New Member + New Budgie

[Guest princessmish]

Well firstly I thought I'd say hi and tell you a bit about myself - My name is Michelle and I recently moved to Riverstone, in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. I decided to purchase a pet, and as there is a big chance I'll be moving into an apartment near the city in a few months, I decided to get a budgie.

 

Last Friday (Nov 17th) I went to my local pet shop and they had 5 baby budgies. I had my eye on an almost all white budgie, who was the most lively and intelligent looking one, and was doing a great deal of showing off to get attention - luckily it was a boy! So I bought him and named him Pancake (and no, I don't think he was amused by that :dbb1: ).

 

He wasn't used to being handled much, freaked out whenever I put my hand in the cage, and actually bit me quite hard a couple of times. I just continued talking to him, handling him for shorts amount of time etc and within 2 days he was like a completely different little bird! He loves "talking" to me, being handled, sitting on my shoulder, and exploring the bedroom and lounge room (supervised of course). The pet shop lady clipped his wings so he can't fly very well, but he's getting used to it. He lives in a large cage and has about an hour each day of time out of his cage.

 

Buying a budgie was the best choice! I'm happily surprised at how funny these little guys can be, he's such a sweetie.

 

Buuut... I'm having these problems:

 

1. He panics a bit if I'm not with him. I work part-time, and went to work for the first day since I got him today (boy did he make me feel guilty when I was leaving), and I returned home to find a great big mess. He'd thrown his seed dish and fruit dish and pulled a ladder down, and when he heard me at the front door he started calling me like crazy. When I walked over to the cage he was madly trying to pull his door open, so I let him out and he wouldn't leave me alone or let me leave the room for about 15 minutes (he'd squawk and try to follow me if I did).

 

2. He wakes up at 5:50am every morning (on the dot!) and the past 2 mornings he's decided that I should be awake at that time too. He'll madly try and open his door, and if I roll over and try to go back to sleep he'll squawk at me. I end up giving in and he gets what he wants - to sit on my shoulder or play with my hands on the bed.

 

Is this normal for a lone budgie? As soon as he's out of the cage and with me he's fine and back to his usual sweet little self, and once he's decided he's had enough he's more then happy to return to his cage. I obviously love spending time with him and do so at every chance I get, but I obviously can't be home 24/7 due to work and other commitments.

Should I get him a companion?

[*Nerwen* 0]

:dbb1:

 

The number of posts we see on here of owners wishing their little bundle would be more friendly towards them and it seems you have an adorable pet which your trying to stop what other would die for.

 

okay yes I understand that these behaviours can before more problematical as time goes on, so it's good that your picking up on them now and willing to curb this a bit.

 

1 - most new birds have an 'ecape from cage at all cost' period, which can have seed or other dished chucked about or dug out as well as door lifting.

You can try different sed holders if you think this will not stop, ones that can't be lifted off the side of the cage (or you could tie these ones down so they can't) The same can make the cage doors safe by using a peg to keep them shut.

 

I would think the same training for a dog would work for a bird, try to ignore him and his noise when you first come home and only talk and let him out once he has settled, this way he will learn that sqwarking will not get him what he wants. It's hard I know, make a coffee or tea first or do some house work to distract you.

 

2 - do you cover him up at night? this could help with the time if the light gets to him later he should sleep in longer.

 

Also you say he plays with your hands, why not try a ball with a bell inside (cat ones are fine) to him to throw about or kick around.

 

It sounds like he is a full on budgie you picked

[Elly 0]

As always Nerwen gives excellent advice - she is wonderful .

 

There is also a great budgie site created by eterri called www.budgietalk.com which you can go to and read all about your new budgie and taming tips.

 

It took Pretty almost 9 months before he turned around to show me affection - pet store budgies are not handled by people as much and because of this they may need more time to accept you as their newest friend. Don't be upset they are trying to gain trust and know that you are okay and it can take time.

 

Welcome and congrats on your new addition.

[Guest princessmish]

NERWEN - I'm really glad I picked him, he is such a sweetie and I'm surprised we bonded so quickly - it sounds like hes a horror from my above post, but he's really not! He's very gentle and friendly, he just likes to be with me.. a lot! (At this moment it's 7am and i have kept the cover over his cage, but he can hear me typing so he is trying to get his door open haha)

 

I'm more worried about his health and that he might stress himself out too much when I'm not there, because I am going to be working full time soon.

 

I'm going to head to the pet shop this weekend and stock up on some more toys for him to see if that helps.

