Hi all,

 

I remember when we first got our budgie Billy we found this site incredibly warm, welcoming and helpful.

 

Nearly 2 years on, we are completely in love with Billy, who is a very happy and well adjusted bird.

 

Billy flies free in our house between his home (a big cage with natural sticks, food, water and fun stuff) and a number of 'play stations' we've positioned all around the house to make life exciting for him. He is happy amusing himself for short periods but mainly interacts a lot with us. When we're not around, he is noticeably more quiet and takes quite some time to perk up.

 

For all the time we've had Billy my partner has been working from home, so for much of every day he and Billy have been keeping each other company. When I get home at night, I spent plenty of bonding time with Bill. When we've gone away we've been lucky to have very close friends of ours (who are comfortable with birds) come and stay at our house to look after Billy. It was a very happy arrangement.

 

But a number of things have changed.

 

Firstly, we've moved from Canberra to Brisbane as a result of my job, and no longer have friends we can call on to help look after Billy.

 

Secondly, my partner is about to get a different job which will mean he's no longer working from home.

 

We also want to be able to go on holiday (for a weekend, a week, or even 3 weeks) but feel we can't do that until we have worked out a happy solution for Billy.

 

He's got a fantastic personality - very sociable and no nonsense, fun, full of character, very lovey dovey and quickly adaptable to new situations. In the absence of knowing anyone to help us look after Billy at our place, we thought it might be best if we get a second bird. We haven't considered this lightly - we know we could lose closeness with Billy - but feel his day-to-day happiness is more important than that 'risk'. However, we are worried that he might not bond with that second bird, and don't know how we'd cope with that situation.

 

We need to do something though. Just yesterday, we went away for the day, leaving early in the morning and getting back early evening. It was obvious that Billy had had a very quiet, lonely day. Took him a couple of hours to get sociable and even then he seemed out of sorts. This isn't the first time we've noticed this - he really does respond well to the human contact he's become so familiar with.

 

We'd be grateful for any thoughts/advice on our situation.

 

Billy enjoying a scratch while 'helping out' on the laptop

Edited October 26, 200816 yr by manzana

You know if you feel it is the right thing to do in your heart I say go for it get Billy a friend, I would go with another male, you could get a baby bugdie or you could look into rescuing a budgie around Billy's age. He is so social and adjusted that if you can find a bird with a similar personality as Billy I feel that your bond with him will be kept. Don't get a fearful bird because that could reverse him if you can work toward getting a baby that has been handled or an older bird that is tamed.

 

I only advise against it if a you just got the bird and you are trying to form a bond, had a bird for a while and now want to form a bond but that is not the case. We had another member Bea, who had a budgie very similar Blinkie and she got him a friend named Ozzie she kept the bond with Blinkie. I do remember she said he stopped talking but the bond she had with him was not broken. So I say GO FOR it if that is what is in your heart.

 

Remember, you will have do a 30 day quarantine so make sure you have an extra cage it can be a smaller one for quaratine and make sure that the cage you have now is suitable for 2 budgies or more .

 

Glad you came back and Billy is so handsome.

Edited October 26, 200816 yr by Elly

Hi, welcome back

Billy is a cute little one. l agree with what Elly has mentioned.

Hello and welcome back

 

I also agree with Elly - Good luck with your choice

i agree with what has been said so far - get him a firend, do the quarnatine thing in another room, and whilst you are doing the quarnatine thng, train the other bird. he may not get as good as Billy, but bond with him too, so the first thing he does is bond with you.

 

Getting a male is a good idea as well. no matter what you do, a female and male pairing will eventually want to mate. now, it is impossible to create a "nest free" home as they will try and lay eggs anywhere that is "secure" so they may begin to totally ignore their play areas and look for nesting sites. I rehomed 2 birds that were doing that very thing.

 

Anyway, good luck with it and keep us all posted.

Hey.... Billy is a looker ..... I think that what the others have said is a great Idea .....

 

I am not sure if I am reading in between the lines here .... But are you looking for a New home for Billy?

It is just the way i read it maybe ....

 

There are Boarding places or other places like don't fret pet that look after your pet/s whilst you are unable too .... So there is another thought for when you take that well deserved holiday

 

Hope you find a solution ...

I am not sure if I am reading in between the lines here .... But are you looking for a New home for Billy?

It is just the way i read it maybe ....

 

Hey Neat, I read it the same as you

:hug: ..... I wasn't too sure , I tend to read to far into things :hug:

i didn't get that... I thought they were tossing up between re-homing him or getting a new bird...

Aww he's so beautiful...

 

I have never had a problem with bringing in a second bird well after a bond is formed with a first one. Quarantine is the only thing that makes it tricky (although of course it's totally worthwhile!)

 

It's really nice seeing them bond with each other too, very special. Even if it is two boys :hug:

do you have 2 birds krosp?? better update your profile :hug:

Hey.... Billy is a looker :hug: ..... I think that what the others have said is a great Idea .....

 

I am not sure if I am reading in between the lines here .... But are you looking for a New home for Billy?

It is just the way i read it maybe ....

 

There are Boarding places or other places like don't fret pet that look after your pet/s whilst you are unable too .... So there is another thought for when you take that well deserved holiday :hug:

 

Hope you find a solution ...

 

In the absence of knowing anyone to help us look after Billy at our place

 

They are looking for a pet sitter whille they are gone and getting Billy a friend because they are not as home as much as her companion doesn't work from home as much or at all any more.

