Morning from the other side of the pond, so to say :-)

 

My name is Barbara, and I'm considering adding some budgies

to my household. A bit of background - I'm an experienced

YCM owner but have been birdieLess since my children were

young.

 

My kids are now older and far more responsible. I told

them that if they researched budgies in detail online and

could convince me of their knowledge/intention/responsibilities/

etc., I'd bring some budgies home.

 

2 hours later, my kids went thru 50-odd pages of how-tos

regarding budgies, took detailed notes, and started to

quiz me. Gotta love 'em! :-)

 

The upshot of this is we will bring budgies home. And with

that, here are my questions:

 

1.) I have an opportunity for hand-raised budgies. From

my own personal experience, hand-raised are far easier to

tame! But! My mom thinks that if parent-raised budgies are

less than 3 months old or so, no matter if they've been in

a store, they're just as trainable. Comments?

 

2.) If by chance we get 4 hand-raised budgies, will

they immediately bond to each other to the exclusion

of us? Or as they're used to people, would they simply

add us to their flock?

 

3.) If my kids handle them as recommended in the training

pages (ie, quiet room, soft music/talking, etc.etc.etc.) for 1/2 an

hour a day, is that enough to maintain a bond?

 

I'm considering three budgies, but would that leave out

one? If so, in your experience, is 4 or 6 better? But if so,

would that reduce the probabilities of them accepting us

into their flock?

 

Cage-wise, I'm looking for a large cage with ample room

for each budgie to have his or her own territory. Speaking

of his/her, hopefully all of the budgies will be male (I'm

not yet at all ready for the notion of baby budgies. :-) ).

 

Thanks very much for your insights in advance!

 

Barbara

Welcome - I will give my thoughts (there are more experience members here with bigger flocks so I know they will also come and give their input too)

 

1.) I have an opportunity for hand-raised budgies. From

my own personal experience, hand-raised are far easier to

tame! But! My mom thinks that if parent-raised budgies are

less than 3 months old or so, no matter if they've been in

a store, they're just as trainable. Comments?

 

**Reading this forums and having getting 2 different budgies from 2 different places I would say the best budgie to get would be a parent raised budgie and being handled by humans. When you say hand-raised did they feed them too or just handle them because that really is parent raised with being handled? Most budgies are parent raised you just have to make sure they were handled. When in a pet store they are not handled if you get them from a local breeder you have more of an opportunity to get a baby that was handled by humans. Pretty from a pet store and I got him when he was around 2 months and he came around very slowly and Merlin was handled at a very early age and we got him around 12 weeks there was a difference. Pretty was very frightened but Merlin was not because he was handled. As it stands now they both have different personalities but both are hand tamed. I tamed Pretty before I got Merlin because it is much easier to tame 1 at a time because when you have 2 or more they focus on each other and feed off each other's fears if there are any. So there is an advantage for sure. Now there are expections because I believe Cheeky got Oscar from a pet store and he is just the sweet little thing but it took her time too for him to come around. It really all depends on the individual bird in the end.

 

2.) If by chance we get 4 hand-raised budgies, will

they immediately bond to each other to the exclusion

of us? Or as they're used to people, would they simply

add us to their flock?

**There is no guarantee and what do you mean by bond? There are different levels of bonding? Following you around the house budgie or stepping up and that is it? If you want following you around the house budgie probably not they will bond to each other and let you in when they feel like it, some will be more bonded with you while others more bonded with the flock. If you want each bird to be individually bonded to each child you will have to keep them separate and have each child work their bird on an individual one on one bases.

 

3.) If my kids handle them as recommended in the training

pages (ie, quiet room, soft music/talking, etc.etc.etc.) for 1/2 an

hour a day, is that enough to maintain a bond? Read above, what do you want to achieve out of your training? 1/2 hour a day is really not much to be honest it is a start. I find the budgies that create the fastest bonds are the ones that have alot of time spent with them during the day. Not sure about you but my kids are going back to school and with them being alone in a flock all day and then the kids coming home to play with them they will create a certain degree of bonding but it may not be what you are looking for. Make sense? If you want 3 budgies and all 3 staying with their human not going to happen they flock to each other so if they do land they land in one place together.

