Posted October 8, 201212 yr Well, I found your forum, 'How to PROPERLY Breed Budgies' after I bought a 'breeding pair.' So, now I'm trying to figure out what to do. George and Gracie, were sold as a 'breeding pair.' I'm not sure if they're proven... or just boy and girl. for what I paid I can't complain. Both are green, Gracie is more olive, while George is a brighter green. How can I tell if Gracie is 'grey factor' or 'dark factor?' Not knowing their history, I'm not rushing to breed. I have them together in large cage, but have not added a nesting box. I'm mixing hard boiled egg with FortiDiet Moulting and Conditioning food. I'm reading everything I can find, trying to learn more. Any suggestions? It's been hard, so much that I've read is from Australia or UK, and many of the products recommended are not available in the States. Also, it seems these birds didn't have much in the way of fresh foods or toys... they've pretty much ignored everything I've put in for them.
October 9, 201212 yr Hi, pics will help with mutations. As for a "breeding pair" it would mean they are of breeding age. Budgies don't mate for life. Breeders choose which birds will be paired for breeding (show types) but as a pet breeder I still pair up birds to get or not get certain features or colours. I cage breed so if you read up on things like colony breeding you will find it's by far the best method. As to diet I presume parrakeet mix is what you would get, seed wise, add veges and safe food, millet sprays etc until they accept it, you will find a safe/unsafe food list in the f.a.q section on here.It will take a while for them to accept new foods, ours love corn on cob, spinach, carrot tops and carrot, different grasses etc. If you want to add pics of you birds post on budgie pictures section. Hope this helps a bit.
October 9, 201212 yr Hi, welcome to the forum! You can post photos right here in this thread, too. We would love it! I used to live near Kalamazoo, so we are practically neighbors! (Assuming there is no other Muskegon than in Michigan, lol.) I think it's great that you are reading up and learning what to do before you find yourself with eggs and chicks and unforseen problems. There are quite a few problems that can crop up, so when you are prepared for what can happen, it is easier to deal with it. Are George and Gracie show or pet type budgies? (The seller would have called them English or American.) If they are pet types, then you won't have to worry much about whether they will breed for you when the time comes. Sometimes the show types can be a little trickier and require more coddling. To tell a grey factor budgie from an olive green, check to see whether the tail is blue or black. Grey factor will have black tail, olive green will have blue. The cheek patches on the two are different, as well. There are a lot of good bird product websites in the U.S. If you want something specific, just Google the name of it, and several sites should come up. Some of my favorite sites are New Hampshire Bird Supply, Foy's Pigeons, Glamgouldians.com and ladygouldianfinch.com. When you are ready to buy leg rings, try L&M leg bands. I don't think you can order straight from their website yet, just through mail and telephone. But the lady who answers the phone is nice and very helpful. They will warm up to toys and veggies after they settle in for a while. I think show types are known for not being very playful. It can take a long time for them to decide to try veggies. Just keep trying them, and vary the way you serve them. One way is to make a "perch" out of a carrot or stick of sweet potato. Eventually they will chew on it, and discover that it is edible. (Not the same one, you of course have to replace the veggies before they go bad.) Oh, and after reading the ingredients labels on a lot of bags of seed, I prefer to give my budgies a good mix for finches, not budgies. The budgie mixes always seem to have a lot of added junk, that the birds just kick out of the way and waste. Finch mixes are usually just seeds, and they have a larger variety of what seeds they contain. Good luck. NIce to have you here. Hope you enjoy your foray into the world of bird breeding. You realize that budgies are just the beginning, right? Beware of the slippery slope! Edited October 9, 201212 yr by Finnie
October 10, 201212 yr great to hear that you are reading first. and congrats on a great choice of pets. Finnie has given the answer for grey-green or olive. and heaps of other great info. With the veggies just keep offering very small amounts (less waste) and try sprinkle some seed on it to temp them to try it. If they haven't had any before it will take a while for them to try it. A lettuce leaf with some water can be tempting as well for a bath and a nibble.
October 10, 201212 yr Author Finnie! Unless there are 2 states with a Muskegon and a Kalamazoo, I guess we were neighbors! What a small world! Thank you all for the warm welcome and GREAT info! I took pics, but the flash bleached Gracie out so she looks more green than she really is. I'll post when I get to a faster wifi. Her tail is definitely darker than George's, but when I get good light on it, it has a blue sheen, so she must be olive green. Cheek patches are blue as well, They are settling in a bit now. I've seen them chewing on some of the toys I've presented, and Gracie sometimes eats apple from my fingers. I clipped organic carrot with tops to the side of the cage, and they play with the stem, I've adjusted hoping they'll actually taste the tops. The other night George and my canary, Luciano, did an amazing concert for us. Perhaps they were competing for Gracie's affections? She was totally unimpressed. LOL As for budgies being just the start.... I live in an apartment, so I think I have sufficient restrictions in place to maintain control. (I hope!) Of course I have to admit that I'm already thinking of getting a blue pair... The rules count the number of animals by the number of cages... So if I get a large breeder cage... I can shift them temporarily and be okay. Would I be crazy to cross the green and blue? (If that's how they decide to pair up that is...)
October 10, 201212 yr blue and greens are fine together - they are all budgies. Her tail is definitely darker than George's, but when I get good light on it, it has a blue sheen, so she must be olive green. Cheek patches are blue as well, Definitely olive, the dark factor will make the tail darker as well which is why it is different to George's.
