My New Budgie - Advice?

[Radien 0]

Hi there. I'm a new budgie owner, and I wanted to find some like-minded bird lovers to talk with. I'm from the state of Oregon, USA. This seemed like the most reliable large site I could find, and since budgies are Australian, I figured "hey, why not?"

 

I'm a pet owner rather than a breeder; I have an American lavender budgie. He's about 8 weeks old, I believe, and was hand-fed and tamed by a good breeder. One reason I'm here is because I'd like to get some advice about making friends with him. Anyway, good to see you all, and I hope my company is tolerable or better.

 

Oh, and I might as well post some pictures of the little guy.

 

Edited December 23, 2009 by Radien

[**Liv** 0]

Hello and welcome to you and your cute little budgie

 

making friends with him is pretty easy if he has been hand raised or hand tamed already. You just need to keep his cage in a social location (but not the kitchen) and always talk to him and include him in daily life. Hold him every time you can but dont disturb him when he is taking a nap etc. there is loads of information in the FAQ section in regards to taming to read through as well

 

Click here for Budgie FAQ's

[Radien 0]

Hey there, I have a new budgie that I've been introducing to my home. It's been a little rough, and I was hoping to get some advice. I've read various FAQs on the subject, but they don't seem to help much because my new budgie (yet unnamed) is perfectly tame; he's just having trouble with the transition.

 

I got my presumed-male lavender from a breeder who seems very knowledgeable; he runs the local bird rescue and cares a lot about birds. He also spends a lot of time with new birds to make sure they can bond with humans. My budgie came completely hand-tamed, and he isn't afraid of humans at all. In fact, he preferred to stay OUT of his cage at first. My problem involves getting him accustomed to his cage and me.

 

The first difficult is he chews...everything. Including me. He'll bite my thumbnail when he's on my hand, and investigates my face and clothing by chewing on it. Unsurprisingly, the first toy he took to was a grooming toy I made by attaching cotton fabric strips to a plastic chain (with the breeder's advice). But he still chews on everything else, too. Is this a stage, or am I going to have to do something about it?

 

Secondly, he's just generally moody. I try never to force him to do anything he doesn't want to, but he "complains" all the time, even while eating. It's strange because he seems content to perch on my finger and likes being talked to.

 

Lastly, a really weird problem: he's claimed my computer keyboard. I have a slide-out keyboard rack, and he likes to jump onto it, then hide behind the keyboard and chew on the keys. Cute as heck. The problem is that he pecks at my fingers are complains whenever I type or move the mouse. And he keeps flying back to it every time I move him. Augh!! I suspect he's decided there are budgies living down there, since it's very close to the speakers and I play budgie noises for him when he's bored. But moving the speakers didn't help.

 

I think I've blabbed enough. Does anybody have any recommendations for an eager new owner?

 

Ha, I'm pretty new here, and already sponging for advice. I hope you don't mind.

[Radien 0]

Well, there's a few bits of information I haven't heard before. Thanks, I'll read up on that FAQ.

 

By the way, I spend a lot of time with this little guy out of his cage, although there are times when he is in his cage alone. I'd better not start a whole discussion about it here, though, because I just started a topic in Bringing Home a New Budgie.

 

By the way, I am probably going to name my budgie "Pixel." I've delayed because I've wanted to name him for his personality, but I'm not sure that's going to work due to the transition process.

[birdluv 0]

Hi, welcome.

l like his name

[Radien 0]

While I'm fond of the name "Pixel," I was just discussing it with my sister, and considering this bird has an obsession with my keyboard, I might want to go with another one of my possible names that I had on my list:

 

Qwerty.

[mysixbabies 0]

and

good to see you..........

I love the name qwerty!!! it is so clever...lol i'm blond so i would never have thought of that!

I have never heared of an American Lavender, but he sure is mighty cute!

Good luck with his training... i am sure you will be rewarded.

Kate

[**KAZ** 0]

I have never heared of an American Lavender, but he sure is mighty cute!

