Hi everyone,

 

We have a male budgie who actually got found in our driveway and we have been unable to find his previous owners. He is what i would call partially tame (he does not bite unless you are cupping him in your hand). He is still not really keen on staying on our finger for any length of time but we are getting there.

 

I have not kept budgies before (we once had a cockatiel who also managed to find us when he got lost) and wondered if it is better to keep them in pairs. Since they are a flock animal i felt that maybe our little guy here would do better with a real birdy friend. Can they still be tame if kept in a pair?

Is it better to have a Male female pair or will 2 males get along?

what cage dimentions should be provided for a single bird and 2 birds?

 

So many questions i know, i really want to keep this little guy happy and healthy :sad:

 

The cage he is in currently, we happened to have it here as a lovely lady donated it for our rat rescue but it is a birds cage, measures approx 50cm wide X 30cm deep X 45 cm high give or take a few cm. Is this okay for him or does he require a larger home?

 

Thanks

Aimee

If you want him to bond with you (you and your family will be his flock), then keep him on his own. If you would rather him bond with another budgie, then get him a male friend. It is really up to you in that matter

 

The cage you have sounds like a good size. It is best for the perches to run across the width of the cage, rather than the length - It might already be the case... just thought i would mention it though. If you get him a friend, he will need a cage upsize.

 

 

No such thing as to many questions... we are here to help and love answering questions :sad:

Thanks for the perch idea :sad:

We have one perch running the width and one the length plus a calcium perch for him near his food dish.

I would love to be able to bond with him but he is only getting the chance to come out of his cage of a night time when the kids are tucked up in bed and the cats are placed in their cat run (it is sheltered). As i am not overly confident with him I wait for hubby to get home to let him out, i hope i will get over my fear of him soon (it is actually the wing movement that frightens me, how silly). Because he does not have what i would call a lot of free flight i am a little worried that he would be getting lonely and i would imagine this could lead to behavior that is not good for the animal (plucking etc).

 

Can you give me the run down on what is the basic needs ie free time etc for a single bird vs a pair please?

 

I know you are probably thinking i am a bit (or lot) of a dope but this is not an animal that i chose (otherwise i would have had time to research a load more) and I want for him to be happy, healthy and friendly

 

Thanks

a fear of flapping wings is very common, nothing to feel silly about. I have a friend who is petrified of birds and i have to cover them all up and remove every trace of feather when ever she comes around. my 40+ birds freaks her out!!!

Moths are also something many are scared of when they also fear birds.

 

If you have a freind for him, he will not bond as closly to you.

You can still make him feel a part of the family by having his cage in a social location (not in the kitchen) like family room near the TV. Talk to him lots and spending time with him while he is in the cage will helping him get used to you - and you never know, he might be able to help you get used to him :sad:

 

Because his cage is a good size he can stay in all day if you like. Give some toys (without mirrors and bells)

 

Alsotrim the long perch to run parallel with the shorter one that runs the width of the cage Like this:

 

 

This will allow him to fly between the perches and get exersise during the day

Edited July 29, 200816 yr by **Liv**
added more

Thanks for all that :sad:

 

We actually have a larger cage here, another donation which we can make a stand for We will make the stand fairly high but safe so that cats do not bother with him (I am sure they will loose interest pretty quick anyway). He chirps to the kids all the time.

 

Can you tell me why no bells or mirrors please?

I would assume no bells as they could scare him but is it not common for people to use mirrors for a single bird.

 

I will ask hubby to shorten the perch so they are both like yours, I can see why you would do this.

 

Should i be adding anything to his water etc to keep him safe?

I know that some animals do not tolerate chlorine in the water (we have fish also, yep a zoo i live in), do we need to use something to make it safer for him?

 

Thanks so much for your advise

 

Aimee

Normal tap water is fine :sad:

 

No bells or mirrors (or other reflective things) because male budgies can become obsessed with their reflection and all sorts of behavioral issues can start.

Oh okay,

 

Males and mirrors, not only budgies but humans also LOL.

 

I will make the adjustments as soon as hubby gets home :sad:

Liv has given you fantastic advice - If you want him to bond closer to you as well, Take him to the vet to get his wings reclipped MAKE SURE THE VET CLIPS BOTH WINGS!!!!!!

okay here i go again LOL.

 

Do we have to clip his wings?

What is the benefits of clipping?

Why both wings?

I was led to believe that by clipping both wings you increase the chance of them learning to fly (single wing clips means they are off balance etc).

 

I would prefer to allow him to keep his wings if possible and still bond with us.