 

In the end what do you and your children really want? You might be better getting 1 budgie and everyone bonding with this budgie and having it tamed to where you are comfortable and then adding another one later down the road. I know 1 thing budgies need alot of love and time spent with them to keep them tame and having 3 children and 1 budgie could be the perfect match because that bird.

 

So that is my thoughts everyone is different but I hope that helped you in some shape or manner

Edited August 17, 200619 yr by lovey

Taming + budgies + me = never happened . However, I did handraise 2 orphan sibling budgies, who were obviously very tame. As time went on after they were weaned though, they bonded completely with each other - I did have other species in my house, and they spent a lot of time interacting with them. Today, just a year later, my 2 orphans are out in the aviary,as I completely lost all bond with them. Mind you, Una is really the one - she has handraised 3 budgies, all very tame, and she has had marvellous success with it. Just thought I would put my poor pathetic experience!

Just remember that Una raised them herself and didn't get them from a breeder so there is a tinch difference throwing that in too but that is a great example Lin.

As Lovely stated what are you hoping for with the addition of budgies to the family. A crazy lovable bird that wants to spend time with you nd your family, as in riding on your shoulder and possibley talking or a crazy lovable flock that you can watch and giggle at their antics??

 

A group of budgies brought together will bond with each other very easily, but there are exception.

 

Also are you kids the type that can share? If not think about getting them one each to have in a single cage and train with.

 

But as always it come back to what you are wanting for your family. Work that out first and the rest slots in.

As Lovely stated what are you hoping for with the addition of budgies to the family. A crazy lovable bird that wants to spend time with you nd your family, as in riding on your shoulder and possibley talking or a crazy lovable flock that you can watch and giggle at their antics??

 

A group of budgies brought together will bond with each other very easily, but there are exception.

 

Also are you kids the type that can share? If not think about getting them one each to have in a single cage and train with.

 

But as always it come back to what you are wanting for your family. Work that out first and the rest slots in.

 

Hi all, excellent questions!

 

Ideally, I'd like to havea group of budgies that bond to us as well as each other...they're capable of playing with themselves but also like interacting with their humans.

 

And here's an update! Yesterday Martin the Warrior came to our family - he's my eldests' parakeet. It was love at first sight. Martin is a typical green/yellow burrie (we call 'birds' - 'wil 'bil babyee burrie wurries or schmirds) and about is 3 months old. We got him from a birdieStore that has bunches of handRaised birdies...Martin is remarkably tame (the name 'Martin' comes from Redwall).

 

You know, it's been 8 years since there's been a birdie in my family....and immediately everything I ever knew/did regarding birds came flowing back. How to calm them, how to tickle behind the ears, etc. Most nice.

 

We ended up with a typical parakeet cage and will probably get a larger flock-sized in the future. Right now, I don't anticipate a lot of cage time. There will be at least two more burrieWurries coming to our home.....one for another child and one, of course, for me. :-)

 

I could have gotten a parakeet yesterday as well....but I firmly (and possibily sillyLike) believe that one should watch the parakeets for some time and see if any say to you (figuratively), you're mine. None did to me yesterday. So the quest continues.

 

And that's the latest,

 

Barb

Great to see your at a start. The bit about waiting for a bird to pick you isnt silly I do the same thing.

 

Martin sounds like a treat.

welcome to the forum !

 

l also wait until a bird chooses me too

l hope that you will find that special one soon , that you will bond nicely with it .

do you have any pictures of Martin ? l would love to see them

Good morning!

 

welcome to the forum !

 

l also wait until a bird chooses me too :ausb:

l hope that you will find that special one soon , that you will bond nicely with it .

do you have any pictures of Martin ? l would love to see them :ausb:

 

I'll get them soon, as well as pictures of Mattimeo (for

those wondering, think "Redwall" :-) ). Matter of fact,

that will be my next post... because Mattimeo is handicapped.

I've got lots of questions!!

 

Best wishes,

 

Barbara