hi there, i am taking Bing to my cousins for the easter long weekend, and she also has a budgie called Chirpy and is about 1 year and 2 months, i was just wondering whether it is okay to have them playing together and whether she will get angry at him/her for being in his territory?

 

thanks

It's really hard to say. it will mostly depend on the individual temperament of each bird...

i don't think budgies are teratorial creatures, I have never had any new members of my flock fight when they enter the aviary so i cant see that there would be any problems letting them play together...

i would recommend keeping them in their own cages when not playing. It will make your budgie feel more comfortable about his short holiday accommodation's

thanks liv good to know

What about quarantine ????? Rules dont just change for "play visits" .....................treat the situation as two birds introduced to each other and can transfer illness and germs. Just becaue it isnt a newly purchased bird from a petshop does not mean quarantine isnt important.

My answer is.....no. It isnt alright for two birds to play together wihtout a quarantine of at least 30 days.

 

Along with the stress of moving to a new place via holiday , and change of environment, and meeting a new budgie.....all these things are stress inducing and can make a budgie sick as can introduction of disease and germs from a budgie the other budgie has not met before.

Edited March 18, 200817 yr by KAZ

I agree with Kaz she has made very valid points. A lot of people can come back with an arguement but they are pets, I know my friend but the bottom line is that every budgie has the potential to carry "something" and can come out when stress is induce such as moving them or meeting a new budgie.

l agree with Kaz and Elly.

it is just like that old saying, "it is better to be safe then sorry."

I am going to argue this a little....

I do agree with Kaz with the importance of quarantine.... however i cant see how two birds who have been living alone for over 30 days would be any more risk to each other than a bird from a pet shop that has just come out of quarantine.... wouldn't any signs of illness come out (if there were any) in their initial move home, thus proving they are both healthy???? :budgiedance:

Edited March 18, 200817 yr by **Liv**

I am going to argue this a little....

I do agree with Kaz with the importance of quarantine.... however i cant see how two birds who have been living alone for over 30 days would be any more risk to each other than a bird from a pet shop that has just come out of quarantine.... wouldn't any signs of illness come out (if there were any) in their initial move home, thus proving they are both healthy???? :budgiedance:

 

Actually NO. A bird can live with its own hidden issues...just as a lot of budgies these days can carry psittacosis, coccidiosis and other nasties and just live with them. They are carriers. Add to that another bird who may be carrying something of their own. Add to that a stress factor which brings out any latent illnesses and you have cocktail of diseases about to become full blown.

I am only sorry others have not experienced this to know just how important this is. There are members on this very forum who have lost birds due to ignoring quarantine principles. Ask Una how many birds she lost to cocci and how devastating that was to her. There are many others. Others who started having birds drop dead and when asked we have discovered they added birds with no quarantine. My husband had psittacosis go through his parrot aviary due to excitement and putting birds straight in with others and no quarantine despite my protests. He lost a bird a day or more till half his birds were gone and we had them diagnosed. I got psittacosis too at that point.

Until you experience the gutted feeling of losing bird after bird due to shortcutting or ignoring quarantine you will not know the importance of it....it will just be, to you, something someone gets on their soapbox about and tells other what they should do.

Edited March 18, 200817 yr by KAZ

Hey Andrew, good question ... I will love this topic ! :budgiedance:

 

Your question about territory ? I think its more natural & acceptable for aviary budgies to get along without issue. There are so many birds, space & lots of food & things to do in an aviary so why would they stress over territory ?

 

BUT .... in cage birds ? In a home ? It's can be a little different. I have seen hens kick the birdseed out of another hens butt, even a new cocks butt too. Some nice person

went out & bought another budgie to keep their first bird ( A HEN ) company. They come home & tossed the new bird in the cage & guess what ? The birds didn't get along. Blood & feathers flew & horrible stress & terror for the new bird who didn't know what the heck was happening. Hens can be real buggas like that sometimes. But then so can males. This is usually a case of a bird that has been alone for a long period of time in its own cage & has its own way of life. They see a new budgie as competition & can be pretty mean to a new bird IF THAT BIRD COMES IN THEIR CAGE.

