Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum, however I've had a budgie for a few years. My current budgie, Bluey, is about 3. For over 12 months now, he regurgitates on anything in his cage, especially toys put in the cage for him. If I take his toys out, after a couple of days he will regurgitate on either his cuttlebone, his water container and now he just regurgitates on the perch (a smooth tree branch with a slight bend in it - has been in his cage since we got him).

 

At first I thought he may be ill, however it's been going on now for well over 12 months, and he is just fine. Not losing weight, no feather loss....just a seemingly happy budgie who talks a lot, eats, drinks, poops normally etc. I thought maybe he needed more company, so kept him inside with us more so he was not lonely. When this didn't work, I gave him more covered time from late afternoon to morning. Neither has worked.

 

I'm thinking maybe he is lonely so am contemplating buying another budgie, a girl?, to keep at first in a separate cage next to him, and will then after quarantine, introduce him to the other cage (so he doesn't feel territorial with a new budgie coming into his own cage).

 

Do you think maybe this will solve my problem? Or do you think maybe he will then teach the new bird bad habits?

 

Is it best to put a female in with a male budgie, or doesn't it matter?

 

I hope someone has experienced this strange behaviour and has some suggestions.......I'm sick of cleaning up this smelly mess!!

Sounds like he is 'feeding' his things... I'm not sure if it's possible to breakt his habit. Someone else may know. Does he get plenty of out of cage time? Maybe increase it? If you get another budgie for company, this behaviour may continue as he'll feed the new budgie. And male v's female... doesn't really matter. BUT quarantine needs to be away from the other bird. Separate cages is not enough. Other end of the house or garage if possible. Also, if your current boy is tame, adding another budgie can make him less tame too. Good Luck!

It does sound like he is 'feeding' things. It's a really normal thing for a male budgie to do, especially one kept on his own - not a bad habit - just instinct. I don't think there's any way to stop it. My male budgie continued to 'feed' his favourite things even after he acquired a female friend. He would feed his lady and then go and feed our digital clock, his favourite perch and then the hook from which their cage hung! He was a very busy budgie! As far as getting him a friend, a female budgie would work - if you don't want them to reproduce don't allow them access to anything that resembles a nest box. Otherwise, I think that males get along well together. My very, very tame budgie, Coco, was 6 months old when we got him his little female friend, Beanie. Although he kept his little lady to himself, and she didn't become very friendly at all, it didn't affect his bonding with me. I spent a lot of time with, firstly him, and then both of them, and he just just continued to get tamer and tamer - amazingly so. Anyway, this has been my experience with my little budgies.

Thanks for your advice. Maesie, he doesn't get a lot of out of cage time, but we're not home very often, working full time, and busy with 3 kids, but i notice that he gets very excited when we get home, so I'm figuring he's very lonely.

 

I'll see what happens when we get him a friend.

 

Thanks again.