What am I?

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Also, I was told that because I'm going to have two pairs of budgies that it will force them into breeding mode even though I don't give them a breeding box. Is this true? I really don't want to breed them. I hear such horror stories about things that could happen especially becoming egg bound. Scary stuff. If this is true then should I feed them as if I was intending to breed? So that the unthinkable doesn't happen.

Edited October 4, 200618 yr by daz

I'm fairly sure that you have a very young dominant pied male there -- too young to be bred. Your budgies may be more inclined to breed since you have more than one pair.. but many times a single pair will want to breed as well if the conditions are right. So what you are going to need to do is to make sure that the conditions aren't condusive to breeding. No nest box.. or anything that could be viewed as a potential nest. Limit the amount of daylight during the longer days of the year.. that sort of thing. Give them as healthy a diet as possible.. whether or not you are intending to breed.

I agree with Hurdy on the sex, male. Very handsome.

 

As hurdy said most budgies will not breed without a box, but if you see things happening reducing the daylight hours and keeping them covered longer giving them at least 12 hours of night, running water such as a fish tank is stimulating, too much food also creates over abundance which is stimulating. Only feed what they eat in a day and a good diet as hurdy said is very important of veggies, fruits and good quality seed.

Yep a very cute male there

 

Groups of budgies are more inclined to bond with each other than with us humans, but when there isn't a nesting site (anything with a hole and dark space) then they don't try to breed.

Yep a very cute male there

 

Groups of budgies are more inclined to bond with each other than with us humans, but when there isn't a nesting site (anything with a hole and dark space) then they don't try to breed.

 

It's okay if they don't bond to me...but, can they still become tame enough to come around me the way Tammy does but just does it looking to get into trouble

Cool! I was hoping you'd all say that First off, thank you for all the responses! When I saw little Pete my inner voice said "male", though, I really couldn't tell looking at his cere. He doesn't really act like a male right now. He doesn't do the feeding thing and he's a lot quieter than Higgins. I guess Higgins is just so happy to find someone that doesn't "hen" peck him the way Tammy does that he gets all excited over Pete. Why is Pete's cere so different in color than Higgins. Is it because he is young or because he is a dominant pied? Will it change in a month? Higgins was about 3 mos old when I got him. I thought that Tammy was male so I bought him a male. Higgins' cere was blue...I had no doubt about what sex Higgins was. The bars were slightly receded from the cere but not completely. So I figured that Higgins had been through his first molt. Will Pete's turn the same way? I'm sending a picture of the the group

From left to right

Higgins, Pete and last but definitely not least..Tammy.

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Higgins in the forground...Pete in the back

 

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Higgins' cere was just about the same color as it is now. The next little girl I get...will be a normal green budgie and it will be very young. What color should I look for in the cere? Does anyone have any pictures of a very young normal green female budgie? I would love to see it and take it as a guide!

Also what color is Higgins? Is he considered a sky blue?

Edited October 4, 200618 yr by daz

Female Chick

Notice the nassel rings.

Males don't have these.

Male Chick

Edited October 4, 200618 yr by daz

Pete cere is so very pink becuase he is young and yes it will change to the blue like Higgin's. Some males don't such as recessive pieds, lutino's and albinos and DEC's they keep the birght pink all their lives.

 

It's okay if they don't bond to me...but, can they still become tame enough to come around me the way Tammy does but just does it looking to get into trouble

with a lot of work it can happen, and it looks as if you are doing well to have them all out of the cage for 'fly' time.

Female Chick

Notice the nassel rings.

Males don't have these.

Male Chick

 

Thank you Daz! So the color is pretty similar. It is the rings around the nostrils that tell the difference.

sharon

 

Pete cere is so very pink becuase he is young and yes it will change to the blue like Higgin's. Some males don't such as recessive pieds, lutino's and albinos and DEC's they keep the birght pink all their lives.

 

It's okay if they don't bond to me...but, can they still become tame enough to come around me the way Tammy does but just does it looking to get into trouble

with a lot of work it can happen, and it looks as if you are doing well to have them all out of the cage for 'fly' time.

 

When I'm home and I can watch them, they're out for hours. Poor Pete can't fly because they clipped his wings at the petshop. But Tammy and Higgins are fully flighted. I have to bring Pete around where they are. He'll fly to the floor and then I go and put my finger down and he'll come right to it. He knows that he'll get to be with the others if he climbs on. I have a patch of organic wheatgrass that they will fly to and eat. Pete eats it now, also after watching the Tammy and Higgins eating it.

you have a gorgeous flock

Aww Poor Pete, but you are teaching him that interacting with you get him to fun places, hold the wheatgrass for a little while when they eat it so they connect you to the yummy food.

 

The cere can look very much alike when young and yes the rings are what you want to look for. A bit older they look like this:

 

Boy:

 

Girl:

you have a gorgeous flock

 

Thank you!

 

Aww Poor Pete, but you are teaching him that interacting with you get him to fun places, hold the wheatgrass for a little while when they eat it so they connect you to the yummy food.

 

Oh, how cute they are! Thank you for the idea with the wheatgrass! I'm starting to get an idea now what to look for when sexing them. Thank you! I'll have to take all these photographs with me when I get ready to find my little girl.

But I got to add that I had a bird that I couldn't tell if it was male or female. Sold it to Karen. I think it turned out to be Male.

I think Higgins loves Pete because of his age. Pete is very young, and the male budgie takes over the feeding duties from the hen at about the three week mark. Pete may have stirred up Higgins paternal instincts. :sad:

 

I have some more cere pictures if it will help.

 

Female:

 

Male:

 

L to R - female, female, male:

I think Higgins loves Pete because of his age. Pete is very young, and the male budgie takes over the feeding duties from the hen at about the three week mark. Pete may have stirred up Higgins paternal instincts.

 

I have some more cere pictures if it will help.

 

What great pictures! Thank you, Rainbow! I didn't know about the males feeding the chicks. Are those pictures or your babies?