 

A bird that has been the only bird in a cage & has never shared food, attention, his space, toys & perches might take it bad that another bird is being invited in his space .... HIS SPACE IS HERS or HIS CAGE !

 

2 separate birds in 2 separate cages are fine. They'd probably think it's kinda cool to see another bird like them. They'll chit chat ... spit seeds at each other. You know. Buddy Buddy ! But you said your cousin has had her bird for over a year & this bird has been on its own in its own cage for over a year. So don't just think that it's going to accept a playmate without any issues. It doesn't always work that way.

 

NOW .... when I read your question about them getting together I immediately thought OH OH ... here we go ! WHAT ABOUT QUARANTINE. This is important.

 

I think the rule should still apply. I agree with Kaz & Elly. These 2 birds should not get together to play with each other socially. They should be in their own cages on two far

separate sides of the house. Even if you know this person & their home like its your own home & you know they treat their bird well. Many factors can change the health of your bird or theirs.

 

Common tap water can be different in another community away from you, can that tap water make your bird ill ? Will the stress from being away from you & his own home for 2 or 3 days bring on any change in your bird that can make it ill ? Will your bird be offered a fruit or veggie that its never have had before ? Could this make your bird sick ? YES ! All or any of this can happen.

 

I always worry about stress ... birds are delicate & can get sick at the slightest things.

And yet at the same time they can be very strong. BUT .... Which chance do you want to test your bird with ?

I think it's great to take your bird to your cousins. But keep both birds in their own cages far apart & quarantined. It's just safe in the long run. Who wants to lose their little fine feathered friend ?

 

Good luck ... Nick the Worrier !

Actually NO. A bird can live with its own hidden issues...just as a lot of budgies these days can carry psittacosis, coccidiosis and other nasties and just live with them. They are carriers. Add to that another bird who may be carrying something of their own. Add to that a stress factor which brings out any latent illnesses and you have cocktail of diseases about to become full blown.

I am only sorry others have not experienced this to know just how important this is. There are members on this very forum who have lost birds due to ignoring quarantine principles. Ask Una how many birds she lost to cocci and how devastating that was to her. There are many others. Others who started having birds drop dead and when asked we have discovered they added birds with no quarantine. My husband had psittacosis go through his parrot aviary due to excitement and putting birds straight in with others and no quarantine despite my protests. He lost a bird a day or more till half his birds were gone and we had them diagnosed. I got psittacosis too at that point.

Until you experience the gutted feeling of losing bird after bird due to shortcutting or ignoring quarantine you will not know the importance of it....it will just be, to you, something someone gets on their soapbox about and tells other what they should do.

 

 

I can not even begin to understand what it would be like to loose birds like that - I'm so sorry for your loss

 

Andrew

Well it looks like there is no play time for Bing and Chirpy - And their cages need to be at least 5 meters apart to prevent the spread illness though dust.

On the bright side i hope you and Bing have a fantastic Easter long weekend away

Edited March 19, 200817 yr by **Liv**

thanks everyone i guess there will be no play time after all, also i was wondering about car trips, it is about an hour drive to my cousins and i was wondering how i should transport Bing? like seed and water etc...

 

thanks

thanks everyone i guess there will be no play time after all, also i was wondering about car trips, it is about an hour drive to my cousins and i was wondering how i should transport Bing? like seed and water etc...

 

thanks

Water doesnt travel well in the car Andrew, ( it sloshes about ) but you can put some greens in a dish that have been rinsed well in water and add a small amount of water on top of that and they can get some moisture from that. Keep Bing near you not in the back near windows where Bing can get overheated. Cover the cage mostly...3 sides. Use a smaller cage for transport if you have one. Make sure there are no draughts like from open windows and from airconditioning vents direct at Bing. Play music...they like that in cars. Keep perches set low in the cage, in case of falls from the car going around corners. Keep food and water low in the cage.

Have a really good time

I put our cage if (yours fit) in the front seat and strap it in with the seat belt with it covered all the way around , that is how I transport Merlin. Kaz gave you excellent advice and it is what I do too.