 

 

LOVEY - Thanks for the website

Pancake is quite the opposite - he is constantly showing me affection! Which is great, but not when it stresses him out when I'm not around. I worry its going to do some harm mentally or physically if he stresses out when I'm gone - I know I'm probably just exaggerating like an overworried mum haha but he makes me feel so guilty for leaving him, ittle bugger!

[birdluv 0]

hi , welcome to the forums

Pancake sounds like he is quite the character .

[FGM 0]

Hi princessmiss,I am new to the site aswell.Have you got a photo of pancake?Would love to see what this little character looks like.Have lots of fun with him.

[Guest Phoebe]

:ausb: Hope Pancake settles down for you soon, even though I cover them, my birds like to get me up early. He sort of sounds like my fav budgie of all time, Mickey (I lost him due to my own stupidity), train him up, he sounds like a great guy!

[*Nerwen* 0]

Toys to keep him interested will be great for him. I can see this is one spoiled budgie :ausb: I think you did the right thing by handling him straight off the bat.

 

Budgies can get use to a routine, and I'm sure he will soon settle into yours and be fine while you are away, if you want leaving a radio on or music so the place is not dead silent while your away can help keep they happy. Silence in the wild means danger so the soft background noise acts like the nattering of others in the flock.

[Guest princessmish]

As requested, here are some photos of Pancake

 

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j150/blu...ke18thnov06.jpg

 

 

 

 

At the moment he's playing and running around on my bed like a cheeky bugger - I didn't know budgies looked so funny when they ran! (more like waddle!)

Edited November 29, 2006 by daz

[budgie_addict 0]

Welcome and Pancake is just gorgeous!

[Elly 0]

Hey he is a cutie

[Silver 0]

Hello!

 

I am enjoying your site. I come from Latvia. I really need some advice on budgies. I've bought a couple of them: a blue cock and a lutino hen(?).

 

Is it possible to determine the sex of a lutino? The yellow one is more gentle, doesn't bite ad n doesn't sing as much. Could somebody help? :rip:

[birdluv 0]

Pancake is goergous :rip:

[Rainbow 0]

Hello!

 

I am enjoying your site. I come from Latvia. I really need some advice on budgies. I've bought a couple of them: a blue cock and a lutino hen(?).

 

Is it possible to determine the sex of a lutino? The yellow one is more gentle, doesn't bite ad n doesn't sing as much. Could somebody help?

 

Hi Silver and welcome. You may get more of a response if you create new threads with your questions. But yes, you can tell the sex of a lutino. Females will have a brown cere when mature, like all other mutations. Males ceres will be pink.

[Guest Phoebe]

Love your Pancake!

[Guest Shellball]

What a pretty little guy! I am so glad you are happy with him. I know you are being a good budgie mom. I can "feel" it in your posts. Congratulations.

Shell

[Guest princessmish]

Pancake has gotten himself into a routine! Each night while I'm eating dinner he comes out and explores the loungeroom, practises his flying (repeatedly from the couch to whatever surface he thinks looks reachable - then he'll climb back up the couch and try again), and sometimes tries to eat the carpet, and then once he's finished he climbs back into his cage by himself and settles down on the top perch - he's ready for bed. He'll usually tweet at me a few times to get my attention, but if I'm busy or don't get to him fast enough then he'll squawk loudly to let me that he wants to be covered over :offtopic: it's so cute!

 

Oh also - would someone be able to tell me what type of budgie Pancake is??

 

Also, I don't currently have the internet on at home so I'll be a little slow in replying

 

xoxo

[*Nerwen* 0]

I think I would die with out the internet these days :offtopic:

 

I'm glad Pancake is settling well and trainis his slave correctly. (sorry small joke about the members here only being a servant to their budgie wishes)

 

As to what type he is... well he is a hard one. At first sight he looks like a recessive pied. But some Double Factor dominant pieds can look like this as well. The only way to tell is when they grown up a bit more ( around the age of 6 months) when the iris ring starts to appear. ( a white circle in the eye.) Recessive do not get this while dominants do.

 

something about the placment of the wing markings ( up high and all close together) makes me think he could be a dominant pied.

[Silver 0]

Hi Silver and welcome. You may get more of a response if you create new threads with your questions. But yes, you can tell the sex of a lutino. Females will have a brown cere when mature, like all other mutations. Males ceres will be pink.

 

Thank you, Rainbow, for your kind advice! I am only learning it and I was out of town for a week so it will take me some time. I do hope my lutino is a girl. The cere is pink or pinkish blue. The bird behaves like a little capricious princess (Princess Citruss is her name) to the blue Pirate - boy.