Hi I have just joined cause Im not sure if there is something wrong with my budgie. He/she is about 15mths old, had a bright blue cere when we got him but it gradually has turned pale crusty/flaky brown but now over the last day or so has turned dark brown and is smooth and tonight when we got him/her out, she was really abnormally affectionate and nice and wanting attention. Normally she is cranky and quite aloof and bitey. Is something wrong? Do budgies get jealous? We have just got a new puppy who is getting lots of affection from us and it really seems as though the bird is jealous! Am i crazy? Any info would be great. thanks.

It sounds like you have a girl. I would think that if there was a sudden drop in the amount of attention you give her, she would get crankier and bitier, not extra affectionate. But I could be wrong. I don't assume that animals have human emotions, at least not in the same way we have them. But I definitely think that budgies need a good deal of attention and bonding with their human flock, if they don't have a bird flock. So if the puppy has displaced her, then you're going to have to make an extra effort to keep giving her the attention she needs.

 

 

 

As for your description of her cere, normally the crusty flaky stage is followed by a stage where all the brown flakes off to reveal the smooth whitish/bluish color for a while. Then the smooth chocolatey-brown color will come back when she goes into breeding condition the next time. It sounds like your bird went right from crusty to chocolatey, or did you just not mention whether she had an in-between whitish phase? Because maybe her hormones are a little messed up. I usally associate an increase in chewing and biting with going into breeding condition.