 

"American" a is a term only used in the USA to describe a pet type budgie. It is not correct terminology but just a common usage term. Lavender may mean its violet, but the photos shown are affected by different light conditions so we cant see correct colours of either the budgie or its cere.

 

Radien................I read your other topic and the first thing that sprang to mind was....it sounds like female behaviour to me Could be wrong, but would you be able to post a picture of

QWERTY ( the PERFECT name ) in normal daylight conditions, no flash used on camera, front and back photos including a closeup clear shot of the cere ?

 

PS

Edited December 23, 2009 by KAZ

[Amy S 0]

Hi and I'm quite new to this forum too and I have found it brilliant and very interesting. The members on here are wonderful and have great feedback.

 

Your QWERTY is very cute

[Radien 0]

I have never heared of an American Lavender, but he sure is mighty cute! :laughter:

Thanks! :rofl: Well, lavender isn't a breed, just the color that was described to me. See below.

 

"American" a is a term only used in the USA to describe a pet type budgie. It is not correct terminology but just a common usage term. Lavender may mean its violet, but the photos shown are affected by different light conditions so we cant see correct colours of either the budgie or its cere.

 

By "American" I meant to differentiate it from the English Budgie. English Budgies are larger than what we normally see here, and since they were first popularized in Britain (if that's actually true), I simply assumed that they were bred smaller here in America. If the size we typically have here is also found beyond the Americas, well... I guess I'd be interested to know that.

 

Oh, and when I say "lavender," I mean that s/he is supposed to become more purplish eventually. But right now the plumage is basically just blue. You can detect some faint violet/lavender if you look really closely (though it might be hard with the pictures).

 

Radien................I read your other topic and the first thing that sprang to mind was....it sounds like female behaviour to me Could be wrong, but would you be able to post a picture of

QWERTY ( the PERFECT name ) in normal daylight conditions, no flash used on camera, front and back photos including a closeup clear shot of the cere ?

 

PS :rofl:

 

I agree with your suspicions. I've had a female non-hand-fed budgie before (wasn't a good experience), and a male hand-fed budgie, and this one does seem to have some female traits.

 

Sorry about the picture quality. Those are both without a flash, but my room has horrible natural lighting this time of year. It's very cloudy throughout winter in Oregon, so it's hard to get a good picture without color distortion. Looking at my budgie up close, I see white with a little bit of pink and a little bit of blue. But... curse this winter lighting. Here's the best one I've managed to take; the photo still has a little bit of a blue tint to it, though.

 

http://i48.tinypic.com/mvjali.jpg

 

And... thank you!

 

 

Hi and I'm quite new to this forum too and I have found it brilliant and very interesting. The members on here are wonderful and have great feedback.

 

Your QWERTY is very cute

Thank you from me and my budgie! :laughter:

Edited December 23, 2009 by Radien

[**KAZ** 0]

Again its the USA that renames budgies into terminology not used most other places in the world but there :laughter: ..............English would be a budgie that lives and breeds in England and nowhere else. Even the English refer to them not as English, but as exhibition budgerigars....We here call them show budgies. The only kinds being show types or exhibition types and pet types...the differences being size and breeding heritage really. Same as most peo[le in the USA call them parakeets which in fact is a whole family of differing parrot types not just another name for a budgie :laughter:

You have a cute little pet type budgie that appears to be a normal cobalt not violet or lavender or mauve. Possibly female if the cere has white as you say it has I await clearer photos :rofl:

Sounds like a real character and I have to say again I JUST LOVE THE NAME QWERTY so apt, so perfect :rofl:

 

Look forward to hearing and seeing more on " our QWERTY"

[birdluv 0]

l like the name :rofl:

[Radien 0]

Well, we are all prisoners of the language we speak; my only goal is to be understood. If you call them something else, just tell me and I'd be happy to use your terminology, regardless. I hadn't heard the term "English budgie" until a few weeks ago. I just thought it would be helpful to the breeders here if I tried to be a little more specific. Sorry it didn't help. :/