 

As for pet sitters, I would look around your neighborhood see if there are any responsible young teens looking to make a little money, the neighbor on our street she is 15y looked after all our pets when we went on vacation it worked out perfect :hug:. Boarding is very stressful and puts the bird into an unknown situation, virus and bacteria so look close to home first.

Edited October 26, 200816 yr by Elly

I am far far far away from being an expert but have you tried leaving a radio on for him when you are not there of a daytime. Try a talkback channel (4BC in Brisbane). Our little guy loves it.

 

I am not sure of the whole quarantine thing but I am in Brisbane (on the Northside) and would be very willing to look after him for you when needed if that helped.

 

It's so hard finding someone you trust to look after your pets when you go away isn't it. My parents look after our budgie when we are away but he doesn't get out of his cage while we are gone and I feel terrible about it. Though it's safer than him being lost or scared by my mother who is terrified of flying birds LOL :hug:

Lily if you watched him you would have to keep in him a separate room away from your bird :hug:. What a nice offer. A radio does work wonders, I do that with Merlin too since he is a single budgie. Great suggestion.

..... I wasn't too sure , I tend to read to far into things

 

Hi Neat and Liv

 

We're definitely not trying to rehome Billy.

 

We just want to work out what the best thing to do is as far as Billy's happiness is concerned.

 

Right early on we wondered whether we'd made a mistake getting only one budgie, but a couple of months in our specialist bird vet advised us that it wasn't a good idea at that stage. We thought we might have left it too late.

 

We weren't hinting for help but genuinely just wondering whether it's a good or bad idea to introduce a second bird to one that's been living solo for 2 years. We thought if you were all generally optimistic about the idea, great... we'll certainly go through that process. If not, we'd be grateful for any advice about alternative ideas.

 

We'd both be devastated to lose Billy, and absolutely would not consider finding a new home him unless personal circumstances meant keeping him was impossible, which is far from the case.

 

I had a feeling the kindest thing to do is to get Billy a friend, but wanted the advice of budgie experts such as all of you before welcoming another little life into our home.

 

 

 

I am far far far away from being an expert but have you tried leaving a radio on for him when you are not there of a daytime. Try a talkback channel (4BC in Brisbane). Our little guy loves it.I am not sure of the whole quarantine thing but I am in Brisbane (on the Northside) and would be very willing to look after him for you when needed if that helped.It's so hard finding someone you trust to look after your pets when you go away isn't it. My parents look after our budgie when we are away but he doesn't get out of his cage while we are gone and I feel terrible about it. Though it's safer than him being lost or scared by my mother who is terrified of flying birds LOL

 

That is just so lovely of you Lily... thank you for the sweet offer. Wow.

 

You're right - it is hard to find someone you trust and who is good/comfortable with birds to look after your own! I know exactly what you mean about feeling bad about your budgie not being able to fly around, for example.

 

How have you found having just one budgie? How old is your little guy? Have you ever had the same worries about him being lonely or does he usually have company?

 

Funny you should mention radio - we do keep the radio on for Billy - 612 ABC usually, but maybe we should try 4BC!!

Edited October 26, 200816 yr by manzana

Just a note that Merlin is a solo budgie too and does very well, there are times I do feel very guilty about not spending enough time but I make a commitment to get him out at least M-F and on the weekends if possible especially when I am at my computer typing and on BBC LOL. This is when I feed him his veggies, talk to him, give him kisses, and I leave the radio on all the time for him.

do you have 2 birds krosp?? better update your profile

 

 

Haha no I don't at the moment - just Cosmo. But a couple of times in the past I have introduced a second bird when I had a pet one for a long time, and it always worked fine.

Just a note that Merlin is a solo budgie too and does very well, there are times I do feel very guilty about not spending enough time but I make a commitment to get him out at least M-F and on the weekends if possible especially when I am at my computer typing and on BBC LOL. This is when I feed him his veggies, talk to him, give him kisses, and I leave the radio on all the time for him.

 

 

Thanks for all your advice, Elly, and for responding so quickly too. We're really appreciative.

 

Gotcha - see told you all i read to far into things

This is a really interesting post thanks. I also have only one budgie who I have had since January, and have recently made the decision to get another one to give company to Coco as my boyfriend and I are not home during the day.

 

It is nice listening to other peoples opinions on this subject

Anytime, I really enjoy Merlin , to note I did have 1 bird and then 2 and then Pretty passed away and then I decided to just have the 1 again for now.

Anytime, I really enjoy Merlin , to note I did have 1 bird and then 2 and then Pretty passed away and then I decided to just have the 1 again for now.

 

 

Was Merlin okay when Pretty passed away? That's another thing we were worried about - that the budgie left behind might be heartbroken when he loses his friend.

When Pretty died, Merlin was very quiet. I had Pretty first and bonded with him and then I got Merlin. Merlin was Pretty's shadow he didn't bond with me (that is usually what happens with the 2nd bird) he bonded with Pretty. So when Pretty died he called for him and he was very quiet but I let him be and then I started to work him as it has been over a year now and he has bonded with me very nicely. Pretty talked and stopped with I got Merlin but now that Merlin is the only he talks too and loves to be with me. It worked out okay.

Wow what a lovely bird and he is lucky to have such loving owners. I also agree with Elly and everyone else.