Budgies & Questions

[kyliesmom07]

Ok I have wanted one my whole life and now that I am older I would love to get one but the only tiny bit of experience I have had with these little guys is my brothers when I was 12 well his died after 3 months which is sad but in all truthfullness most 9 yr old arn't really geared for total pet responsibility:( Anyhow I have a few questions so if I do decide to get one of these guys I will be ready.

!. Are there any good budgie sites out there to join??

2. How much diffrent it is their diet?

4. Are males or females more friendly or dosn't it matter?

5. How big of cage requirements?

6. Do they really need grit ( Bills mom just got two and swears they need grit or they will get sick and die)??

7. Taming suggestions??

8. Can they be affectionate to their people?

9. What colors besides the blue and white do they come in??

10. My breeder has some babies due out of nest soon would it be better to buy her babies or one of her adults neither has been handled?

Ok I think thats it for now I am sure I will be back to ask tons more questions. Thanks for taking so much time for me and my ramblings... I think you all are great and very caring.

[Bea]

!. Are there any good budgie sites out there to join??

Tons, budgies are the most popular pet bird after all! :p These are a few of my favourites:

www.tailfeathersnetwork.com
www.talkbudgies.com
http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/


2. How much diffrent it is their diet?

It's not, they eat a slightly different seed mix and that's the only difference between tiels and budgies diet.


4. Are males or females more friendly or dosn't it matter?

Males make absolutely awesome pets, i have three boys inside.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/birdybea/Birds/November142007-birds060Custom.jpg
They chatter sweetly all the time, they can learn to talk, and they are just absolute CLOWNS! Nothing is more entertaining that watching budgies play. Females make great pets too (my first budgie and pet was a female), but they don't have the chatter the males do, are less likely to talk and have a reputation for being nippier.


5. How big of cage requirements?

As big as you can afford. Budgies are SO active! The minimum for a single budgie is 18"x18"x18", but bigger is better. I would also get a cage that would be large enough for two, there is usually a high probability that people starting out with just one pet budgie eventually want another. And if that never happens then your single budgie will love the extra space. ;)


6. Do they really need grit ( Bills mom just got two and swears they need grit or they will get sick and die)??

Parrots in general do NOT need grit. They dehull their seed before eating it and so grit is completely unnecessary for birds like cockatiels and budgies. In fact, they can over do it with the grit and cause health problems like crop impaction which have the potential to be fatal. They can get the calcium they would get from grit from cuttlebone, mineral blocks and various fresh foods like hard boiled egg. :D


7. Taming suggestions??

Buy a baby, about 6 weeks old, from a breeder if possible. It doesn't need to be hand reared as baby budgies are SUPER easy to tame! I like to clip a new budgie's wings and then sit it on my knee for 30-60 mins while i watch tv when i first bring them home. This gets them pretty comfy with me before they ever even see their new cage, and they don't tend to get as cage clingy in the first few days. My Ozzie was tame and pacing to come out to play within a week of coming home using this method.


8. Can they be affectionate to their people?

Absolutely! :D Baby budgies often enjoy head scratches, but grow out of them as they get older. All my boys love to come and sit with me while i'm at the computer, they love taking showers with me and every night i get a special good night kissy from my special boy Blinkie. It's so great!


9. What colors besides the blue and white do they come in??

Green, grey, blue, white, yellow, and many many combinations. There are simply too many colours to list. I have a couple in the aviary that appear a pale purple colour because of their mutation. Here are just a few examples for you:
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/birdybea/Aviary%20Birds/September182007-aviarybirds009Custo.jpg http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/birdybea/Aviary%20Birds/September182007-aviarybirds002Custo.jpg http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/birdybea/Aviary%20Birds/August252007-pets036Custom.jpg http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/birdybea/Aviary%20Birds/February102007-aviarybirds035Custom.jpg http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/birdybea/Aviary%20Birds/January12007-lotsofpets049Custom.jpg


10. My breeder has some babies due out of nest soon would it be better to buy her babies or one of her adults neither has been handled?

I would go for one of the babies for sure, adults can be a real pain to tame down and some just never do. As long as you get the baby right out of the nest it should tame down easily. :)

Hope this helped! Budgies were the species that got me hooked on birds, they're absolutely awesome little birds!

***editted to add this***

If you're looking for a certain gender as a baby it's pretty simple to tell (even though most people will assure you that you can't tell until they're adult). Here's a photo showing a male and a female baby.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/Baby_Blinkie/BubbleAndJasper.jpg
The female is on the left, and the male on the right. You can see that the female has a whitish blue/purple cere, there are definite pale rings around the nostrils. If you see pale rings around the cere it's usually safe to assume it's a female. The male has a very even and translucent looking pink cere, they can also have a purplish cere but it will always look smooth, one coloured and slightly translucent looking.