 

Most budgie owners I've met in America know they're called budgies. It's the non-bird-lovers who just call them "parakeets," much like they'd see a macaw and simply call it a "parrot." You don't exactly see tropical birds in the wild here (at least, not in Oregon), so I don't really blame them. It's not really incorrect, it's merely vague... like saying "I just got a bird!" :laughter:

 

I guess it's possible my bird won't gain a violet hue, but even if it does, it'll be pretty subtle. Perhaps if I wanted an interesting color I should have gotten the white/grey one. Oh well. I mostly just want a friendly, playful bird. I'll get you more pictures once we have a day when the sky isn't a uniform shade of grey. What's the weather like down in Australia? Isn't it summer for you guys? Jealous. :rofl:

 

I'm glad you all like the name "Qwerty." Most people who actually get the joke seem to like it.

Edited December 24, 2009 by Radien

[SundayGirl 0]

I think it is good that he's a 'complainer'....bodes well that it may talk in future? He sounds very intelligent in that he likes to explore and be interested in his environment....all good signs that he's a healthy and happy budgie.

 

I hope you have many wonderful years with your little one....budgies are fantastic fun. I've had my little fella for just over a year now and I bless the day he came to live in my home...he's so entertaining and a delight to have around. I'm sure you'll find the same.

[Radien 0]

Well, looks like my topics got merged. That's probably for the best.

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement. True, grumpy and curious is better than unfriendly and withdrawn. Qwerty has already decided that my head his a comfy, safe little tree topped with hair. So I guess Qwerty trusts me, even if s/he doesn't trust the cuttlebone.

 

Hey, I just got a book on budgies. It's titled "The Parakeet Handbook," so I guess I have to admit I was overly optimistic; more people in America term them "parakeets" than I originally thought. Anyway, hopefully it'll take care of some of the boring neophyte questions I was asking.

Edited December 26, 2009 by Radien

[GenericBlue 0]

your fine gives me at least something to read when i got nothing beter to do ..ask away

welcome by way and um i may have to admit that i have no idea what his name means so..... but its cute

[**KAZ** 0]

your fine gives me at least something to read when i got nothing beter to do ..ask away

welcome by way and um i may have to admit that i have no idea what his name means so..... but its cute

QWERTY GB is a row of letters on your computer keyboard............top row of letters on the left. The budgies has been named that due to its obsession with the keyboard

Edited December 26, 2009 by KAZ

[Finnie 0]

Well, looks like my topics got merged. That's probably for the best.

 

Thanks for the words of encouragement. True, grumpy and curious is better than unfriendly and withdrawn. Qwerty has already decided that my head his a comfy, safe little tree topped with hair. So I guess Qwerty trusts me, even if s/he doesn't trust the cuttlebone.

 

Hey, I just got a book on budgies. It's titled "The Parakeet Handbook," so I guess I have to admit I was overly optimistic; more people in America term them "parakeets" than I originally thought. Anyway, hopefully it'll take care of some of the boring neophyte questions I was asking.

 

More than likely, Radien, it will bring up more questions than it answers. I have a few of these types of books, and I think they help new bird owners, but they aren't really complete.

 

It's kind of funny about the term "parakeet", here in the U.S. The general population has never heard the word "budgie", but if you talk to anyone involved in breeding caged birds, they will make you specify which type of parakeet you mean, because budgies are way less popular among the fanciers than say, ring necked parakeets or rosey bourke parakeets. You learn to adjust which word you use depending on who you are talking to.

 

There are lots of different types of parakeets, and when I've gone to a couple of bird fairs, I've been lucky to find even one person with budgies. In fact, several breeders I talked to said they used to do budgies when they were first starting out, but it was too fraught with difficulties, and they found other species of birds more rewarding. Maybe they didn't have this forum to turn to for answers!

 

Go to the FAQs section, and read everything you can find. You will find out stuff you didn't even think of asking about!

