Posted June 19, 200817 yr Hi further to my post "Sad and Depressed Budgi" I have been enlightened to find out that my little boy is a little girl. She has a brown part above her beak. Would a male or female companion be better to get to cheer her up? Thanks for your help. Amanda
June 19, 200817 yr A male is probably a better option as he will work towards getting her to bond with him.
June 19, 200817 yr It really depends what you want. You don't need to get another budgie just to cheer up another budgie you in reality are the companion and you must be ready for 2 if you want two. Here is a good article from our FAQ CLICK TO READ should I get 1 or 2 budgies. When you decide to add another budgie, you must remember strict quarantine which is 30 days in a different cage & different room to ensure your new budgie is healthy. Budgies can look healthy but carry underlying illness that can come out induced by stress. CLICK HERE TO READ Budgie Quarantine Program. Lastly, I always feel it is best to get the SAME sex if you don't plan on breeding. Unwanted unclutches CAN come from opposite sex residing together which many people don't want and then they have to deal with eggs, what to do with them, some hens then don't stop laying etc.... There are so many UNWANTED budgies out there that I would consider this factor which is VERY important. Many will tell you that if you have different sexes they won't breed unless you put a nesting box it, it is a 50% chance and being part of this forum for the last 3 years it is more likely that they will and you will have egg issues. My avian vet said once a budgie start laying getting them to stop is almost impossible and the stress that the hen goes through is not good on her body. These are my personal thoughts on everything . Rainbow, our ADMIN has all hens and they are a very happy family you may want to ask her opinion also. Edited June 19, 200817 yr by Elly
June 19, 200817 yr Persoally i would get her a male. Male/Male relationships work very well Male/Female relationships work very well Female/Female is not so good - they tend to boss each other around. If you dont give them ANYTHING that looks like a nest then they shouldn't breed - I have an aviary full of boys and girls, but because there is no nests, any budgie sex does not lead to eggs
June 19, 200817 yr Those advocating getting a male friend for the budgie may be forgetting that "some males" come on too strong when put in a cage with a female. They think nudge, nudge, wink, wink....breeding time and that is stress for a hen. I had a hen or two die from over zealous males stressing them to the point of illness. Quarantine is of utmost importance and 30 days in another cage and another room will not be your instant fix for a depressed hen. Not really a good time to add that second budgie...she is stressed as it is due to the loss of her friend. A lot of instant responses often times are "get them a friend" but sometimes it just adds to the issue which at the moment is a stressed bird.
June 19, 200817 yr One thing to remember also is budgies will bounce back after a friend loss. I know this first hand as Pretty died suddenly a year ago and left Merlin to himself. I never got another budgie and here is what I observed. Merlin was very quiet the first couple months but ACTIVE, he sang, ate, drank took bathes and started to warm up to me. Budgies will be quiet, yes they will call but a budgie that looks depressed where they are inactive, not eating or drinking or responding to you may be a SICK budgie not a stressed budgie, they do move on and they don't sit depressed like humans to, we have to remember that we can not put human feeling on an animal. They do live in the now, they move on very quickly and many a times it is best to bond with your single budgie for a couple months and then decide. It has been a over a year now and Merlin is simply an awesome budgie, he is not over affectionate, but he loves to sit on my keyboard, my shoulder and preen my hair, he talks now and he is not lonely.
June 19, 200817 yr Isn't this the bird we discussed in the other thread and everyone decided a friend for it would be best...
June 19, 200817 yr MB it sounds familar but it is so common to have the question come up more then 2x in a day or week that I don't always put it together and I am sure I said the same thing there too and I remember writing this 2x now.
June 19, 200817 yr Sorry Kaz I generalised before I went bck and found the post, I just remembered a bunch of people saying get a friend, couldn't remember who though.
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