[kyliesmom07]

Thank you so much! Just one more question then I swear I am done;) Should I start out with one or two?

[Bea]

Start out with one. :) It's easier to tame a single budgie, and you're more likely to have a really close bond if you start out with just the one. Use the quarantine period (of the budgie from Noel first, and then the second budgie from both birds later) to get really close to the baby budgie, then when they meet another bird/budgie they should stay bonded to you also. I picked up a spare quarantine/travel cage from a local hardware store (of all places!) for $10, so it won't cost you a fortune to be able to cage the second separately for a month quarantine if/when you do get one. ;)

[kyliesmom07]

Thanks again I am sooooooo thinking I need to call her and see how old her little ones are I got to take a peek at her baby tiels but I didn't get a look at her budgie babies I hope they are ready soon I am so looking forward to getting one! I can't tell you how awesome it is that you have helped me so much I do appriciate you and all the members here have been so nice!

[Bea]

I'm glad i was able to help!! :D See if you can go and visit, you might be able to play with some of the baby budgies. If she has some young ones (3-4 weeks old) maybe she would handle one or two everyday so they're more people friendly when you bring one home. A lot of breeders briefly handle their babies to check them over each day anyway. I know when i bred budgies i could keep my hands off the bubs!
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/birdybea/Breeding%20Pics/Memphis23days.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r78/birdybea/Breeding%20Pics/Noah14daysScamp12days3Custom.jpg
Aren't they gorgeous?!?!

[kyliesmom07]

OMG they are the cutest thing I have ever seen! You just had to go and post those huh.. Watch her say her babies arn't old enough and then I will just have to suffer in anticipation of the day I will be able to bring mine home.. You are mean just plan mean;)

[Aly]

Bea answered all the questions but I'll post one little piccie (or two) of my darlings. Four boys and four girls. I've had budgies my whole life and will always keep a flock! (not one..a FLOCK! lol)
I'm on talkbudgies.com as well but seem to post here more often...my tiels steal alot of my attention and the budgies live in their own little world flying around my house..
I use the same taming method as Bea- I don't just put them in their cage right away when they come home. Mine were all clipped and now all flighted. It's great.
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x144/Gemini2984/THE%20BUDGIES/Group%20pics/g5.jpg
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x144/Gemini2984/MISC%20PIX/birdscopy.jpg

[Sophia]

I have got 1 budgie called Little Bill,we got him when he was 6 weeks old ♥:D We bought him off a breeder, and we saw him from when he had just hatched, he was the only baby :) The others didn't make it :(
Here is a picture of him when he was a baby, (not just hatched) :D
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z286/sophiayears/lilbill.jpg
You can see him biting the breeders hand:) LOL!
Little Bill was so easy to tame!

And this is a picture of him now with all his feathers:) But in this picture he has some pin feathers!
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z286/sophiayears/P1000267.jpg
I LOVE THE COLOUR OF HIM!! :D

Hope you do get a budgie:D
P.S Little Bill is a boy:D Blue cere

[kyliesmom07]

The pics and advice are awesome! I can't wait! I am hoping I have everything I need. I talked to the breeder on the phone today her babies are just starting to get feathers so it will be a while before we get one from her. I was wondering if anyone had a list of supplys so I can make sure I have everything I need?

[Sophia]

If they are just getting their feathers, they will look like the first picture of my Little Bill :D:D

[Aly]

I was wondering if anyone had a list of supplys so I can make sure I have everything I need?

Here is a list of what's in mine's cage- remember I have 8 so you might not need so many perches- try to keep it fun for him/her but not overcrowed.

A good seed mix *my tiels and budgies eat the same one*
A decent size cage (barspacing less then 1/2 inch)
A few various perches- nothing with a sand paper cover since it hurts their feet
I have a two rope perches, a few natural wood perches, a large round wood perch, some mirror toys with perch, a few swings, a perdicure perch...variety is best.
Toys ofcourse-make sure they don't have anything that they can swallow and choke.
A mineral block
A cuttle bone
Water and food dishes
A lava rock (optional)

You'll think of more stuff while you're there and after you set it up but those are the basics.

[Sophia]

A good seed mix *my tiels and budgies eat the same one*

Earl & Little Bill have cockatiel food and budgie food:D But like yours Aly, they both eat each others, they eat and then swap and then eat again:)

[xxxSpikexxx]

You can always ask the breeder what food she will feed them and get that if you want. I would ask her to handel the one you chose often to get him use to hands.

[nic bike]

You can always ask the breeder what food she will feed them and get that if you want. I would ask her to handel the one you chose often to get him use to hands.
i agree you should ask the breeder what they eat and get them used to being handled will be a big bonus if you want the bird to be tame :)

[Sophia]

Getting them used to being handled at an earlier age, is a really Big Bonus :D Then they will be used to people and bond with you quicker :)