Edited December 26, 2009 by Finnie

[defieldsfamily 0]

Hi Radien and welcome to this forum. I'm relatively new to it also, having only got re-involved with birds over the last year or so. The folks on here are wonderful and offer us newbies a wealth of information which they generously share.

 

One thought I had regarding the colour of your bird based upon the things you've said and not so much the pictures is could your adorable Qwerty be a normal sky violet? I have a cock bird who is a sky violet and at this time of year (I live north of you in BC, Canada) it is almost impossible to tell him from my normal cobalt cock and trying to capture those flecks of violet on a camera at this time of year is next to impossible. As your bird gets older it might be easier to see too.

 

Glad that your bird is such a curious one...they are the most fun to watch.

[Radien 0]

your fine gives me at least something to read when i got nothing beter to do ..ask away

Well then, thank you much. I guess I'll just boil it down to two questions:

 

1. Qwerty likes to jump down on the keyboard and bite my fingers if I start typing. Any idea what might be the birdy reasoning behind this? Is Qwerty jealous that I'm paying attention to the computer screen?

 

2. Are recordings an effective way to teach a budgie to talk (or mimic other noises)? I try to use falsetto when I teach my bird phrases, but it's sort of tough on the voice. For that matter, will recorded budgie noises discourage a bird from learning human speech?

 

 

More than likely, Radien, it will bring up more questions than it answers. I have a few of these types of books, and I think they help new bird owners, but they aren't really complete.

 

It's kind of funny about the term "parakeet", here in the U.S. The general population has never heard the word "budgie", but if you talk to anyone involved in breeding caged birds, they will make you specify which type of parakeet you mean, because budgies are way less popular among the fanciers than say, ring necked parakeets or rosey bourke parakeets. You learn to adjust which word you use depending on who you are talking to.

 

There are lots of different types of parakeets, and when I've gone to a couple of bird fairs, I've been lucky to find even one person with budgies. In fact, several breeders I talked to said they used to do budgies when they were first starting out, but it was too fraught with difficulties, and they found other species of birds more rewarding. Maybe they didn't have this forum to turn to for answers!

 

Go to the FAQs section, and read everything you can find. You will find out stuff you didn't even think of asking about!

I see what you're getting at about the book. Do you think maybe it'll help me ask the right questions, though?

 

I guess I'm in the minority among Americans. You see, when I was about 8, I asked my parents for a parakeet. They showed concern that I'd be responsible enough to take care of one. Secretly, I started feeding the cat to show them I was responsible. After they realized what I was doing, they bought me a book on budgies to test me. I read it from cover to cover. Shortly thereafter I got my first budgie.

 

So anyway, I've been calling them budgies since I was a little kid, so I can't comprehend owning one and not knowing its proper name. I did forget a lot over the years, though, which is why I'm here.

 

 

Hi Radien and welcome to this forum. I'm relatively new to it also, having only got re-involved with birds over the last year or so. The folks on here are wonderful and offer us newbies a wealth of information which they generously share.

 

One thought I had regarding the colour of your bird based upon the things you've said and not so much the pictures is could your adorable Qwerty be a normal sky violet? I have a cock bird who is a sky violet and at this time of year (I live north of you in BC, Canada) it is almost impossible to tell him from my normal cobalt cock and trying to capture those flecks of violet on a camera at this time of year is next to impossible. As your bird gets older it might be easier to see too.

 

Glad that your bird is such a curious one...they are the most fun to watch.

Thanks for the welcome!

 

Yes, what you're saying about Qwerty's coloring sounds very likely. If you're in BC, you know all about grey skies in winter, eh? That's the only thing I don't like about the Pacific Northwest. Is it pretty frozen up in BC right now?

 

 

Yes, curious birds are fun to watch. Would you like to watch too? I just uploaded a YouTube video of Qwerty.

 

Edited December 29, 2009 by Radien

[Finnie 0]

Hi Radien!