Hi and welcome!!! He has found you for a reason ... The wing clipping... do a search in our FAQ's (top right hand side) This will give you the run down... basically it's up to you. Clipping the wings makes taming eaiser, is eaiser to get them back into their cages and always clip both wings. If you clip one they are uneven and this often causes injuries as they are off balance. You DON'T have to clip wings. It is totally up to you. Your best bet would be to read up on as much info as possible and then make an informed decission. Good luck and I look forward to following your journey. maesie xo

 

P.S. Don't be ashamed of asking lots of questions!!! That is why we are here and are more then happy to help you out

Here is an article from our FAQ's about getting a 2nd budgie In my opinion, I would add a 2nd budgie if I wanted the one I have now to be very tame such as get excited when I walk in the room, talk, follow me around, if you want to be the center of attention a 2nd budgie is not a good idea, but if you bond with him and then decide on a 2nd budgie that is something to consider but know when adding a 2nd budgie they would rather be with their own species so you will play 2nd fiddle , and for many that is okay. Always remember that you have to quarantine any new additions that is very important. Clipping wings can be a 1 x thing if you decide on it, both my birds where clipped once for taming and then were not reclipped, Merlin is completely flighted and so was Pretty.

 

I have been thinking about getting a second budgie, is this a good idea?

Getting a second budgie could very well be a good idea, but only if you think it over carefully and prepare. Here are some things you should think about:

 

Any new bird must be quarantined for a minimum of thirty days so that you can monitor him for illness. Avian vets suggest a longer quarantine of 90 days. A well bird check up during this time is a very good idea with an avian vet. You can also use this time to bond with the new bird so that it is tame before introduced to your other budgie. It is much harder to tame a bird that is already housed with another bird. Read: Quarantine Program

 

Not all budgies will get along. Most are okay, but introductions must be carefully supervised to ensure that the two birds will not harm each other.

 

In the event that your budgies don't get along, you must be prepared to house them separately. Many budgies who refuse to harmoniously share a cage will often do okay during out of cage time. However, this is not always the case. You may very well end up having to give your new budgie his own spacious cage and make time to give the two birds separate time out of the cage.

 

Speaking of which, a second budgie means a little more expense. Vet care, extra food, and an extra cage (at least for quarantine) must be taken into consideration or a bigger cage to house both birds comfortably. If you find your birds are arguing and not getting along check to make sure the size of the cage is big enough to accomodate two budgies. The most costly of all these is of course, vet care. Can you comfortably afford vet care for the bird you already have? If not, it would probably be wise not to add to the flock right now.

 

Lastly, make sure you really want that second bird too. If your biggest motivation is providing a budgie friend for your current bird then you might end up frustrated and disappointed if they don't get along.

 

Basically, make sure you have the time, patience, money, space, and desire to comfortably take care of a second budgie, even in the event that the two birds do not get along.

 

Another note is that two males will get along better than a male and a female. Females tend to boss and rule over males, who will more readily back. Getting two of the same sex birds will also prevent accident breeding and eggs being layed especially if you do not desire to breed.

Liv where do you get the stands for the flight cages, i have the cage just want the stand.

 

My two cents with wing clipping, I have had both. I never clipped Harley's wings but my two guys now have them. the only thing that I will say is PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not only clip one, least if my guys fall off their tree they flap like made and then go a little splat and have some directional control with only one wing clipped they lose all control and run the risk of hurting themselves.

Now that i understand what the reason for the clip is, if i decided to clip i would do both wings :hap:

I understand the clip is so they can not fly as far or as high not to stop them completely :hap: I would never intentionally do something to an animal that could potentially injure or kill it.

 

Thanks so much for the help girls, sooo much to think about and consider. You are all very helpful

quick Q that ties into the topic, should i remove Bing's olympic rings, it has a bell on it that is not reflective ut he is obsessed with it and spends all his time talking and banging it... it's not very social...

 

any tips?

Keep rings remove the bell of it - Mine love their rings

the only problem with that is that he doesn't even acknowledge the rings at all, just goes for the bell...

the only problem with that is that he doesn't even acknowledge the rings at all, just goes for the bell...

 

He probably will eventually when you remove the bell

okay, thankyou for the help

Guys bells are not bad all the time but a PERFECT training and play tool, I always use the bells to play with Merlin and use it just like millet for rewards

Edited July 30, 200816 yr by Elly

I am so glad you found this bird and are willing to keep him. I keep wishing that the one that we lost was found by someone. I really really really really hope she was )=.

Hi everyone,

 

I thought i would give you all an update on the rescued/ picked our house budgie.

 

Well he has made himself at home and is actually bonding well with my husband. He gets let out of his cage every night, except the nights where time does not permit etc which has happened a couple of time but never 2 nights in a row

 

He still does not really like to "step up" BUT we have found his soft spot...Millet, he will step up for millet. He also puts himself back to bed once he has had enough (normally around 20 minutes or so).

 

I hope i am doing the right things. He seems happy and healthy so i must be doing something right

great progress