I'm putting this in Off Topic, because even though it's partly about budgies, it's really mostly about Parrotlets.

 

A parrotlet breeder contacted me about getting some breeding pairs of budgies to use as foster parents for some of his parrotlets, who I guess tend to lay fertile eggs, but then abandon their nests. A google search didn't bring up anything about budgies raising them, but I did find some info that suggests that budgies can foster cockatiels, and vice-versa.

 

So I just wanted to ask any of you with other birds besides budgies, whether you have any experience with this.

 

Thanks,

Finnie

This will be aloud but anyway I don't know about fosterIng

Hi It is allowed but whether it would work or not depends on the compliance of the

foster parents.....B.J.

I have heard of budgies raisings parrotlets but I don't know if it would always work

Hello If your parrotlet breeder wants to try it Finnie why not. If it works

you'll have the makings of a very interesting post......B.J.

Well, he's going to go ahead and try it. He's been breeding birds, although mostly larger macaws, for over 20 years, and has been working with smaller birds like the parrotlets just more recently. He has found them to be really skittish, and easily scared off of their eggs.

 

He did some research, and like all things on the internet, he found conflicting opinions, both pro and con. The main concern would be whether the parrotlet chicks, being more aggressive, might bite their foster budgie parents, once they started getting older. But he hand feeds his chicks, so he intends to take them away at about two weeks of age. So he thinks he will be heading off any trouble in that area.

 

He figures its worth a try, since he is already losing so many parrotlet eggs and chicks. Anyway, he bought 9 budgies from me this weekend, and he said he will let me know how it works out later on, and send photos, too.

 

So I'm looking forward to that, and I will update this thread and let you all know what happens.

There's only on way to answer all his queries are to try it Then he won't have any conflicting info

to worry about ..... As for the biting, how would they know they were fostered??...B.J.

Ummm.... I'm pretty sure that parrotlets and budgies have different feather types, so I think disease would spread... you know... feather dust? Idk lol

No problems , I raised budgies under peachfaces when I was 12 years old .

Ummm.... I'm pretty sure that parrotlets and budgies have different feather types, so I think disease would spread... you know... feather dust? Idk lol

 

Um, you shouldn't be using diseased birds to breed with in the first place. So with healthy birds, the risk would be no different inter-species than it would be fostering between different budgie nests.

 

If there is disease present that you are not aware of, then it can be spread through feather dust, which is why it's a good idea to try to keep dust build-up to a minimum. But the dust will always be present, to some degree.

Hi In Cage & Aviary Birds week 29 Aug2012. Short piece with photo of

budgies raising cockatiel chicks successfully. From eggs to sticks...B.J.