How can I help my budgie to trust me?

Ask the vet I HAVE had a budgie for four months but I can’t seem to make her trust me. What should I be doing?

TRY spending at least 10 to 15 minutes, a couple of times a day, letting her get used to you. Budgies need time to adapt to a new environment and this process can take weeks of effort. Start by slowly placing your clenched hand in her cage for a few minutes. Pop a small treat in the cage, away from your hand, while you do this so your budgie learns your hand means good things are on the way. Once she’s used to this, extend your index finger alongside her perch. The next stage is to gently move your finger up to her toes to encourage her to step on to it. A small treat between thumb and forefinger will give her extra incentive to step on. Budgies are naturally quite sociable, but you need to be patient to build up trust.

I HAVE a five- year- old male Staffie and have had to take on my son’s young Staffie puppy, too. Occasionally they fight over toys, causing injuries. Can you help? FIGHTS are usually caused by competition for resources or your attention, but tensions can be worsened by stress in a dog’s life. They are more likely to get along when they feel relaxed and safe in their environment. Make sure they each have their own bowl, toys and sleeping area, and keep them separate them at feeding and playtime. They should each have quality time with you. It’s important to keep both dogs feeling safe, so until you work out the cause it’s best to keep them separate when not supervised. Pain is another cause of aggression, so rule out

injury or illness by taking them to a vet, who may recommend a behaviourist to help get to the root causes any medical issues have been ruled out. If fighting continues despite these measures or a serious fight breaks out, the best thing might be to rehome one of the dogs.

MY two- year- old cat, Jack, came back a few days ago with a scratch on his nose. I thought it would heal but it’s now swollen and yellow. Is there anything I can use to help it heal?

JACK’S wound could have been caused by a fight, and any wounds can form an infected abscess because cats’ teeth and claws are full of bacteria. Swollen or yellow wounds

are often an indication of infection so take Jack to be checked by your vet. Antibiotics may be prescribed to clear any infection and the wound will need to be thoroughly cleaned. Sometimes this might be done under an anaesthetic if the wound is especially sore or in a location that’s at high risk of complications.

MY cat doesn’t have much fur on the tip of her ears – should I put sun cream on them on sunny days?

WHILE fur provides protection, cats can still get sunburnt, especially the tip of the ears, nose, and anywhere their fur is white or patchy. White cats are most at risk and, just like people, pets can get sunburn even on a cloudy day. Apply sun cream, with a high UV rating, to the nose, ear tips and to any white or hairless areas.