Wendymoon

Aw, they're birdie buddies.

That's so great that they took to each other so quickly. :-)

He's very pretty! I bet he loves being around all the people in the office.

Thanks for answering. So I watched Bogie carefully and checked out his droppings. Yesterday afternoon when he was super sleepy, I wasn't seeing him poop or eat and that scared me. But I got him to eat some egg biscuit and some water with a little apple cider vinegar in it. Then he had a couple runny poops and then his droppings went back to normal. He also ate some seed and some apple and seemed to have more energy by nighttime and was playing and talking again. Because he seemed better I put him back in his big cage so he could sleep normally on his swing, and he did. This morning he was chirping for us as usual, he's eating and drinking and playing with bells. And scratching his head and losing some feathers, so I'm thinking it is another moult. I will look for some moulting boost stuff for him! I just worry about the little guy cause I love him so much, and I know any signs of sickness should be taken seriously. Oh and I did feel his keel bone, Kaz, but I'm not quite sure what to look for there. I've checked in the past and it didn't seem much different. Like, I can feel the bone, but it's not sticking out that prominently. Is that normal enough?

Hi guys, So I'm worried about little Bogie today. He's been acting a little different and has been slightly puffy and more sleepy. He's still chirping, talking, playing, preening, but seems like he needs a bit more down time. I'm worried he's not feeling well. A couple of times in the past I've thought he may be getting sick but then the next day he'll be moulting and I put down his behavior to that. Well Bogie's lost two big feathers today, so could this just be the start of another moult? I assume moulting is stressful for these little guys, is it usual for them to act unwell at the start of a moult? What else can I look for to determine if it's something more than just moulting stress? I've got him in his travel cage as it's smaller and I've got it partially covered with a lamp on to keep him warm. Anything else I can do to make him feel better? Or should I make a vet appt. right away?

Congrats on the new birdie. I'll be interested to hear how introducing your budgies to each other goes. We've been thinking of adding a second bird to our flock, but can't decide.

Yes I have heard budgies at the pet store do this too! So funny. :-)

What a cutie bird! Looks like he's got quite a nice personality. :-)

So sorry about your buddy Dalek. That photo with you together is very sweet.

Thank you for the encouragement, birdluv! The slow interaction makes a lot of sense. And two bonded budgies sounds so nice.

Congrats on your new friend!

People with large aviaries are not the people you need advice from as ours are aviary birds and you need advice re a tamed bird. Please be more patient when waiting for advice. Hi Kaz, Sorry if I seemed impatient. I had also tried asking on another thread and got nothing there either, mostly I just didn't want the thread getting buried. But I think maybe you misunderstood my comment, I was saying I know many on have large aviaries and are therefore not in the best position to advise on my situation, I just figured there would be a few on here with comments. And then there were! :-)

Thanks for the comments. If we do get another bird we would definitely do quarantine. Still not sure what we'll do; it seems a bit risky getting a second bird when things are going so well with Bogie. He's about a year and a half old, so I don't know that he's totally set in his ways, but I do think he wouldn't really like anyone else playing with his bells. ;-) From the comments, I think I'd be more inclined to try and get another boy. While we'd hate to lose our bond with him, we also want what's best for Bogie and sometimes think that would mean letting him be part of a bigger birdie flock. (Goodness, it's like parents trying to decide about having a second child!) I'll let you all know if we get another!

Our bird used to freak out about anything new. We had success by hanging toys outside the cage at first so he could get used to seeing them, then putting them inside a day or two later. Also, our little guy Bogie loves bells, and toys with bells, so this gets him comfortable with toys quickly. (Either we choose toys with bells or move one of his bells over to the new item. Bell has many times been used to coax Bogie into trying new things and going new places!) After a while, our birdie became more bold and curious, now we can put new foods/toys/whatever right into his cage. The only thing he still acts scared of is the vacuum!

Nobody? Really? I know many of you have large aviaries, I'm just surprised there's no advice for me. :-(

what a cutie pie, and already friendly! I'd guess boy, but I'm not an expert. congrats!

Hi all! So, Bogie's a happy little guy and seems to love being a part of our family flock. But sometimes we think about getting him a friend. Even though we work from home and he has a lot of time outside the cage and with us, sometimes I think he would benefit from having a birdie companion. But I have a lot of questions about how getting a second budgie affects the good bonding you have with the first. And I'm also curious about advantages of getting another male or a female. (I wouldn't mind Bogie having a little mate, but we don't really have any plans for breeding, so is it just more trouble than it's worth to have a boy and girl?) Also, is it possible that the two just won't get along? I'd like to hear opinions and real stories from those that have made the change from a single bird to two. Thanks!

I know this topic is from a while ago, but I just wanted to ask how things worked out with the second budgie? We've been thinking of getting Bogie a friend. Even though we work from home and he has a lot of time outside the cage and with us, sometimes I think he would benefit from having a birdie companion. But I have a lot of the same questions of how getting a second budgie affects the good bonding you have with the first. And I'm also curious about advantages of getting another male or a female. (I wouldn't mind Bogie having a little mate, but we don't really have any plans for breeding, so is it just more trouble than it's worth to have a boy and girl?) Also, is it possible that the two just won't get along? I'd like to hear opinions and real stories from those that have made the change from a single bird to two. Thanks!

So we've been feeding Bogie the same mix of food since we got him. Seeds and pellets. Just last week I got a new bag and I think maybe they changed something with their mix, as since adding this new bag in Bogie has been having some strangely colored droppings! At first I was afraid it was blood, but the color of his poop is more of an orange. :-( Since then I've been reading about food with dyes, and I'd rather give him seeds without so I'm looking for recommendations. Has anyone here used Dr. Harvey's best parakeet blend? If I should worry that the color change is anything else, please let me know, otherwise let me know your favorite natural seed blend. Thanks!

Guess I'm late looking at this, but Ted is so cute throwing the chapstick off the desk! Bogie has some wicker balls that he loves to toss off the side of the table, then he cocks his head and looks down at them with one eye. Bogie has long moults too it seems, his first one lasted so long, now he's just getting over one that was just about a month long.

Thanks for looking at the video! :-) Boxergirl, I'm not 100% certain how old Bogie is. We've had him for almost a year, and I would guess he was maybe 3 or 4 months old when we got him? So just over a year, maybe a year and a half old at most. He was trying to talk before we even had him a month, and was clearly saying phrases before we'd had him four months. The video is from a couple months ago too, and he speaks even more clearly now, he's just talking all the time!

Bogie's got a growing vocabulary. Here's a little video of him talking.

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about Jasper.

SO cute!

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. Yes, Bogie did this all by himself! It was when he was moulting and he was trying to scratch his head. The photo is actually from a video of him scratching with bell. It made him quite happy and I found it quite funny. :-)