From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of watching these birds live and watching them die, and gradually developing a clear view of why the average UK pet budgie lives significantly shorter than it should. This article is his … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has been keeping, breeding, and selling budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of daily first-hand experience with these birds and the parasites that affect them. Mites are among the most common and most consistently under-checked health risks in UK pet budgies — not … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has sold bird feeders, seed, and everything garden-bird related at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of watching how garden bird feeding has changed. The RSPB’s latest guidance, published alongside the 2026 Big Garden Birdwatch results, is a genuine shift in long-standing advice. This is … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of helping UK owners protect their birds through British weather extremes. The Met Office has issued an Amber Extreme Heat Warning with peak temperatures forecast to reach 38°C this week, the UK … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold hamsters at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with every type of hamster commonly kept in UK homes. “Which hamster should I get?” is a question he answers most weeks, and the honest answer depends on more … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold guinea pigs at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with these animals. The need for companionship is one of the most consistently misunderstood parts of guinea pig welfare, and one I have to explain at this counter … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has been keeping, breeding, and selling cockatiels at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of daily first-hand experience with these birds and the people who keep them. Cockatiels are among the most expressive birds kept as pets in Britain, and almost nobody is taught how … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgerigars at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with this species and close working relationships with the exotic vets who treat them. Certain illnesses come up again and again in budgies, far more often than owners expect. … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of buying stock, setting prices, and watching the pet trade move through good years and difficult ones. 2026 has brought prices to levels he has not seen before. This is his honest take on why, and what … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold hamsters at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of watching UK hamster welfare standards evolve. Over the past two years, something significant has been quietly happening in the UK hamster welfare landscape. Major British charities have updated their guidance. Major … Read more