 

Your video of Qwerty is cute! I think his colors show up pretty well, and he looks like cobalt to me. But then, I've heard that if you have a violet factored sky blue budgie, they can be hard to tell apart from a cobalt. But I was wondering, are you sure he's a boy? His cere looks awfully hen-like in the video. Either way, he looks like he's having a lot of fun with the ball. Lucky bird!

[GenericBlue 0]

your fine gives me at least something to read when i got nothing beter to do ..ask away

welcome by way and um i may have to admit that i have no idea what his name means so..... but its cute

QWERTY GB is a row of letters on your computer keyboard............top row of letters on the left. The budgies has been named that due to its obsession with the keyboard

 

well that explains my density then

i have no clue

i still cant work out what half the buttons or keys if you prefer are for

 

okay very cute

by way thanks kaz your my hero

[Radien 0]

Hi Radien!

 

Your video of Qwerty is cute! I think his colors show up pretty well, and he looks like cobalt to me. But then, I've heard that if you have a violet factored sky blue budgie, they can be hard to tell apart from a cobalt. But I was wondering, are you sure he's a boy? His cere looks awfully hen-like in the video. Either way, he looks like he's having a lot of fun with the ball. Lucky bird!

 

Hi there! Glad you enjoyed the video.

 

Yes, violet factored seems to be very similar to cobalt blue. I am slightly disappointed that there's not a vibrant shade of purple in the budgie color spectrum, but it's no big deal. After all, color has nothing to do with personality (as far as I know).

 

No, I am not at all sure Qwerty is a boy. In fact, I'm leaning toward female. I'm just trying not to waffle too much. My family got used to using male pronouns, so I don't want to correct them until I'm sure. So, do you think Qwerty's cere looks white?

 

 

well that explains my density then

i have no clue

i still cant work out what half the buttons or keys if you prefer are for

Don't worry about it... I often like to make jokes that only some people get. My theory is the more obscure a joke is, the more priceless it is for the people who get it. Of course, "qwerty" is pretty easy to explain.

Edited December 29, 2009 by Radien

[GenericBlue 0]

Hi Radien!

 

Your video of Qwerty is cute! I think his colors show up pretty well, and he looks like cobalt to me. But then, I've heard that if you have a violet factored sky blue budgie, they can be hard to tell apart from a cobalt. But I was wondering, are you sure he's a boy? His cere looks awfully hen-like in the video. Either way, he looks like he's having a lot of fun with the ball. Lucky bird!

 

Hi there! Glad you enjoyed the video.

 

Yes, violet factored seems to be very similar to cobalt blue. I am slightly disappointed that there's not a vibrant shade of purple in the budgie color spectrum, but it's no big deal. After all, color has nothing to do with personality (as far as I know).

 

No, I am not at all sure Qwerty is a boy. In fact, I'm leaning toward female. I'm just trying not to waffle too much. My family got used to using male pronouns, so I don't want to correct them until I'm sure. So, do you think Qwerty's cere looks white?

 

 

well that explains my density then

i have no clue

i still cant work out what half the buttons or keys if you prefer are for

Don't worry about it... I often like to make jokes that only some people get. My theory is the more obscure a joke is, the more priceless it is for the people who get it. Of course, "qwerty" is pretty easy to explain.

you calling me stupid

its okay i know exactly what your saying

vid was cute by way i forgot to mention that earlier

[defieldsfamily 0]

Yes, what you're saying about Qwerty's coloring sounds very likely. If you're in BC, you know all about grey skies in winter, eh? That's the only thing I don't like about the Pacific Northwest. Is it pretty frozen up in BC right now?

 

 

Yes, curious birds are fun to watch. Would you like to watch too? I just uploaded a YouTube video of Qwerty.

 

 

Such a cute video! Your Qwerty looks just like my Romeo

 

It's cold here but so far we've only had one skiff of snow so far...too bad because I love snow. I'm on the southern tip of Vancouver Island so it stays very mild here. What part of Oregon are you in?