From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of selling birds to families and watching what happens next. He has now sold to parents who came in as children themselves, and occasionally to grandchildren of his earliest customers. What he has watched across those three … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of selling budgies and cage birds to people across Swindon and Wiltshire. One of the most common conversations in those 35 years has been the one that starts: “I’d love a budgie but I rent.” The Renters’ … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold cage and aviary birds at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with budgerigars, cockatiels, canaries, finches, and dozens of other species. In that time, avian veterinary care in the UK has changed significantly — in what is … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold cage and aviary birds at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with budgerigars, cockatiels, canaries, finches, and dozens of other species. Budgies have been the UK’s most popular pet bird for as long as he can remember. … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of watching which animals people choose, why they choose them, and what happens when the choice turns out to be right. In 2026, indoor birds are the third most popular pet in the UK, with around three … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of selling pet birds and watching how the UK’s bird keeping landscape has changed around them. Invasive Species Week 2026 runs from 22 to 28 June. Every year, the coverage focuses on what invasive species do to … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of selling pet birds and taking the calls that come in during heatwaves. This week, UK temperatures broke the June record three consecutive days, reaching 37.3°C at Santon Downham in Suffolk on Thursday 26 June — the … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold cage and aviary birds at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with budgerigars, cockatiels, canaries, finches, and dozens of other species. Every year, millions of garden birds are counted across the UK. Every year, a portion of … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies, cockatiels, and canaries at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988. When the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone lifted on 4 June 2026, most of the conversations he had at the counter went the same way. This article is his honest response to the question … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold cage birds at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with budgies, cockatiels, canaries, and aviary birds. This week is Invasive Species Week 2026 — 22 to 28 June — and the invasive species that most concerns him … Read more