 splendid budgie girls. They looked like Poppy, but with faint washes of green. I believe I named them something along the lines of, Spring, Flower, Bee, Blossom and Easter.
Easter was my favorite. And she became Beck's mate. And they were all hand tame!

Free manzanita is good! Manzanita grows wild around here, but it's at a higher elevation than the neighborhood and all the higher elevations are on national forest land. It's a big no-no to collect manzanita there lol.

What I do have growing all over the yard is cholla, and I'd like to make some cholla perches. I can't figure out how it's done though. Fresh-cut cholla is covered with cactus "flesh" both outside and inside the wooden 'skeleton' that you use for perches. I've tried several different ways to get it off but nothing works. Dead cholla branches with the flesh rotted off are grey and brittle, very different from the ones you can buy.

I wish we had a forest nearby. When I need branches, I call my moms gardener to bring some while he is cutting them for other people. I obviously won't use them if they are toxic. My whole aviary is made of bald perches. The birds shredded all of the bark. It's pretty funny actually

That's such a good dream. I like those types of dreams. Was there a part when you got little Beckies?

My family has about 15 acres of woods behind and around our house. I would love to get some branches from our trees, (because believe me, we have a lot!) But I don't know how to to identify the types of branches and make sure they're safe.......help?

You could look for information on the kind of trees that grow in your area, then look at pictures so you know which is which. Then google the tree's name with the words "bird safe" to see what you get.

We could start a database, but the only doable way would be adding only the good trees.

No, but Beck became hand tame. Beck would be a good daddy. But I believe he is past the recommended age for breeding. And anyway, I'd rather have a larger bird. Poppy would make gorgeous chicks, beautiful shades of violet. But I don't want his chicks to suffer with AGY.

But I don't want his chicks to suffer with AGY.

He still has it? Is AGY like a cold, that once if goes away, it won't come back. Or is it like a disease that will always be apart of him?

It's like an STD. You'll always have it once infected.

Oh, I'm sorry

I know they will be fine with your amazing care!!