Updated 24 September 2026: corrected the overstated claim about native hedgehog law and clarified the distinction between wildlife protection, temporary rescue and pet ownership. From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of deciding what we will and will not sell, and why. The hedgehog … Read more
Updated 24 September 2026: Clarified what to check before substituting budgie foods or changing a main diet. If your budgie’s usual food is unavailable, start by identifying what needs replacing: a training treat, a fresh vegetable or the main diet. Those are different problems. A replacement treat does not replace a balanced daily diet. If … 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 answering questions from families with young children who want to know about birds. The question of which budgies are best for toddlers’ bedrooms comes in various forms. The honest answer involves … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has been keeping, breeding, and selling cage and aviary birds at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of watching how garden bird feeding habits change, and occasionally need to change. The RSPB issued new guidance this spring on how UK households should feed garden birds … 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 watching how people feed garden birds, well and badly. New guidance issued by the RSPB this year has confirmed something that conservation scientists have suspected for a long time … Read more
Updated 24 September 2026: Replaced sensational incident framing with practical buzzard-safety and protected-bird guidance. If a bird of prey repeatedly approaches people on a path, put distance between yourself and the bird, avoid returning to that spot and tell the land manager about the location. Do not approach a nest to investigate. This guide explains … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of watching UK garden birds change with the seasons, the decades, and the surveys. Every spring, the RSPB releases the results of the Big Garden Birdwatch — the world’s largest garden wildlife survey — and every spring, … 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 watching the UK’s relationship with parrots, both kept and wild. Few birds divide opinion as sharply as the ring-necked parakeet, now a familiar sight across much of southern England … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold birds at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of conversations with British gardeners and birdwatchers about the wild birds in their gardens. The house sparrow has just topped the British garden bird list again in the latest UK survey results … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has been keeping, breeding, and selling cage and aviary birds at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of watching the ring-necked parakeet’s journey from genuine rarity to one of the most argued-about birds in Britain. With a Channel 4 documentary fronted by Chris Packham bringing … Read more